Dr. Pepper 7 Up Inc.
1. What is the offering concept? What does this mean for Dr. Pepper/7Up Inc.? An offering consists of the benefits or satisfaction provided to target markets by an organization. It consists of a tangible product or service (a physical entity) plus related services (delivery and setup), brand name(s), warranties or guarantees, and packaging. Focusing on the term offering rather than just the product or service forces the marketer to go beyond the single tangible entity being marketed and to consider the entire offering, or extended product or service. When the focus is on the benefits and satisfaction offered it establishes a conceptual framework. Marketers can then potentially use this framework to analyze competing offerings, identify the unmet needs and wants of target markets, and develop or design new products or services. Offerings illustrate not only the buyer needs served, but they are also the types of customer groups sought and the means for satisfying their needs. Dr. Pepper/Seven Up are consistently ranked among the top-ten soft drink brands in the United States as measured by market share. Their biggest competitors are Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola. Within the citrus-flavored soft drink category Squirt competes with; Coca-Cola's Mello Yello and Surge, Pepsi-Cola's Mountain Dew, and Sundrop marketed by Dr. Pepper/Seven Up. The Squirt Brand, a product of Dr. Pepper/Seven Up, Inc., has had a recent dip in case sales volume. Some potential causes of this dip could come from a growing Hispanic community in markets where Squirt was popular. This issue means that Dr. Pepper/Seven Up, Inc., should review their current offering and determine what the unmet needs or wants are of the target market. In this case, the research has shown that a potential problem could lie in the recent growth of the Hispanic community and maybe the advertisement of the Squirt Brand is not reaching this market. Once the unmet needs or wants are identified the organization will need to