The Foodsaver Marketing CampaignThe FoodSaver Marketing Campaign 2 Target Market: The target market for The FoodSaver is married women ages 35 to 55, residing in the Shenandoah Valley

The FoodSaver Marketing Campaign 1

The Foodsaver Marketing Campaign

April Cargill, Ryan Gurtz, Kevin Kind, Gina Mogavero & Brian Rather

April 28, 2012

in partial fulfillment of MKTG 380

Dr. Kenneth Bahn


Target Market:

The target market for The FoodSaver is married women ages 35 to 55, residing in

the Shenandoah Valley area. The women that the product targets will typically be educated

at a four year accredited college due to the fact that these are the women whom will have

the money to spend on such a product. They will most likely be employed homeowners

who make the majority of the major purchasing decisions in their households. The lifestyle

of these women will include regularly cooking meals at home which typically include the

use of fresh food. The FoodSaver will target women whose attitudes reflect the desire to

preserve food, and women who are interested in a product that will help them save money.

The product will also appeal to women who are environmentally aware and globally

conscious.

The following demographic information, which was collected from survey

participants, created a baseline for learning what types of people would be interested in

purchasing The FoodSaver. This collected information led to the determination of The

FoodSaver’s target market. Value Retail News (2008) illustrated research that married

women make 64 percent of buying decisions. The survey demonstrates that women make

major purchasing decisions one to three times a month. This verifies that married women

are the most appropriate market for this product to target. It was revealed that the

majority of the respondents cook an average of 9.5 meals a week at home. Out of these 9.5

home-cooked meals, respondents said that an average of 7.9 were made with fresh food.

Some participants wrote that they cooked “all” or “most” of their meals at home and 90% of

survey participants said that freshness of food was important or very important. This


information led to the decision to target women who typically cook meals at home that

include fresh foods, seeing as they will be the ones to get the most benefit from the product.

Product Description and Development:

The FoodSaver represents one of the most innovative, new items introduced to the

appliance market in years. This new appliance consists of a small compartment that can be

installed in almost all refrigerators available on the market today. Once installed in a

refrigerator, The FoodSaver allows the consumer to engage its patented external air pump

to quickly and efficiently remove all air from the compartment, thereby creating a vacuum-

seal within the container. By creating a vacuum-seal within this storage compartment, the

consumer is able to extend the period of freshness for all food items stored within The

FoodSaver. As a result, consumers who purchase The FoodSaver are able to save money by

avoiding having to throw away spoiled food, and the humanitarian-minded are able to

exercise global consciousness in a world stricken by acute food shortages and famine.

Additionally, the product is manufactured with immense concern for its environmental

impact. With the environment in mind, production is very green and its energy use is very

efficient.

Survey data reveals that The FoodSaver’s target market is very responsive to the

perceived benefits granted by this product. From a financial perspective, The FoodSaver

offers significant benefits. Of all participants surveyed, over 90% indicated a strong value

toward saving money whenever possible. As a result, the ability of The FoodSaver to help

consumers stretch every dollar making all store-bought food last longer, represents a very

attractive feature to the target market. Additionally, our product caters to the


environmental concerns of the target market. For example, over 90% of the surveyed

participants consider the environmental friendliness of a product to be an important factor

when purchasing a new appliance. Along with this, nearly 60% of those surveyed claim that

they would be willing to pay more for a product that was sufficiently “green.”

Our target market has also been identified as being very globally conscious. Roughly

forty percent of participants surveyed claimed that they considered the global implications

of their choices when making purchasing decisions and managing their households. More

specifically, over 80% of The FoodSavers’ target market says that they are conscious about

wasting food and would purchase a product that preserves food. Finally, it was not

surprising to find that nearly 95% of our target market shares the belief that Americans

regularly throw away too much food. The FoodSaver, by design, addresses these global

concerns in a number of direct and indirect ways. By reducing the frequency by which

consumers dispose of spoiled food, The FoodSavers satisfies the consumers’ desire to feel

globally responsible. With the data collected from the survey, it can be concluded that The

FoodSaver’s “green” energy efficiency, money saving quality, and food saving ability will be

highly valued by the target market.


Integrated Marketing Communication Campaign

Marketing and Communication Objectives:

The primary marketing objective of The FoodSaver’s IMCC is to have 20% of The

FoodSaver’s target market to purchase the product within one year. In order to achieve this

market objective, the campaign will divide The FoodSavers marketing efforts into three

distinct communication objectives, each with a corresponding time phase.

