Introduction
A marketing plan is an essential tool for any organization or business seeking to venture or succeed in any market (Kotler &Keller, 2012). This essay provides a marketing plan for the Blue Sky Clothing Company.
Executive Summary
The Blue Sky Clothing Company was founded by Lucy Neuman and Nick Russell. The company competes with other well-established companies in the clothing industry. This five-year market plan is intended to help the company generate extra funds for expansion, and inform the management about the company’s current position. The plan also provides possible guidelines the organization should follow to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors.
It was launched three years ago, but it has succeeded in getting many customers due to its high-quality products. The company’s mission is to become the leader in producing and marketing casual clothing for outdoor activities. The company sells outdoor apparel for both men and women. Distribution is done through retail stores that primarily deal with outdoor clothing and gear. The distribution outlets are mainly concentrated in Northern England, California, the Northwest, and some states in the West.
Blue Sky’s Financial Goals
- Increase its income by 50% percent each year
- Donate $ 25000 annually to conservation programs
- Generate enough money to expand its operation, increase its distribution, and introduce new product lines.
Nonfinancial Goals
- Introduce into the market customized logo clothing and lightweight luggage bags
- Enter the new markets in the Southwestern and Mid-Atlantic states
- Venture into online marketing while still maintaining strong connections with retail outlets to expand its market share.
Situational Analysis
The Blue Sky Clothing Company operates in a market environment that has several opportunities. The company is aware that marketing activities are vital to their success and profitability. It offers a wide variety of outdoor clothing with different colors and logos to attract customers. However, the market has several obstacles and challenges that the company feels it can overcome smoothly with a strategic and tactical marketing plan.
Market Summary
Blue Sky Clothing Company gathered information regarding the basic characteristics of the target customers. This information will play a great role in determining the customers’ needs and the best way to address the targeted market segments.
Target Markets
The target market for the company comprises of consumers aged between twenty-five to forty-five years old. These demographics include active people who like hiking, rock climbing, surfing, figure skating, riding horses, and many other outdoor activities. This group of target consumers reflects knowledgeable individuals whose income range between $60,000 and $120,000 annually. Currently, blue sky customers live in Northern New England, Southern California, and the Northwest. However, the company plans to venture into new markets in Mid-Atlantic and Southwest states in the future.
SWOT Analysis
Blue Sky’s position in the market for the last three years is provided by the SWOT analysis elaborated below.
Strengths
- Blue Sky offers high-quality products
- The firm has no debts. Therefore, it has great potential for growth
- Blue Sky works with single manufacture. This ensures the consistent production of high-quality products.
Weakness
- The company has limited cash flow
- The firm relies on a single manufacturer. This limits its expansion capacity.
Opportunities
- Blue Sky has a base of loyal consumers who are likely to buy more products
- Online marketing through its website enables it to reach many customers globally.
Threats
- The industry has strong competitors such as Timberland and REI who may launch the same product, and thus absorb its customers or market share.
Competition
The company’s outdoor retail sales are about $ 5billion annually. However, the industry has many competitors including Timberland; Bass Pro Shops; Cabello’s; Patagonia; and REI, which are already established in the market. Smaller companies such as Title IX and Ragged Mountain also compete in the target market.
Product Offering
The company intends to offer a unique trendy customized logo and slogan clothing products. This offer is not provided by any of the competitor companies.
Keys to Success
The company’s keys to success include excellent customer service, the supply of high-quality cotton products, and effective and efficient market operations.
Critical Issues
The Blue Sky Company is new in the clothing industry. However, it plans to venture into internet-based retail sales to supplement local retail outlets. Its critical issue is to continually and gradually expand its channels of distribution.
Marketing Strategy
The Blue Sky Company will engage in web-based marketing for the next five years to creating an awareness of the company and its products. In addition, it will engage in outdoor advertising to provide the public with general information about the firm’s website and its offering.
Marketing Mix
Product Strategy
The company plans to offer high-quality cotton apparel with customized clothing items. In addition, it plans to expand its product line to include items of lightweight luggage bearing the company’s logo.
Distribution Strategy
The company plans to intensify its distribution strategy through online sales, creating online kiosks, and retail specialty shops throughout the US.
Promotional Strategy
Promotions are done through the internet, direct mailings, and in person. The organization plans to organize trips, contests, and competitions to promote the company image.
Pricing Strategy
The organization offers value pricing. This makes the customers acknowledge the value of their purchases and go for more products. Actually, moderate pricing makes its products affordable.
Market Research
The blue sky marketing team conducted thorough market research using focus groups to gather valid market information before developing this marketing plan. Through the research, the company is likely to be more successful in the market.
Financials
In the past three years, the Blue Sky Company enjoyed a steady increase in sales. This plan projects that the company will continue with the same trend for the next three years. The table below illustrates the annual sales forecasts for the organization.
Expenses Forecast
Blue Sky’s monthly expenses are expected to rise during the first quarter of the third year because of the introduction of new product lines and new internet promotion activities. Thereafter, they will reduce due to established markets.
Timeline for Expansion
The introduction of two new product lines and the expansion of the product outlets are summarized in the table below.
Controls
Blue Sky’s marketing plan acts as a roadmap for the company. Therefore, customer acquisition costs, repeat customers, and customer satisfaction will be monitored to determine the company’s continuing performance.
Implementation and Milestones
The table below shows the implementation and milestone of marketing programs.
Summary
The Blue Sky company intends to continue in the fashion industry into the future. It has no plans to exit the market soon. The company aims at expanding its product line to leverage a much more market share. Finally, the company intends to operate independently without merging or amalgamating with large organizations in the industry.
Reference
Kotler, P., &Keller, K. (2012). Marketing Management (14th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall.