1. Submit a 3- to 5-page analysis in which you develop, explain,
and justify a change in product marketing strategy for the
product you selected. Beginning with the information you have
gathered on the product and the wants and needs that it meets
for customers, determine market segments to target, explain
how the product might be better positioned for these segments,
and identify the challenges involved in changing product
positioning. Provide evidence to support your evaluation.
Note
: You are encouraged to complete the assessments in this course
in the order in which they are presented.
SHOW LESS
By successfully completing this assessment, you will
demonstrate proficiency in the following course competencies
and assessment criteria:
Competency 1: Apply theories, models, and practices of
marketing.
Describe the characteristics of individual market segments.
Explain how a particular product meets the needs of a targeted
market segment.
Competency 3: Develop innovative and sustainable solutions to
strategic marketing challenges.
Describe how a product might be better positioned for target
market segments.
Describe challenges involved in changing the positioning of a
product.
Competency 4: Integrate marketing analyses into general
business management planning and decision making.
Identify sources of information to determine the sizes and
characteristics of market segments to target for a particular
product.
Justify an evaluation of product marketing strategy.
Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is professional
and consistent with expectations for members of the business
profession.

2. In this assessment, you will analyze and use the concepts of
market segmentation, targeting, and positioning to develop a
product strategy for your selected product. This analysis
includes describing the information used to determine
appropriate market segments to target and explaining how the
product provides value to each market segment. The analysis
should conclude by suggesting how the product might be better
positioned for each segment targeted and describing the
challenges involved in doing so.
Note: In this assessment and the next, you will complete the
background research and planning necessary to create an
integrated global marketing case study based on a company of
your choice for Assessment 5.
Preparation
Begin by using the information you developed for your
competitive analysis to identify sources of information that will
enable you to determine the size and characteristics of each
market segment that could be addressed by the product you
selected.
Directions
Complete the following using your selected company:
Market Segmentation Analysis
(2–3 pages):
Information Sources
. In the second assessment, you developed information on the
market potential for your product. Describe the information you
found to help you determine market segments to target for your
selected product.
Effective Targeting
. Identify the market segments you think are effective to target
for your selected product.
Explain how the product provides value to each market segment,
in terms of the wants and needs of that segment.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the marketing strategy currently
used to target that market segment.
Justify your analysis with evidence of where the marketing

3. strategy is currently effective, and where it is less than
effective.
Targeting and Positioning Strategy Recommendations
(1–2 pages):
Based on your market segmentation analysis, suggest at least
two alternative strategies for improving the marketing of your
product.
Explain, for each strategy, how the product might be better
positioned for each target segment.
Describe, given your recommendations, the challenges the
company is likely to face when it changes the positioning for
the product, particularly the challenges that may arise when
attempting to change customers' perceptions of the product.
Additional Requirements
Written communication:
Written communication should be free of errors that detract
from the overall message.
APA formatting:
Your analysis should be formatted according to current APA
style and formatting.
Length:
3–5 typed and double-spaced pages.
Font and font size:
Times New Roman, 12 point.
Research:
Use a minimum of four credible sources.
Identifies sources of information to determine the sizes and
characteristics of market segments to target for a particular
product, and provides a rationale for each source.
Describes the characteristics of individual market segments and
provides examples of customers who fit each segment.
Explains how a particular product meets the needs of a targeted
market segment and includes the relative importance of the
needs met in each case.
Justifies an evaluation of product marketing strategy and
provides at least two sources of evidence as support.

4. Describes how a product might be better positioned for target
market segments and provides market information that supports
the suggested approaches.
Describes challenges involved in changing the positioning of a
product and provides specific examples to illustrate the
difficulties.
Communicates in a manner that is professional, scholarly, and
consistent with expectations for members of the business
professions. Adheres to APA guidelines and work is appropriate
for publication.
ASSESSMENT 4
Submit a 3- to 5-page analysis of the integration of marketing
communications in your selected company, with a particular
focus on the manner in which the marketing mix is applied for
the product you selected. Evaluate how well the company is
integrating all aspects of the marketing mix, and identify an
area that you see as a weakness.
Note
: You are encouraged to complete the assessments in this course
in the order in which they are presented.
SHOW LESS
By successfully completing this assessment, you will
demonstrate proficiency in the following course competencies
and assessment criteria:
Competency 2: Integrate fundamental principles and
applications of marketing to address business problems.
Analyze how a company integrates its marketing
communications efforts across the marketing mix.
Explain how a particular aspect of a company's marketing mix
falls short in relation to a particular product.
Competency 4: Integrate marketing analyses into general
business management planning and decision making.
Analyze current pricing.
Analyze current distribution channels.
Analyze current promotion, public relations, and advertising
activities.

5. Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is professional
and consistent with expectations for members of the business
profession.
For this assessment, you will analyze the integration of
marketing communications in your selected company, with a
particular focus on the manner in which the marketing mix is
applied for the product you selected. In Assessment 3, you
addressed the aspect of product strategy. For this assessment,
focus on the other three aspects—place, price, and promotion—
to analyze how the company uses each, and in particular, how
each is used to market your selected product. Evaluate how well
the company is integrating all aspects of the marketing mix.
Finally, identify and explain how an aspect of the company's
marketing mix falls short in relation to the product you
selected.
Preparation
To gain a sense of the range of marketing activities utilized by
your selected company, find and study all aspects of the
company's marketing mix. Pay particular attention to the media,
tools, and approaches used to market your selected product.
Analyze the characteristics of these activities so that you have a
clear sense of how the company, and your product in particular,
are presented to the market and how potential buyers are likely
to see the product. Begin writing your analysis when you have a
solid sense of both of these, along with a variety of examples to
support your thinking.
Directions
For this assessment, complete the following:
Analyze each of the following aspects of the marketing mix,
both for the company in general and for your selected product,
in detail:
Pricing strategy (price).
Analyze the company's overall pricing strategy in relation to
competitors. Then focus on the pricing strategy used for the
product you selected. For example, is the product positioned at
the high end of the market, as a midrange product, or as the low

6. cost alternative?
Channels of distribution (place).
Summarize the manner in which your selected company moves
its products to market. Then focus on how these channels of
distribution function for your selected product in particular.
Besides noting the logistics involved, analyze how well the
channel fits the image of the product. For example, if your
product is a technological tool, describe how it is moved from
production to customer availability, including the effectiveness
of the outlets or interactions that have direct contact with
customers. Consider the effectiveness of the company's
distribution overall—are they missing any productive channels?
Could they gain better penetration in their existing channels?
Market messaging (promotion).
Analyze the company's messages to the marketplace through all
of the channels the company uses. Include advertising, sales
promotion, and public relations, as well as the manner in which
the company uses any aspects of social media to support these
efforts. Analyze the extent to which the company integrates
print, media, and Internet efforts.
Analyze how the company integrates its marketing
communications efforts across the marketing mix:
For the company in general.
For the product you selected.
Identify an aspect of the marketing mix that you see as a current
weakness in terms of the product you selected. Explain your
thinking, including specific examples from the company's
current marketing activities.
Additional Requirements
Written communication:
Written communication should be free of errors that detract
from the overall message.
APA formatting:
Your analysis should be formatted according to current APA
style and formatting.
Length:

7. 3–5 typed and double-spaced pages.
Font and font size:
Times New Roman, 12 point.
Research:
Use a minimum of four credible sources.
Analyzes current pricing and explains how products are
positioned in relation to competitor pricing.
Analyzes current distribution channels and provides examples
of how products are distributed in relation to their positions in
the marketplace.
Analyzes current promotion, public relations, and advertising
activities, including both traditional and Internet activities and
the extent that the two are integrated.
Analyzes how a company integrates its marketing
communications efforts across the marketing mix and provides
examples of at least two kinds of integration
Explains how a particular aspect of a company's marketing mix
falls short in relation to a particular product and provides at
least one detailed example of the problem.
Communicates in a manner that is professional, scholarly, and
consistent with expectations for members of the business
professions. Adheres to APA guidelines and work is appropriate
for publication.
ASSESSMENT 5
Submit a 10–14 slide presentation of a recommended change in
marketing strategy for a selected product. The change should be
supported by, and consistent with, evidence related to the global
market potential for that product, as well as the analysis
completed in the previous assessments. The presentation should
be provided in a PowerPoint file, suitable to be projected for a
group meeting, with the essence of the ideas presented on the
slides, and the details of the presentation in the Notes area.
Note
: You are encouraged to complete the assessments in this course
in the order in which they are presented.
SHOW LESS

8. By successfully completing this assessment, you will
demonstrate proficiency in the following course competencies
and assessment criteria:
Competency 2: Integrate fundamental principles and
applications of marketing to address business problems.
Create an overview of a company based on its size, markets, and
product lines.
Competency 3: Develop innovative and sustainable solutions to
strategic marketing challenges.
Identify a strategic marketing challenge.
Develop alternative solutions to a global business marketing
problem or opportunity.
Recommend a change in product or marketing strategy.
Competency 4: Integrate marketing analyses into general
business management planning and decision making.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the marketing of a particular
product.
Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is professional
and consistent with expectations for members of the business
profession.
For this assessment, you will a present a recommended change
in marketing strategy for a selected product. The change should
be supported by, and consistent with, evidence gathered related
to the global market potential for that product, as well as the
analysis completed in the previous assessments. Begin by
summarizing relevant background information on the company
and the product, and making the case for a change. Examine
alternative approaches for changes in marketing strategy, then
select and justify the best approach. The presentation should be
provided in a PowerPoint file, suitable to be projected for a
group meeting, with the essence of the ideas presented on the
slides, and the details of the presentation in the Notes area.
Preparation
Conduct a brief study of marketplace needs related to your
selected product. Select two international markets in addition to
your own and identify any variations you find in aspects of the

