Introduction
General Motors is a multinational company involved in producing different brands of cars. It is a public company in the automotive industry whose headquarters are in the Renaissance Center, Detroit, United States (Song et al., 2020). Automotive companies need innovative marketing strategies to penetrate the global market. Firms in this sector need to develop new products and services to remain vibrant in the market. An effective marketing plan helps stakeholders execute new products by conducting market strategy and internal and external environment analysis. The market analysis presented in the paper shows how General Motors can use it when developing a new G.M. vehicle. The paper entails an analysis of the new product, competition, the target market, competition, and a communication plan that will help the marketing team implement the new product.
The Business Challenge- The New Product
General Motors company plans to develop a new vehicle similar to Kia Carnival. Regarding the features of the Kia Carnival brand, the new vehicle will entail characteristics that present new technology in the automotive industry. It will be an electronic brand with unique features such as high speed, dual airbags, front and rear disc brakes, and premium fabric seats, meeting customers’ needs in line with the trending world. The mission statement justifies the development of the new vehicle as it is focused on maintaining customers by availing of technological brands in the market. The development of the new vehicle meets the company’s goals as analyzed by SWOT and the five Ps of marketing strategies (product, price, place, promotion, and people). The SWOT analysis identifies the use of technology as an opportunity to create unique and differentiated products, which helps an organization gain a competitive advantage.
Market Analysis
Target Market- Customers
The targeted market segment for a new vehicle is segmented based on income and financial capabilities at an individual level. A luxurious brand focus on the market segment with a population of people willing to spend a lot of their income on classy and expensive goods (MartĂn GarcĂa, 2021). The targeted customers for the new products want to live a luxurious life that exactly meets its features. Furthermore, the segmentation of customers is based on the geographical locations; the targeted customers will be from the U.S., Europe, Japan, China, and Australia. The targeted geographical regions are developed countries, meaning that consumers from such nations have more income to spend on luxurious vehicles like Kia Carnival. People from developed countries can buy expensive products, making it the right market segment for the new car developed by General Motors. Customers from this market segment need luxurious products to meet their high-class living standards.
Competition
General Motors are in the automotive industry, meaning that it is exposed to stiff competition from brands like Toyota, Tesla, BMW, and Honda. Tesla is a competitor that is a threat to General Motors Company. Tesla company is involved in the development of car models which conforms with the current technology hence making it to be a big threat to G.M.’s new product in the global market. Furthermore, due to Tesla being one of the multinational companies in the automotive industry, General Motors should compete with it when delivering a new brand to the market. However, General Motors need to develop an effective competitive strategy for it to gain a large market share in the global market. The company can gain a competitive advantage over Tesla by developing a unique vehicle brand. An outstanding brand will attract more customers hence making it possible for the G.M. new vehicle to have more sales.
Customer loyalty will also make the company gain more competitiveness than other companies. The company can gain trust from the customer when it can provide the best products that satisfy their needs and are worthy of their money. Therefore, General Motors will design the new vehicle with a unique design to attract more customers. A differentiation strategy will also help the company outshine its competitors by presenting distinguished vehicles to the market (Dong et al., 2021). Customers with high living standards like using products that make them stand out from others. The uniqueness of the new G.M. vehicle brand will be designed in a unique way that is difficult for other brands like Tesla to avail in the global market. Therefore, due to creating a threat for the new entry through product differentiation, the new G.M. vehicle similar to Kia Carnival can gain a competitive advantage in the global market, projecting more sales.
Threats And Opportunities
The major threats and opportunities for the new G.M. vehicle brand comprise technology, government/legal, economy, and competition. Technology lays great opportunities for the General Motors company, which can be used in developing new products. The company can use trending technology to develop cars that satisfy its customers, as outlined in the mission statement. Technology as an opportunity will help the brand grow globally and have a large market share in the world automotive industry. Arguably, the technology presents itself as a threat to G.M. products, so the company can not conform to trends in the new technology. Customers may need a vehicle with the highest technology, which cannot be met by the company hence becoming a challenge for selling the new brand.
Trends in the economy are also a threat to the new product, especially when there is a financial crisis. For instance, a pandemic like COVID-19 negatively impacted global trade meaning the sales of the brand will go low. Furthermore, different legal requirements in foreign countries, which vary, make it difficult for the brands to go global. Every country has its legal requirements for the new brand, which can act as an economic barrier in specific countries. Moreover, the government in the foreign can have policies on restricting a new brand from multinational companies hence negatively preventing the new brand of General Motors from entering the global market.
Communication Plan
A good communication plan developed by the company determines how the brand will gain popularity in the global market. Customers from the global market need to understand the new brand of General Motors. General Motors company will have to incorporate the internet in its communication strategy for the information relating to the new brand to reach out to the large global market. The company needs to establish a public relation team that will be responsible for posting on different social media accounts of the company concerning the new brand launched by the company. General Motors will also create a customer profile for the different segments of the customers to enhance CRM in the market. Through this, customers will have an opportunity to provide their reviews concerning the new vehicle brand and areas which need improvement based on their needs. A strategy to improve customer relationship management will also help the company gain trust in the new market.
Ethical and Legal Consideration
The new G.M. vehicle brand designed like Via Carnival will follow the legal considerations and guidelines before launching the brand in the global market. The brand needs to have all the legal rights needed by the law by not using the brand name of the other companies to advertise its products. General Motors will also comply with the law by filing a trademark that will help in protecting the new vehicle brand. The development of the new brand should not violate the ethical requirements presented by the marketing authorities.
Conclusion
A marketing plan is used by the company when introducing a new product. The development of the new vehicle brand by General Motors, which looks like Via Carnival, requires a good marketing strategy that will help the company identify a reliable market for their brand. The new vehicle brand will have a market segment of individuals with middle and high incomes. Most customers will come from developed countries since most people from such countries live in high social classes. The company will compete with Tesla when introducing a new vehicle. The marketing strategies used by General Motors, such as product differentiation, will help gain a competitive advantage over Tesla. The company will use technology as an opportunity to introduce new vehicles in the industry. Social media is a reliable communication platform for General Motors to inform its customers concerning the new product.
References
Dong, A., Kleinsmann, M., & Snelders, D. (2021). The Design of Firms: Part 2 – Competitive Advantage. Design Issues, 37(3), 59–77. Web.
MartĂn GarcĂa, A. (2021). Product placement is an efficient marketing tool within the media mix. Harvard Deusto Business Research, 10(1), 224–237. Web.
Song, E., Wu-Smith, P., & Nelson, B. L. (2020). Uncertainty Quantification in Vehicle Content Optimization for General Motors. INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics, 50(4), 225–238. Web.