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STUDENT MARKETING PLAN FOR “BALANCED UTOPIA”

Marketing Plan Presented by:

André Thom

Table of Contents

Page

Executive Summary 1

Company and New Product/Service 4

( Core Values 5

( Mission/Vision Statement 5

( Marketing Goals 5

( Competitive Advantage and Sustainability 6

Industry, Competitors, Company, Target Market Analysis, SWOT 6

( Industry Trends 6

( Key Competition 8

( Company Analysis 9

( Customer Analysis 9

( SWOT Analysis 11

Points of Difference 11

Positioning 12

Annual Measurable Objectives 12

Marketing Program 13

Budget & Implementation 17

Research 18

Appendices:

( Appendix A: Competition 20

( Appendix B: SWOT Analysis 45

( Appendix C: XL 93 Balanced Utopia Radio Advertisement 46

( Appendix D: Promotional Strategy/Tactics Calendar 47

Executive Summary

Balanced Utopia was founded in 2012 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Balanced Utopia is an ice cream company concentrated within the functional food category that creates a gourmet, protein rich product that is healthy, nutritious, and flavorful. The company’s core values are: Provide an excellent customer experience, Community Service, Balance, Health, Supporting the growth and development of their employees. Balanced Utopia has had success with raising consumer awareness using effective advertising, in-store demonstrations and promotional programs catered to University of North Dakota college students who exercise at the university owned Wellness Center.

Balanced Utopia target market are couples and/or singles in the 18 to 49 age group, primarily residing in Grand Forks, ND who have an interest in an active health conscious lifestyle (exercising, organics, supplements) and are looking for convenient and healthful food/drink alternatives to complement their on-the-go lifestyles. An additional target audience includes individuals in the 25 to 60 age group who are involved with or have commitments to family, work, community etc. in and around the Grand Forks area that need an easy meal replacement/supplement that boosts energy levels during the day without a lot of added calories that come from regular fast food franchises.

In the third quarter, the company developed a new flavor of protein ice cream called Forrest Flavors in which all sale proceeds went to the local Relay for Life Cancer Research charity. Earn break-even profits amounting to at least $750,000 within the first 5 years of business. Within the next 5 years, the company’s goal is to obtain a 20% profit from sales to maintain financial stability to compensate for low sales during winter season. According to Business Performance Dashboard; Ice Cream, figures show that there were 13,143 ice cream store businesses in the United States in 2007, producing an average revenue of $348,536. Top 10% of ice cream store businesses saw their sales increase by 32%, with an average revenue of $850,171 in 2007 (Franchise Direct, p.1). Figures from the dashboard show that store longevity in the ice cream industry is doing very well, with an average business lifetime of 20.7 years.

There is approximately 44 competitors ranging from frozen yogurt, juice bars, and grocery bought ice cream brands, whose sales are closely dependent on the hot weather between April and August. Balanced Utopia is not recession proof but rather recession resistant. Ice cream stores are unique in that they are in an “affordable treat niche market.” Balanced Utopia is different than their competitors in that the company uses nitrogen freezing process which quickly reduces time to make the product while keeping it fresh. In addition to ice cream, the company also offers a wide variety of products ranging from baked breads to freshly made juice. The store location is built to LEED certifications and has built-in free Wi-Fi for customers.

Balanced Utopia’s pricing varies from product to product.  The smoothies range from $3 for a small to $5 for a large. The standard menu ice cream is priced at $3.50 for a small and $5.50 for a large.  All sizes include the customer’s choice of one topping of our fresh fruit. Create-your-own bowl will start at prices of; $2.75 for a small and $4.50 for a large. Every additional topping after the first will be a charge of 35 cents.

Product promotion will use a pull strategy, by doing advertising, sponsorships and demonstrations. This should create brand awareness and product promotion, along with using incentives to create and increase consumer demand. Some methods of promotion will include using social networking sites, community events and even celebrity chefs. Some methods of incentives will include coupons and referral awards.

Company and New Product/Service

Company Description

Balanced Utopia was founded in spring 2012 by young entrepreneurs Kaipo Dabin, Kimberly Kuechle, Grayson Grzegorczyk, Emily Ptacek and André Thom in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Balanced Utopia is an ice cream company concentrated within the functional food category that creates a gourmet, protein rich product that is healthy, nutritious, and flavorful.

The company first entered the functional food market following an increase in demand for healthy dessert alternatives after the opening of a local CherryBerry frozen yogurt store in Grand Forks. We have slowly created a loyal following, which has resulted in plans to expand locations to surrounding towns. Balanced Utopia has had some success with raising consumer awareness using effective advertising, in-store demonstrations and promotional programs catered to University of North Dakota college students who exercise at the university owned Wellness Center.

The first months of Balanced Utopia’s opening were informal and not formally structured (e.g. supervisor and employee ranking), which fostered an entrepreneurial spirit. With this, they were able to create variations on their core recipe and found some success. Over the months, the company has grown and attained larger accounts allowing the hiring of new employees and the founders to assume store supervisor positions.

After trial and error, the founders formalized and developed a new process for research and development. As part of this process, they began surveying customers to help better gauge potential sales, consumer awareness and be able to do taste tests. In the third quarter, the company developed a new flavor of protein ice cream called Forrest Flavors in which all sale proceeds went to the local Relay for Life Cancer Research charity.

Balanced Utopia’s increasing social and environmental awareness, evident in our core values, is a great benefit for the local community. Due to our success, we plan to open a new location near the River Cinema Movie Theater in East Grand Forks, Minnesota in the first quarter of 2014.

Core Values

Our core values make Balanced Utopia unique from the competition in various ways:

● Provide an excellent customer experience

● Community Service

● Balance

● Health

● Supporting the growth and development of our employees

Mission/Vision Statement

We strive to provide the community of Grand Forks and its surrounding areas with new and alternative nutritious options. Your health is our top priority at Balanced Utopia; from our premier smoothies to our protein enriched ice creams. We provide our customers with hundreds of well-balanced options, stop in today and try something from our pre-designed menu or create your own made-to-order specialty drink.

“Balance” comes with the acceptance of any given situation and how you deal with whatever comes your way.

Marketing Goals

● Financial:

1. Earn break-even profits amounting to at least $750,000 within the first 5 years of

business.

2. Within the next 5 years, obtain a 20% profit from sales.

3. To maintain financial stability to compensate for low sales during winter season.

● Non-financial:

1. By our fifth year we hope to be in the process of expanding our business to include

franchises in locations positioned in areas such as beside East Grand Fork’s River

Cinema and along the heavy trafficked street of Demers.

2. To expand our clientele beyond the health and wellness demographic and into the

family and recreation/tourist market..

3. Increase work force to ten part-time employees possible additions of two managerial

positions.

5. Sell high quality ice cream at an affordable price.

6. Expand our offered product line.

Competitive Advantage and Sustainability

● Customers are able to create their own ice cream using a wide range of customizable ingredients.

