Graves Enterprises Marketing Graves Enterprise

Graves Enterprises Marketing Graves Enterprise Marketing Strategy Graves Enterprises Marketing Strategy As the newly installed Vice President of Marketing for Graves Enterprises, the focus over the next year is to double sales in both the company's commercial and consumer floor care product line. With the research materials in hand there is considerable scrutiny and analysis necessary to determine the efficacy of the proposed Graves marketing plan. The consumer plan emphasis is on the design of a new "safe, effective, and eco-friendly" (Graves Enterprises Case Study.

N.D.) floor cleaning product which will have a price premium attached to it. Second, a private label cleaner will be introduced to be sold in big box retailers such as Wal-Mart and K-Mart. On the commercial side the focus is on expanding opportunities to hospitals and nursing homes with a specialty anti-bacterial product release and a "repackaging of the existing Skid-No-More floor wax" (Graves Enterprises Case Study. N.D.). Again with these offerings there is an expected price increase to reflect a premier product with unique features.

The recommendations of the marketing team though must work in the context of the fundamentals of consumer and business behavior and purchasing patterns to include the "Four P's- product, price, place, and promotion-marketing scholar and teacher Philip Kotler's mainstay marketing model" (Borneman, J. November 2004). Question I The proposal of the marketing team initiates with the "development of a new product line that is promoted as safe, effective, and eco-friendly" (Graves Enterprises Case Study. N.D.).

This product line will also carry a 1.5 times higher price point reflective of its environmental friendly aspects, and is expected to generate a 2 times profit increase (Graves Enterprises Case Study. N.D.). Additionally the company will market a private label of this new product as means of more effectively competing in the industry, as well as tapping into new retail outlets including Wal-Mart and Advance Auto Parts. Without question "successfully introducing new products or services into the market is vital to the long-term growth a company" (Luan, Y.

& Sudhir, K. June 2010). Graves has several strategic product features which at present they are not utilizing as competitive advantages: "a unique, proprietary chemical cleaner that cleans "dry" which helps to reduce mold" (Graves Enterprises Case Study. N.D.), a hypoallergenic formula and Scotchguard stain protection (Graves Enterprises Case Study. N.D.). An important question is whether the new product line will incorporate these features and whether they will be highlighted as part of the marketing mix.

Any effort made to differentiate the Graves product from rivals Kleen Floor Products must be part of the marketing strategy.

Of Kotler's Four P's, product is critical in this aspect because as indicated in the case study, Graves products are "currently priced comparable to their direct competitors in both markets…the sizes and packaging of Graves products and those of the competition are similar…and there is no real incentive for the distributors or retailers to carry Graves Floor Care products over those offered by the competition" (Graves Enterprises Case Study. N.D.).

The focus on marketing and advertising must be developing awareness and customer interest in both the current advantages of the existing floor care products, as well as discussing the advantages and features of the new product line. The consumer products proposal flows from research on the customers most likely to purchase Graves's product. From the research the target market is "homeowners, females 29-59, with a household income of $75-150K" (Graves Enterprises Case Study. N.D.).

This profile suggests a discerning target consumer with money to spend however, not profligate and always looking for quality products at a fair value price. The mid to high range household income figure is the likely trigger for the price increases for the new product line including the private label however, specific primary survey research including "five focus group sessions and conducting/analyzing a mail survey" (Graves Enterprises Case Study. N.D.); produced important data that counters the logic of the consumer products strategy.

The new product line is dependent on its eco-friendly image as the means to increase prices by 1.5 times, yet for all of the focus on the environmental benefits of the product line including recycled manufacturing, the real concern for the team should be that potential.