The first communication objectives will correspond to the “awareness” phase, which

will last four months. The goal of this phase will be to make 80% of The FoodSaver’s target

market aware of the product within these four months. The next phase, also lasting four

months, will be the “preference” phase. The objective during this period will be to convince

40% of the target market to prefer The FoodSaver over our competitors’ product within

one year. The final four month phase will be the “intent to purchase” phase. During this

final marketing phase, the campaign will attempt to use incentives to convince 20% of our

target market to “intend” to purchase our product.

Product Message:

The message communicated to consumers about The FoodSaver will change during

each phase of the IMCC marketing plan. During the awareness phase of the IMCC, the

message objectives will simply inform the target market about the specific nature of our

product. For example, consumers will be taught what our product looks like and what its

specific function is. Consumers will also be taught about The FoodSaver’s web presence

where they can learn more and purchase the product. In addition, consumers will learn

when and where The FoodSaver will become available. In this phase, the campaign plans to


teach 80% of the target market about these aspects of The FoodSaver. This essential

information about the product will help give the target market an informational foundation

which will later enable the consumer to begin to prefer and purchase The FoodSaver.

The messages conveyed during the second “preference” phase of the marketing plan

will aim to teach the target market about the advantages of The FoodSaver compared to

similar products or to an ordinary refrigerator. For instance, consumers will be taught that

The FoodSaver is an extremely green device, made from recycled materials and with

energy saving potential. Also, consumers will learn that the product possesses immense

money saving and health benefits superior to that of similar products or a fridge without

the product. Consumers will also be taught that The FoodSaver is American made. Finally,

consumers will learn the moral imperative of saving food by being taught just how much

food and money Americans throw away every year. All of these message objectives will

begin to demonstrate to the target market the necessity of owning a product like The

FoodSaver, and each “preference” objective will highlight how this product is superior to its

competitors.

The message communicated during the final “intent to purchase” phase will teach

the target market about certain incentives associated with purchasing The FoodSaver. Over

the course of four months, consumers will learn about two specific incentives. First, they

will be made aware of a coupon that will grant all consumers 20% off the total price if they

purchase The FoodSaver. Second, the target market will be taught about free instillation

that comes with this product. The goal of these messages is to convince 20% of the target

market to purchase The FoodSaver as a result of these messages within four months.


Message Objectives:

Awareness

1. To teach 80% of our product what our product looks like within four months.

2. To teach 80% of our target market about our web presence within four months.

3. To teach 80% of our target market about the stores in which our product will be

available within four months.

4. To teach 80% of our target market that our product is available in stores within four

months.

5. To teach 80% of our target market what our product does within four months.

Preference

1. To teach 40% of our target market about the environmental benefits of our product

within four months.

2. To teach 40% of our target market about the differences between our product and

other food preservation products within four months.

3. To teach 40% of our target market that our product has money saving benefits with

four months.

4. To teach 40% of our target market about the ease of installment associated with our

product within four months.

5. To teach 40% of our target market that our product is American made within four

months.

6. To teach 40% of our target market about the health benefits of eating fresh food

within four months.


7. To teach 40% of our target market about the cost/amount of food discarded by

Americans within four months.

Intent to Purchase

1. To teach 20% of our target market about a $20.00 off coupon for our product within

four months.

2. To teach 20% of our target market about a 10% rebate reward for referring another

customer within four months.

Message Strategies:

Throughout the three phases of the IMCC marketing plan for The FoodSaver,

messages will be conveyed to the target market by using a variety of different message

strategies. During the awareness phase, the sole message strategy will be “informational.”

With the informational strategy, consumers will simply be given facts about how the

product looks, what the product does, where and when it will be available, and where to

find more information about it. This simple informational message strategy is the most

effective way to accomplish the basic goals of the awareness phase.

The preference phase will utilize a mix of motivational and obligatory message

strategies. For example, preference message objectives numbers 2-5 focus on conveying

the advantages The FoodSaver offers over other similar products. To convey these

messages, the motivational message strategy will be used. This message strategy simply

involves bringing up facts about the product that may not be obvious in order to motivate

the target market to prefer The FoodSaver. Therefore, this strategy will convey the unique

aspects the product to motivate the target market to prefer The FoodSaver over its


competing products. The remaining preference message objectives, however, will rely on

the obligatory message strategy. This strategy largely plays upon a consumer’s feelings of

guilt or appeals to emotion to convince them that they simply must purchase the product.

