CREATING A PERSONA
My first term at Southern New Hampshire University, I was given an assignment that consisted of me imagining that I was part of a marketing team for a chocolate manufacturing company that had been tasked to create a campaign for gourmet chocolate truffles. It was my job to research the demographics and psychographics of my target market and create a persona based on the data I collected.
Product
gourmet truffles with fruit, herb, and flower extract infusions
Persona
Sarah, 29
DEMOGRAPHICS
Location: She currently lives with her partner in an upscale apartment located in San Francisco, California (Esri, 2021b).
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Marital Status: While not yet married, she has been in a long term relationship with her boyfriend. She does not have any children at the moment, and does not plan to have children for many more years. She does have a small dog who she rescued several years ago (Esri, 2021b; Boesel, 2021a).
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Occupation and Income: She is currently working as an administrative assistant at a corporate office. She has been with the company for 3 years and makes $56,000 a year (Esri, 2021b).
Education Level: She is a well educated individual who earned a bachelors in business administration. She owes $19,000 in student loans (Horton, 2021).
PSYCHOGRAPHICS
Hobbies and Interests: Hobbies include include spending time with her rescue dog, posting to social media, socializing with friends, eating at restaurants, jogging, yoga, and drinking wine (Esri, 2021a).
Wants and Preferences: While she is health conscious, her concern for nutrition goes beyond the dietary label. She wants foods that boost her mood and benefits her emotional wellbeing. She enjoys snacks such as chocolate because she perceives them as being a fun food that tastes good, which for her is an important factor (Bloom, 2019).
Personal and Professional Goals: Personal goals are to advance in her career and go from an administrative assistant to an office manager. With the salary increase that would come from advancing in her career, she wants to become a homeowner (Horton, 2021).
Shopping Habits and Preferences: She is often seen shopping at mass merchandisers due to affordability, but she also likes the convenience of being able to shop for food and drink directly online. She is partial to organic food and is more likely to seek out products not containing additives or preservatives. Though she has a budget while shopping, she will buy from brands who emphasize quality. She is also more likely to buy from brands who align with her identity (Bloom, 2019).
Lifestyle: She is a big supporter of self care, often finding ways to treat herself by buying products that support her wellbeing and health. She enjoys staying active through exercise such as yoga or jogging (Esri, 2021a).
PROMOTION
First Marketing Channel
Description of first marketing channel: With the amount of consumers who watch linear television declining, social media would be an ideal marketing communication channel for our product (Lo, 2020b). We will focus on popular sites such as YouTube and Instagram, using different forms of media for each site. Through YouTube, we will display a short video advertisement that is both entertaining and humorous, so that our audience is more likely to commit it to memory (Lo, 2020a; Lo, 2020b). Through Instagram, it is best we use a picture of our product rather than a video, because viewers are "significantly more likely to stop their scrolling to look at a picture than read a post without any visual elements" (Poelking, 2020, page 11).
Why this channel is appropriate for this persona: Our persona, Sarah, is a young woman in her late 20's who lives with her boyfriend and does not have any children. Studies have found that "half of all younger adults without children watch YouTube in an average week," and," over half of this group visits Facebook and Instagram at least once a day" (Boesel, 2021b, page 56). Being a frequent social media user, Sarah is more likely to remember the advertisements she sees through this type of communication channel (Lo, 2021). By adding humor to our advertisement on YouTube, not only will we have a better chance of making a lasting impression on our market, but studies show they will be more likely to purchase our product (Lo, 2020a; Lo, 2020b). Through the use of social media, Sarah is also more likely to view our advertisement positively (Lo, 2021).
Second Marketing Channel
Description of second marketing channel: Our second best option for a communication channel would be the use of email. We would link our website through our advertisements on both Instagram and YouTube. Once a viewer accesses our website, we will offer them a discount code for a box of our gourmet truffles in exchange for them giving us their email address to further receive our marketing emails (Lo, 2021). Once they are on our email list, the emails we send out will incorporate similar tactics used in our Instagram advertisement, which would be using visual elements to engage our audience (Poelking, 2020).