● Uses nitrogen freezing process which quickly reduces time to make the product

● Products are fresh and made to order

● Offer a wide variety of products ranging from baked breads, freshly made juice, and made to order ice cream

Industry, Competitor, Company, Target Market Analysis, SWOT

Industry Trends

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, total exports of U.S. ice cream reached more than 59,500 metric tons in 2009, worth approximately $63 million. Canada, second to Mexico, imported U.S. frozen desserts totaling a value of $7.4 million (Roeder, 2012, p. 202). Balanced Utopia’s Grand Forks location is only a few hours away from Canada, giving the company a valuable opportunity to export products relatively cheaply to the second largest consumer of U.S. frozen desserts.

There is reason for concern when the USDA reported that consumption of frozen dessert decreased slightly in the same year, with total per capita sales decreasing by 1.0 percent to 19.1 quarts in 2009 (Roeder, 2012, p. 202). An occasional decline in sales is not surprising due to the relative maturity of the frozen dessert industry. Nevertheless, frozen dessert popularity remains high with more than 90 percent of American households purchasing ice cream.

Consumers in the U.S. having changing preferences in regards to the two types of ice cream categorized by the USDA called regular and low-fat/nonfat ice cream. According to the International Dairy Foods Association, “regular ice cream represents 60.5 percent of the total hard and soft ice cream market, about 12 quarts per capita. Low-fat and nonfat ice cream represents 26.2 percent of the total hard and soft ice cream market, about 5.2 quarts per capital in 2009” (Roeder, 2012, p. 202). Vanilla flavor accounts for almost 27.8% of ice cream eaten according to a database of in-home eating trends. Growing in popularity, chocolate flavor is growing from 10.4% in 2008 to 14.3 in 2009.

Ice cream franchises are constantly monitoring and responding to changing trends and customer preferences towards businesses with “green” awareness. The importance of the environment has become an increasing interest for consumers in the past decade, resulting in many industries striving for greener policies in hopes of boosting their public image. One popular ice cream franchise in particular, Ben & Jerry’s, is described as social and environmental “activists.” They buy their ingredients with Fair Trade policies, use sustainable products, and donate profits of certain flavors of ice cream to charitable causes and organizations. Like Ben & Jerry’s, Balanced Utopia will adapt to consumer sensitivity to these issues.

According to Business Performance Dashboard; Ice Cream, figures show that there were 13,143 ice cream store businesses in the United States in 2007, producing an average revenue of $348,536. Compare these figures to those from 2004 and it is evident that there was a 4.1% decline. However, the top 10% of ice cream store businesses saw their sales increase by 32%, with an average revenue of $850,171 in 2007 (Franchise Direct, p.1). Current trends show that there are fewer stores that make a larger profit, which is a sign of consolidation. Furthermore, figures from the dashboard show that store longevity in the ice cream industry is doing very well, with an average business lifetime of 20.7 years. Lastly, ice cream stores during 2007 employed on average thirteen employees per store.

There is approximately 44 competitors ranging from frozen yogurt, juice bars, and grocery bought ice cream brands, whose sales are closely dependent on the hot weather between April and August.  Frozen desserts sales are typically higher when weather is sunny and warm. However, there is a noticeable trend showing that frozen dessert sales are becoming more evenly distributed in all 12 months. Summer and winter production is less varied when ice cream production figures are compared through the years.

Ice cream franchises boost sales by depicting their products as an affordable treat in a slow economy and their environment as family friendly. By adapting their stores to accommodate entertainment and larger seating areas, more families are willing to eat ice cream in a store than buy the product in a grocery store. The goal of this is to increase the length of the visit and display a positive customer experience.

The economic downturn has not adversely affected the ice cream industry as harshly as other industries that also cater to families. It seems ice cream stores are not recession proof but rather recession resistant. It can also be argued that ice cream stores actually benefit from poor economic conditions. In the past decade, economists have noticed a decline in retail sales due to consumers reduced spending habits. Ice cream stores are unique in that they are in an “affordable treat niche market.” The Ice Cream Franchise Industry Report makes a good point: “Spending $10 to $12 on a family outing is more budget friendly than the cinema or a sporting event” (Ptacek, 2012, p. 1). For this reason, owners of ice cream stores are optimistic while other industries are suffering from a recession.

In addition to “Mom N Pop” ice cream stores and mobile ice cream vans, frozen yogurt is a growing industry that poses a sales threat to ice cream franchises. The new Cherry Berry recently opened in Grand Forks, North Dakota is becoming popular with the local college students. To counter their rising success, Balanced Utopia will adapt their product concepts to be more unique and competitive.

Key Competition

Local and Regional Competition:

See Appendix A for complete analysis.

Company Analysis

Balanced Utopia is a partnership of Kaipo Dabin, Kimberly Kuechle, Grayson Grzegorczyk, Emily Ptacek, and André Thom. Each has vast experience in the finance, management and marketing attributes of business and has also participated in the start- up of a new business. Having these skills have allowed them to successfully manage a business as they will continue to learn the new aspects when faced with new encounters and decisions.

As Balanced Utopia continues through the introduction stage of its marketing strategy, the partners hope to expand to East Grand Forks while maintaining a successful business and spreading popularity. By working in close association with US Dairy Export Council, Balanced Utopia provides high quality products with high quality ingredients. These products have made it easy to eat healthy food while giving the customers the choice of adding their own twists.

Customer Analysis

Two Distinct Consumer Groups:

Couples and/or singles in the 18 to 49 age group, primarily residing in Grand Forks, ND who have an interest in an active health conscious lifestyle (exercising, organics, supplements) and are looking for convenient and healthful food/drink alternatives to complement their on-the-go lifestyles. It is anticipated that they will range from the lower-middle to higher socio-economic class and have a regular consistent amount of disposable income. Their decision to visit the store is based on the need for a nutritious and time efficient snack that accommodates their hectic schedule and desire for overall wellness.

Individuals in the 25 to 60 age group who are involved with or have commitments to family, work, community etc. in and around the Grand Forks area that need an easy meal replacement/supplement that boosts energy levels during the day without a lot of added calories that come from regular fast food franchises. Also families that want a place to take kids of any age to get a sweet novelty treat that is lower in sugar and preservatives. Possibly attracting sport teams after games or other organized activities done in the area.

Our product is ultimately suitable for a larger marketing audience, but we choose to focus mainly on these two as our primary target markets. We anticipate their purchasing frequency to be 1-3 times per week. We hope to categorize Balanced Utopia in the Specialty Foods sub-category. This is ideal as there is a slight leakage level (1.0) in the expenditures involving this sub-category which we hope to capitalize on (Buxton, p.7). There is an even larger leakage level (0.7) in the secondary market identified in the Buxton research. Continuing to reference from the Buxton research there are over 34,000 individuals that fit with in our target age range living within a 15 minute commute of our stores location (Buxton, p.3).

SWOT Analysis

SWOT stands for Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats. Balanced Utopia is a company that does have high potential while at the same time it also has some major threats if it wants to survive in the market. The following points on Balanced Utopia are only a fraction of what is shown in the Appendix. Some of the key strengths are the strong management skills, unique products and high health consciousness. In reviewing our strengths the unique products offered in combination with the high health consciousness focus gives us an edge in competition. By utilizing the unique product offerings with the strong management goals of making our product flourish and prosper Utopia is dedicated to its mission and long term vision of helping the community become healthier.