For example, the advertised health and environmental benefits of the product will instill

within the target market a moral imperative to purchase The FoodSaver.

The intent to purchase phase will simply rely on motivational message strategies.

Simply put, the two incentives offered to consumers will motivate consumers to purchase

The FoodSaver as a result of the savings to be gained.

Message Tactics:

Following are three advertisements that serve as examples of advertisements that

will be used as message tactics for The FoodSaver’s marketing campaign. The color scheme

for the entire Foodsaver advertising campaign is green and blue to highlight the

environmental benefits and the “going green” aspect that the product has. The color green

can also be symbolic of the money that the amount of money that The Foodsaver will end

up saving consumers if they purchase our product. Each advertisement is simplistic and to

the point to ensure that customers will not dismiss the message for being to text heavy or

too time consuming to read. The Foodsaver’s website is included in every advertisement to

allow customers to purchase the product directly. Including the website on this

advertisement will also inform consumers that we have a web presence and they can learn

more about the product by visiting the site.

Awareness


The awareness advertisement (see Figure A.) features an image of a refrigerator that

appears to have a garden or plantation inside. This is to highlight the idea that The

Foodsaver keeps the consumer’s food so fresh that it is equivalent to picking the food right

out of the ground. It accomplishes our media objectives of providing information about the

product because it explains that The Foodsaver is custom designed to fit inside any

refrigerator. It explains what the product does (keeps customers’ food fresher for longer)

and it explains where the product can be bought (at stores where major appliances are sold

and online).

Preference

The preference advertisement (see Figure B.) includes an image of an apple that seems to

be half disappeared. This symbolizes the fact that nutrition can be wasted due to storing

food in a regular refrigerator as opposed to storing it in The Foodsaver. There is no other

food preservation system that is compatible with customers current refrigerator systems,

therefore this advertisement compares The Foodsaver to the ordinary fridge. This

advertisement also highlights the environmental and money saving benefits that this

product offers. The tagline “turbo-charge” your fridge is included to make it seem like an

ordinary refrigerator just does not cut it anymore and that The Foodsaver is a major

contribution to customers current fridges.

Intent to Purchase

The intent to purchase advertisement (see Figure C.) focuses most of its attention on

the money-saving aspect associated with The Foodsaver. The statistic that is in the middle

is to make consumers aware of exactly how much money they are wasting by throwing out

perished food in one year. This statistic’s goal is to solidify the consumer’s intent to


purchase. After seeing the other advertisements, they should already be aware of our

product and what it does and this statistic should act as The Foodsaver’s final selling point.

The tagline “saves your food saves your money” is intended to be short and memorable

with the bottom line being that The Foodsaver “saves”. Since this is our intent to purchase

advertisement, it includes a 20% off coupon as an incentive, which accomplishes the media

objective laid out in the IMCC report.


Figure A.


Figure B.


Figure C.


Media: A variety of different forms of media will be used to expand awareness about The

FoodSaver. Newspaper advertisements, along with radio advertising will be used to get the

target market aware of the product. In the second media phase, radio and newspaper

advertising will again be used to reach the target market with a set of informational

messages that will inform them of the advantages of The FoodSaver. Then, to convince our

target market that the product is right for them, in the third phase, television

advertisements will be released on WHSV while continuing with radio and newspaper

advertisements.

Media Objectives:

Awareness

1. To reach 90% of our target market with three exposures to a newspaper and one

exposure to a door flyer within four months.

2. To reach 90% of our target market concerning our web presence through three

exposures to a newspaper ad, two exposures to a radio ad, and one exposure to a

door flyer within four months.

3. To reach 90% of our target market concerning the stores in which our product is

available through three exposures to a newspaper ad, one exposure to a door flyer,

and two exposures to a radio ad within four months.

4. To reach 90% of our target market concerning the release date of our product

through three exposures to a newspaper ad, one exposure to a door flyer, and two

exposures to a radio ad within four months.


5. To reach 90% of our target market concerning the specific function of our product

through three exposures to a newspaper ad, one exposure to a door flyer, and two

exposures to a radio ad within four months.

Preference

1. To reach 50% of our target market concerning the environmental benefits of our

product through three exposures to a newspaper ad within four months.