Why this channel is appropriate for this persona: Based on a study conducted in July of 2021, 2,000 users over the age of 18 were surveyed and asked how likely they were to recall a digital ad within the past three months. 42% were likely to recall a social media ad, and runner up to this survey was email advertisements, finding that 38% recalled email advertisements (Lo, 2021). Email can be a useful tool for reaching markets across different demographic age. Technology is innate to young people such as Sarah. With this technology she can easily access her email. Studies have also found that "millennials are relatively more comfortable sharing personal information" (Lo, 2021).
PRICE
Pricing Factor: Competitor Pricing
Competitor pricing: Consumers in today's market are fortunate in that they can find the best deal for a certain product by typing a few words into an online search engine. Studies have also shown that younger people are more likely to enjoy the convenience provided by online shopping (Horton, 2021). In being able to search a product, consumers have the luxury to decide what company offers the price they are willing to pay. Therefore, a competing company needs to decide if they are going to charge less for a similar product, or they need to decide how they are going to demonstrate to their target market why purchasing from their company is the better choice. There are several ways they can do this, some methods include emphasizing quality and corporate social responsibility, as studies have shown that consumers are often willing to pay more for a product if it is high quality and the company's beliefs align with their own (Bloom, 2019; Horton, 2021).
How pricing factor is used to determine pricing: Our persona is Sarah. She is a 29-year-old woman living in an apartment in the city of San Francisco, California. While Sarah is budget conscious, she emphasizes quality and taste while grocery shopping (Bloom, 2019). Sarah shops at mass merchandisers but appreciates the convenience of online shopping (Bloom, 2019). By doing this, she can easily compare the prices of different gourmet truffles or chocolate products offered by different companies. Sarah has a small rescue dog, and studies have shown that young people in Sarah's age group, "agree that being a 'pet parent' is an important part of their identity" (Boesel, 2021a, page 36). With consideration to Chocolate Bliss' corporate social responsibility, we can promote several points to appeal to our target market. 56% of dog owners, and 57% of cat owners prefer to donate to pet related charities. We can partner with an animal welfare organization, donating a portion of our proceeds to the organization. By doing this, our target market can feel like they are making a difference by purchasing our product, versus that of the competition. We can also prove the quality of our product by pledging to use ethically sourced cocoa and capitalize "on rising consumer interest in green and social issue" (Boesel, 2021a; Cadbury, 2008).
Pricing Strategy: Premium
General advantages and drawbacks of premium pricing strategy: An obvious advantage to a premium pricing strategy is high price, which can result in high profits given that the product is selling well, and marketing costs are within the budget (Tanner & Raymond, 2020). Another advantage is being able to sell a high-quality product to our consumer that will result in them returning to buy more of our offerings. But this strategy is without its drawbacks. Premium priced products "usually have higher unit costs and marketing costs" (Tanner & Raymond, 2020, page 4.8). If the offering is not unique enough or not enough consumers are willing to pay the higher price, the company can experience profit loss.
Specific advantages and drawbacks of premium pricing strategy: Our target market is young people, primarily women in their late 20's and early 30's. This is evidenced by our persona Sarah. As previously stated, identifying as a parent to her pet is important to her and others within her generation (Boesel, 2021a). By choosing a premium price for our product, we can donate a percentage of our proceeds to an animal welfare organization. Not only would this align with the beliefs of our persona, they would continue buying from us and also recommend our company to their family and friends (Horton, 2021). This does have a disadvantage, as we would have to give up some of our proceeds in order to make our donation. Our second premium price strategy would involve pledging to use ethically sourced cocoa and giving ourselves a deadline to meet this promise. Some consumers have "stopped buying chocolate from a brand that did not treat its farmers/workers ethically" (Zegler, 2022). Though "no fewer than one in 10 shoppers look for these attributes," consumers are continuing show awareness of injustices within the world (Bloom, 2021, page 37; Zegler, 2022). Despite the positive feedback and high potential for increased sales this pledge could bring our company, it is costly, as evidenced by other chocolate companies who have done the same. For example, Hershey has invested over $500 million to their commitment of ethical cocoa (Hershey, 2020). We can potentially counter this by using recyclable packaging, as millennials are "more likely to associate this with higher quality and also be ready to pay more for it," as they see these products as being better for the environment and worth the extra money (Bloom, 2021, page 55).