In reviewing some of the key competition companies such as iCream or SubZero Ice cream, we are able to note how they have a strong marketing base and position in the market. They seem to focus on one aspect of the product while we incorporate multiple aspects which give our product a fresh look. While some of Balanced Utopia key weakness’s noted were the seasonal aspect of product and possibility of having too narrow of a market niche. In noting how Balanced Utopia does use more than a single aspect of the product is weakness since it spreads our resources out and gives us less time to focus on our “bread and butter” of the business which is providing healthy ice cream and smoothies to the public. In realizing Balanced Utopia’s decision of not going with the traditional soft serve ice cream explains the slightly higher costs of using liquid nitrogen instead. So by using this method is does create a new angle of intrigue for the consumer, though covering costs may be more of challenge with the initial slow growth.

The opportunities that can be used to increase product awareness and sales are working with campus events to help promote the product. By doing promotion events at all of the major town function throughout the year will increase our products visibility. Utilizing the events around town and campus will help us combat the larger marketing budgets, employees and stability that our competitors have. Since in using these events will help us cut costs in not having to front the full promotional event instead we will be able to increase the diffusion rate of our product into community faster. By doing so we can get faster feedback on how we are doing and what we can do to improve. One of the major threats facing Utopia is the multitude of competitors in the ice cream business and the high brand loyalty. In deciding to create a company like Balance Utopia, the challenge would be in creating a niche were we stand out in a market that has had years to build image recognition. Also in today’s high technology age we also have to work to create more awareness not just by word of mouth but also by use of the Internet. Which in looking at some of the competitions websites, we are able to see well executed plans and not so well executed plans that seem to be hurting the company more than helping. In noting how the well established companies use the Internet to their advantage it is also seen how well done they pay attention to the new companies. A key long term threat market could be from large companies such like McDonald's, Burger King for if they are feeling a decrease in the market due to Balanced Utopia they can swiftly put Utopia out of business. So in recognizing the threats that we face not only in the traditional advertisement methods we also have to pay attention to the new generation and how we can catch their eye with our product.

See Appendix B for complete analysis.

Points of Difference

• Product

o Premium high quality product

o Most products are locally farmed and/or produced and benefits the surrounding community

o Products are made fresh when ordered

o Wide variety of customizable options to choose from

o Healthy functional boosts can be added into ice cream or drink for added health benefit

▪ Types of boosts offered

• Vitamin

• Fiber

• Energy

• Protein

o Soy

o Whey

o Casein

• Feminine

• Bones and Joints

• Fat burner

• Immunity

• Service

o High quality of customer service

o Friendly and knowledgeable employees

o Takes 4 minutes or less to make product from start to finish

o Fun and exciting experience

o Company and its employees are actively engaged in the community

• Store

o High end looking eco conscious store built to LEED certifications

o Free Wi-Fi offered to those who purchase a product in the store

o Comfortable environment that allows customers to sit and relax and enjoy their ice cream or drink, as well as converse and hang out with friends or study

• Online

o Website incorporating a number or social media sites

▪ Allows company to inform customers on current or upcoming promotions.

▪ Allows company to gather critical info, feedback, and ideas from their customers which will allow them to better tailor their needs to that of their highly valued customer

Positioning

For health conscious adults, Balanced Utopia provides functional ice cream that delivers convenient and healthful food/drink alternatives to complement on-the-go lifestyles because only Balanced Utopia provides whey mixed ice cream that possess key nutrients such as high quality protein, calcium and a variety of health-enhancing components.

Annual Measurable Objectives

Objective 1: To increase sales to $200,000 by May 31st, 2013

The reason why we chose to increase sales to $200,000 is because we would like to be able to cover our operating expenses, as well as begin paying off a small portion of our long-term debt. Whatever additional amount of revenue that we generate on top of that from sales will go into advertising to increase our brand awareness.

Objective 2: To increase awareness to 60% by May 31st, 2013

Although this may be a challenging goal, we believe that we would be able to achieve this as we plan on investing fairly heavily on brand awareness in the first few months of opening our stores in order to quickly build customer base before summer roles around when sales are expected to increase.

Objective 3: To increase satisfaction levels to 100% by May 31st, 2013

The reason why we’d like to have a 100% satisfaction level is so that we can continue to expand our customer base as we go into the summer months. Being that we are a new company in Grand Forks, it crucial that we provide a high quality of service along with our products, especially since we are competing against well-known companies who’ve had a significant amount of time to get their brand out into the community and have built a strong following.

In order to measure satisfaction levels, we plan on using secret shoppers, customer surveys, and an online company web blog where we would be able to gather feedback from our customers on their favorite products, as well as products they’d like to see in the future.

Objective 4: To increase trial rates to 30% by May 31st, 2013

We believe that this is fairly attainable, as we plan on investing heavily in advertising from the very beginning. Along with this, we plan on reaching out and getting involved in community in order to provide a number of opportunities for potential customers to try our products.

As with gathering information for customer satisfaction levels, we also plan on using customer surveys, and our company web blog to gather trial rates.

Objective 5: To increase referral rates to 30% by May 31st, 2013

Because we believe in providing a high quality of customer service along with our premium made to order products, we believe that a 30% referral rate would be achievable.

As mentioned earlier, we plan on measuring referral rates through the use of our customer surveys and our company web blog where we gather customer feedback.

Marketing Program

Product & Service Strategies and Tactics Outline:

Water

Ice cream

• Toppings

o fruit toppings (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peanuts, cashews, pecans)

• Protein

• Liquid nitrogen

• Flavors (all-year flavors)

o Vanilla

o Chocolate

o Strawberry

o Cherry

o Butter pecan

o Seasonal flavors

Smoothies

• Flavors

o Strawberry

o Orange

o Kiwi

o Banana

o Mango

o Wild Berry

o (mix any two flavors)

• Smoothie Sizes

o Small (12 oz.), Medium (16 oz.), Large (24 oz.)

Packaging

• Sizes

o Small, Medium, Large

• Eco friendly/ reusable cups

• Buy a cup get $.25 off your drink every time you use it

• Processed cardboard cups

Product & Service Strategies and Tactics Outline:

The product line of Balanced Utopia’s primary focus is on a health conscious lifestyle while incorporating a new and unique way of showing customers the benefits of high protein ice cream with a flavorful twist. This keeps Utopia’s products one step ahead of competition in that the products are enriched with protein and provide customers with a healthy alternative. In providing a customer oriented product Balance Utopia recognizes that with the over flow of products being offered in market, that making the product standout will be the toughest challenge. So in being a convenience product there needs to be a factor that will draw the customers away from the competition and make them switch to Balance Utopia over other solely protein based products. While using Eco-friendly cups and bowls allows customers to see that not only do we care about their health but also the environment. When analyzing our competition, who may have better product awareness while using educational programs in the store and in multiple areas throughout the community. Balanced Utopia has worked hard to note how the competition does their product strategies and how they are able to engage their customers while at the same time put a new spin to make Utopia a unique experience in ice cream and smoothie creation. In creating the different products and providing outstanding service the way they chose to connect to the customer in a way that gives the customer reason to question the process and want to come back for more.