9. marketing mix. For example, if you have been doing your
analyses so far in relation to marketing in the United States, you
could research the expectations of products like your selected
product in Europe and Asia. The most important aspects that
you find, both similarities and differences, will be the basis for
your strategy presentation. Your brief study should enable you
to answer the following questions:
What common expectations can you identify for your product in
each market?
What significant variations can you identify among expectations
in each market?
What would you conclude are the core expectations for all three
markets?
What alternatives do you see for your product, price, place, and
promotion strategies that:
Emphasize how the product addresses the core expectations that
are common to all markets for this type of product.
Allow for slight marketing variations by market, without
undermining the ability to satisfy the shared core expectations.
Provide at least one significant differentiating factor that could
provide your selected product with a competitive edge in each
of the markets you researched.
Directions
Develop a 10–14 slide presentation that follows this structure:
Title
: The title should include the name of the selected company and
product. It should also suggest the direction of the new aspect
of product strategy.
Introduction
(1 slide): Provide the following:
An overview of the process followed to arrive at the
recommendations provided in the presentation.
A summary of the background context needed for a member of
your audience to understand the issues raised in your analyses
and the choices made in your conclusions.
Company Overview

10. (1 slide): The overview can provide a historical perspective on
the selected company, the marketplace, culture, and key players.
Measures of size, effectiveness, and specifics on market
dynamics enhance the understanding of the size and scale of the
organization and the importance of the marketing strategy.
Product Overview
(1–2 slides): Describe the product involved, including its uses,
the needs it meets from the user's point of view, and the core
aspects of the marketing mix.
Current Situation
(3–4 slides): Explain how and where the product is currently
marketed, summarizing all aspects of the marketing mix and
utilizing information gained through your analyses in the four
previous assessments you completed–Company Selection and
Product Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Market Segmentation
and Product Strategy, and Integrated Marketing
Communications. In each case, keep the focus on the critical
details so that the results of your analysis clearly point to the
change(s) you will recommend.
Action Alternatives
(3–4 slides): Explain your thinking about improving the
potential for this product, particularly in relation to the global
market. At the very least, this explanation should include
answers to the following questions:
What are the greatest strengths of the product for a global
market? (Provide evidence.)
What aspect(s) of the product or its current marketing should be
addressed to strengthen the product in a global market? (Provide
evidence.)
What alternatives might make sense to strengthen the appeal of
the product to a global market? (Provide an explanation for each
alternative.)
Conclusion
(1–2 slides): Describe the change(s) you recommend in the
product or marketing strategy that you believe will increase the
market potential for the product. Explain why you think this

11. approach is superior to the other alternatives you listed,
including the evidence you have to support your conclusion.
Appendices
: List the resources you used to develop your company, product,
and market information, citing them as appropriate within slides
where evidence is provided. Each appendix should help build
understanding and contextual information necessary to explore
and advocate a marketing strategy.
The best test of the effectiveness of your presentation is
actually making the presentation to a friend or colleague,
showing the slides, and talking through the notes. Ensure that
the ideas are sequenced to make sense to another person who is
not familiar with them and supported well enough that this
person can see the logic of the ideas.
Additional Requirements
Written communication
: Written communication should be free of errors that detract
from the overall message.
Formatting
: Presentation should be provided in a Microsoft PowerPoint
file, with headings and slide allotments corresponding to the
directions in the assessment.
Length
: 10–14 PowerPoint slides, with detailed explanations for each
slide in the Notes section. The slide count does not include the
Title or Appendices slides.
Font and font size
: Arial or similar font, minimum 18-point, including a mix of
font sizes on each slide.
Research
: Appendix should include at least 8 references, formatted
according to current APA style and formatting.
Creates an overview of a company based on its size, markets,
and product lines, providing references to credible sources for
supporting information.
Evaluates the effectiveness of the marketing of a particular

12. product and provides specific evidence of shortcomings.
Identifies a strategic marketing challenge and explains the
primary areas of difficulty involved.
Develops alternative solutions to a global business marketing
problem or opportunity, and clarifies the greatest strengths of
each alternative.
Recommends a change in product or marketing strategy and
presents evidence that the change will be effective.
Communicates in a manner that is professional, scholarly, and
consistent with expectations for members of the business
professions. Adheres to APA guidelines and work is appropriate
for publication.
Recommends a change in product or marketing strategy and
presents evidence that the change will be effective.