Strategic change management of British American Tobacco

Strategic change management of British American Tobacco British America Tobacco (BAT) was formed over 100 years ago, as a joint venture between the UKs Imperial Tobacco Company and the American Tobacco Company in a bid to end an intense trade war. James Buck Duke founder of America Tobacco Company became the first chairman. Despite deriving its name from the home bases of its two founding companies, British American Tobacco was established to trade outside both the UK and the USA; the two companies  will not  trade in each others domestic markets and acquire the right to use each others brands and trade marks in their own territory. The early period of the company formation saw a lot of expansion, consolidation, merging and de-merging until resent past when the 1902 agreement was revocated and BAT gains exclusive rights of is original brands. The company vision to achieve leadership of the global tobacco will be based on Growth, Productivity, Responsibility and building a Winning Organization. (BAT, 2008) PRODUCTS OVERVIEW Cigarettes; This account for about 95 per cent of the company product Smokeless snus; Swedish-style snus is a form of tobacco that isnt smoked, usually placed under the lip, chewed or in the nostrils. It is reported to be much less harmful than cigarettes. Cigars; British American Tobacco produces wide range of various shapes, strength and flavors. Roll-your-own; the oldest form of smoking sometimes referred to as hand-rolling tobacco or fine cut. Pipe tobacco; is aged, A pipe like tube for smoking tobacco. Global Drive Brands: Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike and Pall Mall are marks. International brands Rothmans, Kool, Benson and Hedges, 555, Peter Stuyvesant and John Player Gold Leaf. The company is also improving the sales of Vogue and Viceroy. MARKETING STRATEGY Strategic management for most organization is a way of thinking and a term used in everyday conversation. A market generally is made up of sellers/producers/suppliers of Products/ services and buyers of these products/ services. Key to this exchange between buyers and sellers is the concept of needs and wants which marketers must strive to satisfy. Marketing is all about getting the right products and services to customers who want/need them. Strategy is looks into the future then develops and implements the plans that will drive the organization in the right direction; it presents the broad marketing approach to meet the marketing plan objectives. The marketing planning should be aimed towards designing marketing strategies that are efficient, effective, flexible and adaptable. According to (Brassington and Pettitt 2000), marketing strategy cannot be design in isolation, it has to include the objectives of the organization and take into consideration other strategies of the organiza tion. Competition British America Tobacco faces competition from many international and local players in the industry. Notable among them are; Imperial Group, Gallaher limited, Tltria, Japan tobacco, Altadis. They all compete in sharing the Global volume. Marketing Three stages of marketing techniques 5Ps (Adapted from the Times 100) Market research enables the organization to identify the most appropriate marketing mix for effective promotion. (The times 100) Successful marketing is the bedrock of growth for any fast moving consumer goods business. The company strategy to build its Organization. Growth, according to Marketing Director, Jimmi Rembiszewski does not mean increasing the number of smokers rather it means increasing the company share of those adult who have chosen to smoke there by increasing the value of share. Marketing in many businesses is based on the fundamental 5 Ps:   product, price, packaging, promotion and place.   For BAT, promotion is now much more limited and very carefully controlled due to increasing regulations. Product Product value and quality are high on company agenda. The company first Chairman once said to achieve success there need to be a quality product and right people. BAT also offers consumers smokeless Swedish-style snus, considered to be less harmful than cigarette. Price Pricing is one of the most important marketing strategies employed by tobacco companies all over the world. The rise of America Tobacco Company was largely due to aggressive pricing strategies used by James Duke led to the rise of American Tobacco Company, this was made possible by the cost advantages derived. This forced competitors to join him or leave the market. (Chaloupka et al, 2002) BAT is prided for quality, choice of flavors, diversified, segmented global brands at the super premium, premium, mid-price and value-for-money price points. Promotion Tobacco companies all over the world use myriad activities to promote their products. Laws governing tobacco brand advertising mean that promotion now has far less relevance than the other 4 Ps, and that mass media promotion is going or gone. As traditional marketing avenues have closed, tobacco industries now use other marketing strategies. One such strategy is the use of advertainment, possibly derived from two words advertisement and entertainment. This is a way of trying to link brand image to an entertainment event. Some of the Activities use by tobacco companies to promote their products includes: Event sponsorship For many years Tobacco companies have been using event sponsorships to promote their products, by sponsoring an event, a brand ties that events image to its own. While the parameters within which they can pursue this strategy are narrowing due to legislation, tobacco marketers continue to find ways to make connections between the images of events and the images of their products. Bars and Clubs Tobacco companies host high concerts and budget parties, which target a particular group. Tobacco products posters and signs are also used to promote the bars. Direct Mail Advertisement / Direct Marketing Tobacco marketing has in recent past shifted from traditional method of advertising to developing relationships with individual customers. (Anderson, et al). A major element of direct marketing is direct mail targeted to individuals on tobacco companies extensive mailing lists. Direct mail was found to be a major distribution channel for coupons, sweepstakes offers, brand-loyalty program catalogs and event sponsorship notice. (Delnevo, et al 2004). Point Of Sale Advertisement Advertising at the point of sale remains a major component of tobacco marketing. Places where cigarettes are sold are packed with promotional messages. Companies compete for trademark presence