Marketing Communication Plan for Moveo Folding Electric Scooter - Book Report/Review Example

MOVEO – Folding Electric Scooter Table of Contents 1. Introduction 4 2.0 The Context Analysis 5 2.1 The Business Context 6 2.1.1 The Market Defined 6 2.1.2 The Current Market Trend 7 2.1.3 The Competition 7 2.1.4 Supply Chain 8 2.1.5 Intermediaries 9 2.1.6 Other Stakeholders 9 2.2 The Customer Context 10 2.2.1 Definition 10 2.2.2 Key Target Customers 10 2.3 Internal Context 11 2.3.1 Concept of Internal Context 11 2.3.2 Factors Associated with Internal Context 11 2.4 External Context 13 3.0 Marketing Communication Objectives 13 3.1 Definition 13 3.2. Corporate Level Objectives 14 3.3 Marketing Level Objectives 14 3.4 Marketing Communication Level Objective 15 3.5 Positioning 15 3.5.1 Perceptual Map 16 4.0 Promotional Strategy 17 4.1 Push Promotional Strategy 17 5.0 Promotional Mix 18 5.1 Advertising 19 5.2 Public Relations 19 5.3 Sales Promotion 19 5.4 Direct Marketing 20 5.5 Personal Selling 20 6.0 Summary of the Proposed Marketing Communication Plan 21 7.0 Evaluation and Control 22 8.0 References 23 7.1 Bibliography 27 1. Introduction According to modern trend of globalisation, it has been widely accepted that a well-built marketing communication plan plays a crucial role for the organisations in terms of building their long-term sustainability. In this context, marketers, irrespective of multitude business industries, are often observed to implement effective frameworks comprising certain essential strategic measures that further leverage them to make an exceptional brand image (Polonsky & et. al, 2002). Correspondingly, in keeping with the current notion of competition in the marketing communication plan, it has become most essential for the organisations that are highly involved in producing innovative and unique set of products (Rehman & Ibrahim, 2011; Fisher & et. al, 2006). Emphasising these notions of contemporary market development, the primary purpose of this report is to build an effective marketing communication guide for the exceptionally designed Moveo, a lightweight and easily foldable electric drive scooter. Moveo Co. was founded in the year 2008 by Antro Group, a Hungary based non-profit organisation, which is renowned for its innovative and environmentally accepted automobile products (1Moveo Co., 2013). In order to build a strong and most effective marketing communication plan for Moveo, the proposed marketing communication plan will include the formulation of exceptional strategies in the context of businesses, customers along with internal and external contexts as well. In this regard, the proposed marketing communication plan for Moveo would be developed with the use of the Segmentation, Targeting And Positioning (STP) framework, which can enable the preparation of the plan for a 12th month period, from June 2014 to May 2015, with a budget of £5 million. This report will also ensure Antro Group the attainment of adequate returns of their investments with the uniquely designed Moveo. 2.0 The Context Analysis A context analysis is well defined as an approach to critically evaluate and analyse a particular domain in which, a specific business operates. The analysis consists of entire business environment including both the internal and external contexts (Maxted, 2008). In relation to the concept of numerous scholars, the context analysis has been observed to analyse situational investigations, macro-environmental segments along with help in critically understanding the competitive environment of a particular organisation within a specific business industry or market. It generally tends to demonstrate rationale regarding any marketing plan and ensure successful accomplishment of the overall objectives derived from the organisational and marketing communication needs of a particular business (Baines & et. al, 2011). In relation to the proposed marketing communication plan, the context analysis would highly focus on four major contextual dimensions, viz. business context, customer context, internal context and external context. The strategy would help to understand the characteristics associated with each contextual dimension and provide adequate support to formulate effective marketing communication plan for Moveo in the future electric drive motor vehicle business industry from a critical perspective. 2.1 The Business Context The business context can be regarded as an essential aspect for an effective marketing communication plan, as it involves major influencing dimensions to be achieved by the organisations. In relation to a conventional marketing approach, developing communication in the context of business not only offers information to achieve growth, but also ensures the marketers to gain adequate understanding about the communication strategies and practices of the existing rivals. In relation to the proposed marketing communication plan, the following are few of the most essential dimensions, particularly applicable for Moveo and build its wide range of customer groups across the different global markets (Baines & et. al, 2011). 