2. To reach 70% of our target market concerning the food preservation advantages of

our product through three exposures to a newspaper ad within four months.

3. To reach 70% of our target market concerning the money saving benefits of our

product through three exposures to a newspaper ad within four months.

4. To reach 50% of our target audience about our product’s ease of installment

through three exposures to a newspaper ad within four months.

5. To reach 50% of our target market about the domestic production of our product


6. To reach 70% of our target market concerning the health benefits of eating fresh


7. To reach 60% of our target market concerning how much food Americans waste

each year through three exposures to a newspaper ad within four months

Intent to Purchase

1. To reach 40% or our target market concerning a 10% rebate reward for referring

another customer through six exposures to a television ad within four months.


2. To reach 40% of our target market concerning a 20$ off coupon for our product

found in a newspaper ad through three exposures to that newspaper ad within four

months.

Media Strategy:

For the media strategy, the wave strategy will be most effective. As a test product,

periods of advertising blasts with different forms of media would best suit The FoodSavers’

first year.

Phase I

Beginning with phase one (months January - May), three forms of media will be

used to blast awareness. The first media used is newspaper, which will be continually

running over the year. The total percentage of the budget for phase one of the newspaper

advertising is 2.4% of the total budget at $1800. It is necessary to split the total newspaper

budget between two local newspapers in order to reach all targeted consumers. The first is

The Daily Record which provides news for Harrisonburg, and the second newspaper used

is The News Leader, a local paper for Staunton. 1.2% of the total budget will go to each. The

second medium is radio which will only run from January through May. The total

percentage of the budget for radio is 11.6% of the total budget at $8,740. Advertising for

radio will be split evenly as well with 5.8% to WSVA and the same amount to WINF. The

third and final medium of advertising for phase one is a flyer. $860 worth of flyers will be

created and delivered all in the month of January. This will take up 1.14% of the total

budget. The budget will be broken down the middle because both Staunton and


Harrisonburg have comparable populations, thus allowing the advertising to reach the

maximum amount of the target market.

Phase II

During phase two, the only advertising that will be used is through the newspaper.

The reason for this is because the intended result of phase one is to get people talking and

looking up The FoodSaver. Also, during this phase of low media, analyzing the results of

phase one can take place. The newspaper ad will be split the same between the two papers,

adding an additional 2.4%, making the total 4.8%.

Phase III

Phase III is the biggest and most expensive push in media for the trial period. A

television commercial will run during this period (July through December). The

advertisement will run on WHSV, the local news channel for the Shenandoah Valley. During

these four months, the total cost for the commercial is $60,000. This is 80% of the total

budget. The final 2.4% of the budget for the newspaper advertisements will continue as

well. The reason for spending 82.4% of the total budget during phase three is an

anticipated “buzz” about The FoodSaver before it is televised, hoping that the television

will solidify that The FoodSaver is worth purchasing.

Media Tactics:

In order to advertise The FoodSaver it is best to use television, radio, newspaper

and promotional materials such as flyers. The television advertising will run 20 times per

month during the months of July through December. This is where the majority of the


$75, 000-budget will go. The total amount of television advertisements will cost $60,000.

The bulk of the budget will be used for television advertisements because this type of

media is considered highly visual which will be ideal for demonstrating the capabilities and

benefits of The FoodSaver. Incorporating sound, images and movement due to the

television ad will make the product stand out and appeal very interesting. In general,

people watch a decent amount of television therefore the message of The FoodSaver will be

able to grab attention and create buzz.

The second type of media used is radio. A 60 second message will play 92 times per

month during the months of January through May. The total amount of this media results at

the price of $8,740. Radio is simply hearing sounds, which can trigger people’s

imaginations as well as get them intellectually involved with the product. Women tend to

pay attention to detail, therefore, they would hear the message regarding The FoodSaver

and imagine how much it would benefit their daily life. Playing the radio advertisements at

times like during school pickup, will heighten the chances of the target market being

exposed to the advertisements.

The third type of media used is print newspaper. A newspaper ad will show 30

times per month during the months of January through December, therefore all year round.

The cost of this media advertisement results at the price of $5,400. Print media has a

permanency, which is helpful if people want to refer back to the ad in order to get a website

or phone number. 19 out of 20 women ages 40-50 say that newspapers are the medium of

choice (Value Retail News, 2009). With this being said, it makes most sense to have The

FoodSaver advertised daily in newspapers in order to reach the target audience. Lastly,


flyers will use up the rest of the budget as an additional way to reach the target audience by

having the sales team go door to door of homes as well as appliance corporations.

