Marketing Plan: Global Wine Tourism - Case Study Example

Marketing Plan: Global Wine Tourism Introduction The paper focuses on the generation of a marketing plan for the internationalisation of the wine products of the different wine companies relating to the Malta region. Effective strategies and action plans would be formulated to help the wine companies in marketing their products in the international market. Situation The situation relates to assisting the wine producers operating in the region of Malta to come under a common banner ‘A Case of Malta’ as proposed by the Member of Congress (MC). Coming under a common banner would help the wine companies in gaining adequate support to market their products internationally. This requires the development of a marketing plan to help the local wineries gain the needed potential in formulating effective strategies to internationally market the wine products. Objectives The objectives of the marketing plan can be rightly underlined as follows. To help the local wine producers seeking an international presence to come under a common banner identified as ‘A Case of Malta’. To formulate an effective marketing plan that would assist the wine producers in marketing their products to international consumers. Strategy The marketing strategies for the wine producers to help in marketing their products in the international markets can be developed based on the 4Ps of marketing like product, price, place and promotion. Relating to products, the wine companies need to enhance their product assortments in terms of increasong on the variety of wine produces. Changes in the flavour, texture and balance in the wine products contribute in differing the quality of the wine produces such that it helps in meeting the varying demands of consumers relating to quality, tastes and variety (Spahni, 2000). The pricing of the wine products need to be carried out in a segmented fashion relating to the different international markets. The segmented price mix would help in reflecting a differentiated image of the products marketed in the international sphere. Use of segmented pricing strategy is taken to largely contribute such that it helps in generating premium and moderate prices relating to different winery products. Use of price mix would help in rendering needed value to different categories of consumers and thereby, help in creating needed appeal (Rosenbloom, 2011). An effective place mix needs to be formulated to help the wine products reach a larger consumer base in the international markets. The wine products can be distributed through a variety of options like the use of exclusive retail outlets based in different malls. Further, the wine products can also be made to reach the consumers through marketing them via different restaurant and supermarket outlets. Marketing the wine products through use of bars and restaurants would contribute in making the same largely affordable to the consumers spread across different regions (Carlsen, 2006). Distributing the wine products through use of the above means would also contribute in generating effective promotions and rebates relating to seasonal periods. This strategy would rightly help in marketing the wine products in large numbers to the target customers. Again, marketing the wine products through the use of costly restaurants and expensive malls is taken to help the wine company to gain access to an effective consumer base in different regions (Charters, 2006). In terms of the promotional mix, the wine producers need to focus on the use of different types of marketing and promotional channels like the use of audio-visual marketing tools related to television and radios (Lamb et al., 2011). Use of the above promotional tools combined with advertisements developed for the print media would generate considerable awareness of the wine products to the target customer base. Use of viral marketing and promotional strategies like use website and social media based marketing activities would also be undertaken to help in generating needed awareness about new product launches among a larger community. Participation in trade shows and also the use of outdoor marketing activities would enhance the position of the wine companies among regional competitors in the international markets (Lamb, 2009). The wine companies need to essentially focus on the use of effective entry strategies like exporting, formation of joint ventures and franchisees such that the same would contribute in gaining potential access to marketing, supply chain and consumer networks (Bobik, 2012). Action The wine companies need to position their products in the international markets through the generation of effective differentiation related to product variety and also effective distribution mechanisms. Similarly, the promotional messages rendered through the use of different marketing and promotional channels need to reflect the culture and identity of the Malta region in terms of the originality and diversity of elements. The wine producers also needs to focus on the development of road shows and also in devising other programs aimed at educating and training the customers of Malta wine products. Wine companies to gain effective presence in different international markets also needs to localise their brand image relating to regional cultures (Hall & Mitchell, 2007). Wine companies can potentially tie up with the tourism and culinary sector such that the same would contribute in effectively associating the wine products to regional taste and traditions. Use of online surveys can also be generated through use of social media networks like Facebook to help in understanding the changes in tastes and interests of the local consumers. This would help in designing the right packaging and distribution system to create needed appeal among the target consumers (Hall, 2013). Budgets The promotional budget for helping promote the wine products of the different wine producers in the international markets is given in the appendix. The total promotional budget is estimated to be Euros 12,000. Promotional campaign carried out relating to printing of brochures, road and trade shows tend to constitute the highest cost while marketing campaigning based on social media networks does not bear any cost. The budget plan thus reflects an admixture of different channels to help in generating needed awareness about the product in the international markets. Control Marketing controls need to establish relating to the marketing plan in the form of evaluating the changes in the sales revenues relating to the different winery products along two different quarters. A positive change in the amount of sales revenues relating to the stated period, from one quarter to the other would reflect the growth of needed awareness for the wine products among the regional consumer base (Beamish, 2012). Conclusions The paper reflects different types of strategies based on 4Ps of marketing which can be essentially enabled by the wine producers to gain an effective presence in the international market. Differentiation generated in the product, pricing, place and promotion mix would potentially help in marketing the wine products across the different international regions. Table of Contents Situation 1 Objectives 1 Strategy 2 Action 3 Budgets 4 Control 4 Conclusions 5 Appendix 7 Reference List Beamish, K., 2012. CIM Coursebook 03/04 Marketing Planning. New York: Routledge. Bobik, M., 2012. Entering the Wine Industry in China. Netherlands: GRIN Verlag. Carlsen, J., 2006. Global Wine Tourism: Research, Management and Marketing. United States: CABI. Charters, S., 2006. Wine and Society. United States: Routledge. Hall, C.M., 2013. Wine, Food, and Tourism Marketing. New York: Routledge. Hall, C.M. & Mitchell, R., 2007. Wine Marketing. New York: Routledge. Lamb, C.W., 2009. MKTG. United States: Cengage Learning. Lamb, J., Hair, J. & McDaniel, C., 2011. Essentials of Marketing. United States: Cengage Learning. Rosenbloom, B., 2011. Marketing Channels. United States: Cengage Learning. Spahni, P., 2000. The International Wine Trade. United Kingdom: Elseivier. Appendix Categories Cost Printing of brochures and catalogues € 3,000 Television Advertising € 1,500 Radio Advertising € 1,500 Social Media Marketing € 0 Road Shows € 2,000 Trade shows € 3,000 Website € 1,000 Total € 12,000 Read More