Sobe marketing analysis
Introduction
The market of Uzbekistan has recently become a very attractive marketplace for many manufacturers and retailers. Moreover, since the availability of the market, more and more producers and retailers have chosen this market as a great opportunity to expand their sales volume. Recently, there have been numerous marketing campaigns in Uzbekistan that have made the given market a very aggressive and competitive market. Hence, choosing the right marketing strategy is a key element if not the most important factor to gain the majority of the market segment as well as competitive advantage and a better positioning towards competitors. The task of this research paper is to choose an appropriate marketing strategy for one particular product with the assumption that it will appear in the Uzbek market. After a thorough research, it has been decided that an appropriate product for the task will be the SoBe vitamin drinks that have gained a vast popularity among western markets. Certain key elements that have led to this decision will be discussed further on.
Background
Product Background
Before applying the marketing research results to the Sobe drinks, it will be right to give a little information about the actual product itself. SoBe was established in 1994 by John Bello and Tom Schwalm. The original name of the product was “South Beach”. The main differentiation of the product before the competitors in the USA market, such as Arizona Tea or Snapple is that the beverage was built on lifestyle, which means that the drinks had vitamins to fulfill the demand of the consumer for the healthy products. Eventually, due to low market share and poor positioning the name “South Beach” was changed to “SoBe” (which is the short for the previous name) and as mentioned by the founder in the interview with the New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, even the packaging and the logo was changed to attract new customers, as well as making them associate unique brand and
The market of Uzbekistan has recently become a very attractive marketplace for many manufacturers and retailers. Moreover, since the availability of the market, more and more producers and retailers have chosen this market as a great opportunity to expand their sales volume. Recently, there have been numerous marketing campaigns in Uzbekistan that have made the given market a very aggressive and competitive market. Hence, choosing the right marketing strategy is a key element if not the most important factor to gain the majority of the market segment as well as competitive advantage and a better positioning towards competitors. The task of this research paper is to choose an appropriate marketing strategy for one particular product with the assumption that it will appear in the Uzbek market. After a thorough research, it has been decided that an appropriate product for the task will be the SoBe vitamin drinks that have gained a vast popularity among western markets. Certain key elements that have led to this decision will be discussed further on.
Background
Product Background
Before applying the marketing research results to the Sobe drinks, it will be right to give a little information about the actual product itself. SoBe was established in 1994 by John Bello and Tom Schwalm. The original name of the product was “South Beach”. The main differentiation of the product before the competitors in the USA market, such as Arizona Tea or Snapple is that the beverage was built on lifestyle, which means that the drinks had vitamins to fulfill the demand of the consumer for the healthy products. Eventually, due to low market share and poor positioning the name “South Beach” was changed to “SoBe” (which is the short for the previous name) and as mentioned by the founder in the interview with the New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, even the packaging and the logo was changed to attract new customers, as well as making them associate unique brand and
Bibliography: Buriev, A. (2012). De Facto. Retrieved October 31, 2012, from Pro Reklamu: http://pr.uz/monitoring/4535 Cloe, A Euromonitor. (2012, May). Bottled Water in Uzbekistan: Report. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from Euromonitor: http://www.euromonitor.com/bottled-water-in-uzbekistan/report Jacob, T Jurby Watertech. (2012). Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Beverages. Retrieved October 20, 2012, from Jurby: http://www.jurby.com/en/industries-we-serve/-alcoholic-and-non-alcoholic-beverages--/ Khan, K New England Journal of Entrepreneurs. (2004). The Lizard King of SoBe Beverages. New England Journal of Entrepreneurs, 7-10. PWC. (2011). Guide to Doing Business and Investing in Uzbekistan. Tashkent. Stanford, D. (2010, June 24). How PepsiCo Refreshed Its SoBe Water Brand. Retrieved October 21, 2012, from Business Week: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_27/b4185015651340.htm Appendix