Marketing Management
Executive Summary:
After comprehensive research into the beer market specifically focusing on the four beer brands Little Creatures, Heineken, Budweiser and Victoria Bitter, our group propose the introduction of a new product into the Little Creatures product line. Similar to Heineken, we believe Little Creatures would benefit from the introduction of a Bright Ale keg. This line extension would promote bulk buying of Little Creatures beer and expand their cultural persona by encouraging community gatherings. Which is perfectly aligned with the ethos they have built to date. The sharing of what is one of their premium beers would further attract potential customers through this social networking focal point.
Total Product Concept
“The total product concept is a way of viewing a product as the totality of value and benefits it provides to the consumer” (Elliot, Rundle-Thiele & Waller, 2010, p.204). The theory behind this is that there are four product levels that create the total product concept and differentiate one product from the next.
Core Product The core product is the fundamental benefit that responds to the consumer’s unsatisfied need or wants (Elliot, Rundle-Thiele & Waller, 2010, p.204). Within the context of the beers we have examined this can range from an everyday thirst-quenching beer (Victoria Bitter or Budweiser) to a more premium offering (Heineken, Little Creatures), but ultimately it is a refreshing alcoholic beverage.
Expected Product The next product level is the expected product. This is the attributes of the product that actually deliver the core product that consumers expect (Elliot, Rundle-Thiele & Waller, 2010, p.204). Simply put, this is the vessel that the beer comes in. Whilst all of our products except Little Creatures Bright Ale are available in can form, for the purpose of this project we are examining the bottled varieties. On this product level our four market offerings are differentiated on their
After comprehensive research into the beer market specifically focusing on the four beer brands Little Creatures, Heineken, Budweiser and Victoria Bitter, our group propose the introduction of a new product into the Little Creatures product line. Similar to Heineken, we believe Little Creatures would benefit from the introduction of a Bright Ale keg. This line extension would promote bulk buying of Little Creatures beer and expand their cultural persona by encouraging community gatherings. Which is perfectly aligned with the ethos they have built to date. The sharing of what is one of their premium beers would further attract potential customers through this social networking focal point.
Total Product Concept
“The total product concept is a way of viewing a product as the totality of value and benefits it provides to the consumer” (Elliot, Rundle-Thiele & Waller, 2010, p.204). The theory behind this is that there are four product levels that create the total product concept and differentiate one product from the next.
Core Product The core product is the fundamental benefit that responds to the consumer’s unsatisfied need or wants (Elliot, Rundle-Thiele & Waller, 2010, p.204). Within the context of the beers we have examined this can range from an everyday thirst-quenching beer (Victoria Bitter or Budweiser) to a more premium offering (Heineken, Little Creatures), but ultimately it is a refreshing alcoholic beverage.
Expected Product The next product level is the expected product. This is the attributes of the product that actually deliver the core product that consumers expect (Elliot, Rundle-Thiele & Waller, 2010, p.204). Simply put, this is the vessel that the beer comes in. Whilst all of our products except Little Creatures Bright Ale are available in can form, for the purpose of this project we are examining the bottled varieties. On this product level our four market offerings are differentiated on their
References: • R. Ebbs, “Monsters” (1998) http://www.feedback.nildram.co.uk/richardebbs/essays/monsters.htm • Australian Beers, 2011. Available from: http://www.australianbeers.com/beers/vb/victoria_bitter.htm. [24th May 2011]. • Australian Open, 2011. Available from: http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/heineken.html. [24h May 2011]. • Budweiser, 2011. Available from: http://www.budweiser.com/dfault.aspx. [24th May 2011]. • Heineken, 2011. Available from: http://www.heineken.com. [24th May 2011]. • Little Creatures, 2011. Available from: http://www.littlecreatures.com. [24th May 2011]. • Your Restaurants, 2011. Available from: http://yourrestaurants.com.au/guide/little_creatures/. [24th May 2011]. • de Chernatony, L. & McWilliam, G. (1990), “Appreciating brands as assets through using a two-dimensional model”, International Journal of Advertising, 8, 4, pp. 111-119. • Elliot, G., Rundle-Thiele, S. & Waller, D. (2010), Marketing, Wiley, Milton. • Lewis, C. & Vickerstaff, A. (2001), “Beer branding in British and Czech companies: A comparative study”, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 19, 5, pp. 341-350. • Meyvis, T. & Janiszewski, C. (2002), “Consumers’ Beliefs about Product Benefits: The Effect of Obviously Irrelevant Product Information”, The Journal of Consumer Research, 28, 4, pp. 618-635. • Shiv, B. & Fedorikhin, A. (1999), “Heart and Mind in Conflict: The Interplay of Affect and Cognition in Consumer Decision Making”, The Journal of Consumer Research, 26, 3, pp. 278-292. • Shrimp, T.A., Stuart, E.W. & Engle, R.W. (1991), “A Program of Classical Conditioning Experiments Testing Variations in the Conditioned Stimulus and Context”, The Journal of Consumer Research, 18, 1, pp. 1-12. • Rowbotham, G. (2011), “Winning Brew of Old and New” Caterer & Hotelkeeper, April 22-28, 2011. Vol 201, Iss 4674, Pp 36. APPENDICES