The product line of Balance Utopia is fairly simple. The following items are offered on the menu:

o Fresh fruit smoothies

o Protein enriched ice cream

o Healthy choice toppings

Pricing Strategies and Tactics:

Balanced Utopia’s pricing varies from product to product.  The smoothies range from $3 for a small to $5 for a large. The standard menu ice cream is priced at $3.50 for a small and $5.50 for a large.  All sizes include the customer’s choice of one topping of our fresh fruit. Create-your-own bowl will start at prices of; $2.75 for a small and $4.50 for a large. Every additional topping after the first will be a charge of 35 cents. Balanced Utopia also offers tumbler cups for $8.  By selling these reusable cups, it is a way to promote business and gives the customers a $.25 discount when they bring their cup in to buy another drink.  When utilizing a competition-oriented pricing Balanced Utopia can focus on what their competition and the market is doing in order to keep business steady.  While a market pricing strategy will be used to capture the going market price in the minds of their competitors.  Balanced Utopia’s prices are competitively priced with their surrounding competition, but customers will see and taste the difference in healthiness and quality.

Place Strategies and Tactics:

   

In examining Balanced Utopia’s focused distribution to the community of the age range of 18 to 40 in the first group and 41 to 60 in the second group, the positioning of our store location for one is of prime selection in catering to these target markets. This was done in part because of the proximity to the college campus and the hockey arena which draws on the community just as much as the students. The positioning of the store in a strip mall within walking distance of the student population gives a more diverse group of people reason to check out the store also in noting the tanning salon on the left and Jimmy John’s sub shop on the right played a role in the location which will help make our product more visible. In using the company’s placed around us as a aid in promotion was also the intention by management. While looking around town a notable fact was clear that the majority of ice cream and smoothie places are not in secluded location. These stores were placed next to high traffic food chain’s for one simple reason of after dinner who doesn’t want desert? In choosing this location it gave Utopia more time and money to focus on other aspects of marketing besides adding in the problem of little to no exposure, such like the decision of the market channel that we wish to pursue in providing our customers with the best products and customer service. Which by providing a quick and convenient product we are able to focus on a direct channel of production because of the high interaction we will be having between customer and product producer.

   

While our company remains small and local we are working at expanding hopefully after a year of good business. That by expanding our number of locations we will shift from a single store with focus on our low status, low margins to as time passes hopefully to becoming a more noticeable place in the Grand Forks and East Grand Forks community

Promotion Strategies and Tactics:

Throughout the first couple years of business Balanced Utopia has to flood the market with a multitude of different style advertisements that will engage and entice the public to come and sample our products. Beside focusing and researching on the methods that the competition are utilizing in building customer relations, Utopia has to be using a push market strategy to get the name and image out there.

In seeing how the market is already filled with many different choices, styles and promotional slogan’s each promoting its own ice cream company, Balanced Utopia has to not only be creative in its methods of sale but also by engaging the customer in ways they won’t expect.  We will focus first on the younger of the two target markets by heavily utilizing social media via twitter and Facebook. By creating a page with our logo clearly on the top of the page and our mission statement below so customers are clearly able to see what we are about. Then by having customers post their comments and ways, in which they would like us to improve, will build a connection with the community. In using these methods announcements of new products, promotions will be noticed by the students on campus. By utilizing each of these communication tools to their fullest, Utopia will be able to get the most exposure at little to no cost throughout the year.

To reach the second target market promotions will be spread throughout the community. Billboards placed along I-29 near exit 141 promote Balance Utopia, a guilty pleasure that is healthy and puts less on the waist. The billboard will have our logo proudly covering the left side of the board. While the right side done in a contrasting background will have our location, exit and a small quip saying “Don’t forget your ice cream or smoothie”. Not only will billboards catch the eyes of those traveling, but as Z94.7 blares out the latest hit music during their commercial breaks in the music Balanced Utopia will have a 30 second ad consisting of Utopia’s new flavors and fun. To also build more hype and credit, Utopia will have a representative on live air to promote and describe the fun times at Utopia. In raising awareness for those on foot and or those in a quiet coffee shop flyers will be placed around town and campus. By using 8” by 12” flyer’s done in a blend of green and dark blue with the logo in the upper left corner can aid in catching the eye of patrons in the store. While below the logo store hours will be displayed in bold black lettering with a ice cream cone guy lifting a weight above his head to promote a health conscious image. Then last sitting directly above that image the location, what is offered and why they should come is done as well in bold black lettering. As the weather keeps more people in doors to exercise during winter there will be flyer’s placed in health and fitness clubs as well. On community announcement boards and student areas around campus, flyer’s promoting Utopia’s own tumbler cups will be up. These flyers are done on a stark white background so those reading may see a picture of the product. While as the tumbler cup image is faded and imposed at different angles, cost and store discount if used are promoted on the right side.

In store brochures will be available near the store checkout and upon entering the establishment. Brochures will consist of our core beliefs, vision and a complete breakdown of the products offered.

As each promotional advertisement is introduced and added into the marketing mix to help expand our reach of getting the word out our consumers, we also have to focus on business to business marketing aspects. For as the year progresses and sales start to increase, exposure begins to lessen as people are coming out of enjoyment of the product line offered, it becomes a issue of marketing now to the product suppliers. As the Facebook and twitter accounts built talk in the target markets the creation of the company website, e-Newsletters and such as the business goes into the second year of activity become another promotional focus. For in building strong connections with the suppliers will draw others who will want to partner and be able to say they are a company who cares about the environment and community.

See Appendix C for XL 93 Balanced Utopia Radio Advertisement.

Budget & Implementation

Balanced Utopia has developed a short-term implementation plan with potential promotions. As a new business it will depend much on initial investments and subject to change depending on the stability of the initial cash flow from the first few months. In order to successfully launch Balanced Utopia, we will need an estimated $280,000 to cover startup costs including: equipment, labor force, insurance, property, and implementation of our marketing program. We will tentatively schedule the following activities and promotions in hopes to complete them by the given dates:

|Promotions and Placement |Dates |

|· Run advertisements in Newspapers |• April, 2012 |

|· Air Ads on Local Channels | |

|· Develop and Record ads and send out to | |

|local radio stations. | |

|• Hold promotional demonstrations/sampling |• May, 2012 |

|· UND Wellness Center | |

|· UND Night Life | |

|· In the Mall | |

|· Generate Buzz? | |

|· Distribute flyers |• May, 2012 |

|· Host Grand opening of Balanced Utopia | |

|· Give out samples of smoothies and ice | |

|creams | |

|· Have consumers rate their top choices on | |

|surveys | |

|· Re-evaluation customer survey |• June, 2012 |

|· Begin summer season promotion | |

|Possible Light menu | |

|· Grand Forks parade? Doing any sort of | |

|float | |

|• Introduce new flavors |• May, 2013 |

|· Expand into new location |• June, 2013 |

|· Research catering services | |

See Appendix D for full implementation schedule.

Research

Research studies including surveys will be conducted to measure baselines at the beginning of the year, and outcomes at the end of the year ascertain whether Balanced Utopia’s objectives have been met. In conjunction with sales data, surveys will determine performance of Balanced Utopia’s products. Qualitative results will give positive and negative deviations. Positive deviations will result in new products and locations. Corrective action will result in price, product, and/or promotion changes if negative deviations are apparent. Balanced Utopia will utilize third-party surveys through independent websites, mail, and the phone on the sixth and twelfth months following the opening of the first store location.

Customers will have an incentive to sign up to receive the Balanced Utopia newsletter via email. The newsletter will include coupons and other promotions available to customers that voluntarily complete the required survey. Browsers on our website will be selected at random to have an opportunity to fill out a survey and receive a coupon upon completion. Demographic data matching the target market will be used to select customers for the phone and mail surveys. Regardless of medium used to conduct the surveys, they will determine the level of brand awareness in the target market. Important benchmarks will include competitive comparison, convenience, healthiness, perception, and perceived value. The purpose of the sixth month survey is to determine initial changes and the twelfth month survey will direct further adjustments. If goals and objectives are not met resulting from delays, deviations, or impracticality, corrective action will be implemented.

Appendix A: Competition

• Cass Clay Creamery

o Location(s)

▪ 1601 Gateway Drive

Grand Forks, ND 58203

(701) 775-2213 ‎

o Website

▪

o Size

▪ Large (spans over ND, MN, and SD)

o Number of products in their line

▪ 40 different types of ice creams and flavors

o Brand names

▪ Cass Clay

o Target market

▪ Households

o Marketing strengths and messaging

▪ Been around since 1935

▪ Appears to be a household name in the Midwest.

▪ One of the main providers for Dairy Queen soft serve in the Midwest.

▪ Specialize in a wide range of dairy products.

o Profile of their marketing strategies

▪ Products

• Milk

• Ice cream

o Half gallon squares

▪ 16 different flavors

o Light

▪ 8 different flavors

o Scrounds

▪ 12 different flavors

o Sherbet

▪ 4 different flavors

• Dips

• Sour cream

• Juice

• Cottage cheese

• Yogurt

▪ Service design

• People based using a mix of skilled and unskilled labor

▪ Features

• N/A

▪ Benefits

• N/A

▪ Packaging

• Company branded commercial packaging

o Pricing

▪ N/A

o Distribution

▪ Chain stores

▪ Huge sporting events in the Metrodome and the Excel Energy Center

o Promotion

▪ TV commercials

▪ Radio commercials

▪ Coupons can be found in the local newspaper on their products

▪ Official dairy of the Minnesota Vikings

o Extent to which and how each is addressing the target market

▪ Directly

• Replacing old cartons and containers with new lively and more colorful ones

▪ Indirectly

• Provides products to restaurants such as Dairy Queen.

o Sales

▪ N/A

o Branding strategy

▪ Multi-product branding

▪ Private branding

o Weakness

▪ Very little social media

• CherryBerry

o Location(s)

▪ 3151 32nd Ave S

Grand Forks, ND 58201

o Website

▪

o Size

▪ Large

• 127 stores

• Spread across the entire Midwest

o Number of products in their line

▪ 47 different flavors spread amongst various types of yogurts

o Brand names

▪ Cherry Berry

o Target market

▪ Families with children

o Marketing strengths and messaging

▪ Fun and exciting environment

▪ Build your own yogurt

▪ Wide variety of flavors, toppings, and syrups

▪ Educates customers on the health benefits of yogurt

▪ Great informative website

▪ Strong social media

▪ Online menu and nutritional facts

▪ Quickly expanding company as a result of franchising

▪ Flavor of the month

o Profile of their marketing strategies

▪ Products

• Nonfat yogurts

• Low and reduced fat yogurts

• Nonfat tart yogurts

• No sugar added yogurts

• Sorbets

• Custard

• Gelato

• Merchandise

o T-shirts

o Bracelets

▪ Service design

• People based using a mix of skilled and unskilled labor

▪ Features

• Products are OU-D Kosher certified

• Uses certified live and active cultures for added health benefits

• Self service concept where customers build their creations on their own

▪ Benefits

• Healthy alternative to ice cream

o Boosts immune system

o Helps to overcome lactose intolerance

o Aids digestion of milk protein

o Helps in reducing cholesterol 

▪ Packaging

• Branded bowls and cups

o Pricing

▪ N/A

o Distribution

▪ In store

o Promotion

▪ Offer in store party hosting

▪ Coupons

• For every $50 spent you get a free $5 coupon

▪ Seasonal specials

• Valentines day

o By one get one half off

o In store Easter egg hunt with coupons in eggs

▪ Use of social media

▪ Fundraising with local groups within their communities

• Donates 10% from sales

o Extent to which and how each is addressing the target market

▪ Directly

• Knowledgeable employees help educate customers on their products and ingredients.

▪ Indirectly

• Company website educates their customers on products.

o Ex. health benefits, nutritional facts, location finder, etc.

o Sales

▪ N/A

o Branding strategy

▪ Multi-product branding

o Weakness

▪ Only 4 locations in North Dakota, but 6 additional stores will be coming soon.

• Cold Stone Creamery

o Location(s)

▪ 3551 32nd Ave S

Grand Forks, ND 58201

(701) 738-2350

o Website

▪

o Size

▪ Large

• Has a large number of US and International stores in 17 other countries outside of the U.S.

o Number of products in their line

▪ 6 main product categories with an unlimited amount of customizable flavor combinations

o Brand names

▪ Cold Stone Creamery

o Target market

▪ Families with children

o Marketing strengths and messaging

▪ Widely known company

▪ Fun and uplifting environment

▪ Offers a wide variety of frozen desserts/treats

▪ Strong social media

▪ Word of mouth

▪ Informative user friendly website

o Profile of their marketing strategies

▪ Products

• Ice cream

• Ice cream cakes

• Ice cream cupcakes

• Ice cream cookie sandwiches

• Smoothies shakes

• Iced and blended coffee

• Gift cards

• E-gifts

▪ Service design

• People based using a mix of skilled and unskilled labor

▪ Features

• Great customer service

• Wide variety of customizable frozen desserts/treats

▪ Benefits

• High quality product that comes with high quality customer service

▪ Packaging

• Branded cups, bowls, and containers

o Pricing

▪ N/A

o Distribution

▪ Store

▪ Online

o Promotion

▪ Store

• Stores branching into airports, stadiums, and Target chain stores

▪ Online

▪ Social media

▪ E-mail list

▪ Available for fundraising

▪ Actively engage in local community

o Extent to which and how each is addressing the target market

▪ Directly

• Knowledgeable employees help educate customers on their products and ingredients.

• Actively involved in their community.

• They do fundraisers for schools and charitable organizations as well make national efforts in support of the Make-A-Wish foundation.

▪ Indirectly

• Company website educates their customers on products.

o Ex. health benefits, nutritional facts, location finder, etc.

o Sales

▪ N/A

o Branding strategy

▪ Multi-product branding

o Weakness

▪ Internal dispute

• Cold Stone franchisees suing parent company asking to disclose information about a shared, vendor-contributed marketing fund and data on unredeemed gift cards (Landingham, 2012).

