Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Week 10: What are the Benefits vs. the Features?

The features that Ataco offers are delicious looking and tasting tacos.  While eating you will enjoy great music from all over Latin America.  Other features include a nice shade under a tent.  "Features are a competitive tool for differentiating the company’s product from competitors’ products" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 214).  "Features Tell, but Benefits Sell" (http://www.helpscout.net/blog/benefits-sell/).  The features at Ataco is telling the people that if you are hungry and bored, you are going to have a blast with Ataco.  These are all general features that Ataco has to offer to the public.  The benefits are a different story of the same book.  It is what makes people want to go to Ataco.

The benefit is that people will feel at home.  Whether people feel at home at home or in their country of origin Ataco offers that benefit to the consumers.  Also, there is a dance floor for people to dance.  This is another benefit for single young people.  Another benefit would be delicious tacos that are not overly priced.  This benefit will make everyone's stomachs full. "If the product falls short of expectations, the consumer is disappointed; if it meets expectations, the consumer is satisfied; if it exceeds expectations, the consumer is delighted" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 153).  The benefits are super important to the consumer.  It will let the consumer know if the benefits were worth going to Ataco.  "Customer satisfaction is a key to building profitable relationships with consumers—to keeping and growing consumers and reaping their customer lifetime value" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 154).

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

EOC Week 9: Three Great Mission Statements

Mission statement

"A statement of the organization’s purpose—what it wants to accomplish in the larger environment" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions.  Armstrong 39).


Latora

"To our consumers... Our mission is to bring better food and unforgettable experiences through superior customer service, "that will leave your stomach and wallet satisfied"."

This mission statement seemed to really focus on customer satisfaction just like Zappos.  "Zappos is flat out customer obsessed. It has a passion for creating customer value and relationships" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions.  Armstrong 3).


Nicole

"Fireybird Fajitas is in business to light up your life with delicious meats, cheeses, and more. We want you to have a great long-lasting experience that lights up your life and leaves you fired up for whatever your day will bring."

This mission statement I thought was good because it was specific and motivating like a mission statement should be. "Mission statements should be meaningful and specific yet motivating" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions.  Armstrong 40).


Lori Jeniffer

"Making the cheesiest quesadilla’s and serving it with a bright cheesy smile"

This is one is fun.

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Week 8 EOC: Creative Content

I am an audio student but for creative content, I would like to do more than just audio.  I would first like to create a logo for my fast food pop-up.  I have little experience (almost none) in graphic design but I do have enough skills to make it happen.  I do not have an idea of what it would like yet because this requires a lot of brainstorming and sketching.  Logos are generally simple and eye catching.  If time allows me at the end, I will create an animation for my logo.

Another thing I hope to achieve is clothing design.  For this, I will need lots of help from my knowledgeable sister.  She has created dresses in the past.  Those dresses were modeled by her in the Fashion Show Mall.  My goal is get some sketch designs ready for the actual clothing to be made.  The clothing will most likely not be complete as a physical product in time for the final project.

The last creative content will be an audio commercial.  I plan the commercial to be under 45 seconds.  The commercial will be ready in English and Spanish.  The commercial must cover important information such as the who, what, when, where and why.

To show what the the pop-up restaurant looks like, I will need to do some Photoshop.  This shouldn't be too hard since I got the perfect BBQ grill in my backyard.  I also own a set of PA speakers.  The only thing that I would need to Photoshop is a tent and the logo sign.

Implementation Evaluation Control

Figure 2.6 Managing Marketing: Analysis, Planning, Implementation, and Control

(Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.Armstrong 55)

In the implementation phase, it is where Ataco needs to care out its plans.

"A brilliant marketing strategy counts for little if the company fails to implement it properly" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 57).  To implement is to carry out the marketing plan.  Implementation makes the market strategy count.  The market strategy is only as good as the implementation.  "Whereas marketing planning addresses the what and why of marketing activities, implementation addresses the who, where, when, and how" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 57).