2.1.1 The Market Defined The recent business environment for electric drive scooter can be observed to emerge due to the increasing demands and desires of the urban population. Moreover, the existence of wide numbers of beneficial features along with exceptional designs and mobility options of the electric drive scooter can be identified to stimulate exceptional brand image in the customers’ minds (Aia, 2013; Spears, 2013). In relation to Moveo, the unique design and exceptional mobility options offered by the electric drive scooter can strengthen its competitive position in the recently emerging business industry. Completely foldable with the option of covering wheels and exceptional mobility in terms of easy transportability can be considered as a few competitive set of attributes that can enable Moveo to compete over the existing rivals in the market. Moreover, adequate consciousness towards environment and greater comfort for the drivers have also been identified as the major factors that play an essential role for Moveo to lead in the respective electric drive two wheeler business segment (Moveo Co, 2013). 2.1.2 The Current Market Trend According to the recent market trend, electric scooters have been observed to shape a fresh culture, especially for an integrated as well as eco-friendly mobility across majority of developed nations. The introduction of electric scooter has further observed to provide smart and accessible mobility options for the users, especially across the urban locations. They have been witnessed to meet the consumers’ demands efficiently enough, by offering exceptional designs along with its recharging infrastructure. In this regard, the market trend in the global electric scooter paves the attention of large automobile manufacturing firms to gain major market shares across the different developed and developing geographic locations (Aia, 2013). The animation of eco-friendly and smart driving experience to the users related options have been further observed to increase the numbers of marketers in the respective two-wheeler manufacturing industry. Therefore, the business concept of Moveo might face a tough competition from the increasing numbers of rivals in different locations of the globe (Spears, 2013). 2.1.3 The Competition In relation to the recent observation, the options including electric mobility, easy transportability and eco-friendly characteristics can be widely accepted to build an exceptional position for the electric-drive scooter segment (Lin & et. al, 2007). According to the current competitive market in the Europe, the mobility trends along with greater facility of protecting environmental conditions have been critically observed to draw the attention of the urban population. In this context, the industry has been witnessed to comprise increasing numbers of competitors from different global locations. The current European electric drive scooter market also comprises competitors from China, Japan and domestic manufacturers from a few European nations. Due to the unabated and emerging growth of electrically driven two-wheelers, the European market has been facing an increasing competition among the rivals (Tso & Chang, 2004). 2.1.4 Supply Chain The observation of last few numbers of research surveys revealed that the Supply Chain Management (SCM) system and practices of the organisations play an essential role in the present electric-drive scooter business segment. The marketers are often observed to increase their numbers of suppliers and expand their shipment network across the different global destinations (Johnson & Rose, 2013). In order to build a strong business position successfully, it is therefore essential for Antro Group to comprise a feasible number of delivery channels and suppliers while introducing Moveo across the European and other overseas locations. The company should also focus on making continuous improvements of its procurement and shipment strategies of finished goods activities that can enable it to encompass a large group of potential scooter users (Doole & Lowe, 2008). The key suppliers of Antro Group are the companies associated with producing Li-ion battery required for the proper functioning of Moveo that ensures its users to travel long distances with a minimum required level of electric charge. The company should also focus on building strong and long-term relationship with each group of suppliers from technical and non-technical firms to establish its sustainable position (Hessami & Savoji, 2011). 2.1.5 Intermediaries In relation to the emerging trend in the global electric scooter industry, customers are observed to by highly aware with the facilities along with mobility options of the products. Hence, the proposed marketing communication plan would avoid involving any type of intermediaries to communicate the unique mobility options and usefulness of Moveo in the European market. In case of addressing queries related to the technical disputes, the company would rather focus on developing its own customer service department to deliver value to each individual Moveo user and enrich its customer relationship management. 