(See Figure D & Figure E).

Figure D.

Medium Phase # Runtime Length/Size of Ad

Television 3 Jul-Dec 30 seconds

Newspaper 1,2,3 Jan-Dec 1/4 page

Radio 1 Jan-May 60 seconds Door Flyers 1 Jan 8.5x11

Figure E.

Medium Times/Month Price/ad Price/month Total Price Budget

Television 20 $784.00 $15,000.00 $60,000.00 $15,000.00

Newspaper 30 $14.00 $450.00 $5,400.00 $9,600.00

Radio 92 $19.00 $1,748.00 $8,740.00 $860.00 Door Flyers 8600 $0.10 $860.00 $860.00 $0.00

IMCC Summary:

Over the course of the next year, the IMCC will effectively market The FoodSaver to

our target market within the Shenandoah Valley. It will divide the next year into three

distinct phases. First, the awareness phase will focus on teaching the target market the

basic facts, purpose, and availability of the product. (See Figure F). Next, the preference


phase will teach the target market about the advantages The FoodSaver offers over similar

competing products in order to convince them to prefer The FoodSaver. (See Figure G).

Finally, the “intent to purchase” phase will inform the target market of incentives

associated with purchasing the product in an attempt to motivate sales. (See Figure H).

Each of these messages will be conveyed by using a variety of message strategies such as

informational, motivational, and obligatory.

For media, each message objective will have a corresponding media objective. These

media objectives will be accomplished using a variety of media and message tactics. During

the awareness phase, radio ads, newspaper ads, and door flyers will be utilized to

accomplish the media objectives. For the preference phase, only a newspaper ad will be

used. The “intent to purchase” phase, however, will use as newspaper as and a television ad.

All of these media objectives will be accomplished within the budget of $75,000.


Figure F.


Figure G.


Figure H.

Market Research: I) Desired Benefit

When analyzing people’s importance they put on aspects of eating and their kitchen.

There is a fairly clear path to which practically all of our target market will be attracted. In

our survey, we asked our participants to rate how important an aspect of their lifestyle

from very unimportant to very important.


When asked about Preservation of nutrition, it is important to see that 95.1% of

participants responded as either important or very important. Since preservation of

nutrition was rated as the most important aspect of the kitchen, with will be a good base to

compare off of. This idea, according to our survey should be a focal point in our media

campaign.

Preservation of nutrition.

Very unimportant

Unimportant

Neutral

Important

Very Important

Preservation of nutrition.

Answer Options Response

Percent

Response

Count

Very unimportant 2.4% 1

Unimportant 0.0% 0

Neutral 2.4% 1

Important 43.9% 18

Very Important 51.2% 21


Long shelf life.


Percent

Response

Count


Unimportant 2.4% 1

Neutral 19.5% 8

Important 53.7% 22

Very important

19.5% 8

Long shelf life was anticipated to be our most diversely answered preference and it

was quite close. Although %73.2 deemed it either important or very important, it is the

second lowest percentage. The problem is that from the beginning, long shelf life was the

main focus of our product. We now have to reassess our focus and gear our advertising

more towards preservation of nutrition, freshness, saving money, and a more organized

kitchen.

Long shelf life.

Very unimportant

unimportant

Neutral

Important

Very important


Eco-Friendly.


Percent

Response

Count


Unimportant 0.0% 0

Neutral 17.1% 7

Important 58.5% 24


The eco-friendly chart fit what we predicted. Since the eco movement could be

called a fad, it becomes important to those who choose to make it important, and to those

who don’t it tends to be more neutral. The eco-friendly ideas should be put in our ads, but

not the focal point. An example would be to have a green theme, or a leaf as the symbol of

our product.

Eco-Friendly.

Very unimportant

Unimportant

Neutral

Important

Very Important


Freshness of food.


Percent

Response

Count


Unimportant 0.0% 0

Neutral 0.0% 0

Important 22.0% 9


Freshness of food has many similarities to preservation of nutrition and will be a

major focal point of our ad campaign.

Saving money.


Percent

Response

Count

Freshness of food.