Both "doing things right" and "doing the right things" are equally important.  To have the market strategies carried out, Ataco mus implement it addressing the who, where, when, and how.  "... Implementation is difficult—it is often easier to think up good marketing strategies than it is to carry them out" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 57).  This is really the most difficult part for Ataco.  Ataco is a pop-up restaurant with fresh new ideas but to carry out the market strategies is where it struggles the most.  There are many surprises in this phase.  Marketing control helps control those surprises.

"The process of measuring and evaluating the results of marketing strategies and plans and taking corrective action to ensure that objectives are achieved" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 58).  So, in order for Ataco to keep control of implementation, it must keep record of performance; everything from sales to spending.  The time of yaer may affect the business, time of day and location.  According to data, Ataco might need to take action.  Action may be to move locations, maybe only open at night or only in fall.

Price

"Price is the amount of money customers must pay to obtain the product" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 53).

Drinks
All canned sodas - $1

Horchata, Jamaica, Tamarindo:
Small drinks - $1
Medium drinks - $1.50
Large drinks - $2

Beer - $1.50

Meals
Carnes Asada con Frijol y Aroz - $3
Napal con Fijol y Pollo - $5
Coctel De Camaron - $2.50

Tacos
Gringas - $2 each
Tacos Al Pastor - $1 each
Taco De Fish - $1.50

Fruits
Sandilla, Melon, Mango y Jicama Picante - $2
Fresa, Uva, Platano Dulce - $2


To be able to do sales, a team of cooks must also be a team of salespeople.  "...  Research suggests that the best salespeople possess four key talents: intrinsic motivation, disciplined work style, the ability to close a sale, and perhaps most important, the ability to build relationships with customers" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 420).

Distribution

Without efficient distribution, it will be a disaster getting Ataco going.  "The international company must take a whole-channel view of the problem of distributing products to final consumers" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 501).  Of course, Ataco is not international but considers to view any problems of distributing products to the final customers.

Ataco will have to get its ingredients from the local grocery stores.  Transportation will be trucks.  When set up at the park,  Ataco then needs to be able to efficiently distribute the tacos to the consumers.  This will be taken care of by five workers.  Four workers will be cooking and serving.  One cook will grill the meat while one flips tortillas and the other two cook the rice and beans.  The fifth person will serve and distribute the beverages.

If Ataco does not have enough consumers, it should not be much of a problem.  It will be more of a problem if there are too many consumers that need distribution.  Ataco is expecting slow business in the morning and lots of business in the afternoon til late night.  In the afternoon, Ataco will possibly need more workers.  A generator will also be required to keep meat, and vegetables cold.  Coolers will be considered just like they will be used for the drinks.

Promotion

To even have a business, you need people.  Promoting Ataco the best way possiible is by advertising in the most efficient way possible.  Advertising may let many people be aware of the restaurant.  The advertisement will of course be local advertisement.  "Advertising can reach masses of geographically dispersed buyers at a low cost per exposure, and it enables the seller to repeat a message many times" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 382).  With any ad, the message is important.  In the message, it must be clear to the audience what everything is all about and why they should bother to stop by.  "The purpose of advertising is to get consumers to think about or react to the product or company in a certain way. People will react only if they believe that they will benefit from doing so" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 392).  As an audio professional, it would be easier to create a radio ad.

In the radio ad, I should include that it is a restaurant, where it is, and why people need to go.  By setting mood and image,  Listeners will most likely think about Ataco.  The restaurant is Ataco that will be located at a park.  There will be delicious food, music and games for the whole family.  The tone of voice that will be used is and excited voice to give a sense of fun.  The ad may be aired in English stations but more specifically in Spanish radio stations.

"The advertiser now has to turn the big idea into an actual ad execution that will capture the target market’s attention and interest" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 392)

Script:
"Come on down to (Park) and have a great time at Ataco where there is delicious food and music.  There will be live performers and games for the whole family!  If you got talent and guts to show it off, come on down and get a free meal!"