2.1.6 Other Stakeholders Involving different individuals and groups of stakeholders is also an essential aspect for an organisation to establish long-run sustainability in any business industry. Being as an innovator of foldable and easy to carry electric scooter it is also essential for Antro Group to engage its range of internal and external groups of stakeholders. In this regard, the proposed plan would highly focus on equally prioritising each group of stakeholders with regard to the different operational and management activities associated with Moveo. Moreover, the external stakeholder groups including investors, customers and suppliers would be provided an apparent set of information about the financial performance along with market shares of the companies in the global electric scooter business industry. Additionally, the local community members and the governmental institutions would also be considered when communicating operational, marketing and financial performance of the company (Porter, 2008). 2.2 The Customer Context 2.2.1 Definition Critical assessment of the marketing communication plan in customer context will also play a major role for the organisations to understand and align products in accordance with the needs and demands of the customers (Pojasek, 2013; United Nations Development Programme, 2012). In this context, the proposed marketing communication plan for Moveo would highly focus on its key target customers, irrespective of their demographic and socio-cultural differences. 2.2.2 Key Target Customers In relation to the mobility trends and requirements in the European electric scooter market, the features included in Moveo will enable the company to obtain a large segment of target users. In this context, the following are the key target customer groups who will be involved in the proposed marketing communication plan. Customers with environment consciousness School and college students irrespective of their age, gender, and income level among others Part-time and fulltime professionals Staff members associated with delivery services Employees from Tourism and Hospitality organisations Commuters, who are likely to travel by public transportation facilities within a particular urban location 2.3 Internal Context 2.3.1 Concept of Internal Context The concept of internal context is generally undertaken with the aim of ascertaining resources and capabilities with regard to the marketing communication process of the organisations. The internal context in an effective marketing communication reviews three major resource capabilities including financial resources, technological resources and human resources (Baines & et. al, 2011; Li & et. al, 2008). 2.3.2 Factors Associated with Internal Context The financial resources of Antro Group have been observed to build a strong position through its thriving performance towards the innovation of electric vehicle. Moreover, the continuous innovation and manufacturing of environmentally accepted vehicles has also been observed to attain a growing interest from the global investors, further ensuring a robust financial figure after the introduction of Moveo in the target markets (1Moveo Co, 2013). In relation to the technological resource, the company can be observed as build on a major set of potentials towards conducting continuous innovation of eco-friendly products. The deployment of advanced technological features and equipments is one of the major resources of the company that can improve the marketing communication of Moveo and empower it to build its own business domain in the European market (1Moveo Co, 2013). Correspondingly, the high-skilled and knowledgeable groups of staff members would further enable Antro Group to fabricate strong position of Moveo. The management personnel, including Dr. Tamas Slezak, the current CEO of Moveo, in participation with highly qualified, innovative and strategically fit project and technical department members, will also help to gain major insights in the European electric scooter business segment (1Moveo Co, 2013). 2.4 External Context An external context generally defines a set of influencing factors that might have major impacts on a particular organisation. The context includes few major characteristics of external environmental factors such as political, economic, socio-cultural and technological aspects of the target marketplace (Baines & et. al., 2011). 3.0 Marketing Communication Objectives 3.1 Definition Marketing communication objectives can be termed as an effective and core set of organisational practices that not only intend to ensure building a strong position, but also helps to improve the competitive position of a particular company (Shimp & Andrews, 2013). In relation to the proposed marketing communication plan for Moveo, the communication objectives will be characterised into three key levels including corporate level, marketing level and marketing communication level. 3.2. Corporate Level Objectives The corporate level objectives will consist of long-term commitments that are likely to influence the organisation to achieve its long-term business goals; for instance, the formulation of financial goals that the company would focus to achieve within a stipulated time. In relation to the proposed marketing communication plan, the corporate level objectives will be concentrated on establishing Moveo in the dominant position of the global electric drive scooter market. The corporate objectives associated with the proposed marketing communication plan will also focus on performing transparent reporting functions with respect to its wide-ranging financial performances and ensure its responsible as well as apparent presentation to each group of stakeholders. 