1. INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT
AHMEDABAD
End term project
SUBMISSION
ON
Strategic Marketing
Submitted To:
Professor Partho Sir
Submitted By:
By
Pratik K S Negi
SS/09-11/ISBE/HR

2. Assignment – we have to select a sector, and the product that the company is giving to the end
consumer, then we have to critically analyze the product on the parameters of SWOT, porter analysis.
Also we have to discuss the PLC of the product or the service. And at the last we have to write the
implications that can be incorporated for the same. As if the organizations product is doing well in the
market or not?
Solution
The sector that I have chosen for the strategic marketing is – sports goods manufacturing sector.
Company that I have chosen is – kookaburra Cricket Gear’s
About the company
Kookaburra Sport
Kookaburra Sport was established in 1890. We have world acclaimed
cricket bats with the Kookaburra logo chosen to be used by some of the
world’s best. The Kookaburra Turf cricket balls are used exclusively in
Test cricket in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh and Zimbabwe with Pakistan being another renowned
Kookaburra stronghold.
Name
For the first 100 years of our existence, Kookaburra Sport traded as A G
Thompson Pty Ltd and many members of the Thompson family are still
involved in the day to day running of the company, looking to extend its award winning record
as the world’s best known manufacturer of hockey and cricket balls
Family Background
Founded in 1890 by Englishman, Alfred Grace Thompson, a saddle and harness maker, with a
love for sport, A G Thompson Pty Ltd. began business in Bay Street Brighton Victoria and by
WW1 was already entrenched as one of the leading Australian hand-made cricket ball
manufacturers.

3. Cricket Involvement
In 1945 the then Australian Cricket Board of Control wrote to all the Australian cricket ball
manufacturers requesting that they send samples of their products for possible use in the first
post war Test Series, involving Don Bradman’s Australians and the visiting English team. The
A G Thompson “Kookaburra Turf” ball, a hand sewn, five layered quilt cricket ball was chosen,
beginning an unbroken 62 years association with the International game which since the late
1970’s has also included the use of a white leather ball used for limited over cricket in Australia.
Kookaburra now exports worldwide to all cricket playing nations Since 2002, it has seen a very
active time in the company’s history with the completion of the new manufacturing complex at
nearby Moorabbin housing over 70 employees and the UK acquisition of the 200 year old cricket
ball manufacturer, Alfred Reader & Co Ltd, also with 60 plus employees, confirming that
Kookaburra Sport is the largest cricket and hockey ball manufacturer in the world.
Kookaburra continues to strive for excellence to be the best equipment for hockey and cricket
both locally and world wide
Company today
In addition to its Australian operations, Kookaburra has offices
in most of the world's major cricket-playing countries: the
United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and
India.
The company sponsors a junior cricket tournament called the
Kookaburra Cup. It also has endorsement deals with many
players including current Australian captain Ricky Ponting.
They have 3 models of cricket bats both in the UK and in
Australia: Kahuna, Blade and Ice; the UK also has the CCX,
which has replaced the Beast for 2010. The Beast is still part of
the current Australian range.
Kookaburra also manufacture top quality hockey sticks, most notably the ICON range, which is
used by many international players
Cricket Equipments produced
Cricket Batting Gloves
Kookaburra Cricket Balls
Kookaburra Cricket Bats
Cricket Footwear
Wicket Keeping
Cricket Bag
Cricket Clothing
other accessories

4. SWOT analysis of the company
Strengths: attributes of the person or company those are helpful to achieving the
objective(s).
Weaknesses: attributes of the person or company those are harmful to achieving
the objective(s).
Opportunities: external conditions those are helpful to achieving the objective(s).
Threats: external conditions which could do damage to the objective(s).
Swot- analysis for Kookaburra Company
Strengths Weakness
1. Technological aspect 1. Replacement issue with the
2. Players endorsed warranty problem for the
3. Quality parameters strict products
4. Global dealership 2. Local competition from
5. Customized gearing for any small players
player on their height and 3. Price competition for similar
weight ratio product
6. Best use of Brand Image 4. Depleted sales volume due Internal factors
to less endorsement
5. Less of IT use and lack of
BPR in outsourced countries
Opportunities Threats
1. Changing customer habit of 1. Tax increase and import duty
using a inferior cricketing 2. Local lobby to boycott the use
gear of foreign equipment
2. Manufacturing unit in non 3. New distribution channels
domicile countries for mass 4. Denial from local cricketing
distribution. bodies in remote nations
3. Better logistics and 5. Inadequate and inefficient
External factors
customized products consumer base in other
4. Better use of online portals countries (Asian region)
and IT can be implemented
Positives Negatives

