Sample Marketing Mix

DEVELOPING MARKETING MIX Introduction: A restaurant is a place where people can eat a meal and pay for it. The food ordered is usually served on the table by a waiter or waitress. Italian restaurant means an eatery belonging or relating to Italy, its people, language, and culture. One of the main invented dishes of Italy is “pizza.” Italian pizza consists of a usually round, flattened base of leavened dough, topped with tomatoes and cheese, with various ingredients such as mushrooms, onions, olives, pineapple, ham, and meat. Traditionally, it is baked through a wood-fired oven. Pizza is also served in formal meetings, presented as unsliced and eaten by fork and knife. In casual settings, it is eaten using hands. In Italy, a small pizza is called “pizzetta” and a person who makes pizza is called “pizzaiolo.” There are several essential cultures that make the trademark of Italian restaurants. Firstly, on their dining table; there must always have wine, water, and bread. Secondly, they have the discipline to eat one meal of pasta a day. Lastly, pizzas are not typically found in common restaurants, they are served in an exclusive “pizzeria” or pizza restaurant. There are several common problems that an Italian restaurants face. First, the Menu, some eateries in Italy have a long list of options for their customers, making the choice of order dicult. Some have short lists, yet at the same time limited food alternatives that make the restaurant attract limited customers. Second, the Service Time, Italian cuisine takes more time to cook and serve at the table, oftentimes customers become frustrated and impatient. Last, a Unique Selling Point, one of the main dilemmas of Italian restaurants is creating an ambiance for the place, whether it could be a common cafe bakery, a romantic dining, a bar, or for family set up. Before crafting a Marketing Mix proposal for Italian food and restaurant, these are the essential informations needed to be considered for a concise, clear, and eective marketing strategy. Marketing Strategy Analysis: In my analysis, I would choose the the Strategy B (answer to #1 question) that consists of the following: ● ● ● ● Create a fun and exciting dining experience; The restaurants should look and feel like a cafe in Italy; Employ fun, outgoing, and energetic sta; and Probably have a large outdoor dining area as well. Before giving a fundamental explanation to why I chose Strategy B. I would like to present my evaluation of the other options. Based on the common problems (Menu, Service Time, Selling Point) Italian restaurants face, the other marketing plans do not fit the situation. Strategy D: it proposes the restaurant to be a business that sells their product lower than the usual price, operating that undercuts the competition, yet having the goal to provide based value to the customers. Analysis: this strategy does not solve any problems of Italian restaurant chains. Conversely, this leads the business to be complacent and mediocre, or at any point deny the essential need to be met. Strategy C: it proposes a restaurant to have convenience service, aiming to be like other fast food chains restaurants that served a very short time of delivery. Analysis: this marketing plan may be the positive option to solve the Service Time problem of Italian eateries, however, this does not fit to the case study given which focused on the product of pizza. Serving pizza to customers in a short period of time of 5 minutes is not appropriate, the dish is baked and cooked usually around 10-15 minutes. This may lead the business to compromise the quality and taste of pizza they are going to serve to the customers, that may create negative impressions and feedback to the restaurant overall. Strategy A: it proposes the restaurant to oer a unique range of high quality pizza flavors and taste, use special ingredients like avocado and oysters, create innovative and new standards for pizzeria. Analysis: this is the most common strategy and resolution that any restaurant runs into - to create more products, improve new tastes, and oer long options to customers. Actually, the long menu is also one of the Italian cuisine’s problems. Unfortunately, strategy A is also not eective at some point. Take the example of the Milk Tea industry, where businesses create more and more flavors of the drink they oer, but do not guarantee positive attraction to a lot of customers and profit. WHY STRATEGY B: Strategy B does solve and create a practical chain for Italian restaurants. The following paragraphs do the justification (answer to question #3) to why this strategy is right and eective: Firstly, this strategy does resolve the Unique Selling Point Problem of Italian eateries. Their business does not have the diculty to provide high quality taste of pizzas. Hence, they need to focus on providing a high standard dining experience to their customers. To be welcomed and served by energetic and outgoing stas, create an ambiance for both romantic set ups, yet at the same time have large outdoor dining for family. Secondly, this strategy does resolve the Service Time problem of Italian restaurants. While the customers are waiting for the high quality Italian pizza they ordered, a good dining environment may give them the time to take pictures and make conversations that may help them to wait patiently. Positively may attract loyalty to customers and referrals to potential future one. Lastly, this strategy may not fully solve the Menu problem of Italian restaurants, for one of the ingrained cultures they have in their cuisine is to provide a lot of alternatives to their food options, dierent flavors and tastes of breads, pastas, and pizzas. As long as they do not have issues on the quality of the food they served, the menu problem would never be on the top priority needed to be considered. And it is not covered in the list of resolutions that Strategy B proposes. Four (4) Ps of Strategy B: For the last section, I would provide the four Ps (product, price, promotion, place) for my chosen strategy (answer to question #2): Strategy B focuses on the promotion and place of the four Ps. It does not propose any change in the area of product and price that the business oered in the first place. For that reason, the product of Italian restaurants: the menu, the flavors, the taste would stay the same; as well the price of the food. The sections that have the top priority to consider are the changes of place and how they would use it as an advantage to be part of their promotion, that help them succeed. Product: When the Strategy B is implemented, the common list of food products that Italian restaurants oer do not change. The following figures are some of the examples: Food Product Tomato Italian Pasta Bolognese Italian Pasta Carbonara Garlic Bread Figure Italian Mini Loaves Pizza Marinara Pizza Capricciosa Pizza Melanzane Italian Cae Cappuccino Italiano Price: Like any other restaurants, they use the Psychological Pricing Strategy, it is used when a price of the product appears significantly more aordable, filling the blank price of Php __.99 instead of rounding it o to the nearest whole pesos/dollar. This pricing strategy helps encourage the consumer to buy based on perceived aordability. At the same time, it boosts profit margin and increases sales. Place: The physical distribution of Italian restaurants is not in consideration to be changed, the actual environment is the thing that needs to be improved. Italian restaurants need segmentation of their bodily area; there has to be tables for romantic dining and for family set up. This again would resolve the Unique Selling Point and Service Time problem of Italian eatery. The following figures are set of examples: Promotion: The high quality of food, unique standard of environment, outgoing sta, and aordable price are the essential factors for internal promotion of Italian restaurants. Combining external tactics of foodie photos, giving discounts, oering special treats for birthdays, marriages, anniversary, etc., engaging with outdoor events/eatery, fliers, websites, and social media would attract more and build customer relationships. The following figures are examples of restaurant’s promotion: Conclusion: Strategy B would be an eective and appropriate marketing strategy to craft a new chain in Italian restaurants having pizza as their main dish and product to oer. Italian eatery has three main problems: Long Menu, Service Time, and Unique Selling Point. On the other hand, they do not have issues in the area of food quality and taste. Hence, strategy B is the suitable marketing solution to be implemented. It would provide a standard dining environment, entertain customers while patiently waiting, and promote the business internally & externally that would make it profitable and successful.