Saxonville Sausage Company

The case study gives a good overview of the task that was set to new product marketing director Ann Banks. Also all steps that were taken to study consumers’ preferences are covered in details. As the case states, after the thorough analysis both “Family Connection” and “Clever Cooking” are viable positioning options. By the end of the case it becomes obvious that Banks should recommend Saxonville Sausage Company to adopt “Family Connection” concept. Since target consumers are mostly women who are heads of their households, the most convincing argument could be that this concept takes into account core consumers’ values and desires, such as “feeding her family good food”, “having time to do fun things with her children”, “getting everything done”, “helping her children have happy memories”, “bringing a sense of tradition to their lives” etc.

Although the testing shows that “Family Connection” had scored better, I think Banks should recommend to adopt “Clever Cooking” concept. The first reason in support of my thinking is that, as Banks pointed out, consumers’ acknowledgment with existing brands’ positioning as “authentic Italian heritage” could mislead consumers regarding “Family Connection” concept. Then, Exhibit 11 (Italian Sausage Concept Assessment) shows that “Clever Cooking” lost not so many responds, compared to “Family Connection,” within the consumers who “Definitely/Probably Would Buy” Saxonville products. Even more, among those, more percentage of respondents prefers “Clever Cooking” concept (41% versus 23%). Finally, by following this concept, the company could satisfy the requirements of its target consumers. For example, by providing “family approved one-dish recipes wholesome real meal in minutes” (Exhibit 8) on the package, the company gives the opportunity to consumer to be more creative, to cook wholesome dinners that would be loved by the whole family and at the same time she could save extra time and spend it with her children. Thus,