PLACE
Changes in the marketplace
Change in the marketplace: I would like to explore how the Covid-19 pandemic will impact millennial purchasing habits long term.
How the change addresses the distribution of products to my persona: The beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic saw an increase in online grocery shopping. Pre-pandemic, online grocery shopping was on the rise, but there was hesitation among consumers who preferred being able to pick out their own fresh foods. With panic buying and shortage of goods impacting consumers at the beginnings of the pandemic, many were quick to abandon their hesitations, with 57% of adults choosing to grocery shop online (Smith, 2021). Millennials were the consumers who were most likely to increase their online grocery shopping behavior, with studies showing that 4 in 10 millennials shifted towards ordering groceries online (PYMNTS, 2021). When shopping in-store, Millennials preferred to shop at mass merchandisers such as Wal-Mart and Target, likely being drawn in by low prices and the convenience of a one stop shop where they could purchase both groceries and household items. Along with mass merchandisers, millennials were also more likely to shop at natural food stores, because while they do "value savings and convenience, their interest in fresh and organic foods as well as other dietary preferences motivates" them to gravitate towards natural food stores such as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods (Smith, 2021, page 45; Esri, 2021a; Esri 2021b). Distribution channels such as these, have significantly invested in omnichannel improvements, to appeal to the future of ecommerce. There is no going back to pre-pandemic levels regarding online grocery shopping, as 78% of consumers who shifted to buying groceries online during the pandemic, "expect to maintain some or all of this behavior once COVID-19 is no longer a top-of-mind concern" (PYMNTS, 2021).
Distribution Channel
Potential distribution channel and why it is appropriate for my product and persona: One potential distribution channel I would recommend for Chocolate Bliss' gourmet truffles, would be through a superstore, such as a Target or Walmart Supercenter. Our persona, 29 year old Sarah, prefers to shop at mass merchandisers, specifically Walmart and Target, due to the convenience offered by these one stop shops, as well as their low prices (Smith, 2021). Another benefit of selling our product at both Target and Walmart, is that they act as online retailers as well. As previously discussed, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing an increase in online grocery sales, especially among millennials, and these are numbers that are expected to continue rising as more consumers discover the convenience of ordering groceries and having them delivered to your door (PYMNTS, 2021). We have an advantage with our millennial target market, as they are individuals who value convenience and are "prone to using tech that will help them get what they want and get on with their lives" (Smith, 2021, page 49). By selling our truffles through these stores, we give our persona the option to buy our product in store, regardless of the reason for their shopping trip. They could be going in to Walmart to buy groceries for the week, or needing to quickly run into Target to pick up a household item, regardless, they'll be able to pick up a box of our truffles at these one stop shops. They would also have the option of having our product delivered to their doorstep by buying online.
PRODUCT
How product should be marketed in relation to meeting the needs and wants of my persona: Our persona, Sarah, is considered a young millennial being that she is only 29 years old. Studies have shown that millennials want to have fun with their food, and "sweet indulgences have some of the highest perception of fun" (Bloom, 2019, page 23). With this knowledge, we can highlight the features and benefits of Chocolate Bliss' gourmet truffles so that our target market perceives it as fun. First and foremost, we need to emphasize the quality of our products. While millennials do "prioritize cost savings, being the cheapest product on offer is not going to suffice," this is because millennials such as Sarah, value high quality and good tasting food (Bloom, 2019, page 23). By featuring the word "gourmet" in our product name will be highlighting the quality of our product. To promote how good our product taste, we should focus our attention on the health benefits of our truffles, the benefits that go beyond the dietary label. This is another important factor to our millennial food shoppers. They are young and generally healthy, but not solely driven by the nutrition label. Many are focused on their mental health and wellbeing. We can promote our product as being a tasty form of self care, a way for our persona to treat herself and boost her mood with our infusion of fruits, herb, and flower extracts (Bloom, 2019; Horton, 2021). This way not only are we promoting taste, but we are giving our target audience "permission to put themselves first," so that they will see our brand as a friend and will continue purchasing our product to receive those positive affirmations (Horton, 2021, page 30). Lastly, we need to ensure that Sarah knows our brand aligns with her beliefs, as millennials are more likely to buy from companies that not only support causes they are passionate about, but who aim to improve the world, and whose products are made ethically or sustainably (Horton, 2021). By highlighting that a percentage of our proceeds are donated to an animal rescue organization, and that we have pledged to source our chocolate ethically, Sarah can feel confident buying out gourmet truffles.