and best shelf space. Successful retailers are also rewarded sometimes. (Physicians for a smoke-free Canada 2002). Other methods commonly use by tobacco companies include; distribution of Giveaways and Print ads at events. Place The target group must be aware of the existence and availability, should never be out of stock and be at the right outlet. SWOT Analysis This part depicts opportunities and threats faced by BAT caused by the external environment Strengths The Community and BAT: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ worlds second largest quoted tobacco group by global market share, with brands sold in more than 180 markets . à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ products released under an open-source license meaning it is free to acquire and distribute à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ the licensing structure means can benefit from Community involvement à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Global tobacco market with largest market in china where around 2,100 billion cigarettes are consumed by about 350 million smokers annually development team and other support for the Community and products à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A very broad geographic base, well placed to meet the changing environment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Portfolio of some 300 brands based on distinct must-win consumer segments à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 47 cigarette factories in 40 countries à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ providing farmers with a welcome alternative crop.   In many cases, it provides a higher income than any other smallholder crop.   It integrates well into environmentally friendly crop rotations, benefiting subsequent crops like maize. Weaknesses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Tobacco consumption poses real risks to health, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ illicit tobacco trade à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Inability to totally eliminate non target group à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Child Labour in Tobacco Growing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ black market driven by ever higher taxes, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Weak criminal penalties, poor border controls, low arrest rates à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Non-Compliance Strategy e.g. selling in unlicensed establishment Opportunities à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Delivering innovations and refinements to our products across leaf blends, finer cut tobacco, new filters, new formats such as slimmer products and improved tastes in segments such as menthol. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Able to innovate constantly à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Over 100 countries grow tobacco à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Largest leaf supply chain having no match in the industry of tobacco à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ This industry is possessed with the ability to rescuing itself for a long term Threats à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Price competition in tobacco industry can be fierce.   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ the presence of many brands products in the marketplace à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ the open-source license regime means anyone can re-brand and redistribute under new name à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Laws governing tobacco brand advertising and company restrictions à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Counterfeiting à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Smoking and health litigation (third party reimbursement, class action, individual action) The success of marketing activity should be monitored. General criticisms Tobacco use has been found to be harmful and addictive product that has huge health and economic impact for the users and passive users. It was found to be a single most preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in most developed nations and addiction is one of the greatest threats facing young people (British Columbia Ministry of Health Services, 2003) Tobacco use has huge economic, social and environmental consequences. Some of which are highlighted in the table below: Direct Health Social economic Environmental Disability Reduced productivity Fire damage Premature death Worker absenteeism Liters from cigarette buts Lost income due to premature death direct health care costs Studies also found a link between advertising and promotions and encouraging adolescents to initiate smoking, and that point-of-sale advertising influences youths intentions to smoke in the future (Chaloupka et al, 2007). RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSSION Several studies have found tobacco product to be harmful to health with enormous economic and incalculable social impact. Reducing its use has also been found to improved general health and wellness. Government has always been torn between forfeiting a large sum derived from Tobacco industry through tax and job creation, and listening to the voice of experts who are determine to see that tobacco usage is banned. Tobacco companies all over the world use all sort of tactics, including lobbying, campaigns aim at health improvement, looking for allies to ensure they have a free market. It is identified in this report that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Tobacco industries will use any means of publicity to reach their target group à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ increasing global share value (profit) and tax are key strategic elements defining battlefield for the industry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Costs and impacts of smoking are misinterpreted, and Tobacco companies will always found allies in stakeholders (Ross 2008)) This report suggests that any form of advertisement or promotion that has a large percentage of spilling over to non target group should be restricted e.g. point-of-sale advertisement. Authorities should put more effort in helping people to quit and protect passive smokers. There should be a clear definition of where smoking is allowed or not, it is not uncommon to see smokers smoking at bus stop or on the street. More research needs to be done on the effect of Nicotine, main component of tobacco products. Where products are found to be extremely harmful, companies should be mandated to withdraw such products.