5. These factors are totally dependent on the 2 classifications
Internal factors – The strengths and weaknesses internal to the organization.
External factors – The opportunities and threats presented by the external environment to the
organization.
Product Life Cycle
In the case if we are analyzing the kookaburra cricketing gear. We can implement the product life cycle
in such a manner that the company was established way ahead and been a market leader in the
Australian and England for the cricket equipments but when compared as the company has tried to
expand it s offices and distribution channel to various other countries it has remarkably not done great
for the company. But still it is a step for extending the maturity phase of the company and a parallel shift
has been made to venture out in other sports manufacturing like the hockey sticks and other sports as
well. So not only the company has tried to elongate the cricket segment but it has also tried to start a
new PLC for other sports.
So the PLC curve that we can draft out can be
Maturity pre- decline
Profit growth
introduction
Hockey equipment/ global strategy
Stages for (cricketing gear) new vertical (hockey)

6. Pestel analysis
P—Political
E—Economic
S—Sociological
T—Technological
L-- Legal
E-- Environmental
PESTLE analysis is in effect an audit of an organization’s environmental influences with the purpose of
using this information to guide strategic decision-making. The assumption is that if the organization is
able to audit its current environment and assess potential changes, it will be better placed than its
competitors to respond to changes.
Advantages
Simple framework.
Facilitates an understanding of the wider business environment.
Encourages the development of external and strategic thinking.
Can enable an organization to anticipate the future business threats and take action to
avoid or minimize their impact.
Can enable an organization to spot business opportunities and exploit them fully.
Thus the kookaburra company can use the pestel analysis for the understanding the market
parameter and can help to develop as a company to maximize the gains that can be taken from
the same.
Political Factors 
1. Government can form strict rules to avoid the import of sport utility goods from overseas
market to promote the local manufacturing
2. As kookaburra has a tendency to increase the expansion the host countries can formulate the
rules so that the company has to invest as Fixed direct investment in the infrastructure
3. Non environmental influence.
Economic Factors
1. Exchange rate issues with the rate fixation
2. Exchange rates affect the costs of exporting goods and the supply and price of imported goods
in an economy might affect the transaction
3. International standards in the industry are not there, so it might affect the approval of the
product in the other economy

7. Social factor
1. There would be no issue as this industry is only sports centric and no religion or caste has any
problem with the same
2. The game is not catered as a prime sector for making carrier. Nor in India or other countries the
small format of the game is that paid hugely thus it make a issue for throwing such a huge
amount of money for the products
Technological Factors
1. The technological use is of top grade as it is a market leader in the manufacturing of the cricket
gear
2. R&Nd and technological advancements are of top focus resulting in the best of the use of their
research techniques for the advanced cricketing gear
EX—the mongoose BAT that is being used in IPL
Environmental Factor
1. There is basically no environmental factors that hamper the kookaburra company but still the
advancements can be done
2. Use of de-moisture balls and sweat reduction gloves are examples of the innovations that the
company has done
Legal Factors
1. The company has been following the legal norms that are made by the ICC and make sure that
minimum errors are pertained for the use of their accessories
Applying the 5 forces
Entry – barriers
Acceptance by the breeding grounds of world cricket and new openings
High charges or remunerations for the products they cater
Competition from the local players
Substitute and complements
Manufacturing can be taken outside UK and Australia
Value for money products can be launched for amateur learners of the game
Supplier

8. Commission can be reduced or the cut that the dealers charge for the product are high
Replacement can be done for manufacturing defects in a ease manner which is right
now pretty difficult
Buyers
More options can be given to consumers for wide range of product range
Customized product can be given to the customer in Australia and other developed
countries but not at the cost of giving inferior product to developing nations.
Implications and conclusion
The sector which I have targeted is a sector in which the competition is not that huge at
international level. As the countries which are into cricket as sports are very less and thus gives
a huge chance to company to penetrate in the world market as it has already done the same.
The company has also tried the strategy of using the spill over to market the Hockey sports
goods manufacturing and thus will be an add on to the company. But the area that the
company kookaburra is lagging is handling the local market and pressure to reduce the price,
though the issue is simple that the market demand is for the high quality goods with average
pricing. Thus the way in which the company has progressed has been bit ok. Rather the
overview what I have realized is that company has largely been able to cater the sport persons
small and desired needs to best of their capacity.
Thanking You
Pratik K.S Negi
ISBE (SS/ 09-11-- HR)