The Company Performance of the Aston Manor Brewery - Essay Example

?Marketing Aston Manor Brewery Marketing: Aston Manor Brewery The client in the research project is the Aston Manor Brewery What can you say Aston Manor Brewery is, when did the company start, and how far is it, in terms of growth in revenue? 2. What are the company key product(s) and how can you rate it/their performance in the local, national, and international market? 3. What are your current strategic plan(s) in improving on the market impact on these key products and other products that you (the company) consider under performing in local, national, and or international markets? Reflective Essay The Aston Manor Brewery is a United Kingdom based brewery and beer bottling company. It is situated in Aston, Birmingham, England. The Aston Manor’s major products include cider, beer, and perry. In the year 2008, Aston brewery emerged the third largest cider producing company in the United Kingdom. This rating was based on the market share and in the same capacity, it was rated the fourth largest producer of the same product in the world. Peter Ellis, the son of Doug Ellis is the manager of the Aston Company (Aston Manor Brewery, 2013; Pg. 01). In the year 2008, Frosty Jack’s Cider was the United Kingdom’s leading white cider brands. It is also worth noting that it is among other three Hammer brands. Four former employees of the Ansells founded Aston Manor in the year 1981 after Ansells closed one of its brewery that was known as the Aston Cross brewery. This led to the opening of a new brewery in the nearby lane, the Thimble Mill Lane. In the year 1984, Michael Hancocks, the then Herefordshire hop farmer and one of the major suppliers of the company, bought into the business. By the end of the year 1998, Aston Manor reported a profit turnover of ?1 million that included mainly over 70 percent sales of cider. However, by the year ending 2001, the company experienced immense competition leading to a decline of its profit to ?740,500. Nonetheless, by the end of the financial year 2009, the company reported immense profit of ?3 million. This significant increase in profit was pegged on the increased demand for the company’s products in the entire United Kingdom. It is worth noting that during the same year, the company took over the management of the Devon Cider Company that was based in the Tiverton. Devon up to that time had expanded its manufacturing facilities at its site of operation (Martin Information, Ltd, 1900; Pg. 92) and merging these two companies gave the Aston Manor a new face of production come its success. Despite being an international business, the Aston Company remains 100 percent family owned, a factor that makes it deliver the finest products in the market (Aston Manor Brewery, 2013; Pg. 01). Additionally, the company owns over 300 acres of orchards from which it is stocked with Bittersweet apple trees that it uses to produce a wide range of cider drinks that covers the whole market. The products range from high end premium brands of mass market products with the former including Duchy Originals while that latter includes Frosty Jack’s Cider. The main strategic objective of the Aston Manor is to craft a range of ciders to suit everyone and very taste and this will expand the market for all the Aston manor’s products. The Aston Manor is a leading brewery for drinks in a business of its own. It creates its own market as well as distributed a series of cider brands both in the United Kingdom and globally. In all its products, Aston Manor produces a range of quality cider products that are made from sustainable means that are responsible for sourcing customers and markets and this is the means the company intends to expand its market for all its products. It is worth noting Aston Manor is committed to the industry best practice that has accelerated its accentuated membership into the national association of cider manufacturer (NACM). Moreover, it is a member of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) that ensures that it adheres to the global standards for food safety. Additionally, Aston Manor has invested heavily in sophisticated packaging machinery that makes it to keep abreast with the market trends that are geared towards effective and efficient packing solutions including the use of alternative glass PET bottlers as well as the aluminium bottles (Institute of Marketing and Sales Management, and Institute Of Marketing, 1968; Pg. 172). Most of the Aston Manor’s solutions are not only green but also extremely safe thereby making them ideal for city center bars and concerts. Finally, being Eco friendly, these products will attract all markets including national and global markets. Individual Items for this Research Project My role in this research project is conduct qualitative research that will involve the sales and marketing management or team of the Aston Manor Brewery company with the aim of understanding its sales and marketing strategies and looking at the ways and means of improving on the same. The project will involve the use of both primary (interviews) sources as well as secondary (reading documented literature: books, internet sources, among others). The main aim of this research is helping Aston Manor to meet or improve on its marketing strategy that states; the main strategic objective of the Aston Manor is to craft a range of ciders to suit everyone and very taste and this will expand the market for all the Aston manor’s products. 