• Culver’s

o Location(s)

▪ 3451 32nd Avenue South

Grand Forks

(701) 772-9199

o Website

▪

o Size

▪ Large

• 428 restaurants spread across 19 states

o Number of products in their line (fresh frozen custard)

▪ 31

o Brand names

▪ Culver’s

o Target market

▪ Families

o Marketing strengths and messaging

▪ Specializes in the fast food industry

▪ Wide variety of products

▪ Known for their burgers and fresh frozen custard

o Profile of their marketing strategies

▪ Products

• Burgers

• Sandwiches

• Salads

• Sides

• Dinners

• Soups

• Handcrafted beverages

o Malts

o Shakes

o Floats

• Concrete mixers

• Sundaes

• Cones and dishes

• Customizable mini mixers

▪ Service design

• People based using a mix of skilled and unskilled labor

▪ Features

• Made to order menu

▪ Benefits

• Wide variety of choices

▪ Packaging

• Branded packaging with company logo

o Pricing

▪ $(0-10)

o Distribution

▪ Store

▪ Drive through

o Promotion

▪ eClub and text club

• Allows customer to find out about special promotions, company news, free coupon offers, and special birthday treats.

▪ Downloadable apps

▪ Social media

▪ User friendly, highly interactive, and informative website

o Extent to which and how each is addressing the target market

▪ Directly

• N/A

▪ Indirectly

• N/A

o Sales

▪ N/A

o Branding strategy

▪ Multi-product branding

o Weakness

▪ Limited selection of flavors

• Dairy Queen

o Location(s)

▪ 1205 S Washington St

Grand Forks, ND 58201

(701) 775-5422

▪ 3600 S Columbia Rd

Grand Forks, ND 58201

(701) 738-8530

▪ 1209 N 5th St

Grand Forks, ND 58203

(701) 772-3801

o Website

▪

o Size

▪ Large

o Number of products in their line (frozen desserts/treats)

▪ 10

o Brand names

▪ Dairy Queen

▪ Orange Julius

▪ Karmelkorn

o Target market

▪ Families

o Marketing strengths and messaging

▪ Specializes in the fast food industry

▪ Wide variety of products

▪ Well known for blizzards, cones, and ice cream cakes

o Profile of their marketing strategies

▪ Products

• Food

o Burgers

o Sandwiches

o Wraps

o Fries

o Salads

• Frozen desserts

o Ice cream bars

o Soft serve cones

o Ice cream sandwiches

o Blizzards

o Sundaes

o Parfaits

o Shakes

o Malts

o Smoothies

o Frozen blended coffee

o Service design

o Ice cream cakes

• Gift cards

• Merchandise

▪ Service design

• People based using a mix of skilled and unskilled labor

▪ Features

• Convenient easy to find locations

• Quick service

▪ Benefits

• Quick service

▪ Packaging

• Branded packaging

o Pricing

▪ N/A

o Distribution

▪ Store

▪ Drive through

o Promotion

▪ Social media

▪ Online

▪ TV commercials

▪ Oreo Blizzard 100 promotion

• Check in to DQ on Facebook and earn prizes

• 100 check-ins qualifies customer a chance to win $100,000

o Extent to which and how each is addressing the target market

▪ Directly

• Family oriented promotions, which can be found on their main website

▪ Indirectly

• N/A

o Sales

▪ Recoded revenues of $136,185 million in FY2010.

o Branding strategy

▪ Multi-branding

o Weakness

▪ Lack of standardization of product offerings across stores as a result of franchising

• Fro Yo Premium Frozen Yogurt

o Location

▪ 2800 South Columbia Road

Grand Forks

(701) 757-2026

o Website

▪

o Size

▪ Small

• 8 stores

o Number of products in their line

▪ 2

o Brand names

▪ Fro Yo Premium Frozen Yogurt

o Target market

▪ Families with small children

▪ Those with healthy and active lifestyles

o Marketing strengths and messaging

▪ Healthy alternative to ice cream

▪ Wide assortment of flavors

o Profile of their marketing strategies

▪ Products

• Frozen yogurt

o Low fat

o Nonfat

o No sugar

o Premium

o Sorbet

• Smoothies

▪ Service design

• People based using a mix of skilled and unskilled labor

▪ Features

• Wide variety of flavors and toppings to choose from

• Self service concept where customers build their creations on their own

▪ Benefits

• Healthy alternative to ice cream

o Non fat

o Low calorie

o High in calcium and protein

• Provides guiltless pleasure

▪ Packaging

• Branded cups and bowls

o Pricing

▪ $(0-10)

o Distribution

▪ Store

o Promotion

▪ Store

▪ Online

▪ Social media

o Extent to which and how each is addressing the target market

▪ Directly

• Partnering with neighborhood schools, sports programs, fitness centers, and those embracing a healthy and active lifestyle

▪ Indirectly

• N/A

o Sales

▪ N/A

o Branding strategy

▪ Multi-product branding

o Weakness

▪ Small company

▪ Very little advertising and social media

▪ Website could be more informative and easier to navigate

• McDonald’s

o Location(s)

▪ 4340 Gateway Dr.

Grand Forks, ND 58201

(701) 746-7980

▪ 1125 South Washington Street

Grand Forks ND 58201

(701) 772-0231

▪ 2910 32nd Ave.

Grand Forks ND 58201

(701) 772-2410

▪ 1212 Central Ave Ne

East Grand Forks MN 56721

(218) 773-3922

o Website

▪

o Size

▪ Extremely large

• 32,737 restaurants in 117 different countries

o Number of products in their line (desserts and shakes)

▪ 20

o Brand names

▪ McDonald’s

▪ McCafe

▪ McFlurry

▪ McNuggets

▪ Happy Meal

o Target market

▪ Families with children

o Marketing strengths and messaging

▪ Specialize in the fast food industry

▪ Brand has been around since the 1950’s

▪ Extremely large and well known company

▪ Remodeled stores

▪ Informative, user friendly website

▪ Online menu incorporates

• Pictures of each product

• List of ingredients that go into each product

• Nutritive value

• Calories

▪ Social media

o Profile of their marketing strategies

▪ Products

• Burgers

• Sandwiches

• Chicken

• Salads

• Breakfast

• Snacks and sides

• Beverages

• McCafe

• Desserts and shakes

o Soft serve ice cream

o Parfait

o Melts

o McFlurry

o Sundae

o Shakes

o Apple pie

o Cookies

• Gift cards

▪ Service design

• People based using a mix of skilled and unskilled labor

▪ Features

• Quick service

• Wide variety of foods

• Cheap

• Convenient location

• Free Wi-Fi

• Play place for kids

▪ Benefits

• Quick

• Convenient

▪ Packaging

• Branded packaging

o Pricing

▪ N/A

o Distribution

▪ Store

▪ Drive-through

▪ Catered birthday parties in store for kids

o Promotion

▪ TV

▪ Radio

▪ Magazine

▪ Newspaper

▪ Internet

▪ Yearly monopoly promotion

o Extent to which and how each is addressing the target market

▪ Directly

• Menu reflects changes in consumer taste

• Family friendly stores built with play grounds which help draw families in

▪ Indirectly

• Company website educates their customers on products.

o Sales

▪ The company recorded revenues of $24,074.6 million during the financial year ended December 2010 (FY2010), an increase of 5.8% over 2009.

▪ The revenue growth was primarily driven by the positive comparable sales growth.