National Food Marketing Report Essay

Pakistan is known for spice in the world, as it has brought several sub continental taste from India after independence. National Foods is the leading sub continental recipe masala company of Pakistan with distinct market share as compare to the competitors. National Foods began its journey in 1970 as a Spice company, with a revolutionary product that popularized the concept of having clean, healthy food. National foods’ initiatives were, to make food that is hygienic, reduce time spent in the kitchen by women, foster health and contribute towards personal attractiveness, so that people who use our products would be able to experience a more rewarding life-style. This was long before the phrase ‘Corporate Mission’ had even been invented. However, founder’s philosophy remains unchanged over time. Even if their language – and the notion of only women doing the housework – have become outdated, in this age of rapidly changing lifestyles, fuelled by the rampant development of technology; consumers are compelled to alter their eating habits. National Foods responds to this challenge of developing innovative food products based on convenience and quick preparation in line with modern lifestyles and yet retains traditional values through its diverse collection of food products. In a history that now crosses three decades, National Foods’ success has been influenced by the major events of the day – economic boom, depression, wars, changing consumer lifestyles and technological advancements. Even after three decades the company’s focal point still remains on customer’s needs through product development in line with the changing market trends. COMPANY PHILOSOPHY National Foods must focus on customer’s needs and serve them with quality products at affordable prices at their doorsteps. Our products must be pure and conform to international standards. Our research must continuously produce new adventurous products scientifically tested, hygienically produced in safe and attractive packaging. We must create environment in our offices and factories where talents are groomed and have opportunity to advance in their careers. We must prove to be recognized as good corporate citizens, support good causes-charity and bear fair share of taxes. Reserves must be built, new factories created, sound profits made and fair dividend paid to our stock holders through building a reliable brand. National Foods Ltd. must get itself recognized as leader in Pakistan and abroad. With the help of almighty God, the company can achieve its targets in years to come. VISION STATEMENT The vision of National Foods Ltd. is â€Å"To be a Rs. 50 billion food company by the year 2020 in the convenience food segment by launching products and services in the domestic and international markets that enhance lifestyle and create value for our customers through management excellence at all levels. † BUSINESS PRACTICES NFL believes in conducting its operations with strong ethical and moral standards. NFLs statement of code of conduct & business practices aims to provide guidance on carrying out its business related decisions and activities. We wish to achieve excellence in all spheres of our operations for which code of conduct form the basis. Any party entering any form of contract with NFL is bound to comply with the given guidelines. NFLs statement of code of conduct & business practices has the following seven guidelines: 1. Unfair Means: Any use of bribery, kickbacks or any form of payment in cash/kind to obtain business related or otherwise gainful benefit for the company is strictly prohibited. Excessive business gifts and entertainment also hold the same meaning and NFL does not approve of such payments. 2. Respect and Integrity: NFL believes in giving respect to individuals. We aim to operate in a manner that discourages discrimination, harassment and/or influence. Discrimination refers to favoritism based on a particular aspect of an individual personality. 3. Conflict of Interest: NFL prohibits actions that are in conflict with the company business interests. This may include but is not limited to providing assistance to the competition or holding ownership interests in a customer, supplier, distributor or competitor and making personal gains at company expense. 4. Confidentiality: NFL believes in confidentiality of information related to company business activities. The company expects employees not to disclose or divulge by any means the confidential and commercially sensitive information except to the authoritative personnel requiring it. 5. Statutory Compliance: NFL believes in providing total support and cooperation to all the governmental and regulatory bodies irrespective of the extent of prevalent enforcement. 6. Financial Integrity: NFL believes in complete compliance with the accepted accounting rules and procedures. This includes but is not limited to Transparency: NFL discourages any illegal activity for the purpose of any benefit to the company or others. All information supplied to the stake holders and/or auditors must be authentic & transparent and Disclosure: All transactions must be fully disclosed and must be for the purpose stated for. 7. Health, Safety and Community Responsibility: NFL is fully committed to safety, health and responsibility towards environment and community. All activities of NFL must portray responsibility towards the community and nation as a whole. NFL seeks to employ procedures that are safe, healthy and environment friendly. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS This year brought a series of challenges and transformation for the Sales Team. As the magnitude of the socio-political upheavals increased in the country, the Sales Team was not only determined to face all the adversities, in the face of the law and order situation, but also introduce valuable changes which would be favorable for the overall growth and development of the company. In spite of the prevailing conditions of strikes, shutter downs and political turmoil, the Sales Team delivered its targets. In certain key categories like recipe and salt, we even over delivered. These categories have a significant impact in volume growth and bottom line as well. The Channel Specific approach implemented is beginning to yield results, where the Sales Team capitalized on the market sales potential in areas of Public Account, Local Modern Trade, International Modern Trade, Food Service Division, Special Category and General Trade. Sales growth in Public Accounts (USC-CSD) has more than doubled this year. In Special Category Management (SCM), sales of salt was at an all time high. The 2013 environment was once again challenging on account of deteriorating law and order situation, high inflation, counterfeits and energy shortages. However, in the wake of such challenges, we delivered 20% sales growth (Volume 15%) with an improvement in trading operating margin and EPS growth thereby demonstrating the value of strong alignment of our people behind our strategic priority to become Rs. 50bn business by 2020. Strong presence in international