3.3 Marketing Level Objectives In the marketing level, the formulation of a strong brand image of Moveo in the target market and likewise, creating awareness in the consumers’ mind will form the key set of marketing level objectives for the proposed marketing communication plan of Moveo. For example, the market level objective of the proposed plan would focus on formulating effective set of marketing tools that company would focus for a specific period. 3.4 Marketing Communication Level Objective The primary objective of the proposed plan will be to increase awareness of the customers about the technical features and exceptional mobility options of Moveo within 12 months of its introduction in the market. Moreover, establishing unique and competitive brand image of Moveo, promoting the vision of protecting the effectiveness of the ecological system in different urban areas, will also be regarded as a key communal level objective of the marketing plan. For example, branding and positioning of Moveo and targeting new segment of customers across the UK markets within a particular time period would be a marketing communication level objective for it. 3.5 Positioning Product positioning strategy plays an inevitable role to stimulate a positive view of the organisation along with its products/services in the customers’ minds (Strydom, 2005). Improving customers’ perceptions along with their buying behaviour would be regarded as a major set of objective of the positioning strategy for Moveo that can enable the product to build a new segment of customers from different global locations. Moreover, the positioning strategy for Moveo would also focus on demonstrating its exceptional mobility-system and environmental-friendly attributes that can enable increase in its value as compared to the similar products offered by other global competitors. In order to implement an effective positioning strategy for the new Moveo successfully, the following perceptual mapping analysis has been conducted, that is further expected to provide an in-depth understanding about the current market of the electric drive scooter industry. 3.5.1 Perceptual Map From an in-depth perspective, it can be ascertained that the electric scooter market in Europe comprises a few numbers of dominant players. In relation to the observation, it has been identified that Yamaha, Piaggio and Suzuki are few of the key contemporaries of Moveo, who have been providing cutting-edge electric scooters with distinctive designs and environmentally conscious features. Moreover, Aprilia (Piaggio) and Genuine Scooter have also been identified to offer a wide range of spirited designed with high performance based products in the European market. In this context, it might impose a major threat for Moveo to compete with the existing rivals. However, the features associated with mobility along with lightweight features in the product would play a competitive role for Moveo to build its sustainable position in the respective industry. Therefore, an effective range of strategic measures for promoting the exceptional features of Moveo will prove to be a major aspect for Antro Group, while performing its different marketing practices in the European markets. 4.0 Promotional Strategy Product promotional strategy can be regarded as an integrated strategic measure of an organisation to strengthen the brand image along with build a sustainable position in any target market. In relation to the continuous improvement of marketing strategies, various types of promotional strategies can be identified as applied by the organisations functioning in the similar industry sector. In the context of the proposed marketing communication plan, an effective implementation of Push Strategy has been selected to promote Moveo in the emerging European electric scooter industry. 4.1 Push Promotional Strategy Push promotion of product generally refers to a strategic measure that involves a wide range of business activities with a minimum practice of advertising and promotional functions. In order to generate demand for the product within a particular target market, the push promotion strategy for Moveo would highly focus on direct selling method. In relation to the proposed plan, the push strategy would highly focus on communicating about the exceptional features such as the unique mobility options and innovative designs of Moveo by participating in exhibitions and shows across different UK markets. In order to increase the efficiency of the promotional activities, the marketing communication plan would further involve different media channels and tools to capture a wide number of target customers, across the different European nations. The involvement of print media, such as newspapers and automobile magazines, would enable channelization of detailed information about the mobility options of Moveo. Moreover, the advertising and promotional strategy would also encompass a wide range of electronic media options, such as TV and local radio channels, which will enable the company to generate demand for the product across the target markets. In addition, the advertising and promotional activities will focus on using web-based tools though the involvement of social media networks, blogs, organisational websites along with video sharing internet tools. The strategy of including social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn among others, and video sharing websites, such as YouTube, will further enable Moveo to grab the attention of the scooter users. 