Title: Second Draft for Marketing Plan
Rodney Wilmore
Keller Graduate School (Sherman Oaks)
MM522
Instructor: Professor Phil Shaps
November 14, 2011

Table of Contents
3.0 – Marketing strategy……………………….3

3.1 – Mission…………………………………...4

3.2 – Marketing Objectives ……………………5

3.3 – Financial objectives……………………..10

3.4 – Target markets………………………..…11

References….....................................................14

3.0 – Marketing Strategy
The following section of the marketing plan is going to examine the major parts of the marketing objective. The mission will look at what the mission statement for EZ Duzz It LLC is. The mission statement is a clear description of what EZ Duzz It LLC represents and its purpose for existence. Our marketing strategy is based on becoming the resource of choice for people looking travel with their toddlers without the stress of extra luggage and kids running off. Our marketing strategy is based on superior performance in the following areas: * A practical product. * A quality product * Superior customer service.
Our marketing strategy will create awareness, interest, and appeal from our target market for what EZ Duzz It LLC offers our customers. This section will look at the marketing objectives, financial objectives, and the target markets. The strategies that will be employed will be aimed at developing the need for this product by the target market. Initially, the price will be relatively low in order for there to be market penetration. As brand awareness increases with brand loyalty, the price will gradually be increased by 2% every quarter in order to determine the price elasticity of demand for our product. Consumers who travel by air with their toddlers would mostly use this product. As a result, most of the advertising strategies would be placed at relevant positions such as airport information screens, Sky Mall magazine, airport restaurants, and airport information booths. The advertising will not be limited to just the airport. Catalogs for major baby outlets would also contain EZ Duzz It LLC advertising. For example, Baby Gap, Babies R Us, and other large department stores. All forms of media will be used to send out a comprehensive message that will increase brand recognition. The message will focus on who EZ Duzz It LLC is, and how our product can be useful to the consumer. The forms of media will include television, print, radio, and online advertising. The target markets are mostly parents of young kids, and modern grandparents (to a lesser degree). They have different characteristics and shopping habits, hence why the strategy is multi-faceted. This will allow the message to reach different segments of the target market.
At EZ Duzz It LLC, we have a strategy that aims to develop our people. Well-trained employees help to improve our internal processes. Standard operating procedures are streamlined and the biggest beneficiaries are the customers. When we have satisfied customers, the positive word of mouth results in increased revenues from sales. Having increased revenues will bolster our financial bottom line.

3.1 – Mission
Mission Statement Definition: According to Hill, C. (2008) a mission statement is “a sentence describing a company's function, markets and competitive advantages; a short written statement of the business goals and philosophies”.
A mission statement defines what an organization is, why it exists, its reason for being. At a minimum, the mission statement should define who the primary customers are, identify the products and services at EZ Duzz It LLC, and describe the geographical location in which we operate.
At EZ Duzz It LLC three key personnel, writing down in one sentence, created the mission statement what the purpose of EZ Duzz It LLC is. We discussed the statements and come up with a mission statement that everyone agreed with. Once we had it finalized, it was communicated to everyone in the company. We determined that it was more important to communicate the mission statement to employees than to customers. We also ensured that it was accurate, and not just merely a bunch of fancy words. We also resolved to periodically review and possibly revise it to make sure it accurately reflects our goals as our company and the business climates evolve. We would achieve this by simply checking if the statement still correctly describes what EZ Duzz It LLC is doing.
If the review results in a revision of the statement, everyone in the company would be made aware of the change as a big deal. After all, a change in the mission probably means the company is growing; and that is certainly a big deal.
The EZ Duzz It LLC mission statement is key tool that can be as important as our business plan. It captures, in a few succinct sentences, the essence of the business goals, and the philosophies underlying them. Equally important, the mission statement signals what our business is all about to our customers, employees, suppliers and the community.

EZ Duzz It LLC Mission Statement:
EZ Duzz It LLC designs, develops, and imports the Cling-On Car Seat ©, and distributes it to parents in California looking to lessen the stress of airline travel with toddlers. We will vigorously market the Cling-On © to our target market, and provide superior customer service.