markets is at the core of our vision statement and in line with our aspiration we established a subsidiary in Dubai NFL – DMCC to strengthen our export operations and plan to set up more subsidiaries in Europe and North America soon. The sustained business growth that we have evidenced in National Foods as well as strategic alignment provides framework for accelerated innovation, increased engagement with consumers and enhanced operational and financial capabilities. This will enable us to remain fit to win in more intense environment in future. Pakistan is the part of sub-continent, which is known for the high spicy foods and National Foods is the leading recipe masala of the country. But National Foods faced tough competition from the founder of the recipe masalas in the country that is Shan Foods’ Recipe Masalas. National Foods has different food categories and in each category they faced different competitors. National Foods started their operations with Jam, Jelly, Marmalades and Pickles and became a major competitor to Michelle’s and Ahmed Foods. National Foods are perceived as Pioneer in Ketchups and Sauces by competing with Shezan and now Shangrilla too. Following is the SWOT Analysis and Matrix as per National Food’s Strategy Formulation: Strengths: Cultural Image Developer Largest Food Exporter High Advertising Budget International Recognition. Weakness: High Pricing Strategy Limited Products Conventional Packing Stuck with Tradition Opportunities: High Food Entertainment Fond to International Tastes Multi-Cultural Lifestyle Technological Communication SO Strategy National Foods should introduced International Recipes WO Strategy Associate National Food’s Brands with Interactive Social Media Threats: Increasing Dine-in Hangout Low Priced Masala Brands Ready-to-Eat Food Availability Chef’s TV Demonstrations ST Strategy Sponsored the Cookery Shows on Leading Food TV Channels in Pakistan WT Strategy. Cobranding the National Foods with Leading Fast Food Chains for building association Proposed and Designed by Afnan Khan OLD VERSUS NEW BRAND LOGO OLD LOGO For over 40 years, we’ve been known as the one brand women all over Pakistan count on, but just like people grow and change, we’re growing too. And now it’s time for a change. Every year we’re growing bigger, brighter, more global, and our NFL spirit of adventure – which has been the energy behind every new and innovative product – is now the encouragement behind our new logo. The new Pakistani homemaker is feisty and vibrant and our new image is helping her feel just as we have generations of food lovers feel – completely at home. NEW LOGO At NFL, freshness is what keeps us going. We keep life updated with new recipes, new products, and now we’ve got ourselves a Transformed logo. As with everything we do, we took a careful look at what we had, kept the best of the past, and introduced elements that were exciting, appealing, and yet always true to our soul. We’re still caring, optimistic, and reliable and now we’re livelier than ever before! MARKETING MIX Product Categories National Foods Limited has Fourteen Product Categories: 1. Chinese 2. Desserts 3. Health foods 4. Jams 5. Ketchups 6. Pickles 7. Raj masala National Food’s Recipe Masalas are the high revenue generated product, competing with Shan Foods shoulder by shoulder. National Foods launched Rivaaj Pastes in last decade and received acclaimed response from the market by having a competitive advantage in product line. National Foods’ Chinese Recipes are pressured by the Knorr’s Chinese Recipes and failed to receive estimated targets. National Foods’ Ketchups are the followers in the market despite of being founder in the ketchup industry because of Shangrilla’s Chinese flavored ketchups. National Foods’ another product category of Pickles are the second most sales generated product and successfully beating the competing brands of Ahmed Foods and Shangrilla. National Foods launched Fruitily instant drinks around four years back but failed to receive the customer’s response because of mismanaged distribution and high advertising of competing brand of Tang Fruit Juices. Product Growth as per National Foods Annual Report 2013: Recipe Mix: National Recipes sales grew by 25. 2% further establishing its market leadership. Gross margin improved, thereby further strengthening the financial health of this important category. The National Recipe Princess contest was conducted in fifty colleges across six cities in Pakistan targeting college going female students. The Karachi Special launch was a laser focused activity to cater to Karachi by launching the recipe mixes keeping in mind the Karachi taste palette. Ketchup: The Sauces Category recorded star performance of 39. 6% growth underpinned by highly successful consumer offering of Ketchup and Chat Masala Combo Pack during peak seasonal period of Ramazan. Gross margin also improved significantly in this category. In addition to well-planned and tightly orchestrated advertising and promotional campaign, penetration, availability and visibility provided the brand fuel for growth to register impressive growth. Fruitily: Despite strong competitive environment in this category, Fruitily recorded 5. 6% growth, gained market share with noticeable improvement in Gross margin. As this is new addition to National Foods portfolio, we will continue to invest in this category to accelerate growth for the future. Salt: Sales grew by 26. 5% with Gross margin improving significantly thereby delivering healthy bottom line. This category has significant potential on health platform as it serves the human body’s requirement for Iodine. Pickles: The category grew by 18%, despite stiff competition. However, Gross margin was diluted on account of higher material cost as we did not pass on inflationary pressure to consumers. The manufacturing process has been redesigned to fully exploit the potential of automation and further upgrade the safety standards. Pricing Strategy National Foods launched their brands with penetrating marketing strategies especially for Masala Recipes, Pickles, Jams but found to be involved in skimming strategy for their brand Rivaaj. National Foods’ Masala Recipes are following the same pricing of Shan Recipes Masalas, but after the recent launching of Mehran Recipe Masalas and Nice Recipe Masalas at high priced strategy, National Foods are counted as on the skimming pricing. As National Foods are following the international quality standards with high marketing budgeting, they compel to be on their well settled prices instead of getting down, but to tackle the competition raised by Mehran Recipe Masalas and Nice Recipe Masalas, National Foods introduced Sachet at half price. Distributional Sales Force The National Foods sales team has also made a significant development toward rural penetration and coverage through a dedicated Rural Development Force (RDF). RDF has extended its operations up to 370 uncovered rural settlements and expanded its distribution to more than 4,000 outlets. To improve our distribution operations in Balochistan, they have appointed Muller and Phipps (M&P), which is expected to enhance our sales performance in this geography. They have also taken initiatives to deploy IT solutions to maximize the benefit of information management in sales. A new software was implemented across Pakistan with key distributors to capture information on real time basis that will assist NFL to take quick action, provide analysis and assist in decision making. Promotional Activities National Foods is pioneer in developing state of the art promotional ideas in the food industry of Pakistan. Due to extra ordinary creative marketing and advertising campaigns, National Foods is perceived on the priority level as compare to their direct competitor i. e. Shan Foods in recipe masalas. Following are the leading marketing and advertising campaign: Rang Bharti Jao National Recipes celebrated its vivid persona with a two minute TVC, bursting with colors, emotions and sensorial shots of rich home-cooked food. In the background, the majestic voice of Tina Sani singing â€Å"Rang Bharti Jao† added to the surreal delicacy of the video. The â€Å"Rang Bharti Jao† campaign was a great success, as it won over the hearts of consumers due to its emotional appeal, and impressed the jury at the PAS awards. The amazing response led to National Recipe acquiring the Best Campaign Award in the Culinary Category. Karachi Special Launch After National Recipe’s great success, the Marketing Team was set out to cater to Karachi by launching recipe mixes especially made keeping in mind Karachi taste palettes. These recipe mixes have five different variants that are fierier and more flavourful to accommodate and satisfy the bold taste buds of Karachiites. Campaigning for these special recipe mixes was also in full throttle; with a TVC, hoardings and a massive BTL campaign, where the NFL float would go to different apartments and cook for the people there (trial activity). Moreover, Chef Saadat in support of National Foods would go to the float and cook for consumers all across Karachi. All this information was shared on our Facebook page for added hype. The Karachi Special Launch was a great stepping-stone for the brand’s aspirations of having long-term National Recipe loyalists in Karachi. National Ketchup Campaign National Ketchup experienced a huge boost in sales due to creative campaigns that coined the product as 100% tomatoes, making it synonymous with â€Å"real tomatoes†. Consumers highly appreciated the pre-emptive organic link to freshness and made the campaign, which ran on ATL and POS, very effective. The campaign also supported Ramadan season, which provided added exposure. National Recipe Princess Hundreds of college students were given a chance once again by National Foods to showcase their culinary skills. The National Recipe Princess contest was conducted in fifty colleges across six cities in Pakistan, with the aim of searching talented young girls who have a flair for cooking to compete for the title of Recipe Princess. This activation was highly successful as electronic media and digital media (Facebook page) gave it a huge boost. College students could keep track of the competition through photos, maps of the contest route, and group discussions and comments, resulting in colossal exposure of over a million views of the competition nationwide. Celebrity guest judges were also invited to the competitions for added hype and brand publicity creating the ideal recipe for success! National Pickles Campaign The attempt to reinvent the brand image of National Pickles proved to be a great success. The aim was to reposition it as a happening brand with an added zing, along with highlighting the pure, delicious and rich ingredients that make National Pickles the best. From the hummable tune to mouth-watering food shots and sensational ingredient shots, the campaign spoke to audiences of all ages, and increased the number of National Pickles fans in no time. National Ka Pakistan Pakistan’s culinary diversity and vivid culture are its joy and pride. National Foods sent out television’s renowned Chef Saadat on an exciting journey to discover the culinary gems hidden in the country’s nooks and crannies. Being the first ever attempt by a food company to create exciting episodic content that reflects the rich fusion of tradition and taste, this series was an attempt to showcase a safer and softer image of Pakistan along with highlighting Pakistan’s unparalleled love for food. The episodes were aired on 9 channels and were heavily supported by digital media as well. The show attained top ten ratings on news and entertainment channels, making it incredibly popular. National Ka Pakistan also bagged the prestigious Passion for Pakistan Award in the PAS awards 2012, triggering overwhelming success. Taste Of Pakistan National launched ‘Taste of Pakistan’, a unique cookbook that captured Chef Saadat’s journey from ‘National ka Pakistan’, and also celebrated Pakistan’s wonderful cuisine with 50 mouth-watering recipes from all across Pakistan. The response to this book was extremely positive because of the fact that the informative cookbook was not only a source for scrumptious recipes, but also a travel log, which helped consumers discover different regions of Pakistan and their delectable cuisines. Facebook Page Support By creating a presence on Facebook through the brand page, National Foods was able to interact with consumers on a much more consumer-friendly forum. It encouraged engagement as National Foods fans could now be updated about all the latest launches, BTL, contests, recipes, amongst other activities. Likes skyrocketed from a mere 15,000 to 60,000 within only eight months which resulted in an increase in the National Foods fan following, while setting sails to rising success for the brand. One-Minute Recipes In the fast-paced world of today’s times, people are always looking for quick solutions to everything. Taking the growing digital users as a base, National Foods launched the first ever one-minute video recipe cards in Pakistan. These one-minute videos were the quickest way to view a recipe with ease, and therefore, they gained a great deal of popularity, especially among the younger audience. The videos are now available on Google Play for Android cell-phone users too. To date, these videos have been viewed more than 55,000 times and the application software has been downloaded more than 6,000 times, thereby demonstrating its success. NATIONAL FOODS AS LEADING EXPORTER BThe wide range of National Foods products enjoys unparalleled acclaim across the world as we believe in providing nothing but the best. National Foods products are famous globally for their freshness, taste, hygiene and value for money. Providing you the exotic taste of Pakistan, National Foods products are distributed in over 35 countries in 5 continents, through our strategic partners. And with our continuous success, we are rapidly making inroads into new markets worldwide. NATIONAL FOODS IN COMMUNITY Commitment to CSR has been a part of the NFL strategy since its inception. Different initiatives reflecting our values are undertaken to give back to the society that has supported our business throughout the years. At NFL, we believe that CSR starts with providing the highest quality of products and services at the least cost and with the least environmental impact. From this foundation, our CSR aspirations continue to grow, incorporating processes and activities that aim to strengthen society and ensure sustainable social delivery. Sustainability underlines the foundation for NFL’s business endeavors, where we especially engage in strategic social investments, working to empower and uplift communities. The CSR Mission of National Foods is â€Å"Our CSR commitments must reflect all facets of our corporate personality – NFL as a manufacturer, an employer, a consumer in itself and as an industry leader. We uphold these commitments through our values, policies and our practices. †