5.0 Promotional Mix Promotional mix can be defined as a set of tools that can empower the marketing activities of an organisation to communicate the beneficial aspects of the products/services to the target customers effectively. An effective promotional mix comprises five types of marketing tools including advertising, public relations, sales promotion, direct marketing and personal selling. In relation to proposed plan, the following strategic measures would be performed in order to build a strong market for Moveo in the global electric scooter business industry. 5.1 Advertising Providing adequate information regarding the benefits to be gained by the users Persuading customers with the demonstration of innovative features and mobility options of the product Reinforcing the brand position of Moveo by consistently repeating key information of the product 5.2 Public Relations Conducting environmental protection related campaigns in the urban and sub-urban areas Sponsorship in different charitable and cultural events Participating brand in various renowned exhibitions 5.3 Sales Promotion Conducting community events to build customer loyalty Providing free services to the new customers regarding the ease of maintenance of Moveo Offering interest-free insurance services to the customers 5.4 Direct Marketing Maintaining mailing list of the potential customers from different locations Retaining customers through mailing or providing information associated with various promotional events of the organisation Seeking further information from the customers to improve mobility options of the product 5.5 Personal Selling Building relationship by performing face-to-face communication with customers Addressing or resolving queries and complexities associated with the product faced by the users Collecting feedbacks from Moveo users through mailing or other internet sources Giving equal priority interests to the customers’ positive as well as negative feedbacks 6.0 Summary of the Proposed Marketing Communication Plan 7.0 Evaluation and Control Evaluation and control can be regarded as an essential set of practices that determines the effectiveness of each marketing activity planed within a specific target market. The evaluation and control mechanism is implemented to critically analyze the success drivers to achieve individual marketing objectives of the marketing plan (Fisher & et. al, 2006). The evaluation and control mechanism for the proposed marketing communication plan would therefore focus on a few set of practices that can enable the company to understand the effectiveness of each marketing activity conducted to promote Moveo in the UK market. The evaluation and control mechanism for Moveo have further been provided as follows: Aligning the key marketing communication objectives with the practices that are conducted to promote Moveo in the UK market The marketing communication objectives will be continuously monitored in order to ensure that the activities are performed to achieve each marketing goals Variance analysis will be used in order to keep the changing trends in the electric scooter market and monitor demand of the UK customers In order to meet the overall financial goal, a reporting process would also be conducted to ensure that the marketing communication plan activities for Moveo have been performed within a stipulated financial budget 8.0 References Aia, F., 2013. The Role of Electric Two-Wheelers in Sustainable Urban Transport in China: Market Analysis, Trends, Issues, Policy Options. Electric Two-Wheelers. 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A Stakeholder Perspective for Analyzing Marketing Relationships. Journal of Market-Focused Management, Vol. 5, pp. 109-126. Pojasek, R. B., 2013. Organization and its Context. Harvard University. [Online] Available at: http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1219851.files/Organization%20and%20its%20Context%20Week%202.pdf [Accessed April 29, 2014]. Porter, M. E., 2008. Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors. Simon and Schuster. Spears, M., 2013. Global and China Senium Electric Scooter Industry 2013 Market Research Report. Market Research. [Online] Available at: http://www.academia.edu/4776916/Global_and_China_Senium_Electric_Scooter_Industry_2013_Market_Research_Report [Accessed April 29, 2014]. Rehman, S. & Ibrahim, M. S., 2011. Integrated Marketing Communication and Promotion. Journal of Arts, Science & Commerce, Vol. 2, pp. 187-191. Shimp, T. & Andrews, J. C., 2013. Advertising Promotion and Other Aspects of Integrated Marketing Communications. Cengage Learning. Strydom, J., 2005. Introduction to Marketing. Juta and Company Ltd. Tso, C. & Chang, S. Y., 2004. Technical Feasibility and Market Potential for Fuel cell Scooters in Taiwan. Accomplishments of fuel cell scooters in Taiwan. [Online] Available at: http://www.tfci.org.tw/Uploadfile/DownFile/8/1023154350880.pdf [Accessed April 29, 2014]. United Nations Development Programme, 2012. Institutional and Context Analysis Guidance Note. Democratic Governance Group. 7.1 Bibliography Kotler, P. and Keller, K. L., 2006. Marketing Management, 12th Edition. Pearson Prentice Hall. Kotler, P., 2000. Marketing Management Millennium Edition. Prentice Hall. Read More