Product

Product... A really important part of most businesses including Ataco.  The product being sold at Ataco is the food.  It is not just any food, they are tacos.  In order to make the products succeed in the market, product positioning must be thought about.  "A product’s position is the place the product occupies relative to competitors’ products in consumers’ minds" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 52).

"If a product is perceived to be exactly like others on the market, consumers would have no reason to buy it" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 52).  In order to have a successful product, the positioning of the product must be different from the competitors.  Just like it is stated in the book" Marketing: An Introduction", no one will buy the product if it seems that Ataco is the same as "Tacos Mexico" or another competitor.

Burger King's positioning is "Have It Your Way".  That is good example of a tagline that separates Burger King from McDonald's or Jack in the Box.  To be able to properly position its product, Ataco must follow the example from the book and create its own tagline... "Taste of Memories".

Target Market Strategy

Market strategy is the relationship that Ataco hopes to create with its customers.  "The marketing logic by which the company hopes to create customer value and achieve profitable customer relationships" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition. Armstrong 49).  Target segmentation helps marketers target a group of customers.  This is important to be able to better understand the needs of the market segment.  "A market segment consists of consumers who respond in a similar way to a given set of marketing efforts" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 50).  The example that the book "Marketing: An Introduction" gives is with cars.  Some consumers don't care what something cost, they just want a car that is comfortable and big.  Other consumers pay attention to price and operating economy.

"Market targeting involves evaluating each market segment’s attractiveness and selecting one or more segments to enter" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 50).  "A marketer has to try different segmentation variables, alone and in combination, to find the best way to view the market structure" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 175).  Different segmentations include geographic segmentation,  demographic segmentation,  age and life-cycle segmentation, gender segmentation, income segmentation, psychographic segmentation, behavioral segmentation, occasion segmentation, benefit segmentation, and intermarket segmentation.

Geographic:
Geographic in few words means location or area.  For Ataco, the geographic segmentation is Las Vegas.  Las Vegas is a city and therefore Ataco will be local.  It is a little difficult to properly target the market with geographic segmentation.

Demographic:
"Demographic segmentation divides the market into segments based on variables such as age, gender, family size, family life cycle, income, occupation, education, religion, race, generation, and nationality" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 177).  The demographic segmentation that Ataco targets are Hispanic families.  Using a demographic segmentation does make it simpler to understand the target market.  Families sizes may be big and small.  Families isn't the only target because Ataco is really trying to reach out to everyone that has talent, creativity and is hungry.  Ataco is mainly reaching out to recent generations.  Having younger people may keep a community going for years to come.  Younger people also have more energy to create and bring new ideas.

In order to be able to better target the market, Ataco must spend more time carefully analyzing the segments.  "A marketer has to try different segmentation variables, alone and in combination, to find the best way to view the market structure. Table 6.1 outlines the major variables that might be used in segmenting consumer markets" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 175).  "Yet, business marketers also use some additional variables, such as customer operating characteristics, purchasing approaches, situational factors, and personal characteristics" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 183).




Situation or SWOT Analysis

Figure 2.7  SWOT Analysis: Strengths (S), Weaknesses (W), Opportunities (O), and Threats (T)

(Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 55-56)

Strengths:
Strength for the company is internal.  It will help Ataco reach its goals and objectives.  The Strengths that Ataco has, is that no other restaurant that I know of encourages creativity and talent.  There are places like "First Friday" and "Fremont St. Experience" that has such creativity and talent but is not a restaurant.  If successful, it will definitely be the first to build a community that is wanted from Ataco's objectives.  The results will be postive.

Weaknesses:
Weaknesses are also internal and may obviously keep Ataco from reaching its goals.  Possible weakness is that Ataco has needs to employ workers.  Workers must be trained to fit Ataco's identity.  Ataco is still building its identity and will face struggles through the process.  "Consumers view a brand as an important part of a product and branding can add value to a product. Customers attach meanings to brands and develop brand relationships" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 215).  The results will be negative.