3.2 – Marketing Objectives
Our organizational goals are developed; therefore supporting marketing objectives are also required. These objectives will specifically delineate EZ Duzz It LLC wants to accomplish during the next year, relative to marketing and sales variables.
Given the frequent confusion about what constitutes an objective versus what constitutes a goal, some clarification may be in order. In general, there is a clear distinction between goals and objectives. It is important to remember that goals are usually broad, general aims for the organization. The process of refining the focus begins with the development of objectives.
At EZ Duzz It LLC, our objectives support our goals. Objectives generally define specifically what must be achieved and when in order to attain the organization's goals. They do not indicate how the goals will be accomplished necessarily. The "how" comes in the form of strategies and tactics. In essence, objectives take the goals and make them more specific.
As a general rule, our objectives are: * Significant * Specific * Dated * Measurable * Reasonable * Consistent with each other * Focused on issues vital to the survival or success of the organization
An objective may apply to several goals and it is not necessary to have a specific objective for every goal. However, most goals will ultimately have multiple objectives tied directly to them.
Ideally, goals are, in some manner, measurable. But, in terms of quantifiable results, goals are often more difficult to measure than objectives. For example, take the goal "Increase market share in the luxury car seat line by a minimum of 8 basis points.” This goal can be measured in terms of increased market share. However, specifically, this goal needs objectives to bring more focus or specificity to it.
Here are some possible objectives for this goal: * Increase allocated shelf space by a minimum of 5 percent by 12/31/2011 and by 10% by 12/31/2012. * Increase sales of regular Cling-On © car seats by 15 percent during fiscal year 2012, and by 20 percent during fiscal year 2013. * Increase sales of all large Cling-On © car seats by 20 percent during fiscal year 2012, and by 25 percent during fiscal year 2013. * Increase the number of retail outlets carrying the Cling-On © brand by 200 in fiscal year 2012, and by 400 in fiscal year 2013.
These examples show how the goal has been brought into greater focus. Some very specific targets have been established to help achieve overall financial strength. These objectives show what needs to be done to achieve the more general goal. They give a clear road map to accomplishing the goal. Also, these objectives are easily measured. Each objective has a quantifiable target and a date by which it needs to be reached.
We noted that the most important aspect to consider was that our marketing and sales objectives would drive the rest of our plan, to a large extent. What we want to accomplish is defined by our objectives, and our plan must then define how EZ Duzz It LLC intends to accomplish the objectives. The Cling-On © car seat was designed as a response to the perceived stress that parents had when traveling with toddlers in busy airports. According to US Travel Agency, understanding the “target audience is a key to successful marketing and capturing your share of the domestic travel market”. There are a lot of parents who are stressed out from dealing with young toddlers, luggage, and the required movement in airport terminals. Our company will work on consistently producing a high quality product that helps to reduce that stress. EZ Duzz It LLC, aims to sell large volumes of Cling-On © car seats, whilst growing at an initial rate of 30 percent annually for three years.
Awareness is generally viewed to be one of the two most important drivers of a strong brand, the other being relevant differentiation. Past research has shown brand awareness to have a high correlation with purchase intent, market share and other important brand equity and business metrics.
If EZ Duzz It LLC has created a superior product offered at a price that delivers an outstanding value, and supports the product with great service, but no one has ever heard of our company and products, EZ Duzz It LLC would likely sell zero car seats. That is precisely why brand awareness is so important to us. It is the cornerstone of a strong brand.
Research indicates that the primary impact advertising has on brands is to build awareness for those brands. Since EZ Duzz It LLC is still considered a start-up, advertising is very crucial to us. EZ Duzz It LLC needs to focus on repeated exposure to the brand, have strong brand identity consistently presented in different media outlets such as television, online, and radio. Any of the following can lead to repeated exposure:
• Extensive distribution
• Publicity and brand-related stories/articles
• Publicity stunts
• Product placement in movies, games, etc.
• Direct marketing
• A strong web (Internet) presence
• Customer referrals
• Word of mouth marketing
• Frequency programs
• Insignia merchandise
• Brand licensing
• Online and other viral marketing techniques
• A strong presence at trade shows and in trade magazines
• Thought leadership in the industry – white papers, speeches, roundtable discussions, user conferences, best practice benchmarking.
• Branding on employee uniforms, sides of vehicles, in front of buildings, etc.
• Brand signature on all email messages
• Programs promoting product trial
• Brand-related contests
All our branding strategies will involve introducing our brands, and building that recognition. This will eventually lead to greater brand awareness in the long run.

