1 Marketing Plan Phase I Paper



1        Marketing Plan Phase I Paper

a.      Create a new product or service for an existing organization that will be the basis for your Marketing Plan Paper, Phases I through IV.

b.      For this Marketing Plan Phase I Paper, prepare a 1,400-1,750-word summary to include:

1.      An overview of the existing organization.

2.      A description of the new product or service.

3.      An explanation of the importance of marketing to this organization’s success.

4.      A SWOTT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats, and Trends) analysis on the new product or service.

5.      The marketing research approach you would use to develop the marketing strategy and tactics for this new product or service.

Marketing Plan Phase 1

The flower delivery market was estimated to be a $20 billion dollar business in 2004 (). To set themselves apart from all the other flower delivery services available to consumers, 1-800-Flowers is planning a new marketing program. This paper will provide an overview of the company, a description of its new marketing program, and the importance of marketing to the success of both the organization and the proposed marketing program. It will also include an analysis of the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and trends (SWOTT) and the approach that the marketing team will use to develop the strategy for this new service.

Overview of 1-800-Flowers

In 1976, Jim McCann opened his first retail flower store in the New York metropolitan area, which soon became a chain of 14 stores. In 1982, the company expanded its business into other retail access channels by going online. By 1985, they opened their own website, which is still known today as . In 1986, 1-800-flowers phone number was acquired, which was used to expand the business. McCann concentrated on becoming a company with a reliable brand name made from trust, which was accomplished by knowing the customer base and market.

The company provides a wide range of gift retailing, which consist of flowers, plants, gourmet foods, candies, gift baskets, and other unique gifts available to customers around the world by Internet, telephone, or by visiting one of their company operated or franchised stores. The company also maintains tactical online relationships with well-known names such as, AOL, Time Warner, Yahoo!, and Microsoft Corporation (MSN) and is listed as a class A common stock on the NASDAQ National Market.

The company monitors the quality of service and products by maintaining a comprehensive quality assurance program. This includes ongoing blind test orders, customer’s and recipient’s telephone surveys, in store and mail surveys, and customer service reports. stands by their products and services and offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee (ww2.about /index.asp).

The New Delivery Service

1-800-flowers currently provides delivery of flowers for customers across the nation. One of their enhancements on their website is the capability of customers to sign up to receive reminders of important dates in order to jog their memory to order flowers for that certain special occasion. This reminder allows 1-800-flowers to market directly to customers to order flowers when the customer may have forgotten an important occasion.

To take this service one step further, the company wants to enhance this marketing program by actually allowing the customer to order their flowers in advance at a set price. This program will allow a customer to choose the important dates that they would like to send flowers to their significant other, family members, or friends. These dates could be a birthday, Valentine’s Day, wedding anniversary, or just that one special day between two people that is special only to them.

The program will allow the customer to chose what days they would like the flowers sent, the person who would receive the flowers, and the type of flowers to send. The cost to the consumer would be dependent upon the flowers or arrangements chosen and the number of dates they choose to send flowers. For example, a husband may choose to send a dozen of roses to his wife for her birthday, Valentine’s Day, and their wedding anniversary. He may also chose to send roses only on Valentine’s Day and a different, less expensive arrangement on the other two days. This program will provide enough flexibility to appeal to customers of various income levels as they may choose one day or as many as they see fit.

The customer will be able to sign up via the company website and will pay for the program in advance using a credit card. This will allow the customer to be in the program for the one year from signing up and reminders to sign up again for the next year will be sent at least two months in advance of their expiration date.

Importance of Marketing

At-1-800-Flowers, we have relied very successfully on marketing to spread the idea of our company to consumers. With our name alone we have been able to market to our customers, what we do and how our customers can contact us to order the flowers. To launch our new service marketing again will play an important role to our company. We are offering more than just a reminder service and we have to convey that to our current consumers as well as people currently using other companies for their floral needs. Without proper marketing, the service may not be utilized to its fullest potential.

We have to market the idea that what we are offering a prearranged delivery service that will save our customers time as well as making them look good because they will always “remember” those special days. Not only will our customers be reminded that a special occasion has arrived, such as a birthday or anniversary, but the customer can set up an automatic delivery service of flowers. Our new service will allow customers to set up an account and enter important dates and arrange to have specific flowers delivered automatically on the selected dates. This will allow our customers never to forget those special occasions ever again and have flowers sent to acknowledge the special day without any further interface.

Strategic marketing is essential because we have to inform our customers how our service differs from an ordinary reminder service. If our target audience is not aware that they can have flowers automatically sent on special occasions the service will fail. We have to relay the idea that this service will alleviate the worry involved when a special day is forgotten. With a successful marketing campaign we can fill the void in the market that lies between a simple reminder and a service to help our customers not only be informed but rather be prepared for all the special occasions in their lives.

SWOTT Analysis

5. Marketing Research Approach

a. Consumer analysis

i. Demographics

ii. Psychographics

iii. Behaviors (e.g. purchase behaviors)

iv. Geographical considerations

b. Industrial analysis, if applicable

i. Competitor Analysis

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