Business Studies

Using the DeVry Library and only peer-reviewed publications (e.g., periodicals, journals), prepare an APA Report addressing the following:
A summary of the case.
List a series of positive attributes that both the product and the organization exhibit and that can be marketable.
Choose at least two traditional promotional strategies (exclude direct sales) and explain why these channels are the best options to move the product from a “push” to “pull strategy.”
Choose at least three digital communication channels and explain how a marketing managing strategies to communicate the benefits and positive attributes of both the product and the company.
Discuss at least two legal and social issues in Internet marketing that apply the most to this type of product and organization. Explain the consequences for the organization when these issues emerge.
Close this paper with an analysis in which you apply the discussed concepts to appraise critically the importance of the managerial issues addressed in this paper. Use real-life examples to explain the importance of these concepts.
Include at least three references with your APA report
Note: For this assignment, you would have to access “Chapter 12: Dimensions of Marketing Strategy” introduced during Week 6).
Use the APA Template, located in Course Resources.

ANSWER

Series of Positive Attributes

Cutco is a company that specializes in the manufacturing of high-quality kitchen knives. Its headquarters is centered in Olean, New York, and started operating in 1949 when Alcoa Corp and Case Cutlery came together to design good quality cutlery. Marketing any product requires several attributes that must be considered because customer’s attitudes are of diverse facets. Instead of focusing on good advertising and an effective web presence, the company uses a direct marketing approach, perfect for several customers. Cutco uses this approach by hiring numerous salespeople, with most of them being college students, to visit their friends and families and show how effective their products are in-person. The company’s products are also labeled with the term “forever guarantee,” enabling users to have their knives maintained free, regardless of the date it was bought. These are good gestures which the company uses to attract more clients and keep their products sellable in the marketplace.

Promotional Strategies

One of the business’s strategies is internet marketing that engages in promoting items and services online. The mechanism engages the use of websites, banner ads, social media, and optimization websites. Another promotional approach is to use email marketing, convenient in reaching out to massive markets (Brenner, 2019). Email and snail mail are effective ways for Cutco Company to promote their products. In many situations, institutions acquire lists of names and addresses for this action, allowing them to group their users by name and preference. The push mechanism is designed to make the business’s products known to customers by making them aware before purchasing. The company’s approach is centered on the perception of “getting customers to come to you.” Therefore, the effective strategy to move an item from a “push” to “pull” for Cutco is through reviewing the sales process. Cutco can start asking questions and making it their priority to add approximately five questions to every sales presentation they make.

Digital Communication Channels

The first digital communication channel is affiliate marketing, which engages a business owner and active websites or affiliates. The affiliate website owners put advertisements on their websites to market the business owner’s items in exchange for a portion of the profit. The second channel is through social media marketing that engages building networks and societies by allowing customers to communicate. The process allows people to share opinions and engage in active discussions. Display advertising is the third strategy, and it engages in creating a graphical advertisement on internet websites, apps, or social media through banners.

Legal and Social Issues

Marketing can be important to a business; however, there are diverse legal considerations one has to consider before contacting clients and other potential consumers. One of the legal issues involves privacy and data gathering (Eckhardt et al., 2019). A company needs to collect the contact data of its customers and keep them safe from unwanted access. Another legal issue is safety and cloud storage, where a company must assure its clients that once their data is collected, it will be securely kept. On the other hand, social issues involve misleading claims and data distribution. These claims might engage claims concerning the quality of the item, availability of a service, and any exclusion on an item.

Conclusion

Marketing communication is a significant component of any marketing operation because it ensures that the right information is conveyed to the appropriate person. Whether on a precise or long-term frame, the flow from a given price to another effectively creates a profit or a loss. The managerial problem addressed here is Cutco’s direct sales, which are composed of college learners making additional money during the summer and learn to control their time.

References

Brenner, M. (2019, May 29). Top 5 event marketing strategies & ideas. Retrieved February 16, 2021, from https://marketinginsidergroup.com/event-marketing/top-event-marketing-strategies-ideas/

Eckhardt, G. M., Houston, M. B., Jiang, B., Lamberton, C., Rindfleisch, A., & Zervas, G. (2019). Marketing in the sharing economy. Journal of Marketing, 83(5), 5-27.