JAMBA JUICE

Jamba Juice

Introduction

Jamba Juice Company is a company that was originally under the name Juice Club. The company began its operation using a franchising strategy. The company, which began its operations in 1990, transformed to Jamba Juice Company in 1994, following the emergence of other companies that provided similar products. Jamba Juice Company focuses on the provision of healthy juice and smoothies. Expansion strategies led to the merging of Jamba Juice Company with Zuka Juice Inc. Since then, the company’s operations grow on a daily basis. Several strategies focus on the analysis of the business environment, and the influence that these have in the operation of the company. The company also focuses on a rich culture and experienced personnel to boost its success in the market (Jamba Juice Company, 2010).

Development of the Culture of the Company

The company had to develop a unique cultural disposition to achieve maximum success and differentiate the company from similar service companies. Culture development assists in increasing employee passion and customer preference of the company’s products. One culture developed by the company was focusing on recruiting an experienced and innovative team of leaders. Most of the managers had at least 15 years of experience in business operation. The company also developed a culture of high store capability. The managers were to aim at staffing the company with trained personnel who could offer customers a unique experience in Jamba products. The company’s focus on community connection is one of the most valuable cultures. This is because it assists in creating the connection with the community and this boosts the sales of products (Flamholtz et al, 2000).

Management and Personnel Strategies

The value of personnel in any company is indispensable. Jamba Juice Company knows this notion and as a result, it continuously focuses on achieving the best from the management and store personnel. Focus on highly trained personnel is one of the main trends that put the company ahead of its competitors. The company employs a stratified form of management. In this strategy, there are several levels of management, with each level answerable to a higher level of management. These levels include operations managers, general store managers; district manages, as well as regional operations directors. This practice ensures competence and accountability in the leadership of the company (Jamba Juice Company, 2010).

All these managers undergo an intensive training program before they can practice. The company employs two systems of training programs. These include formal and informal training programs. The formal training programs aim at equipping the managers with the necessary knowledge and skills in leadership (Flamholtz et al, 2000). The informal programs, which include discussions between the various categories of leaders, aid in confidence building and teamwork development. It also shortens the training period. All these strategic leadership and training programs aim at increasing the competitive nature of the company. Other than individual development, the company realizes the importance of building team spirit. The general belief is that the various team members hold the key for the success of the company.

Impact of the Design of the Company’s Stores

Development of a unique brand necessitated the adoption of unique stores. One of the strategies was to make a consistent store design in all stores. As a result, the company adopts bright and cheerful colors that emphasize a happy and healthy mood. This relates well with the efforts of the company in the provision of healthy juices and smoothies. Promotion of the Jamba experience focuses on giving the picture of blenders mixing fresh juice and happy faces greeting each other. This has created a positive psychological response among customers as seen in the large numbers of people flocking the Jamba stores on a daily basis.

The company deviates from the provision of artificial products, to the provision of healthy and natural products to offset the competitive environment and a competitive advantage. This is possible with the use of natural material in the production process. As a result, the appeal to the health conscious population has been significant.

The Marketing and Advertising Strategies

Most of the initiatives in product promotion of the Jamba Juice Company are unique from those employed by competing companies. Unlike competitors who use psychological appeal in marketing, the management of Jamba Juice Company establishes product relevance and identification with the general community as strong promotional tools. In product relevance, the advertising team communicates the health advantages of the product to the consumers. This naturally appeals to the emotions of the informed population, which is also the target market of the company (Jamba Juice Company, 2010).

The management of the company also employs strategies to optimize the current nature in product improvement. The newly created menus have the customer’s interest at heart. Other than product promotion, the management realizes the importance of an appealing environment. As a result, the store environment is another key focus of the company. The stores create a free and memorable experience that appeals deeply to most of the customers. It also employs an energizing environment that is in line with the nature of the products.

Coping With Competition

Jamba Juice Company has had its share of stiff completion from both traditional, as well as emerging companies. However, the company manages to cope well with competition due to its culture in leadership and product development. The company experiences stiff competition from three juice and smoothie companies. These companies include Juice It Up, Smoothie King and Planet Smoothie. The ability of the competitors to provide a wider variety of products poses a threat to Jamba Juice Company. The competitors also seek to gain from emerging trends such as weight issues, to appeal to the public (Flamholtz et al, 2000). However, Jamba Juice Company maintains a competitive advantage over similar businesses due to the relevance of its products to the society. Most people prefer healthy meals to a variety of flavors offered by the competing companies. Jamba Juice Company also offers products with lower levels of calories as compared to the competitors, adding further to its product relevance to the customers. The range of vitamin and mineral supplements in Jamba Juice products also surpasses that of the competing products (Jamba Juice Company, 2010).

Conclusion

The success of Jamba Juice Company is still improving due to the appeal of its products to the changing health and environmental needs. The company provides healthy alternatives of refreshments to the fast foods. These include fresh juices, grocery, energy beverages among others. Most people are focusing on health and fitness awareness in the 21st century, and as a result, the appeal of the products of Jamba Juice Company coincides with their needs. The company expects to focus on its growth strategies having recorded high success in its initial operation. The growth strategies include expansion of stores through the creation of new stores. The company also plans to increase the sale volume in individual stores.

References

Flamholtz, E., Randle, Y., & Flamholtz, E. (2000). Growing pains: Transitioning from an entrepreneurship to a professionally managed firm. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Jamba Juice Company. (2010). Jamba Juice: Franchise disclosure document : express program. Emeryville, Calif: Jamba Juice Co.

Jamba Juice Company. (1997). Jamba Juice: Franchise disclosure document. Emeryville, Calif: Jamba Juice Co. (Jamba Juice Company, 1997)