The Last Chance Corporation has conducted a strategy of producing a high quality shoe that satisfies multiple audiences in order to achieve a wider export base. Combining a high quality casual shoe with attributes of functionality and performance in order to suffice needs of durability and comfort-ability
Through the use of the marketing mix Pioneer has delivered a perceived high quality product with value that reflects the consumer.
Customer:
Pioneer is a brand that is regarded as a professional shoe. Therefore they target people seeking for a product with admirable functional and well balanced performance. The major targeted audience for this product is professional males around the 30-40 age brackets. These are usually high income earners. This is reflected in the price and brand image due to quality of Pioneer shoes. Furthermore this high price allows the firm to increase the customer perceived value of the product. Again this is reflected as Pioneer shoes are sold in high end retailers.
BRAND PORTFOLIO QUESTIONS WEEK 4
- What is market research?
Marketing Research
The Last Chance Corporation decided to develop and market a new style of casual footwear aimed at men. They wanted accessories, apparel and shoes that were fashionable and practical. Last Chance agreed to work with Pioneer in order to launch three main footwear products into the Australian Market. These products were stated as being “a product like anything that can be offered to a market to grape attention, for acquisition, use or consumption that might address buyers’ wants or needs”3.
The chosen three categories were the following;
- Casual footwear. Shoes suitable for those who are looking to get better freedom and feel relaxed whilst walking.
- Sport sandals. Shoes aimed at teenagers and summer walking shoes.
- Formal shoes. Shoes intended for elderly people and businesspeople.
Last Chance put forward the following questions in order to maintain the desired efficiency desired by the Australian market. These included
- Who is the target of Pioneer casual shoes?
- What is the market value of footwear in Australia?
- What are people’s preferences
- What distribution strategy should be followed?
- What are competitors charging?
- The most appropriate communication strategy for the targeted segment.
- How to get into the market?
- Income per person based on the geographic distribution/occupations.
- Purchasing power of Australian people.
- Cost of goods sold.
Overall the achievement of this approach was widely successful. It meant that consumers were being listened to and their desired needs where met by the range of shoes Pioneer made available.
WEEK 7 BRAND PORTFOLIO QUESTIONS
- Define ‘brand identity’.
Brand identity is defined as “what the owner or marketer believes or intends that the brand should represent to customers and other stakeholders.”4. In regards to Pioneer the main brand elements that make up its “brand identity” follow:
Brand Name: In order to present a new product brand importance is one of the most crucial. The core value of the product is to achieve a number once product in the footwear market. Pioneer through the alliance with Last Chance has been able to produce a product that not only meets the needs of the company (producing “a well executed shoe… performance wise and conformability”) 5 but also meets the target consumer’s demands. The product represents an élites attitude towards work and life as it conveys the product as being more than just a shoe. Finally, in regards to the name “Pioneer” presents an easy to produce name that reflects the attitude of work, life and play.
Brand Slogan: Pioneer leads you to be a pioneer”. This slogan represents an attitude reflected upon people’s life. Good shoes will maintain conformability and durability throughout your life. Therefore this presents good shoes will allow you to achieve whatever goal you set your sights on, no matter if it is part of your personal life or work life.
Logo: The premise behind the logo creates a sense of a higher class. The defined golden “P” surrounded by a black smooth square and simple letters to me represent the assured quality behind the product. The logo is a source of equity. The golden reflects sunny, vivid, alive image and, moreover, gold can be paired with higher class. It presents a positive and noble image. “P” logo with the golden color represents alive, positive and a royal attitude.
Packaging: Since Pioneer is a high price and high quality product targeting the upper class business man the packaging acts as an element that facilitates a consumer’s desire for buying. Through the use of canvas material (a durable substance) it reflects the long lasting element of the shoe. The fashionable design of the packaging resonates with other people as they easily recognize the brand when they see the logo on the packaging. This can stimulate the consumer’s ego. Furthermore with this good packaging design it can help the consumer with storage which again is another benefit of purchasing a product from this brand.
Pioneer Brand Pyramid
- Casual footwear salience: Pioneer casual footwear is the pioneer on relaxing lifestyle
- Performance: comfortable and durable product, pioneer footwear is fit to different condition
- Imagery: high level relax lifestyle
- Judgments: quality, credibility and superiority
- Resonance: loyalty
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS
- Hope, 2010, Introduction to Professional Communication, Pearson Education, Sydney
- Aaker, D.A. (1991) Managing Brand Equity: Capitalizing on the value of a Brand Name (New York: the Free Press).
- Cathy, M. (2001), Marketing Essential, Homewood: Richard D. Irwin, Inc
- Katz, M. (2000).Marketing-Skimming Pricing Strategy. Watsontown: Economy press.
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Keller, K. L., Heckler, S. and Houston, M. J. (1998) The Effects of Brand Name Suggestiveness on Advertising Recall, Journal of Marketing, 62, 1, pp. 48-57.
- Keller, K.L., (2008), Strategic Brand Management, Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand equity, Third edition, Pearson Education Australia
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Caples and Hahn, 1998, Tested Advertising Methods, Prentice Hall; 5th edition, Prentice Hall Business Classics, England
- Kotler P., Brown L., Adam S. and Armstrong, G. (2007), Marketing, (7th Edition), Pearson Education Australia.
- Leand, J. (2000). Running, Cross Training Topped Consumers; Lists This Fall. Eye on Footwear, Sporting Goods Business. p.22
INTERNET:
- Pricing strategies, “Skimming Pricing”, Retrieved on March 15 from
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Turner J. (2008); Ingredient Branding, “A Win-Win Situation or Zero Sum Game?”, Retrieved on March 9, 2008 from: <>