Marketing Strategy-Positioning
Running any business successfully involves a lot of elements to be considered and not a matter of dreams as many may think. For someone to establish a stable business like the APL Shoe Company, a lot has to be done, especially in marketing the business. Marketing in this sense entails making customers aware of the existence of such a business by emphasizing more on the products and services offered as proposed by Burton, Kortler, and Keller (2008). Marketing contributes a lot to any business, especially in the achievement of set goals and objectives. For a business to attain the set objectives there must be strictly laid marketing strategies to facilitate that. Marketing strategies for APL Shoe Company are developed based on the goals of the company. This entails defining a business by stating clearly what it deals with in terms of service and product delivery. A marketing strategy should also define the profile of the target customers, and the major role played by the company in fostering a relationship with the potential competitors on the market. Marketing research becomes an essential element in determining the effectiveness of the chosen marketing plan (Jooste, Strydom, and Cant, 2009).
The Marketing Mix
The marketing mix for the APL Shoe Company focuses on the following elements: the product, price, distribution center, and the promotion as stated by Burton, Kortler, and Keller, (2008).
The product
APL Shoe Company produces a wide variety of products, shoes being the major product. Other products include sporting equipment and apparel products. All these products are on the upper selling hand. The company globally produces products to suit everyone including men, women, and children. The company also trades in headgears in addition to distributing skating tools. It has also invested in the supply of clothing that is sports-oriented.
The price
APL Shoe Company has designed more affordable prices for its customers in order to withstand the prevailing competition on the market from other sportswear manufacturing companies. The pricing strategy of the company has taken a wide variety of channels in relation to the distributing agents located in various localities globally. The influence of different channel levels of operation gives the company control measures of the product cost.
The distribution or place
APL Shoe Company has established a wide range of stores globally. In Australia alone, the company sells its products to about 30, 000 retail accounts with an average of 300 countries in the world. The company sells its products on the world market through independent distributors under subsidiary licenses. This gives the company fame and likeness to distribute its products effectively thus covering a wider global market (Carson, 2001).
Promotion
The promotion of the company relies on the distributors’ dependency ratio through establishing accessible stores both locally and internationally. The promotion of the product is achieved through publishing advertisements in the newspapers and also by the implementation of strategic alliances to market products.
Contingency Plan
The APL Shoe Company in Australia has a well developed to determine the risks developed in the company that may hinder the achievement of the set goals. This enables the company to reflect on all the overall existing guidelines and goals related to the risks that may rise along the business operational line. The contingency plan assists in the development of the marketing strategies to enhance the achievement of the business set goals and objectives. Generally, a contingency plan involves risk management in the business as proposed by MacDonald (2007). The common eight risks to be managed under this plan in the APL Shoe Company are operational risk, macro-environmental risk, stakeholder risk, strategic risk, project risk, implementation option risk, disaster risk, and finally competitive risk.
References
Burton, K. K, Burton, S, Kortler, P. & Keller, L. K. (2008). Marketing Management (Aus). New York: Pearson Education Australia.
Carson, D. (2001). Qualitative Marketing Research. New York: SAGE Publication.
Jooste, J. J., Strydom, W. J, & Cant, C. M. (2009). Marketing Management: Los Angeles: Juta & Company Ltd.
MacDonald, M. (2007). Marketing Plans: How to Prepare Them, How To Use Them. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.