1. Observation Aston Manor is an independently owned producer of cider wine. The fact that it is being owned by a family, it is apparent that decision making towards vital organizational issues is often quick thereby making it to move with speed in some management and organizational issues in regards to decision making. Additionally, the company seems to be producing most of its raw materials from its own farms or self produced raw materials. This reduces the involvement of the organization with suppliers (Institute of Marketing and Sales Management, and Institute of Marketing, 1968; Pg. 186). In some cases, raw material suppliers may lead to the downfall of the company especially when they supply substandard raw materials. Such raw materials may compromise the quality of the product thereby interfering with the customer trust to the company and its products and this seems not to be the case with Aston Manor. Therefore, Aston Manor must ensure it remains as the sole supplier of its raw materials. Additionally, the success of any company is rooted excellence in value, quality, and range of innovation, elements that often constitute the central point of the successful of any business (Martin Information, Ltd, 1900; Pg. 92); therefore, it would be appropriate that Aston Manor Brewery maintains or improves on these key success values. Another observable factor of the Aston Manors success is its effective partnership with relevant businesses (Silk, 2006; Pg. 174). Aston Manor bottles its ciders and beers in plastic bottles that are well designed (crown cork shapes) and are environmental friendly. These bottles are also regarded to be safer compared to their alternative glass bottles. The manufacture of these bottles is a world class company and this seems to add a gist to the Aston Manor’s products. Therefore, it would be appropriate for Aston Manor to look for other partners that will add value to their products thereby boosting their sales through widening their market and building trust and respect with consumers and the markets. 2. Depth Interview I conducted an in-depth interview with the Aston Manor’s Engineering Director, Paul Clifford to understand the steps that the company has taken and the path they are in towards meeting their marketing strategies. According to him, Aston Manor brewery has several solutions to offer to its customer and their target markets. He noted that Aston Minor has used alternative bottling strategic technique to attract customers and other new markets. The Constar Company designed, developed, and manufactured PET preforms attractive, safe, and easy to use bottles to closure Aston Manor’s major brands. The Constar Company has intense innovation and expertise that has helped Aston Manor to solve numerous of its brewing challenges. Some of the areas that Aston Minor consulted Constar include innovation in the bottled beers, hundred per cent recyclable, lightweight, and unbreakable wine bottles, and venturing into new markets while maintaining brand appeal and self life. Therefore, according to Clifford, Aston Manor is also committed in strategic partnership with the aim of maintaining taste and shelf life through proper and effective fermentation as well as cotting or light weighting and going green in its production towards attracting national and global markets. Clifford notes further that their aesthetic value and environmental friendliness are also factors that boost their marketing strategies. He further notes, they “inherited the dry lubrication system when we purchased Devon Cider business and I was immediately impressed with the cleanliness of the conveyors and performance of the pressure less combiners at speed. We decided to adopt the system across our complete bottling hall at Aston Manor and are now reaping the benefits. While the system works more than satisfactorily as a conveyor lubricant, our staff is most pleased with the dry floors and general improvement to the working environment that it has given. I am very happy to see that our contract bottling line, which runs a large variety of glass and PET, needs no lubricant adjustment at changeover (Reynolds, Editor-in-Chief 2011; Pg. 01)." 3. Target Market Analysis It should be noted that Aston Manor products are targeting youthful consumers. This group often needs special treatment in terms of price, quality and presentable products. Therefore, Aston Manor has used the expertise of Constar to implement their Oxbar Multi layer scavenging technology efficiently and effectively towards providing a small but high performing PET beer packaging that will fit this group. Moreover, the same activity targets a wider range of market especially for the market leading Packers and Brewers of flavored alcoholic beverages and beers (Aston Manor Brewery, 2013; Pg. 01). Oxbow is one of the leading markets of oxygen scavengers that also provide additional benefit specifically the benefit of increasing carbonification retention that leads to small bottle to require self life performance so that they can actively compete in the market (Martin Information, Ltd, 1900; Pg. 82). To succeed in this project, Constar has been working closely with Aston Manor towards providing and attaining optimum PET package without compromising the identity of the classic beer. The Aston Minor brewery has enabled and led to the progress of this project to bring the new end customers with their products into the market. The company also intended to make the customers and other stakeholders understand fully the benefits of the Oxbar technology (Jaray, 2005; Pg. 34). Therefore, it is apparent that Aston Manor strategic development usually aims at solving the customers’ needs by listening and understanding the needs of the customers and relating such needs with the current market demands. It is worth noting that while Aston quenches the needs of its customers and providing the market with the best products, it never compromises the regulatory demands of underlying authorities and its operations do not interfere with environmental needs. In other words, its operations are usually through green technology. These make it’s ever improving products to be used in public places especially city bars without meeting opposition from environmentalists or other law reinforcing authorities. 