▪ The operating profit of the company was $7,473.1 million in FY2010, an increase of 9.2% over 2009.

▪ The net profit was $4,946.3 million in FY2010, an increase of 8.7% over 2009.

o Branding strategy

▪ Multi-product branding

o Weakness

▪ Legal proceedings adversely affecting brand image

▪ Product failures

• TCBY Frozen Yogurt

o Location(s)

▪ 2400 S Washington St

Grand Forks, ND 58201

(701) 746-5004

▪ 2800 S Columbia Rd Suite 422

Grand Forks, ND 58201

(701) 775-8387

▪ 2901 University Ave

Grand Forks, ND 58202

(701) 777-6601

o Website

▪

o Size

▪ Large

o Number of products in their line

▪ 9 product categories which come in a wide variety of flavors and toppings

o Brand names

▪ TCBY

o Target market

▪ Families

▪ Health conscious

o Marketing strengths and messaging

▪ Informative, user friendly website

▪ Been around for a while

▪ Large company

▪ Been around since 1981

▪ Remodeled stores and brand to reflect their new forward thinking outlook

▪ Online menu incorporates

• Pictures of each product

• List of ingredients that go into each product

• Nutritive value

• Calories

▪ Licensing partnerships created for a new line of pre-packaged frozen yogurt to be sold to 10,000 stores nationwide including, Wal-Mart, Target, etc.

o Profile of their marketing strategies

▪ Products

• Frozen yogurt

o Soft serve

o Hand scooped

• Sundaes

• Splits

• Smoothies

• Milkshakes

• Parfait

• Iced cappuccino

• Ice cream cakes and pies

▪ Service design

• People based using a mix of skilled and unskilled labor

▪ Features

• Informative, user friendly website

• Self service concept where customers build their creations on their own

▪ Benefits

• Healthy alternative to ice cream

▪ Packaging

• Company branded packaging

o Pricing

▪ N/A

o Distribution

▪ Store

o Promotion

▪ Store

▪ Company Website

▪ Social media

▪ Greek frozen yogurt challenge on Facebook

• Enter to win a getaway for 2 to Greece

▪ Name a flavor contest

• Chance to win a $25 gift certificate

o Extent to which and how each is addressing the target market

▪ Directly

• N/A

▪ Indirectly

• N/A

o Sales

▪ N/A

o Branding strategy

▪ Multi-product branding

o Weakness

▪ Unknown whether or not they are actively engaged with their communities

Nitrogen Ice Cream Competition

• Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yogurt

o Website

▪

o Size

▪ Total of 16 stores

• 11 stores in Utah

• 2 store in Washington

• 1 store in Idaho

• 1 store in California

• 1 store in Arizona

o Number of products in their line

▪ 8 main product with a wide variety of flavors

o Brand names

▪ Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yogurt

o Target market

▪ Families with children

o Marketing strengths and messaging

▪ Informative online website

• Store locator

• Menu

• How product is made

• Blog (used to keep customers informed about their company and products)

▪ Educating their customers

▪ Endless flavors

▪ Build your own ice cream

▪ Ice cream made fresh when ordered

▪ Short time it takes to make ice cream

▪ Ice cream naming contest

o Profile of their marketing strategies

▪ Products

• Food

o Ice cream

o Frozen yogurt

o Shakes

o Smoothies

o Pies

o Gourmet chocolate

• Gift Cards

• Clothing

o T-shirts

o Hats

▪ Service design

• Fun and educational experience

▪ Features

• Made to order customizable ice cream

• Tried and true combinations

• Flavor of the month

▪ Benefits

• Endless flavors

• Build your own ice cream

• Ice cream made fresh when ordered

• Short time it takes to make ice cream

• Allows customer to tailor product to their health needs (ex. nondairy, low cal, etc.)

▪ Packaging

• Waffle cones

• Branded bowls and cups

o Pricing

▪ N/A

o Distribution

▪ Store

▪ Catered events

▪ Liquid nitrogen science education program

o Promotion

▪ Online website

▪ Blog

▪ Flavor of the month

▪ Ice cream naming contest

▪ Catered events

• Parties

• Events

• In school educational programs

o Extent to which and how each is addressing the target market

▪ Directly

• Company directly addresses it’s target market by getting involved and educating their customers, such as in the case with their educational school programs that is similar to a catered event.

▪ Indirectly

• Company website educates customers on how their products are made, as well as helps them choose a product, and locate a nearby store.

o Sales

▪ N/A

o Branding strategy

▪ Multi-product branding

• Franchising

o Weakness

▪ Online website not set up to where customers can interact with site and give feedback.

▪ No Youtube website.

▪ There are only a few online videos made by customers.

• Atomic #7 Trustworthy Treats

o Website

▪

o Size

▪ 1 store located in Henderson, Nevada

o Number of products in their line

▪ 8

o Brand names

▪ Atomic #7

o Target market

▪ Health conscious

o Marketing strengths and messaging

▪ Uses all natural ingredients

▪ Menu and prices can be found on company website

▪ Vegan and organic options

▪ Endless flavors

▪ Build your own ice cream

▪ Ice cream made fresh when ordered

▪ Short time it takes to make ice cream

▪ Products can be purchased on line

▪ Educates customers on ingredients that go into ice cream

o Profile of their marketing strategies

▪ Product

• Ice cream

• Milk Shake

• Smoothies

• Hot pudding

• Ice cream cakes

• Ice cream cupcakes

• Cupcakes

• Brownies

• Chocolate drinks (hot or cold)

• Espresso drinks (hot or cold)

▪ Service design

• Educating customers about their ingredients

▪ Features

• All natural ingredients

• Certified vegan and organic options

• Supplement boost options

▪ Benefits

• Customizable made to order ice cream

• Products use all natural ingredients

• Vegan and organic options

▪ Packaging

• Biodegradable bowls, cups, and spoons with no company branding

o Pricing

▪ N/A

o Distribution

▪ Store

▪ Online

o Promotion

▪ Online website

o Extent to which and how each is addressing the target market

▪ Directly

• Knowledgeable employees help educate customers on their products and ingredients, as well as the process of how ice cream is made.

▪ Indirectly

• Company website educates their customers to some extent on products.

o Sales

▪ N/A

o Branding strategy

▪ Multi-product branding

• All natural products with vegan and organic options

o Weaknesses

▪ No Youtube page

▪ Very few videos of company and their products

▪ No pictures of the products they offer

▪ Website could use significant improvements

▪ Online website not set up to where customers can interact with site and give feedback.