Very unimportant Unimportant

Neutral



Unimportant 0.0% 0

Neutral 4.9% 2

Important 36.6% 15


While eco-friendly could be put in a money saving category as well as a fad category,

saving money is the blunt version of the latter. When it comes to cash, most people are in

the business of saving. Therefore, this should be a focal point for our campaign.

Organized kitchen.


Percent

Response

Count


Unimportant 0.0% 0

Neutral 2.4% 1

Important 51.2% 21

Saving money.


Neutral



Analysis on this statistic will be discussed in the aesthetic analysis.

American made.


Percent

Response

Count


Unimportant 7.3% 3

Neutral 36.6% 15

Important 29.3% 12


Organized kitchen.


Neutral


The results to this question weren’t entirely shocking given that our research team

had no idea what the results would be, but this preference turned out to be the most

diverse. With only 9.7% of participants responding with either very unimportant or

unimportant, we can draw that it is a bonus. Most of the participants chose neutral, but

while 9.7% were below neutral, 53.7% were above it. This implies that paying the extra to

have the product manufactured in America could potentially be worth it.

Aesthetic kitchen.


Percent

Response

Count


Unimportant 0.0% 0

Neutral 9.8% 4

Important 61.0% 25


American made.


Neutral


Aesthetics corresponded well with organization in simply the definition and the

results. 92% of participants valued an organized kitchen as being either very important or

important. The Aesthetic feel slightly lagged behind that mark, but this points to a major

focus of our advertising. Our product both needs to be customized to look good in a kitchen,

and greatly improve the organization of a kitchen.

II) Purchasing Preferences

How likely are you to purchase this product?


Percent

Response

Count

Very unlikely 7.0% 3

Unlikely 14.0% 6

Neutral 30.2% 13

Likely 32.6% 14

Very Likely 16.3% 7

Aesthetic kitchen.


Neutral


With the likelihood of purchase, 48.9% of our target market is likely or very likely to

purchase this product with no convincing. Also, only 7% is very unlikely to purchase. This

corresponds with the less than 10% of people who care about nutrition, preservation, and

kitchen aesthetics.

How much will you be willing to pay for this product?


Percent

Response

Count

Less than $100 73.8% 31

$100 - $149 19.0% 8

$150 - $199 4.8% 2

$200 - $249 0.0% 0

$250 - $299 2.4% 1

More than $300 0.0% 0

How likely are you to purchase this product?

Very unlikely

Unlikely

Neutral

Likely

Very Likely


Based upon simply the name and what it does, without knowing the size or the exact

specifications of our product, 73% of people would pay less than $100. This isn’t a very

significant number yet, but it will be once the market is tested and our product is produced.

My family and I would be willing to purchase a product that saved money for future food

purchases.


Percent

Response

Count

Yes 95.3% 41

No 4.7% 2

How much will you be willing to pay for this product?

Less than $100

$100 - $149

$150 - $199


Saving money is a trend that seems to affect between 90 and 95% of people, so this

statistic will be able to help us keep this idea in the forefront of our marketing strategy.

My family and I would be willing to purchase a product that would contribute to making the

environment greener.


Percent

Response

Count

Yes 95.3% 41

No 4.7% 2

My family and I would be willing to purchase a product that saved money for future food purchases.

Yes

No


This statistic is interesting because when comparing to desired behaviors, families

are wiling to purchase a green product, but it doesn’t have as much pull as lower cost or

better looking.

My family and I would be willing to purchase a product that saved money for future food

purchases.


Percent

Response

Count

Yes 95.2% 40

No 4.8% 2

My family and I would be willing to purchase a product that would contribute to making the environment greener.

Yes

No


Again, saving money is a trend that impacts almost all people.

III) Purchasing Behavior

About how many inches tall is your refrigerator?


Percent

Response

Count

a. under 65 inches 7.3% 3

b. 65 - 70 inches 53.7% 22

c. 71-80 inches 29.3% 12

d. 81-85 inches 4.9% 2

e. above 85 inches 4.9% 2

About how many inches wide is your refrigerator?


Percent

Response

Count

a. under 30 inches 4.9% 2

b. 30-35 inches 34.1% 14

My family and I would be willing to purchase a product that saved money for future food purchases.

Yes

No


c. 36-40 inches 39.0% 16

d. 41-45 inches 17.1% 7

e. above 45 inches 4.9% 2

The majority of our target market has medium sized refrigerators.

