Mountain Man Brewing Company

1. What are the critical success factors for MMBC? What are its competitive advantages? A: Some of the critical success factors for MMBC are as follows:  High Brand awareness i.e. an unaided response rate of 67% from West Virginia population  People's perception of the brand being a local and authentic product  Legacy factor with generations of a population consuming the product, the brand had survived for more than 50 years  Strong customer base among the blue-collar working class  Perception of distinct quality with respect to flavour and taste  Priced at par with the premium domestic brands, hence reasonable pricing is also a crucial factor Competitive advantages with respect to MMBC are as follows:  A small but competent sales force responsible for increasing distribution in offpremise locations as 60% of customers purchasing beer did so at off-premise locations  Grass-root marketing tactics and word of mouth marketing that emphasised on quality aspects while being most cost-effective  A better regional distribution network coupled with a large customer base

2. Elaborate on the factors influencing brand equity of MMBC. A:  Firmly established brand for 8 decades which commands a large loyal customer base with a legacy factor  Attributes like distinctively bitter taste, slightly higher than average content of alcohol that were unique to the Mountain Man Lager brand.  Packaging of beer that was in line with the product positioning for the blue-collared working class (logo with the design of coal miners)  Sticking to the core product of Lager rather than swaying to new emerging markets, i.e. maintaining core product competency  Known as the “West Virginia’s Beer”, with authenticity, quality and “toughness” as the core attributes which the target customer base could relate with  Judged “Best Beer in West Virginia” for the Eighth year straight year, affirming customer faith with respect to product quality and brand name  Increasing product