Moller Skycar the Promotions Plan for the

Moller Skycar The promotions plan for the Moller Skycar launch will feature a number of different facets. The first will be the message, which should consist of two parts. The first part will focus on introducing the product, because the Skycar is not only a new product but a new category as well. There will be informational hurdles to overcome and some consumers may be skeptical, so the introduction message will be mixed with informational messages as well.

The second message of the plan will highlight the attributes of the Skycar. It cannot be assumed that the Skycar's attributes are self-evident, so the product features and other attributes will need to be communicated to consumers in a way that differentiates them from the attributes of competing products such as automobiles. The message should also contain a heavy visual emphasis. People need to see the Skycar in action. They need to imagine themselves flying the Skycar, see themselves in the driver's seat (or is that cockpit?).

Words like 'revolutionary' or 'innovation' or other phrases that connote the game-changing nature of the Skycar should also be highlighted. This serves a long-term goal of ensuring that everybody remembers who first brought the Skycar to market, the same way that Ford today can still trade on being the first automobile company to reach the mass market. The second element of the promotional plan is place. It is reasonable to expect that the Skycar will, initially, be a niche product as the product category does not yet exist.

However, the high cost of developing the Skycar will need to be recouped, so even if actual sales are initially low, the company is likely to be ambitious. Creating a splash is therefore important. The Skycar should be mass- marketed, especially in print publications where the cost of producing an advertisement is relatively low. There should be long-term plans to produce television advertisements, but these should be set aside during the initial launch phase. The promotions plan will feature extensive use of online and social media marketing.

This is important not only to begin to generate some hype about the Skycar, but also because these tend to have relatively low costs compared to traditional advertising. Place can also refer to distribution. It is important that consumers are able to purchase a Skycar once the intent to purchase has been created. Moller may opt for a dealer network so that consumers can see the Skycar for themselves. Initially, distribution should be limited, however, to match expected production and demand levels.

Limited distribution would also highlight the exclusivity of the product. The third element of the promotional plan is price. While the Skycar initially will be a niche product, in order to recoup development costs Moller will need to price the Skycar at a level where it can sell to the mass market. If it has the production capacity immediately, Moller can opt for penetration pricing.

More likely, however, Moller will need to skim, setting the price high for the early adopters but lowering it over time in order to attract more customers. Skimming will also allow the company to funnel early revenues back into increasing production capacity, with the objective.