Opportunities:
Opportunities are external.  Ataco may seek and take advantages of opportunities outside of the business.  Such opportunities may be hiring bigger talent to come perform at Ataco.  The talent doesn't necessarily have to be huge and insanely famous; this is opportunity for the talent as well as for Ataco.  The results will be postive.

Threats:
Threats are also external.  Threats may be current but also emerging.  Currents threats for Ataco may be that "Roberto's Tacos" is open 24 hours.  Ataco is only a one day thing.  Other threats for Ataco are emergin threats.  By law, restaurants will have to post the amount of calories that their meals have.  Calories taste good.  The results will be negative.

Objectives

"The company needs to turn its mission into detailed supporting objectives for each level of management" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition. Armstrong 40).

***Our mission at Ataco is to create a memorable moment through food and music. By providing excellent service, customers and employees will feel at home in hopes to build a community. Talent is encouraged to fill the community with creativity.**

In the mission statement, it is easy to understand the objectives of Ataco.  Ataco's goal is to create a memorable moment through food and music.  With food, Ataco brings tacos with a Mexican style not very common here in Las Vegas.  The music side is music from Latin America; everything from Latin American to lesser known Mexican music.

In the second sentence,  It is stated that customers and employees should feel at home as a community.  This goal really goes well together with the first sentence.  Food and music already make a certain demographic  come together and feel like a community.  The main objective really is to satisfy customers with excellent service.  "Customer satisfaction depends on the product’s perceived performance relative to a buyer’s expectations" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 14).  The product with Ataco is the tacos.

The last sentence goes beyond business goals and leans a little towards non-profit.  The general goal is to build a community and to build it with creativity and talent.  People are really encourage and will receive free meals from Ataco.

Business Mission Statement

In order to be able to succeed in my business, my mission statement must be carefully put together.  Mission statements are super important and it is also important to do it right!  "Forging a sound mission begins with the following questions: What is our business? Who is the customer? What do consumers value? What should our business be?" (Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Edition.  Armstrong 39).  My mission statement for Ataco is as follows:

***Our mission at Ataco is to create a memorable moment through food and music.  By providing excellent service, customers and employees will feel at home in hopes to build a community.  Talent is encouraged to fill the community with creativity.**

I state that the business is food and music.  The customers, I don't clearly state but is anyone with talent.  Customers value a mermorable moment and I state in my first sentence.  The business is a pop-up restaurant.

Week 7 EOC: My Pitch

"Ataco" is my idea for a food food restaurant.  It will consist of a BBQ grill, a big griddle pan, a tent, foldable tables, foldable chairs and speakers.

The BBQ grill is obviously to cook up some carne asada. Roast beef would be sold in sigle tacos.  A sperate table would be set up where the client may ask what they want in their tacos such as cilandro, lemon, salsa, etc.  "Gringas" will also be sold as single tacos.  "Gringas" is a quesadilla like taco with "Al Pastor" meat and pineapple slices.  "Tacos Al Pastor" will be another taco sold.  "Taco De Fish" or fish taco will be the last taco that will be included with "Attacko" for now.

Drinks will include Horchata, Tamarindo or tamarind and Jamaica or Hibiscus Punch.  These drinks will be served in cup sizes including small, medium and large.  Canned sodas will include Coke, Manzanita, Sangria, Sprite, Mountain Dew and Fanta.  As for beer, Corona, Angry Orchard, Tecate and Miller Lite will be sold in glass bottles.

For meals, roast beef will be served with rice, beans and torillas and a drink.  Bigger sized drinks will add just a few cents to the price.  Tacos will also be included in dishes as meals.  "Coctel De Camaron" or traditional Mexican Cocktail Shrimp will be sold as a light meal.  It will be served in a bowl.  Fruit salads will be the last thing sold.  They will be served in cups and have different kinds from sweet to spicy.

Loudspeakers will be used to play music so people may chill there while they eat.  Anyone with talent is encourage to get on the mic and perform to the audience.  A free meal is rewarded for anyone who can make a good performance.  For anyone that attemps and fails, a drink will be rewarded.