Nternational Marketing and Marketing Research

International Marketing and Marketing Research Compare the advertising campaigns (message, media, target audience†¦ )which company may use a) to launch new product b) to support a long established product whose sales are slowly declining Introduction Due to new challenges which business organisations encounter in ever changing environment, the present marketing must focus on much more than creating new products or services. It is vital to price them attractively and make them available to increasing demands of customers at place where they require them.However, an ffective marketing mix can be only successful only if all it parts take place One of the core aims of firms' marketing departments nowadays is to give emphasis to communication with their customers. The communication is based on understanding people's needs. The mission of marketing specialist is to create and design an unique sales promotion. Marketing communications is part of marketing mix. An important goal of adve rtising is to influence customers' choices and buying decisions, which will lead to accomplishment of marketing plans of the firm.Advertising has to be visible, clear, and easy to take in. Also, it has to identify the advertiser and their products or services. Marketers bring into play different advertising campaigns. during the ptoduct life cycle, product go through four different stages: introduction stage, growth stage, mature stage and declining stage. When the product is introduced for the first time in the market place, advertisement is aggressive; companies employ many means of direct and indirect marketing to promote it.Mass media are used since there is only little knowledge about this product among customers. Introducing new consumer goods is so-called informative advertising. Its main objective is to build a primary demand. A strategic aim firms follow when promoting the product for the first time is to inform potential buyers about it and highlight its features which dis tinguish it from competitors. Furthermore, this will create awareness about the product and influence consumers' perception. It also helps to build the firm's brand.In contrast, an advertisement of a new product is completely different from an advertisement of already established product, which has declining sales. Usually, these are products, which consumers have already known or used them and at some oint the sales curve start to decline. In this case, the promotion and advertising have marvellous impact to turn sales in opposite way. For example, the company offers some extra services. Furthermore, certain products can be offer with a complimentary product or discounts can take place. Price and non-price competition should be used at this point to keep the product at the market.When the sales are declining the main aim of marketing advertising strategy is to remind consumers of the product or service. The campaign in this case is trying to boost sales and profits. Advertising cam paigns vary. Firms can use a means of below and above the line marketing. below the line marketing include direct means of communication, most commonly direct mail and e-mail, often using highly targeted lists of names to maximize response rates and above the line embrace advertising such as television, cinema, radio, print, and Out-of-home to promote brands or convey a specific offer.Literature review Advertising is non personal form of communication, presentation and promotion of consumer goods, which will lead to increasing the sales. The information about certain organization and its products is conveyed to potential buyers through mass edia, such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines, direct mail, public transport, outdoor displays, catalogues, internet. (Dibb, 2009) The main purpose of advertising is to inform or persuade members of particular audience about new products which will enter the market , or for the existence of promotions which will be appropriate for some c ostumers.On the other hand , the main use of advertising embrace the promotion ot products or an organization in order to awareness among target consumer segment. The most important sides of advertisement are stimulation of demand, off settings of rivals' advertising strategy, and to support elling drives. (Dibb, 2009) Also, advertising marketing strategy has to notify and educate a certain target market about a brand and its heightened marketing mix or product benefits(Dibb, 2009). Due to these facts, the general idea of all advertising campaigns is to enhance consumption of consumer goods.Identifying the target market The target market is a specific group of people within the market at which the advertising message will be convoyed through the mass media. The target market or audience can be created from people from the same gender, age group, or based on other common features. Researchers attempt to understand the needs of certain target audience and this will lead to creating of marketing message that will make consumers to respond. The consumer feedback plays an important role in designing an advertising campaign.Advertising budget The most difficult marketing decision is how much a company should spend on advertising. According to Kotler(2001), advertising budget usually is influenced by different stages of product life cycle. A product first appearance in the market place usually need higher advertising budget. The company in that stage has to emphasize n building awareness and to gain target consumers. Market shares also affect the budget, expanding the market share require higher advertising cost, on the other hand low share brands often have high advertising spending, which aim to increase sales.Rivals have the main point when a company sets its advertising budget. Developing advertising strategy Consisting of successful advertising strategy depends on advertising message and selecting media. In advertising, different creative strategies are used in order to obtain consumer attention and provoke shoppers to purchase or use a specific product. Advertisers use different ways of thinking to create catchy slogans that capture consumers' attention. Creative strategies promote publicity, public relations, personal selling and sales promotion.