• iCream café

o Website

▪

o Size

▪ 2 stores total

• 1 store in Chicago, Illinois

• 1 store in Wesley Chapel, Florida

o Number of products in their line

▪ 9

o Brand names

▪ iCream

o Target market

▪ Families and small children

o Marketing strengths and messaging

▪ Nice layout of floor design

▪ Easy to use and very informative website

• Lots of pictures of their products

• Nutritional facts of products (coming soon)

• Links to Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube (used to gain customer feedback and keep customer informed)

▪ Lots of professionally made video’s of company

▪ Company has its own webpage on Youtube

▪ Educating their customers

▪ Endless flavors

▪ Build your own ice cream

▪ Ice cream made fresh when ordered

▪ Short time it takes to make ice cream

o Profile of their marketing strategies

▪ Product

• Food

o Ice cream

o Shakes

o Yogurt

o Hot puddings

o Coffee

o Tea

o Bottled water

o Soda

• Gift cards (Coming soon)

• Clothing (coming soon)

o T-shirts

o Aprons

▪ Service design

• Fun and exciting experience

▪ Features

• Made to order customizable ice cream

• Favorite combinations

▪ Benefits

• Endless flavors

• Build your own ice cream

• Ice cream made fresh when ordered

• Short time it takes to make ice cream

▪ Packaging

• Plain cups, bowls, spoons

o Pricing

▪ N/A

o Distribution

▪ Store

▪ Hosted birthday/events in store

▪ Catered events

o Promotion

▪ Store

▪ Online website

▪ Twitter

▪ Youtube

▪ Facebook

o Extent to which and how each is addressing the target market

▪ Directly

• Employees directly educate customers who come into their store on products they offer, and how their products are made.

▪ Indirectly

• Company website educates customers on how their products are made, as well as helps them choose a product, and locate a nearby store.

o Sales

▪ N/A

o Branding strategy

▪ Multi-product branding

• Franchising

o Weaknesses

▪ Limited flavors and toppings

• Smitten Ice Cream

o Website

▪

o Size

▪ 1 store in San Francisco, California

o Number of products in their line

▪ 1

o Brand names

▪ Smitten Ice Cream

o Target market

▪ Families

▪ Children

▪ Trendy middle age crowd

o Marketing strengths and messaging

▪ Easily transportable ice cream station/wagon for selling and making ice cream out in the community.

▪ Heavily and actively involved in social media.

o Profile of their marketing strategies

▪ Product

• Artisan liquid nitrogen ice cream

o 10 year round flavors

o 3-5 seasonal flavors

▪ Service design

•

▪ Features

• Unique flavors and toppings

• Uses simple, natural, local, and seasonal ingredients

▪ Benefits

• Supports local farms

▪ Packaging

• Freshly made waffle cones and plain bowls with no branding

o Pricing

▪ N/A

o Distribution

▪ Store

▪ Wagon

o Promotion

▪ Seasonal and daily flavors

▪ Gift coins similar to gift cards, but made on wooden coins

▪ Special online promotions

▪ Facebook page

▪ Tumblr page

▪ Twitter page

▪ Company webpage has links to all news and magazine articles their company were featured in

o Extent to which and how each is addressing the target market

▪ Directly

• Actively involved in their community.

▪ Indirectly

• Customers are kept informed using various online social media sites.

o Sales

▪ N/A

o Branding strategy

▪ Multi-product branding

• Actively involved in community events

• Environmental and socially responsible

o Weaknesses

▪ Limited flavors and toppings

Nitrogen Ice Cream

• Sub Zero Ice Cream & Creamery

o

• Atomic #7 Trustworthy Treats

o

• iCream Café

o

• Abracadabra Ice Cream Factory

o

• Smitten Ice Cream

o

Traditional Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt Parlor

• Cass Clay Creamery

o

• CherryBerry

o

• Cold Stone Creamery

o

• Culver’s

o

• Dairy Queen

o

• Farr’s Fresh

o

• Fro Yo

o

• Haagen-Dazs

o

• McDonald’s

o

• TCBY

o

Smoothie/Juice bars

• Jamba Juice

o

• Zumo Juice

o

• Vitality Juice

o

• Ripe Juice, Bar, & Grill

o

• Smoothie King

o

Protein ice cream

• Lean and Mean Ice Cream

o

Grocery store bought ice cream and frozen desserts

• Blue Bell

• Ben & Jerry’s

• Blue Bunny

• Breyers

• Deans

• Dreyers

• Dove

• Edy’s

• Farr’s

• Fat Boy

• Foods Co.

• Good Humor

• Haagen-Dazs

• Klondike

• Land o Lakes

• Meadow Gold

• Magnum

• Melona

• Minute maid

• Nestle

• Polar Treats

• Popsicle

• Skinny Cow

• Dippin Dots

Competition in the Grand Forks Area:

Cass Clay Creamery

1601 Gateway Drive

Grand Forks, ND 58203

(701) 775-2213 ‎

CherryBerry

3151 32nd Ave S

Grand Forks, ND 58201

Cold Stone Creamery

3551 32nd Ave S

Grand Forks, ND 58201

(701) 738-2350

Culver’s

3451 32nd Avenue South

Grand Forks

(701) 772-9199

Dairy Queen

1205 S Washington St

Grand Forks, ND 58201

(701) 775-5422

Dairy Queen

3600 S Columbia Rd

Grand Forks, ND 58201

(701) 738-8530

Dairy Queen

1209 N 5th St

Grand Forks, ND 58203

(701) 772-3801

Fro Yo

2800 South Columbia Road

Grand Forks

(701) 757-2026

TCBY Frozen Yogurt

2400 S Washington St

Grand Forks, ND 58201

(701) 746-5004

TCBY Frozen Yogurt

2800 S Columbia Rd Ste 422

Grand Forks, ND 58201

(701) 775-8387

TCBY Frozen Yogurt

2901 University Ave

Grand Forks, ND 58202

(701)777-6601

Appendix B: SWOT Analysis

|STRENGTHS |WEAKNESSES |

|High Management Skills |Seasonal Product |

|Economic trends |Low Revenue during winter months |

|Managing Budgets and Employees |Small market niche to fill |

|Strong marketing team |Too Narrow of target market |

|Smaller Company |High specificity of ingredients and equipment |

|Previous experience in working with startup companies |Liquid Nitrogen seller shuts down |

|Health conscious products |Product awareness |

|Diverse Product line |Higher product costs |

|Short waiting period of production | |

|Unique method of creation | |

|Customers see use of local brand products as a good things | |

|OPPORTUNITIES |THREATS |

|Products can be bought from in town sellers to promote other |Sell through the still poor economy |

|businesses |Town could be a dying community with main |

|Expand to other locations around town |Competition |

|Expand Product line |Multiple options to choose from |

|Adding in Pastries Products from local sellers |Cheaper competition |

|Offer a customer’s choice every month |Higher Brand recognition |

|High retention rates of loyal Customers |Have stronger hold in market |

|Promotion Events |Difficult to when switching costs from normal product to new product may|

|Campus events |not be worth it |

|Town functions |Poor initial experience from promotion event or in house staff |

|Offer bulk sale of product | |

|Market Niche is increasing in sales | |

|Create special’s and seasonal offers | |

Appendix C: XL 93 Balanced Utopia Radio Advertisement

“Grand Forks Community,

Just got done with a long workout at the Wellness and looking for your post workout protein? Come find it at Balanced Utopia today.

Balanced Utopia is the ultimate destination for finding the protein you want after your workout without having to travel off campus. It provides you a guilty pleasure without the guilt and a tasty treat. Your choice of a fresh fruit smoothie or protein enriched ice cream with healthy toppings. Perfect way to wrap up your day!

Located across from the Ralph and right next to Jimmy Johns it is conveniently located on campus.

Experience Balanced Utopia today, UND’s ultimate post workout protein!”

Appendix D: Promotional Strategy/Tactics Calendar

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