Executive Summary
This is a report providing detailed description of Filshie Clip System’s customer persona based on the selected target market. The creation of this persona was based on a comprehensive analysis of the target market and a brief background of the company. The discussion demonstrates how professional women who are of childbearing age are the ideal target market for this stylish and effective method of contraception. We have established that customers in the target market are differentiated based on demographic factors, personal histories and expectations. These women are interested in a reversible contraception method that is safe and effective since it enables them to make decisions on getting pregnant when they want. Finally, justified recommendations with respect to the marketing mix have provided. 

Introduction

Femcare is a group of companies owned by Utah Medical Products Inc. in the United States. This company has perfected Filshie Clip, a female surgical contraception that is regarded more effective birth control method than any other existing product in the market (Antoun, Smith, Gupta & Clark, 2017). Currently, the company is the leading manufacturer and distributor of the Fishie Clip System. Women of birth-giving age are the target market for the Filshie Clip System since it is surgical contraceptive device that is used to tie their fallopian tubes. However, an understanding of the target market persona and the marketing mix is critical toward enhancing the ability of the firm to reach the target market and obtain overall profitability. In this report, we will describe customer persona in detail and provide marketing mix recommendations with respect to the identified target market.

Background

Femcare is best known for manufacturing and distributing Filshie Clip System, which is a female surgical contraception device that has been found to be a more effective birth control method than any other. The company distributes and sells Filshie Clips in different markets in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition, the company uses specialty distributors to sell this product in other countries. Filshie Clip System was launched in 1982 and has developed to become safe birth control method since it outperforms existing alternative methods of surgical contraception. The firm has focused primarily on improving the health and wellbeing of women and their babies. In essence, Femcare focuses on female healthcare through which it has maintained a competitive strategy over its rivals in the market. Beerthuizen (2010) states that Femcare’s competitive advantage is attributable to its production and distribution of Filshie Clip System, a superior surgical contraceptive device. 

In addition to producing a superior contraceptive product, the company’s profitability is also dependent on ability to reach the target market effectively. Using demographic segmentation, the company’s target market is women of birth-giving age. Women of birth-giving age are suitable target market for the company since they would want to use a contraceptive that does not requiring remembering to take pills. Women of birth-giving age use contraceptives as part of family planning, which makes them the ideal target market in comparison to older women who are already mothers. Therefore, women of birth-giving age have unique needs and wants that make them the suitable target market for this product. The firm should target women of birth-giving age in developed countries since they are empowered to choose careers over raising a family. In essence, professional women who fear they could get pregnant and have money to spend on effective birth-control methods are likely to benefit from using Filshie Clip System.

Target Market Persona

Griffin et al. (2015) states that personas in product design has obtained considerable attention from scholars and innovative businesses over the past decade. Scholars and innovative companies focus on personas in order to ensure that product manufacturing and distribution efforts enhance focus on the ideal user. In this regard, product designers use customer persona to explore and develop solutions that meet their needs and demands. Therefore, customer personas provide a means through which product designers relate to and empathize with users. Schafer & Klammer (2016) highlight the significance of developing customer personas by showing how companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google benefit from it. As service-oriented businesses, the three companies develop online customer communities through which they understand the needs and demands of their specific target market or customers. Through these online communities, Facebook, Twitter and Google obtain information on value-in-use. The information is then utilized to shape their value creation processes and enhance service delivery, which in turn generates significant competitive advantage over rivals.

Duran (2018) opines that developing buyer or customer personas is the most important step in accurate marketing. Customer persona is linked to accurate marketing because it shapes target advertisements to the specific behaviors, needs and concerns of buyers. Failure to create customer personas results in wastage of marketing efforts and resources. The creation of customer persona requires identifying who the customers are, their needs and demands, and how they can interact with the business across the board (St Louis, 2017). Customer personas influence product design plans, help to develop relationships between the business and its customers, and helps to incorporate everyone in the business process. 

The company will benefit from describing customer persona with respect to the selected target market in order to enhance its competitive advantage. This implies that the company should capitalize on its production of a superior contraceptive method to enhance distribution of the product to individuals in the target market. Customer persona will be useful for the company’s distribution of Filshie Clips in the target market with regards to communicating with other business functions like marketing, management, and sales (Griffin et al., 2015). Through customer persona, the company will communicate to individuals in the target benefit on the benefits of using Filshie Clip System.

As previously indicated, the company’s target market is women of birth-giving age who are empowered to choose careers over raising a family. These women are looking for effective birth-control methods as they fear being pregnant. With respect to the manufacturing and distribution of Filshie Clip System, the firm’s customer persona will be based on three major components i.e. demographics,...…the product enhances quality and effectiveness through meeting customers’ needs and demands. 

Secondly, the company should utilize a premium pricing strategy for Filshie Clips because of their uniqueness, safety, and effectiveness. De Toni (2017) states that price policy definition is an important marketing decision that directly affects market competitiveness and organizational profitability. Premium pricing strategy is employed when customers perceive better value of a product than that offered by competitors. Filshie Clip has proven safe and effective unlike any other alternative method of contraception. Therefore, the use of a premium pricing strategy would be ideal because of the product’s uniqueness, safety and effectiveness. Utah Medical Products should also provide cash discounts to first-time customers and quantity discounts to leading surgeons who purchase the product in high quantities.

With respect to promotion and place, the company should utilize the Internet to market the product in addition to conventional marketing channels. This would involve using social media platforms to educate the target market on the benefits of using this reversible contraception method (Romaniuk, 2012). The company should use social media platforms and other technological channels because most of the individuals in the target market use social media for communication. The use of these platforms will be part of direct marketing tactics and forward vertical integration. Additionally, ensuring availability of Filshie Clips in surgeon’s facilities and women’s hospitals would be critical toward achievement of strategic marketing decisions. Through this, the company would be incorporating physical facilities in the marketing mix, which enhances marketing and delivery of services (Kotler & Keller, 2016).

Utah Medical Products should establish partnerships with leading surgeons to enhance the use of Filshie Clips as a Gold Standard for surgical contraception. These surgeons would act as personnel to deliver the service relating to the placement of the Filshie Clip. Through these partnerships, the company would ensure process management with regards to service availability and consistent quality. The partnerships will also act as the premise through which the company obtains feedback regarding the effectiveness and safety of the product.

Conclusion

Utah Medical Product has obtained competitive advantage through manufacturing and distributing Filshie Clip System following the acquisition of Femcare. Since the product is favored among industry professionals, it has played a critical role in enhancing the firm’s profitability. The target market for this product is professional women who are looking for stylish and effective birth-control methods. The company can capitalize on the superiority of the product to enhance profitability through reaching individual members of the target market. This would require the creation of customer persona to improve understanding of the behaviors, needs, and demands of customers. Customer persona for this target market incorporates several factors including demographic, personal histories and expectations. Insights from the customer persona should be utilized to shape marketing tactics with respect to all elements (7Ps) of the marketing mix.