How many different fresh food products do you keep in your refrigerator?


Percent

Response

Count

a. none 0.0% 0

b. 1-2 2.4% 1

c. 3-4 17.1% 7

d. 5-6 34.1% 14

e. more than 6 46.3% 19

It is important to note that 80.4% of our target market has 5 or more different fresh foods

at any given time. This shows us that there is a trend of purchasing, and the size of our

product needs to be fairly large.

How many home made meals per week do you use fresh food?

The average was 8.3

This statistic is significant since that’s only a little more than 1 per day. This explains why

preservation of nutrition is so important to our target market

How many people in a given week do you prepare meals for?

The average was 3.1


This also shows that the average amount of kids of our target market is 1. This shows that

we don’t need to focus to heavily on the amount, rather the aesthetic of our product.

IV) Attitudes

I think of the many people forced to go without food when I have to thrown away my own food that

has spoiled or gone bad.


Percent

Response

Count

Strongly Disagree 0.0% 0

Disagree 4.9% 2

Neutral 24.4% 10

Agree 53.7% 22

Strongly Agree 17.1% 7

This is an idea to exploit when creating our media strategy.

It is worth paying more for an environmentally friendly product.


Percent

Response

Count


Disagree 9.8% 4

Neutral 34.1% 14

Agree 46.3% 19


Again, this is in like with out target market’s thought on the green movement.


Americans throw away too much food.


Percent

Response

Count


Disagree 0.0% 0

Neutral 7.3% 3

Agree 46.3% 19


This is a good sign for producing a food saver, but is important to note that this is

America as a whole, not the target market.

V) Demographics

92% Female

Average age: 49

Average persons per household: 3

95% Caucasian

What is your total household income?


Percent

Response

Count

Less than $20,000 0.0% 0

$20,000-$26,999 0.0% 0

$27,000-$33,999 0.0% 0


$34,000-$40,999 8.8% 3

$41,000-$47,999 5.9% 2

$48,000-$54,999 0.0% 0

$55,000-$61,999 2.9% 1

$62,000-$68,999 2.9% 1

$69,000-$75,999 11.8% 4

$76,000-$82,999 0.0% 0

$83,000-$89,999 0.0% 0

$90,000-$96,999 8.8% 3

$97,000-$103,999 8.8% 3

$104,000-$109,999 14.7% 5

$111,000-$116,999 2.9% 1

$118,000-$123,999 0.0% 0

$125,000-$130,999 0.0% 0

$132,000-$138,999 2.9% 1

$139,000-$145,999 2.9% 1

$146,000-$149,999 2.9% 1

Over $150,000 23.5% 8

What is your total household income? Less than $20,000

$20,000-$26,999

$27,000-$33,999

$34,000-$40,999

$41,000-$47,999

$48,000-$54,999

$55,000-$61,999

$62,000-$68,999

$69,000-$75,999

$76,000-$82,999

$83,000-$89,999


What is the highest level of schooling you have completed or the highest degree you have

received?


Percent

Response

Count

Less than high school degree 0.0% 0

High school degree or equivalent (e.g., GED) 0.0% 0

Some college but no degree 19.5% 8

Associate degree 31.7% 13

Bachelor degree 34.1% 14

Graduate degree 9.8% 4

PhD 4.9% 2

Medium Phase # Runtime Length/Size of Ad Times/Month Price/ad Price/month

Television 3 Jul-Dec 30 seconds 20 $784.00 $15,000.00

Newspaper 1,2,3 Jan-Dec 1/4 page 30 $14.00 $450.00

Radio 1 Jan-May 60 seconds 92 $19.00 $1,748.00

Door Flyers 1 Jan 8.5x11 8600 $0.10 $860.00

Total Price Budget

$60,000.00 $15,000.0

$5,400.00 $9,600.00

$8,740.00 $860.00

$860.00 $0.00


Channels of Distribution

For the purpose of The FoodSaver’s preliminary test release, availability will be

limited exclusively to the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. This region was chosen due

to its proximity to the location of the product’s initial assembly: the factory located in

Harrisonburg, VA. As a result of this proximity, distribution will be highly cost-effective for

all consumers in the Shenandoah Valley. Because the test release of The FoodSaver is

strictly local in its relation to its point of assembly, the marketing team has decided to

forego the use of wholesalers and agents: at this stage there is simply no need for such

complex methods of distribution.

