1. INTRODUCTION The European Vice President of United Cereal (UC), Lora Brill, is confronted by a dilemma: to launch a new product called Healthy Berry Crunch as the first ‘Eurobrand’ or not. A wrong decision may destroy her career, especially since Healthy Berry Crunch is not only a new concept of healthy cereal, but also a pioneer of United Cereal’s Eurobrand, which is different from the company’s usual standards. On the other hand, if she makes the right decision, she may be able to grow the company to a whole new level. United Cereal was established more than one hundred years ago in United States and it entered the European market in 1952. Through decades, the company grew with a strong commitment to “The UC Way”. “Listen to the customers”, “spot the trend make the market”, and “honoring the past while embracing the future” are the mottos, which the company strives to achieve with its every product and brand. Despite being well established for a long time, the company is still struggling in a highly competitive industry. Although United Cereal’s products are diversified into many different types of foods and beverages, its main source of revenue remains the breakfast cereals market. The real challenge of this market is clearly seen in the European market, where the national tastes and breakfast traditions vary between countries. As a result, its approach in Europe is more complex than in the United States, which causes higher costs and slower processes. Meanwhile, the company has to respond to its growing competitors and margin pressures by cutting down costs. Therefore, the previous United Cereal’s European Vice President, Arne Olsen, came up with an idea to standardize products in the entire Europe as a single Eurobran... ... middle of paper ... ...riety of national tastes, the variety of sales channels is also a big challenge for United Cereal. For instance, as the sales channel of supermarkets dominates in Germany, its influence is relatively small in France and Italy. Therefore, to enhance the sales channel of each country is one of the major targets. 3.2 Opportunity The above-mentioned customization of products leaves United Cereal with a good opportunity of gaining market share. Customized products are highly adaptive to traditional habits of citizens, and thus create a strong penetration into the individual market. Recent study shows a converging tendency of consumers’ tastes. The general advertising and marketing actions and EU labeling regulations dilute the differences between the European countries. The converging habit is an opportunity to coordinate company strategies within the European region.
Nutri-Grain cereal bars were created by the Kellogg Company and first introduced in the 1970’s Australia. They were later introduced to the United States and other countries. As more women began to work outside the home, the ritual of a family breakfast became obsolete as many individuals turned to quicker solutions for breakfast. The Nutri-Grain bar soon became popular as the on-the-go snack during the 1990’s. The cereal bar also comes in a variety of flavors that kids love, from blueberry to strawberry yogurt and has the texture a soft, homemade cookie. This television commercial centers on the theme of fostering a relationship between today’s kids and nature (see Appendix A). As the youth of today spends more time in the electronic world,
In this paper I will discuss the Wrigley Company and how it became one of the most recognized and largest branded companies in the world. When you think of Wrigley people tend to think of the gum products it is now for, as well as the commercials we all have grown to love over the years. Remember the double mint twins, what about, Juicy fruit, even big red- all are a part of the every expanding brand of Wrigley. One of the many achievements the company can tip its hat too is being able to say that it lead all gross product sales in the year of 2007. This is a major accomplishment considering that the US is one of the largest consumers on the planet- so the competition is fierce. But overall its leadership and management have given the come the wherewithal to withstand to new challenges the company has faced over the decades.
The analysis of the Kellogg’s case is presented in this chapter and will contribute to answer the research question. The case are evaluated and compared to the literature presented in the previous chapters and will support the conclusion of this paper.
Academia Barilla’s consumers are still a specialized target, despite recent efforts for expansion and growth. For its gourmet foods product line, demographics of consumers in major markets tend to be upper middle to high class citizens of middle to older age. Italy represents the major market for Academia Barilla, with Europe and North America showing promising growth. However, recent severe economic troubles in Italy, Europe, and the United States are a major cause of concern and must be monitored. Regulatory bodies in the countries which market Academia Barilla do not tend to interfere with production. Current consumer trends for healthier, more organic products should be monitored. Whole-wheat and low-carbohydrate products have increased in demand during the past half-decade. Recent developments in the IT field have helped bring e-commerce to new heights. Finally, emerging economies in countries such as Brazil, China, India, and Russia may be targets for possible future high growth opportunities.
