1. List and explain the core, actual, and augmented product of the following:

1.1 Seven Eleven Convience Store

Core Product: The name of Seven Eleven convenience store itself explains its core product. It can give convenience to the buyer or customer. Whenever you go to seven eleven, you can find almost everything in.

Actual Product: Seven eleven is a well known convenience store. You can find foods, beverages, some personal things like makeup, hair pins, and even nail cutter. Whenever you are hungry, just go to seven eleven, you can buy ready to eat meals like sandwiches, cup noodles and rice meals.

Augmented Product: For me the augmented products of seven eleven convenience store are the additional services that the staffs offered. In terms of cleanliness, they mop the floor in order for their customers to be satisfied. In terms of services, they assist their customers in getting their product. For example, the customer wants to buy a hotdog sandwich. Sometimes, they are the one to get the hot dog sandwich to avoid inconvenience to the customers. In addition to their augmented product is their sound system. They play music in the store which for me is a good strategy. It attracts customers to stay in their convenience store.

1.2. Baliwag Transit

Core Product: In Baliwag Transit, I think the best benefit is the cheapness of its fare unlike the other bus company. It is a known bus company in the Philippines. Convenience is also one of the core. Another core benefit is speed since you can travel around relatively quickly.

Actual Product: The actual product is the vehicle. It is the tangible product. You can touch it.

Augmented Product: Even though the fare fee is not that high, the bus is fully air conditioned like the others. Sometimes they also played some music for us (customers) to be relaxed and enjoy the ride.

1.3. Sun Life Insurance

Core Product: Sun Life Insurance provides a non-participating peso dominated a five-year renewable term life plan with critical illness benefit. Covered critical illnesses include heart attack, cancer, stroke, etc. Also, the membership of the club is one of the core product.

Actual Product: I think the actual product here in the Sun Life Insurance is the documents itself. The assurance that you (customer) and the issuer had an agreement.

Augmented Product: Sun Life Insurance provides an assurance that their proposed services will perform up to expectations. And if not, they are the one who is responsible for that since they had an agreement.

1.4. Mang Inasal

Core Product : In Mang Inasal, the benefit is less time consuming and speed. Since MangInasal is an example of a fast chain. You will consume less time in waiting for your food. You can also save money, if you will just eat to Mang Inasal. Hassle free in eating.

Actual Product: Mang Inasal is a known fast food chain here in the Philippines. They offer Filipino foods like grilled hita/paa ng manok, pork barbeque, pork sisig, bangus sisig, etc. as their rice meals. They also offer desserts like leche flan and halo halo which is a perfect desert this summer.

Augmented Product: Part of the augmented product of Mang Inasal is the free soup. They will serve it before your meals as you wait. Also, they have a package unli rice when you buy their best seller.

1.2. Jag Jeans

Core Product: Jag Jeans for me is one of the best clothing line. You can guarantee that their products were durable. I personally tested their products. And I am satisfied sine their products can last for a long time.

Actual Product: Jag Jeans provides quality jeans for their clients. We know for a fact that their products were somehow expensive, but one thing is for sure, it was all worth it since they have a good quality. They offer fashionable pants, shirts, leggings and sleeves.

Augmented Product: It gives guarantee to the customers.

2. Take a product that has failed. Analyze why this happened. What suggestions could you draw that might prevent this failure.

I had a hard time in choosing what product am I going to include here. But when I think of it deeply, Nokia 3310 came up in my mind. Nokia is the leading brand and most recognized cellphone brand in the year 2000-2010 (maybe). I still remember when I am playing Snake and Space Impact. It’s just a simple game, but it did matter. I could suggest that they will modify that product if they can.

3. What pricing strategy – market skimming or market penetration – does each of the following companies use? Are these the right strategies for these companies? Explain.

3.1. Jollibee

Jollibee used market penetration as their pricing strategy. For me it is the right strategy for that company. They took time in making a good tactic for their business. They study the number of people who buy their specific brand or a category of their goods.

3.2. Generic Drug

Generic drug used market penetration in their price strategy. It is a right strategy for that company since they only sell generic medicines. We all know that generic medicines cost cheaper than other medicines. So obviously, market skimming is not the right pricing strategy.

3.3. Robinson’s

Market skimming is a pricing strategy by which a firm charges a higher initial price that customers will pay. Robinson’s used this strategy because as the demand of the first customers is satisfied, the firm lowers the price to attract another, more price-sensitive segment. It is a right price strategy.

4. Take a product or sevice of your choice trace and draw a diagram of the channel distribution that is used to bring the product or service to the market place.

Channel of Distribution of Bench

5. Take a product or service of your choice and show how integrated marketing communications is either being used currently and how it could be used. Be sure to state the organization, the benefits of using integrated marketing communications.

Integrated marketing strategies takes advantage of a combination of communication tools and media to spread a message. I choose Mc Donalds as my example. McDonalds were so good in making TV commercials. They used it to promote their product (of course) but not just that, they almost capture the heart of the viewers. Because their commercials have a message that will pin to the hearts of the clients.