Research has found that pets ease a person’sloneliness, and that living with pets helps people to be more active (Carver 2020; Wood et al. 2015). Most importantly, we are comforted by these non- human companions. The presence of a dog or a cat in the home may be the only thing between an isolated person and despair (Carver 2020; Wood et al. 2015). What was evidenced from the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide there was an unprecedented surge in pet adoptions and fostering (Boseley and Wahlquist 2020; Carver 2020). We found ourselves either working and studying from home or staying at home due to recommendations from health authorities. This resulted in an increase in adoption and foster care applications as we turn to pets for companionship (Boseley and Wahlquist 2020).
However, now that life is changing once more and we are returning to our workplaces, universities, offices, shops, cafes, etc., our furry friends are being left behind. This creates behavioural and psychological issues for both the pets and the owners (Teller 2020; Wells 2020). Resultant behaviours can include mood disorders, excessive barking, howling, crying, obsessive marking and grooming amongst our pets (Wells 2020). For the owners, it may be anxiety-inducing being separated from our furry companions who we love and have relied on so intimately for so long during a global health emergency (Peel 2020).
Furbo Dog Nanny(Furbo) (https://shopau.furbo.com/pages/furbo-dog-nanny) is an A.I. supportedhome system specifically designed with your pets in mind. It is a ‘nanny’ system that keeps yourpet safe through the use of video, audio, alerts sent directly to your mobile device, treat delivery system, Cloud recording capabilities, and more. It allows pet owners to know exactly what is going on at home with their pets and be alerted of emergencies in real time. It provides a sense of connection between owners and the pets they have had to leave at home. In the current environment,Furbowant to expand their operations as Australia is experiencing an extraordinary increase in demand for pet monitoring and support systems.
You have been hired as an independent marketing consultant to helpFurbodesign a marketing plan to enable them to realise the opportunity the current environment presents. Your role is to develop a 2-part marketing plan consisting of segmentation, targeting, differentiation and positioning strategies (Assessment 3) and strategic recommendations (Assessment 4) to helpFurboachieve their objectives. The three (3) objectives of the 2-part marketing plan you are required to complete are to:
- Identify a suitable target market of potential purchasers (individuals, not companies or businesses) forFurbo Dog Nanny.
- Identify how FurboDog Nanny should be positioned within the market.
- Develop an Integrated Marketing Communications strategy (IMC) usingTHREE (3)of the tools from the Promotional Mix element (i.e. advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, public relations and/or direct and digital marketing) that will enable Furbo Dog Nannyto increase sales.
YOU MUST NOT contact Furbo or its personnel in relation to this Assessment UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES
We wish you an enjoyable time researching and developing your reports, and we look forward to reading your wonderful marketing ideas.
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References:
Boseley, M. andWahlquist, C. 2020, “Doggone: Rescue pet shelters emptied by surge indemand during pandemic”,The Guardian, 16 August 2020, available at:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/16/dog-gone-eescue-pet-shelters-emptied- by-surge-in-demand-during-pandemic, accessed 10 February 2021.
Carver,LF. 2020, “How the coronavirus pet adoption boom is reducing stress”,The Conversation, 24 May 2020, available at:https://theconversation.com/how-the-coronavirus- pet-adoption-boom-is-reducing-stress-138074, accessed 10 February 2021.
Furbo 2021, Furbo Dog Nanny,https://shopau.furbo.com/pages/furbo-dog-nanny, accessed 10 February 2021.
Peel, R. 2020, “Dreading going back to the workplace?You might be feeling separation anxiety from your home”,The Conversation, 11 September 2020, available at:https://theconversation.com/dreading-going-back-to-the-workplace-you-might-be-feeling- separation-anxiety-from-your-home-145377, accessed 10 February 2021
Teller, LM. 2020, “How to help dogs and cats manage separation anxiety when their humansreturn to work”,The Conversation, 29 December 2020, available at:https://theconversation.com/how-to-help-dogs-and-cats-manage-separation-anxiety-when- their-humans-return-to-work-148301, accessed 10 February 2021.
Wells, K. 2020, “Quarrantine separation anxiety: The pandemic is hard on our dogs and catstoo”,The New York Times, 8 August 2020, available at:https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/08/smarter-living/wirecutter/pets-quarantine- separation-anxiety.html, accessed 10 February 2021.
Wood, L., Martin, K., Christian, H., Nathan, A., Lauritsen, C., Houghton, S., Kawachi, I. andMcCune, S. 2015, ‘The pet factor –companion animals as a conduit for getting to knowpeople, friendship formation and social support”,PLoS ONE, 10(4),e0122085. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122085.
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ASSESSMENT 3: INDIVIDUAL WRITTEN REPORT (STDP)
Due date:Week 5, Monday 22 March, 11:59pmWeighting:30 %
Furbohas identified an opportunity within Australia and wants to increase sales of its premier Dog Nanny product. Your task is to segment the market, identify which segmentFurboshould target, and recommend howFurboshould differentiate and position itself to best attract the target market you recommend.
Assessment
Completed Weighting
Word Limit
Due Date
Where to Submit
Assessment 3: Segmentation, Targeting, Differentiation and Positioning (STDP) Strategy
Individually ONLY
30% of final grade (marked out of 100)
1,500 words (+/- 10%)
Week 5, Monday 22 March @ 11:59 pm AEDT/AEST Assessment 3 Dropbox on iLearn (iLearn Quick Guides)
| Late Submission Penalty | Late assessment submissions must also be submitted through the appropriate submission link iniLearn. No extensions will be granted unless an application forSpecial Considerationis made and approved. There will be adeduction of 10%of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each24 hour periodor part thereof that the submission is late. Late submissions will not be accepted after solutions have been discussed and/or made available.
Note: applications forSpecial Consideration Policymust be made within 5 (five) business days of the due date and time. |
Word Limit Penalty Return Date
5% of the available marks will be deducted for every 10% that the word limit (1,500 words + 10%) is exceeded.
By 19 April @ 5:00pm AEDT/AEST
Please note the following:
- This is a business report andmust beformatted according to the Submission Guidelines
(see pages 13-15 of these Assessment Guidelines).
- If any company other thanFurbois used for this Assessment, itWILL NOT BE MARKEDand
will therefore attract a zero (0) grade.
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Section Marks Details
| Background
(150 words) |
10 | Background: Please provide a brieffully referencedbackground to this report. This should include: •An overview of the industry, the organisation, and the needs of the market•Explanation of the market offering provided |
| Market segmentation(450 words) | 30 | Market Segmentation Providethree (3)appropriate consumer market segments for the company to consider targeting–you MUST use a segmentation table(see p. 175 of prescribed text) to present this information.
|
| Target market and consumer profile(350 words) | 20 | Target Market and Consumer Profile
From the three (3) consumer segments identified in the Market Segmentation sectionRECOMMEND ONE (1)target market forFurboto focus on and provide afully referencedjustification of the recommended target market:
|
| Differentiation and positioning (450 words) |
30 | Differentiation and Positioning
Considering the target market that you have recommended and discuss how you would differentiate and positionFurbo’smarket offerings in those potentialconsumers’ minds(fully referenced):
|
| Conclusion
(100 words) |
5 | Conclusion
Make sure your conclusion:
|
| Professional presentation | 5 | Professional presentation
|
Please note the following:The words per section highlighted in the table above are suggestions only. You may vary the words you use per section. The word count penalty is based on the total words you have written for Assessment 2. Please see page 13-15 of these Assessment Guidelines.
