Introduction
The performance of the sales and marketing team of the organization determines the success of a new product/service. The different marketing approaches taken will be the key as to how fast or slow the product will be absorbed into the job market. This report is going to look at the factors that must be considered when a new product is introduced into the market. These factors are; the type of product(s) the company will offer to its clients and the key characteristics of the product, the product branding strategy, how the product will fit in the market, how the organization’s marketing strategies relate to the product, and its target market.
Dried Traditional African Vegetables
The need for keeping healthy by eating a healthy and balanced diet has made some scientists come up with food supplements to boost this, however, most food supplements contain toxic elements that are harmful to human health. As such, it is important to ensure that the population eats healthy foods that are not toxic. Traditional leafy vegetables are popular for their high nutritional value. The plant’s leaves are easy to harvest and use as vegetables. The advantage of these foods is that they contain high nutrients that have some medicinal value. In addition to that, the traditional vegetable if well preserved can solve the problem of food security that is being experienced in most parts of the world (especially Africa).
Company Products and its Key Ingredients
Many species of traditional African vegetables have high nutritional value. For a start, the company will introduce at least three different varieties of vegetables to see the response that they will have. If the response will be positive, the company will slowly introduce other products to the market.
Examples of some of the dried traditional African vegetables that the company will export are:
Cowpeas
These are African traditional vegetables whose green leaves are edible and highly nutritious. They are grown in Kenya (East Africa) and they are popularly referred to as Kunde in the local language. According to Collins (2008), the leaves of these vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbs, folate, and dietary fiber. The main nutritional components in raw cowpeas are:
Water content (grams per 100g) 11.05, Calorie content of food (kcals per 100g/3.5oz) 343, Protein content (grams per 100g) 23.85, Fat content (lipids) (grams per 100g) 2.07, Ash content (grams per 100g) 3.39, Carbohydrate content (grams per 100g) 59.6, Dietary fiber content (grams per 100g) 10.7, Sugar content (grams per 100g) N/A (Collins, 2008).
Pumpkin Leaves
Another type of vegetable that the company will export to the international market is pumpkin leaves. The pumpkin leaves as well as the seeds have high nutritional and medicinal values. The leaves are rich in vitamins, minerals, and lipids (Dee, 2004).
Product Branding Strategy
Product branding is the most challenging task that an organization can face; this is because it is the “face” of the product as well as the organization. Achieving the right branding strategy will ensure that the sales of the product/service are on the increase. When coming up with the brand for the products, the company will focus on the following key steps as a guide to developing branding strategy: define the brand, determining the brand’s objectives, focusing on target consumer base, discovering and crushing brand barriers, and finally brand packaging and identity (Lake, 2010).
- Brand definition: the brand definition will cover the key ingredient of the product and they will appear on top of the pack. In addition to that, the pictures of the product will also be used on the pack to enable the consumer to “learn” what the product is all about.
- Brand objectives: The organization seeks to achieve this by printing brochures and small pamphlets that will explain to the consumer what they stand to gain by using the product. The pamphlets will be free for every purchase made.
- Target consumer base: Vigorous marketing will be carried out in the areas where the target consumers will be located, near hospitals as well as schools and colleges.
- Brand Barriers; there are barriers that the organization will encounter. However using diplomacy, the organization will deal with the barriers. In case they are barriers from competitors, fair competition will be used to “win” the consumers.
- Brand Identity: The identity of the product will comprise several colors that will symbolize the different elements of the product. For example, national colors will be used to show the origin of the product. Food is a basic need and a right for each individual in the universe, however, most people do not have access to nutritious foods and this has led to them developing health-related complications. The product (dried traditional African vegetables), is aimed at helping the larger American population that relies on junk foods for their daily survival. The increase in the rate of diseases caused by poor eating habits will be a disadvantage to the company in terms of marketing and selling its products.
The organization’s strategy is to aggressively market and sensitive the larger American population of the importance of traditional African vegetables in terms of nutritional value. As the main objective of the organization, the company will employ relevant marketing measures and strategies to ensure that the project is a success. The growth of the internet is one area that the organization will use to the fullest for the marketing process.
Summation / Conclusion
Marketing is a key element when it comes to marketing strategies, it is, therefore, one area that the organization will ensure that adequate time is taken to come up with relevant and attractive marketing for the products. This is because the product is aimed at the international market where very few people have an idea of it.
References
Collins, A. (2008). Nutrition and Calories in Cowpeas. Web.
Dee, J (2004). Nutrition Charts Nutrition Data, Nutrition Information, and Nutrition Analysis. Web.
Lake, L. (2010). Developing Your Brand Strategy. Web.