How bringing this product to the marketplace helps support and build the Chocolate Bliss brand: By bringing our gourmet truffles to the marketplace, we will be aiding in the growth of Chocolate Bliss. We started as a "secret family recipe" brand, and not only have we managed to maintain that branding, but by introducing our gourmet truffles and conducting research on our target audience, our expansion to the Midwestern United States will result in our company knowing what our target audience wants, and what is it we need to do to fulfill their wants and needs. While there are other chocolate companies who offer truffles, we can boast that Chocolate Bliss's truffles are mood boosting and good for one's wellbeing due to the fruit, herb, and flower extract that is infused in the product. This can even be tied by to our "secret family recipe." By demonstrating to our audience that we are a brand that gives back to the community and pledges to be sustainable, we hope that our target market will tell their friends and family about our product, further promoting public awareness of our brand.
EVALUATION
How to evaluate the effectiveness of the marketing plan: The best way to evaluate the effectiveness of the marketing plan is to gather qualitative and quantitative data on both our target market and our competition.
Two quantitative data collection tools I could use to evaluate the marketing plan: I believe that data mining would be a helpful tool in collecting quantitative data on both our target market and our competition. This data is used by mass merchandisers, such as Walmart, who is one of our distribution channels. By partnering with Walmart in collecting this data, we can assess how many customers are buying our product. This will also give us insight into peak times when our product is sold, and how our competition is doing at that time as well. For example, Walmart's data mining discovered that a novelty cookie was a popular purchase during Halloween (Project Pro, 2022; Marr, 2017). This information can help us see the popularity of both our, and our competition's product during holidays such as Christmas or Valentine's Day, when consumers regularly gift gourmet chocolate. Using this data, we can evaluate our marketing plan and adjust it to fit peak times. Collecting quantitative data through loyalty programs would be another way to gather information on our target market and competition. Loyal programs, such as Safeway and Albertson's Just For U program, allow grocery stores to match shopping history to specific consumers so they can evaluate habits and send the consumer specialized coupons. Customers are essentially exchanging their data for price savings. Safeway does not sell this data, but they do share it with their affiliate companies (Devaney & Stein, n.d.). If we extend our offering to sell in Safeway stores, we could use this to our advantage to view the popularity of our products across demographics. Using this data we can extend coupons to customers to boost sales, and see how our sales compare to those of our competitors.
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Two qualitative data collection tools I could use to evaluate the marketing plan: Our hope with qualitative data is for our customers to tell us how they feel about our product. As we have previously discussed, while our target market values price savings, they also value quality and taste (Horton, 2021). One way to achieve this would be by conducting a study with a focus group of 5-10 people within our target market. This type of study could allow us to "get highly detailed and descriptive data" about our product (Tanner & Raymond, 2020). We could have the individuals try our product, and give us feedback on the taste, quality, and packaging. We could also have them try out competitors product, and tell us which they prefer and why, allowing us to tweak our product. Another way of collecting qualitative data is through surveys conducted through our distribution channels. We plan to sell our gourmet truffles at Target, a mass merchandiser who uses customer surveys that "help the company identify buying trends and develop initiatives to drive more customers into stores" (Vigroux, 2015). In these surveys, not only can customer profiles be created based on demographics, but customers can also discuss and rate the areas of the store they shopped, as well as give feedback such as praise, problems, or complaints (Target Guest, 2022). This is a valuable tool in seeing how our target market is going to react to our product in store, and if they are going to buy it or buy that of our competitor. It could also give us an idea on where we might place our products in the store based on the feedback of different areas in the store.
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