Vicks Scorpio free essay sample

The series affords an opportunity to see the entire marketing process unfold – from the assessment of market opportunity to the development of a marketing plan. Our first goal is to see how market research supports this process at various stages. A secondary goal is to gain an understanding of the relative advantages and disadvantages of various research procedures. The (A) case, set in February 1979, describes the Richardson-Merrell company, its Vicks Health Care Division, and new product marketing in that division. It also describes in detail the markets for colds care products and products for related conditions – sinusitis, allergy, coughs, and headaches. The main issues in the (A) case are whether there is an opportunity for Scorpio and, if yes, how it should be positioned. The (B) case, set in May 1980, reveals that Vicks chose a multi-condition positioning for Scorpio, via the brand name â€Å"Vicks Versus 3† and the claim that it was suitable for colds, sinus, and allergy. We will write a custom essay sample on Vicks Scorpio or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The bulk of the (B) case reports the four-city test market conducted over the previous 12 months. You are expected to evaluate both the design of the test and its results, and decide what to do next. The (C) Case, set in March 1981, reveals that the new products group has decided to recommend national expansion. The case presents the latest test market results and a large number of possible elements of the national marketing plan. You have to select and justify options, integrate them into a marketing plan, and complete a five-year pro formula PL. Some of the purposes of using this case are: 1. To expose you to a complete new product development process as practiced by a highly sophisticated consumer packaged goods marketer. . To illustrate the use of a very wide range of basic marketing research techniques, particularly how each technique is used at different stages of the marketing process; 3. To allow you to use many (and sometimes conflicting) pieces of research as input into evaluation of market opportunity, development of a positioning strategy, evaluation of both the execu tion and the results of a test market program, assessment of advertising strategy, choice among promotional tools, and finally, the development of a national launch program. 4. To expose you to detailed aspects of marketing which may not be covered in less comprehensive cases; 5. To provide an exercise in marketing planning which integrates both the demand-generation benefits and the financial costs of each element of the plan. Vicks Health Care Division: Project Scorpio (A) Vicks (A) does not have a strong decision focus with respect to an element of the marketing mix. The key decision faced in February 1979 is the additional research to do to help determine the positioning of the product, or if any viable positioning exists at all. Questions to think about include: 1. What is the market opportunity for Project Scorpio? 2. What can we learn from the 1979 Awareness and Usage Study? What is your evaluation of the quality of these data? 3. How should Mr. Morelli proceed in February 1979? What, if anything, should he test, and how? More specifically, you should conduct three major sections of analyses: (i) the assessment of the market opportunity for the Scorpio product by using the â€Å"4Cs approach† (i. e. , Company, Consumer, Collaborator and Competition).