Metabical Case Study1. What personality theory(ies) (Freudian, Neo-Freudian, Trait) best explain(s) Metabicals customers?Low self-esteem, concerns about their looks and health.

2. The consumer perception development and decision making process can best be explained by the hierarchy of effects model. This model consists of awareness, knowledge, liking, preference, conviction and purchase. How do Metabicals consumers go through their decision making process? Who is involved in the process?The product end-user is the main subject of the decision-making process, but other external parties interject at different stages, influencing the consumers ultimate decision. Below is the flow Metabicals consumers would go through as part of their shopping behaviors.

Stage 1: Problem Awareness

Recognition occurs that consumers are unhappy with their current body image, their weight or their unhealthy lifestyle. This can come from consumers existing, continuous dissatisfaction in terms of their weight physical appearance.

Stage 2: Information Search

Information available in publications, other commercial or public resources such as TV, magazines or the Internet provide a large amount of information for the consumer in the decision making process. Healthcare professionals such as medical doctors, pharmacists or nutritionists may be the most significant source of information during this process as the information they have is of expert level and holds a different level of credibility.

Stage 3: Evaluation of Alternatives

Once enough information and insight about the diet pills market and the various possibilities offered has been gathered, the consumers will look into the different brands available within the same market in order to evaluate the available choices.

Advice may be sought from ones parents, spouse, relatives, as these are the closest connections to the consumer and will advise honest feedback and will help the evaluation process for potential users. Feedback from peer groups comprised of friends and colleagues that may have already experimented with a diet pill or shared a related experience may help further help consumers in the final evaluation.

Stage 4: Purchase

Stage 5: Post-purchase Evaluation

It is common for customers to feel a sense of doubt about or question the purchase at this stage. Knowing whether they made the right decision to buy and try Metabical.

This decision-making process for Metabical demonstrates the recognizing, gathering, assessing, processing and re-evaluating of information that consumers of the respective product must carry out in order for them to make an informed decision and satisfy the recognized need.3. How should Printup think about the segmentation (demographic and psychographic personality and lifestyle) of potential Metabical customers? Who is the optimal target customer?

END-USER Market Segmentation

One form of segmentation is by gender. Women are more interested in losing weight than men. Also Printup can segment based on income and educational level for it is apparent from exhibit 1 that the highly educated people with incomes of 60,000 and more are more weight conscious than their poor uneducated counterparts, although it is the poor ones that mostly need to lose weight.

Printup could also segment patients by the attitude they have towards weight loss. Are they really enthusiastic about losing weight? From the Exhibit, only 35% of respondents were actively trying to lose weight, although 70% were currently dissatisfied with their weight.

HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS (MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS) Market Segmentation

This Healthcare segment includes Medical Doctors have the required expertise, and consequent credibility, to study and assess Metabicals attributes and promote its use to consumers, making them a key fraction of the segment.

OPTIMAL TARGET MARKET

With respect to targeting, its best to target educated women in the upper middle class income range. From Exhibit 3, the target would be the women who want to wear skinny jeans aged 25 to 40, with a college education, and an income of 50,000- 80000$, as well as the 35 to 65 year old women who earn 80,000$+ who are ready to make the change.

4. How should CSP identify and employ the differential advantages that Metabical offers to position itself in the marketplace?One way of positioning strategy is to position it as a prestigious product only for those high sophisticated educated women. Although that reduces the effect of competition its too narrow a market.

Another way is to position it is that it is the optimal solution for all overweight patients having BMI between 25-30. Positioning this way is broad and does not help in differentiating it from alli or other competitors, so then one must be careful in advertising and promoting to stress these facts:

-Metabical as the first FDA approved prescription drug for the overweight segment i.e.: BMI 25-30, as opposed to other OTC products which are not FDA approved.

- it has the least side effects as compared to OTCS and also FDA approved Alli which produces liver problems if consumer s consume a lot of fatty food.5. Given the positioning strategy you choose, what would be your communications strategy to each of your target audiences? Would you change the marketing budget or the IMC (integrated marketing communications) mix? If so, how?Since Metabical is a new product that needs to be launched the message should stress realistic expectations with respect to patients. The fact that it is only effective for overweight patients i.e. BMI 25-30 should also be clearly pointed out because credibility is important in establishing a name in the market.

Printup started the correct way with her communication strategy with a plan focusing on both the patient and the health care provider. For Direct to consumer ads, the best message I would choose is: Losing weight is tough; you dont have to do it alone. Let your health care provider help you on the road to a healthy weight and better life because it is real and positive message which highlights the importance of Metabical and the support program.