The Effects of Video Games - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1748 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/05/07 Category Entertainment Essay Level High school Tags: Video Games Essay Did you like this example? All throughout America highschool teens and young adults in college are playing video games. Of course all mothers think their child is addicted, but the truth is that these video games have a much bigger affect. Many researchers have conducted studies on the effects of video games on behavior, drug use, alcohol use, mental health, and of course overall addiction. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Effects of Video Games" essay for you Create order Some say that video games are not addictive and have no correlation to any of the affects above. This is all terribly misguided. Playing video games is not addictive in any meaningful sense. It is normal behavior that, while perhaps in many cases a waste of time, is not damaging or disruptive of lives in the way drug or alcohol use can be (Ferguson and Markey 1). Although others have conducted studies to show that video games cause addiction, substance abuse, and mental health issues. A number of studies have reported a co-occurrence between video game addiction and poorer mental health (Loton, Borkoles, Lubman and Polman 1). After reading through all the studies it is clear that video games have an affect on mental health, behavioral issues, and addiction. Video game addiction can be defined as excessive and compulsive use of computer or video games that results in social and/or emotional problems; despite these problems, the gamer is unable to control this excessive use (Pallesen, Lorvik, Bu and Molde 1). Due to the excessive use of video games violent behavior becomes a factor after an excessive amount of time playing violent games. In one survey about 8.7% of males were diagnosed as pathological gamers, meaning they act up and have behavior issues due to gaming. These pathological gamers, compared to nonpathological gamers, had lower grade point averages (GPAs), had more trouble paying attention in class, were more likely to have been involved in a physical fight within the past year, were more likely to have friends who are addicted to video games, and were more likely to be diagnosed with attention disorders (Schmitt and Livingston 1). In a humans brain there is areas related to pleasure of playing video games, it just so happens the same area relates back to the pleasures of drugs. These areas of the brain † those that produce and respond to the neurotransmitter dopamine † are involved in just about any pleasurable activity: having sex, enjoying a nice conversation, eating good food, reading a book, using methamphetamines (Ferguson and Markey 2). A study conducted on students who watch TV and play video games that was published in 2010, came to a conclusion that the more hours on electronics, the more likely students are to participate in substance abuse. Mentary school-aged children who watch more TV and play video games have greater odds of reporting alcohol use and sniffing solvents (Armstrong, Bush and Jones 125). Others have found that there is no correlation in the brain between the two activities. Playing a video game or watching an amusing video on the internet causes roughly about as much dopa mine to be released in your brain as eating a slice of pizza. By contrast, using a drug like methamphetamine can cause a level of dopamine release 10 times that or more (Ferguson and Markey 2). I does make perfect sense that a drug would affect the human brain more that a video game, but according to multiple studies the amount time spent playing games, enhances the want to abuse substances. Video games also are connected to stress, anxiety, depression and the influence of coping. These all relate back to every humans mental health, which video games can affect dramatically. Video games affect someones mental health the most through their coping strategies. A study done in 2015, found that The use of maladaptive coping strategies provides some additional context for the many cross-sectional relationships reported between video game addiction and poorer mental health (Loton, Brokoles, Lubman and Polman 576). Others have also concluded video games have no association with mental health. The results of the present study suggest that video game use is not associated with an increased risk of mental health problems video games seem to be linked to better intellectual functioning and academic achievement (Masfety, Keyes, Hamilton, Hanson, Bitfoi, Golitz, Koc, Kuijpers, Leinskiene, Mihova, Otten, Fermanian and Pez 356). After reading both studies, and reviewing the data, it is important to for humans to have a good mental health, and that includes using all their coping strategies. Clinical have begun to benefit from realizing that video games are affecting coping skills. Of course, video games cause an addiction. The time spent staring at a single screen playing games, not able to look away, is what most people would call addiction. One study refers to it as excessive gaming, either way it is not good. A study done in 2015 on the Prevalence and Predictors of Video Game Addiction, found that there are three types of gamers in this world. The first is called an addicted gamer, then there is problem gamers, and finally is the engaged gamers. Out of the sample of 24,00 people 1.4% were found to be addicted gamers, 7.3% were problem gamers, and 3.9% were engaged gamers. The same study also showed that more men than women are addicted, and the typical age group is from sixteen to thirty years of age. Some argue Playing video games is not addictive in any meaningful sense. It is normal behavior that, while perhaps in many cases a waste of time, is not damaging or