The purpose of this case study is to explore the implications for expanding the products offered by Mountain Man Brewing Company (MMBC) from one product, Mountain Man Lager, to adding a Light version of the beer. This paper will evaluate the following:
The purpose of this project is to show how financially stable the Kraft Foods Group is and demonstrates what its strengths and weaknesses are. The reader can expect to find out what Kraft Food Group is and about their financial history for the last five years. This business participates in the consumer packaged food and beverage industry. The markets that Kraft Food Group sell to are the United States and Canada. Some brands that are included in this company are Kraft, Maxwell House, Oscar Mayer, Planers, Kool-Aid, Velveeta, Capri Sun, and Philadelphia to name just a few. This company was started in 1903 by James Lewis Kraft. Mr. Kraft used a wagon and horse and started selling cheese to businesses in Chicago, Illinois. In 1909,
Although Unilever’s Path to Growth strategy involves all components of the general environment, two segments that are especially relevant are the global and sociocultural segments. A major strength of the company’s global environment is its geographic diversification of its major product markets. In 2003, Unilever had sales and marketing efforts in 88 different countries. The key is that it gave decision-making power to its managers in different countries so that they could tailor their products to the market’s specific preferences and consumers’ local tastes. Thus, it was the cross-country preferences of consumers that determined what products Unilever would carry. The global segment provides an enormous opportunity for Unilever. The case states that emerging country markets show the greatest potential for sales growth. Major competitors such as Procter & Gamble and Kraft Foods had sales in roughly 140 to 150 different countries in 2003, and Nestle, Unilever’s main rival, had market penetration in almost every country in the world. If Unilever is able to expand its operations into 50 or more new countries and concentrate its advertising campaign on consumer preferences, it could significantly increase its market share in the global economy.
Nutrition and food quality issues are also essential for the company ‘s financial health as the products meant for consumption will only sell if they are able to offer health, quality and nut...
Lack of brand awareness. Our company has a strong image in other countries. But as we introduce our product into our new market where we may not have competitors with similar products, we may have competition with a variety of related products. We will address this issue with heavy and aggressive promotion emphasizing in our products’ nutrition facts.
Market opportunities for breakfast cereals is vast, some segments of the market have been neglected, most notably that of the over-50’s. Insightful presentations were given at the “Older, Richer, Wiser” Conference that would suggest the over 50’s market segment is targetable.
We have carried out a study on the F.M.C.G Company Heinz. Heinz is the most global U.S based food company, with a world-class portfolio of powerful brands holding number 1 and number 2 market positions in more than 50 worldwide markets. There are many other famous brand names in the company¡¦s portfolio besides Heinz itself, StarKist, Ore-Ida, Plasmon, and Watties. In fact, Heinz owns more than 200 brands around the world and makes over 5,700 varieties.
Globalization is the dominant force by which the world has become interconnected significantly as a result of extremely increased trade and decreased cultural differences. Globalization has made crucial changes in the production and trade of goods and services. The giant companies are now multinational corporations with subsidiaries in many countries. They are no longer national firms with their operations limited to the boundary of just one country. Such companies’ growth and operations are not constrained by any geographical, economical or cultural boundary. One of these multinational corporations is “Nestle”; that has gained world-class recognition in recent times. Nestle has made significant use of globalization in the last decade in the following manner-
United Cereal was founded in 1910 by Jed Thomas. Thomas developed his first cereal product of a cracked wheat, rolled oats, and malt flakes and started promoting and selling his product in his own grocery store located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. For the last 100 years, United Cereal has been known as a diversified industry that provide a different variety of snack foods, dairy product, beverages, drinks, baked goods, and frozen foods. According to Harvard Business School during 2010 United Cereal had a profit of $9 billion business, but their product breakfast cereal represent to the one third of its revenues and profits.
This competitive advantage has been rendered sustainable as other players have found it difficult to catch up with the company's competitive strategy. In spite of this clear advantage, it was noted that the company faces some challenges being the world leader in soft drink distribution. The canning and bottling of the product which is done in many countries have now fallen into the hands of independent companies, thus it becomes hard for a given company to control the quality of the packaging
...leader in its selected markets through creativity and superior customer service. The Group is continuing to focus many efforts to expand its presence in global food and ingredients markets and its consumer foods businesses in Europe and abroad.