4. Wine Market and Weekly Blogging Blogging is quite importing marketing strategy since will enable relevant company department to determine what the public or the user of such blogging sites thing of them and their products. Moreover, since only consumer of the Aston Manor’s products will provide educative or blogs to consider, the company needs to concentrate on such blogs. Therefore, it is vital for my client, Aston Manor to value the blogs since criticisms from such blogs can help the company to improve a great deal especially on areas that the customers need it to make improvement. Implementation of some of these blogs will enlarge the market since all ideas of the will be incorporated thereby improving on the product. For instance, considering the blog stating; it is worth noting that the wine market is currently providing new opportunities for the Constar’s DiamondClear and MonOxbar technology. Both of these technologies are known to provide superior performance of oxygen scavenging compared to other technologies that are available for the same. The main aim of Aston Manor Brewery is to provide the market with lightweight wine packaging products as this will provide the customer or the wine consumers with effective and convenient to use wine containers or bottles (Institute For Fermentation And Brewing Studies et al., 1983; Pg. 64). Therefore, with the aim of obtaining oxygen scavenging wine market, Aston Manor Brewery will aim at producing such light weight bottles that are unbreakable and are hundred percent recyclable with partnering with companies offering the blog state technologies. In essence, it shall have quenched these customers’ needs; moreover, it shall have improved on the quality of its product that will have effect to other markets and customer thereby improving its sales though expanding the market. DiamondClear technology is known to provide superior clarity while it maintains all the benefits that had been proven of the MonOxbar technology. Many customers and markets have realized and embraced the benefits within these products especially in the leading wine packaging products that have provided a significant reduction in the weights of packaging products compared to the traditional packaging glass that were of enormous weights. Additionally, these products have proven to environmental friendly thereby providing the end customer with a total confidence of a shatterproof product or packages (Information Access Company and Gale Group, 1993; Pg. 92). Therefore, if Aston Manor incorporates them, it will celebrate their success only through effective collaboration or partnering with companies that often make them meet their objectives and marketing aims with a larger margin (Telkom (Firm: South Africa), 2002; Pg. 185). The best designs of the company bottles have made it to hit the market at different levels especially due to the being presentable and effectiveness to use and handle the wine bottles made from effective and advanced technology (Sandhusen, 2000; Pg. 89). 5. Focussed Group Discussion Company values are often very important in marketing since it is the strong and effective company values that often help the company to win the trust, loyalty, and respects of the suppliers, distributors, and customers (Howarth, 2004; Pg. 84). Since there are often numerous company value values, understanding Aston Manor’s company values exhaustively will require group discussion with the member of the Aston Manor’s sales and marketing department. When I asked whether Aston Manor pegs its success on its elaborate company value, one of then company’s sales and marketing manager said, It is worth noting that Aston Manor Brewery has ever maintained its operations and success on the strong and effective company values. The company identifies itself as one of the companies that recognize the quality, performance, and motivation of employees as one of the key success factors. From this discussion, it appropriate to note that Aston Manor has achieved and is continuing to ripe its success on its organizational structure and culture that it recognizes to promote the involvement of employees, teamwork, open communication, and cooperation all of which promotes accountability within the company (Aston Manor Brewery, 2013; Pg. 01). Furthermore, the company has continuously been involved in the continuous investment through training of employees as it considers this a vital part in continual growth. The other company value that Aston Manor pegs their success on is their belief that innovation often leads to efficiency. With consistent to innovation, the sales manager of Aston Manor reported that the company often reduces costs without compromising the quality of its products (Martin Information, Ltd, 1900; Pg. 92). Moreover, their customers usually get value through the company’s efficiency while they still stay ahead the competition. Therefore, through innovation, Aston Manor meets the needs of the customers and the demand of the market by releasing new products and services to these sets of groups. Aston Manor Company has also built its success on strong and long term strategic relationship as well as elaborate experience in line with its products. According to the top sales management of Aston Manor, they are a listing business partner that also considers its customers, suppliers, and distributors as its sole partners (Hisrich, 2000; Pg. 19). Through what they consider effective strategic relationship, it is a listening partner that seeks to understand the needs of its partners with aims of meeting such expectations. Moreover, Aston Manor brags on its experience and knowledge in handling its products together with the fact that it has its own orchards from which it gets its final products (Aston Manor Brewery, 2013; Pg. 01). The latter makes it produce quality cider and beer since the quality of its raw material is never jeopardized. 