disruptive of lives (Ferguson and Markey). Although people think they may not be addicted, and of course the mothers think they are addicted, the truth is studies are proving there are addicted gamers. Video game addiction can also be connected to loneliness and depression, along with aggression. Which makes it a major psychosocial health issue. A study done in 1017, on the psychosocial health perspective of video game addiction found that Lonely and depressed people are inclined to be immersed in games because the digital games can be a tool to solve their social problems in real life (Jeong, Kim and Lee 208). They have come to this conclusion by really reading into the effect of each psychosocial variable on a person due to video game addiction. People who suffer from depression are more likely to pay attention to playing games because they seek something to be absorbed in, or to be stimulated (Jeong, Kim and Lee 207). Others would argue that aggression is the only psychosocial variable present in addiction, but Jeong, Kim and Lee would argue there are more variables that studies should recognize. Finally, the study found that loneliness is connected to video games because, Indiv iduals who suffer from psychological issues such as loneliness may lack social skills and may have low social competence in real life to fulfill their needs that are not met in real life, or to escape from negative moods, they are more likely to play online games (Jeong, Kim and Lee). Of course with every addiction, comes a course of treatment, the only challenge is getting people to stop denying that they have a problem. Every study ends with the results, but all the authors also through in a treatment plan that clinicals should try. The study done in 2010, about substance abuse points out that there may need to be interventions held between the parents and their children. The study done in 2015, introduces a manual therapy as a treatment for video game addiction. The manual therapy consists of cognitive behavioral therapy, short-term strategic family therapy, solution-focused therapy, and motivational interviewing (Pallesen, Lorvik, Bu and Molde 1). The study done in 2015, on the relationship between stress, depression, anxiety and coping, suggested that clinicals consider hosting interventions. Clinicians may also consider interventions that are shown to broaden and foster adaptive coping, and be mindful of the relative unimportance of diversion coping, with re sults instead indicating that a lack of approach and increase in withdrawal and resignation coping are both strongly related to symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression (Loton, Brokoles, Lubman and Polman 576). Finally, a study done in 2017, on the psychosocial health perspective, points out all treatments needs to focus more on psychosocial variables, future research related to game addiction policies needs to investigate the roles of such factors in user effects as primary determinants to the degree of game addiction (Jeong, Kim and Lee 208). Video games have been proven to affect humans in many ways, including; Violent behavior, substance abuse, mental health (stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness), and addiction. After reading all the studies, it is very clear that video games can affect the human mind and body dramatically. It was very easy to come to this conclusion, because out of all of the many studies conducted over video games, there were only two saying that there is no problems. There is more evidence pointing to video games causing all of these issues. Thus, video games can be very dangerous to todays society.  Work Cited Armstrong, Kia E., et al. Television and Video Game Viewing and Its Association with Substance Use by Kentucky Elementary School Students, 2006. Public Health Reports (1974-), vol. 125, no. 3, 2010, pp. 433â€Å"440. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41435217. Ferguson, Christopher J., and Patrick Markey. Video Games Arent Addictive. The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Apr. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/04/01/opinion/sunday/video-games-arent-addictive.html. Jeong, Eui Jun, et al. Why Do Some People Become Addicted to Digital Games More Easily? A Study of Digital Game Addiction from a Psychosocial Health Perspective. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, vol. 33, no. 3, Mar. 2017, pp. 199â€Å"214. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/10447318.2016.1232908. Kovess-Masfety, Viviane, et al. Is Time Spent Playing Video Games Associated with Mental Health, Cognitive and Social Skills in Young Children? Social Psychiatry Psychiatric Epidemiology, vol. 51, no. 3, Mar. 2016, pp. 349â€Å"357. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s00127-016-1179-6. Loton, Daniel, et al. Video Game Addiction, Engagement and Symptoms of Stress, Depression and Anxiety: The Mediating Role of Coping. International Journal of Mental Health Addiction, vol. 14, no. 4, Aug. 2016, pp. 565â€Å"578. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s11469-015-9578-6. PALLESEN, ST?†¦LE, et al. An Exploratory Study Investigating the Effects of a Treatment Manual for Video Game Addiction. Psychological Reports, vol. 117, no. 2, Oct. 2015, pp. 490â€Å"495. EBSCOhost, doi:10.2466/02.PR0.117c14z9. Schmitt, Zachary L., and Michael G. Livingston. Video Game Addiction and College Performance Among Males: Results from a 1 Year Longitudinal Study. CyberPsychology, Behavior Social Networking, vol. 18, no. 1, Jan. 2015, pp. 25â€Å"29. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1089/cyber.2014.0403. Wittek, Charlotte, et al. Prevalence and Predictors of Video Game Addiction: A Study Based on a National Representative Sample of Gamers. 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