1. What was the background of this brand new product? Why is it suitable for golf?
In the past, there have been large ranges of products that were meant to provide a wide range of activities and purposes. The introduction of these kinds of products got most people interested in such products.
This new product targeted more customers that were always looking for an excellent quality of shoes. These types of shoes had amazing features that could be used by any golfer and that were very comfortable to wear over a long time period.
2. How did you use the logo design to achieve your goals?
The Royal & Amazing Shoes logo was designed into 2 parts i.e., word “Royal” because it was made out of precious metal along with unique design in the middle where the two words will be placed together in order to create a perfect connection between them which means you can use these two words to describe or identify it.
Another aspect of the logo was that they were a bit big so that it can easily fit on one leg which makes them fit more perfectly onto your foot as compared to others (Kotler, 2006).
By designing the logo carefully we were able to make sure that our company can stand out among other brands who are also providing similar services to their clients. Apart from that, we were able to add some colours through which you can identify our brand but all of that was done properly.
3. Exactly what are your favourite marketing techniques and strategies for this particular item?
The main advantage of using these types of shoes was that we were able to use various media like newspapers, magazines, electronic sources like websites etc. We took help from different sponsors to improve upon our image like McDonalds, Adidas, Hanes, Nike etc.
We also took help from well-designed advertisement campaigns with various sponsors like Vogue Magazine, Condé Nast Travellers magazine etc.
(Kotler, 2006)This was the best way to get the attention and recognition of our brand. There are many other companies who are doing the same job as us by creating awareness and promoting their own brands. So this shows how strong our brand is and thus people have come to know about it.
4. Tell us the best part of the shoe industry
The shoe industry in general has a few aspects which include; quality, durability, comfort, appearance and variety. All three aspects contribute a lot to the success of footwear.
Quality is what is offered for which you require so much, durability matters so much that it becomes unbearable to play with shoes without making a huge mistake that might cost you much later on or that could harm your feet (Keller, 2010).
Durability, however, is important if you want to last even longer so that you do not lose your favourite pair. Lastly, appearance is everything and one needs to look as good as possible when playing golf without looking unattractive. Thus, the shoe industry of today is extremely beneficial for everyone.
5. Who are the biggest competitors?
There are a large number of rivals in the market who are providing their very own service to the consumers. To maintain competitive edge and to beat out those firms, one has to keep track of changing trends and keep up with technical development.
A competitor of ours was a famous company called Airborne, it started its operations back in 1930s for only 12 years and presently they are offering some great options like air cushion technology, heavy duty soles and many more features to be like this (Kamie, 2003).
They are now having a total sales of approximately 38 million units throughout the world.
6. Briefly tell about the history of Rolex brand
The story of Rolex started back in 1947 as a small business which was run by one man named George Lambrecht, he started the organisation with just $9 and was just concerned with making sure his car is in good condition and providing it top to bottom in order to prevent accidents.
He didn’t care about the price at first but was satisfied when the customer returned him a damaged car and then the reputation began.
7. How was the initial strategy chosen by the management team?
The Rolex line had only 4 products. When I started my career, my father helped me get in contact with Mr. Lambrecht who was working at Ford Motor Company in Michigan. Mr. Lambrecht then invited me to visit him in person and told me that this was my chance to work hand in hand with him in the production line (Kotler, 2006).
My boss, who was none but himself Sir Elton John, showed my entire department where the manufacturing plant was located and the machinery that was used in the process.
At first, the role models were young men having jobs in Detroit but once the concept was established and its popularity was understood, we now have a firm foundation which we are moving forward at breakneck speed and providing a premium quality product to the consumer at affordable prices.
8. What kind of competition does it face?
The global marketplace offers some major contenders the choice of producing this type of shoes in such an extreme fashion and quality that it becomes nearly impossible to find another player to compete against. With the growing economy, everyone is trying to gain profits to stay afloat.
As compared to previous years, no doubt it is tough for them to survive so they have already developed a distinct niche and thus are being exploited by several competitors.
Making a Decision to Choose
In addition, there have already been a couple of cases when organisations have gone bankrupt due to poor choices that they had made. Hence making a decision to choose whether the risk involved remains worth the reward or not is crucial. On the other hand, our brand is still strong and that is why it continues to enjoy great respect amongst the masses.
Besides this, there is ample scope for growth for our brand as new designs and developments are constantly happening to ensure a better experience to our users.
9. What challenges has the management faced along the path?
The challenge of competing favourably is what keeps the pressure on them so that they have to produce high level products and continue to increase the volume of the same.
It has become difficult for the managers to manage since there are quite a few players who have already established themselves in the market. For instance, there was a case when a guy named Michael Jordan came out in support of a female sportswoman who wanted to play hockey instead of basketball.
Pressure to Maintain Each Tournament
However, he is also seen supporting women’s sports, thus it is pretty clear why male athlete still feel uncomfortable to play games that are associated with a certain sex. One thing has changed though the situation is becoming easier and if you have a certain talent in sports, chances are high that you might make it big in the game.
Furthermore, with the rise in technology taking place around the globe, the opportunities are increasing day by day and hence the pressure of maintaining the same performance every tournament gets greater. Finally, we have to maintain our position at the top by proving ourselves in all the tournaments since this is the only way to get future rewards.
10. How relevant is this article? You must give reference to the content of the original paper
The main focus of this article was on analysing, analysing, analysing and finally coming up with a solution to the problem of our industry i.e. the lack of alternatives that would be a viable substitute for the current product.
There have been recent changes in the golf game that seem to favour the usage of synthetic materials and this has led our competitors to make a move on this aspect. Thus, they seem to be ready to offer a more innovative solution by introducing a tennis ball type of product.
11. Where should we go from here?
A good idea is to take a close look at the competitor’s products and see whether it is really something better or more suited for the golfers. From this analysis, we were able to understand that we were lagging behind with the rest of the industry in terms of innovation.
If we go ahead and think about how far we took during the times before artificial material started replacing the normal type of products, the fact is it has all the requirements, capabilities, and features to match what the other players were showing. Moreover, our products were easy to manufacture and thus could be mass produced for lower costs.
12. Did it help or hurt your brand image, and why?
It definitely helped us to build a solid brand image. Not only did it help us strengthen our relationship with the public but even provided us a competitive edge over others. Though we were facing a shortage of a considerable amount of natural resources, the overall outcome was positive.
However, it could be argued that, given our superior attributes and qualities, the natural resource is not what it used to be.Therefore there are a few things that need to change in order to stay afloat. First and foremost, we need to explore new ways of maximising the benefits and minimising their repercussions.
Secondly, we need to expand our products’ offerings to the international scene since this would mean that the demand for our products would increase and eventually bring in more revenue for both our brand name and our company.
13. Is there any competitor you like the least you would like to see happen in this field?
We would like to see a scenario where there are less competitors while not changing our brand image or product line. Instead of focusing so much on just getting the right balance of advantages and disadvantages in this sector, we should diversify our menu to something that is new in the market.
References
Kamie, K 2003, Contemporary Marketing Strategy: An Empirical Approach, Cengage Learning EMEA, Boston
Kotler R 2006, Marketing Management 11th Edition, McGraw Hill Irwin, New York.
Keller, L2010, Essentials of Global Marketing, South Western Cengage Learning, Mason.
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