Instead, it has been decided that a “Producer -> Retailer -> Consumer” model would

best aid in the distribution of the product. As with the decision against the use of

wholesalers and agents, this choice was largely motivated by the local nature of The

FoodSavers initial release. The product will be made available at select retailers throughout

the Shenandoah Valley. This will include large dealers such as Sears and Lowes, as well as

What is the highest level of schooling you have completed or the highest degree you have received?

Less than high school degree

High school degree or equivalent (e.g., GED) Some college but no degree

Associate degree

Bachelor degree

Graduate degree

PhD


small retailers such as Perry’s Appliance and Blossman’s Propane Gas & Appliance. These

retailers will be the primary outlets through which consumers throughout the Shenandoah

Valley will be able to access The FoodSaver. By making the product available at both local

and large chain retailers, The FoodSaver will reach consumers who value convenience and

value, as well as consumers who appreciate supporting local businesses.

Unfortunately, the factory and its parent company do not readily possess the

necessary means to deliver The FoodSaver to retailers throughout the Shenandoah Valley.

Therefore, in order to dole out The FoodSaver to these retailers, the services of an

independent distribution company must be secured. For this purpose, the marketing team

has chosen the services of REO Distribution, a distribution firm operating right here in the

Shenandoah Valley. REO will offer tailored shipping and distribution to suit the needs of

The FoodSaver.

Sales Team:

Due to the innovation of a The FoodSaver, it is necessary to have a successful sales

team to highlight the new concept of the product. It seems to be beneficial to have a sales

team that consists of five to seven people. Too many hired sales employees would be hard

to maintain due to the young life cycle of the products creation. Five to seven sales people

would be realistic to train thoroughly in order to successful sell the product to a large

corporation such as Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, or Best Buy. It would be best to sell this

product to retail outlets because once it is purchased it can then branch out quickly to


numerous costumers and be very profitable. It would also be advisable to have a few highly

trained members of sales team to sell the product to costumers individually to gain interest

and hopefully utilize word of mouth, which is vital in the beginning of the products life’s

cycle.

The form of personal selling that will take place is known as order seekers. Order

seekers will go through a conventional process such as identifying customers, providing

them with information about what differentiates The FoodSaver from appliance products,

persuading them to buy, and lastly trial close such as following up with potential

consumers. The order seekers work heavily with the consumers through face-to-face

communication. With this being said it is apparent that the sales team will be outside sales

representatives. It would be most beneficial for the sales team to be physically present with

their costumers in order to bring their attention to the product.

Having The FoodSaver physically available during the personal selling sessions will

best emphasize its greatest attributes to the costumers and give them a first-hand idea of

what the product does and looks like. Face to face communication is more persuadable in

comparison to over the phone because it is more personable and less likely to have

costumers completely ignore the sales pitch.

The team of sales people that will be selling The FoodSaver must first go through a

training process. This process begins with first teaching the mechanics of sales that include

selling in a general sense with an emphasis on sales techniques. Topics that must be taught

for an effective sales person include the sales process, listening, asking questions,

negotiating value, financial justification, return on investment, selling benefits, selling value,


handling objections, closing, behavior styles, telephone sales, first impressions, negotiating

tactics, concessions, power, intimidation, assumptions, creativity, presentations, hiring,

coaching, and more. The second step in training will focus on what is known as company

specific training including details about the product itself. Once training begins the trainee

should be completely knowledgeable about all aspects of The FoodSaver. This includes the

function of the product, benefits, quality, the location of the making, and attributes such as

size.

Pricing Strategy:

When developing the price for a product it is necessary to take into consideration

the amount it will cost to create the product. The materials used to make the product as

well as any other manufacturing costs must be configured when deciding on an appropriate

price. It is important to still make a profit therefore the selling price must be higher then

what it will cost to make it. After reviewing other vacuum sealing products it appears that

the average selling price is about $100. This product will be more elaborate then the basic

machine that vaccum seals bags because it will be a complete drawer that will be located

inside a refrigerator, therefore, the price of the FoodSaver will be around $150. This price

was decided upon because it is more complex than other food saving systems, however, it

is not much higher because survey results showed that respondents would not pay much

more that $100 for the product.


Documents

The Foodsaver Marketing CampaignThe FoodSaver Marketing Campaign 2 Target Market: The target market for The FoodSaver is married women ages 35 to 55, residing in the Shenandoah Valley