6. Public Relation The relationship and interaction between the society and the company is quite vital since this will boos loyalty and respect between the two entities. To achieve this immense public relation, Aston Manor can relate each of its brands to a community interactive activity. Aston Manor Brewery produces an extensive range of ciders. Aston Manor proudly associates itself with the brands including Frosty Jack’s Cider, Kingstone Press, the Knights Range, Crumpton Oaks, Chardalusco and Chardolini, 3 Hammers, and Golden Valley. It's worth noting that those who usually enjoy authentic ciders will always find their joy in Kingstone Press Cider since it’s a quality product (Dun & Bradstreet, Ltd., 1900; Pg. 278). As part of the company’s portfolio, Kingstone Press Cider is one of the products that Aston Manor Brewery’s family is quite proud of; thus, the company has been working hard for the drink to be enjoyed by more than drinkers. The company has involved the community in the quest to take back to the community. This is a proper means of marketing (Jaray, 2005; Pg. 47). Kingstone press is a great sponsor of Rugby League in what is known as the Kingstone Press Championship, which is a sponsor of England Rugby League. Frosty Jack’s Cider is the second largest in sales of the United Kingdom home ciders. It is the biggest sales in terms of volume and it should be noted that it has achieved the highest growth rate of 40 per cent since the 2011 A C Nielsen of Trade. The management boasts of achieving this significant growth and sales through its elaborate investment in the marketing of this brand among other brands. Therefore, since this brand stand to be the strongly sold brand, it should also be incorporated in some community activity like sponsoring children within the same community to school or to undertake certain activities. In this sense, the company will build a strong relationship with the community thereby further increasing respect and loyalty; thus, increasing sale and revenue. According the head sales management, Frosty Jack’s has since it’s launched built strong brand personality among its loyal customers, but this good increase further through good pubic relationship with the brand (Aston Manor Brewery, 2013; Pg. 01). 7. Media Plan Media is a means through which information is passed through long distances and to people of different social settings. Therefore, any use of this means of advertisement will automatically reach a wider range of people and will also cover vast geographical distance. There are different and numerous media platforms that the Aston Manor’s marketing team can employ towards expanding on its market. It is worth noting the most of the Aston Manor’s brands have affected markets through digitalised integrated marketing that have since concentrated on social media. For example, Frosty Jack’s brand is noted to have developed a growing user engagement that has enabled it to achieve a retail value of ?40 million. However, the sale and marketing department should concentrate its commitment on a social media marketing strategy towards promoting other brands to the customers with the aim of increasing the revenue streams. The current social media are effective more than other forms of media. It is only notable that such social media are immensely being used by youths that are the main customer or market target for Aston manor. Therefore, using such social media like Facebook, Twitter among others will promote sales since it will reach a larger target group. It is also worth noting the using such media is relatively cheap thereby there shall be increased revenue stream. Conclusion Aston Manor Brewery has used all means possible to be a force to reckon with in the production of ciders. Moreover, it values continual improvement and uses the CSR approach towards understanding and determining means upon which it needs to shape up. The sure means about which Aston Manor develops is the involvement of employees in its charity decision making as well as supporting the local community. Additionally, other than marketing, the company uses experienced and hard working workforce in discharging its functions. These ensure that the company meets its demands and expectations within the set frame of time without compromising quality thereby building trust, loyalty, and respect between the company and the customers among other stakeholders. The main strength of Aston Manor is that it supplies its production unit with its own produced raw material. This ensures that the company maintains quality throughout its years of production. The main opportunity that Aston Manor should explore is to decentralize its company along side distributing its products locally, nationally, and internationally. 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