General Discussion Instructions

You are required to post to this discussion THREE TIMES, on THREE DIFFERENT DAYS. Please refer to the Discussion Grading Rubric for details regarding how your performance will be assessed. NOTE: Please be certain to read the entire discussion assignment since in some cases there is more than one question you need to discuss, respond to, or address. Be sure that you have answered the entire question!

Post 1: Initial Post

This posting should be a minimum of one short paragraph and a maximum of two paragraphs. Word totals for this post should be in the 100–200-word range. Whether you agree or disagree, explain why with supporting evidence and concepts from the readings or a related experience. Include a reference, link, or citation when appropriate.

Preparation

For this discussion you will need to select a product, good, or service that you purchase on a regular basis. This could be anything from your morning coffee to the make of your car to your favorite chain restaurant. Conduct some formal research on the marketing strategy of the company or brand before you start your posts.

For Discussion

• Name of product and company: Use the proper corporate name, not a nickname. For example: Tide Pods by Proctor & Gamble. Include pictures if you’re handy with uploading/inserting images.
• Product description: Briefly describe the product you’ve selected along with any relevant history that led you to choose this product/brand.
• Describe the key marketing strategies of your selected product. You should base your evaluation and report on what you can observe about how the four Ps are applied to the product you chose.
  • Product: Describe the want or need your product addresses.
  • Placement: Describe the physical location of the product among its closest competitors (a quick picture of the shelf would tell a good story!), and describe what this placement says about the marketing strategy.
  • Pricing: Describe the pricing strategy. A good description would include observations about the closest competitive product and its relative pricing.
  • Promotion: Describe how the product is being promoted. You could include any obvious physical/in-store promotions seen on the shelf, as well as flyers, coupons, social media, online advertising, etc.
  • Other factors: You might notice other important factors about your product that lie outside the four Ps. You can include them in your report here. One example might be a unique distribution system for your product.

Posts 2 and 3: Respond to Classmates’ Posts

Instructions

After you have created your initial post, look over the discussion posts of your classmates and give at least two thoughtful responses to two different classmates (one per classmate) as outlined in the Discussion Grading Rubric.

A response posting should be a minimum of one short paragraph. Word totals for these posts should be in the 75–100-word range. Whether you agree or disagree, explain why with supporting evidence and concepts from the readings or a related experience. Include a reference, link, or citation when appropriate. The goal of your response posts is to extend discussions already taking place or pose new possibilities or opinions not previously voiced. Your goal should be to motivate the group discussion and present a creative approach to the topic.