3.3 – Financial Objectives
The financial objectives are going to be kept relatively simple. They represent how much capital would be required for certain projects, as well as provide projections as to what would be the performance over a period of one calendar year.
The following graphs will provide visual breakdowns of the projected sales analysis, as well as a simple sales projection for a period of 12 months starting in January 2012. Further information is provided after each annex.

Annex D – Projected sales per month

On the horizontal bottom of the graph, it shows the 12 months of the year 2012. On the vertical y-axis, it shows the expected number of car seats to be sold. The actual figures are shown below in Annex E:

Annex E: Table of units sold per month Month (2012) | Number of Car seats | Jan | 800 | Feb | 850 | Mar | 1200 | Apr | 1610 | May | 1780 | Jun | 2050 | Jul | 2700 | Aug | 2980 | Sep | 3800 | Oct | 3890 | Nov | 4000 | Dec | 4050 | Total | 29710 |

The data shows that there would be more than 29,710 car seats sold in the calendar year of 2012. The total projected revenues in 2012 are ($69.95 X 29,710) = $2,078,214.50. This figure would be used as benchmark for all future projections. Adjustments from reviews would be conducted quarterly to ensure that the projections are both reachable, as well as challenging to maintain.

3.4 – Target Markets
According to California Watch, “the number of babies born in California is expected to grow more than 12 percent over the next decade, according to a recent projection by the state.” This means that the increases in the number of kids increase our target market.
At EZ Duzz It LLC we recognize that our target customers are those who are most likely to buy from us. We successfully resisted the temptation to be too general in the hopes of getting a larger slice of the market. EZ Duzz It LLC recognizes in having a focused target market in order to maximize the return on marketing investment.
These are some of the issues we reviewed to help identify our target market. * Gender * Age * Geographical location * Occupation * Income: This was very significant because EZ Duzz It LLC sells relatively expensive car seats to consumers who can afford to fly often. * Most importantly, whether or not they have young children.
Previous marketing practices allowed business owners to think it was enough to market their products or services to "18- to 49-year olds." Those days are a thing of the past because the consumer marketplace has become so differentiated. It is a misconception to talk about the marketplace in any kind of general way anymore. It is now pertinent to decide whether to market to socioeconomic status, gender, region, lifestyle, or to technological sophistication. There are various ways to approach segmentation.
Generational marketing, which defines consumers not just by age, but also by social, economic, demographic and psychological factors, has been used since the early 1980s to give a more accurate picture of the target consumer.
Modern consumers are more marketing-savvy than ever before and do not like to be "lumped" with others. This makes it crucial that EZ Duzz It LLC understands the target market. While pinpointing the market so narrowly takes a little extra effort, companies that aim at a small target are far more likely to make a direct hit.
The target market for EZ Duzz It LLC will generally consist of the following characteristics: * Female * Age range between 23 and 36 * High, middle-class * Income range of $65,000.00+ * Members of Frequent Flyer programs

References
Hartley, K. (2001). Marketing: The Core. (4th Edition). McGraw Hill Publishing
Aaker, J., Brumbaugh, A., & Grier, S. (2000). Non-target Markets and Viewer Distinctiveness: The Impact of Target Marketing on Advertising. Journal of Consumer Psychology.
Jones, P. & Kahaner, L. (1995) Say It and Live It: The 50 corporate mission statements that hit the mark. Currency Doubleday.
Aaker, David. (2008). Strategic Market Management. Harper Collins.
Miles, Raymond (2003). Organizational Strategy, Structure, and Process. Stanford: Stanford University Press. http://www.mplans.com/home http://www.ustravel.org/research/ http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/after-downturn-californias-birth-rate-predicted-climb-5459 https://ceac.state.gov/GENNIV/General/complete/complete_personal.aspx?node=Personal1
http://www.brandingstrategyinsider.com/2009/08/today-another-question-from-the-bsi-emailbag-gard-a-marketer-from-oslo-norway-asksbrad-i-am-working-and-studying-w.html