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Kellogg’s Product Lifecycle

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Kellogg’s Product lifecycle

Link to case study

Overview: a case study focusing on the development of Kellogg’s Special K brand

Learning objectives: ➢ to understand the product life cycle ➢ to understand the value of market research ➢ to examine extension strategies.

Introduction (2 minutes)

Introduction to the lesson: you will look at the product life cycle and how marketing may change at different stages. Then you will consider the decline stage and how firms such as Kellogg’s may react to this.

The case focuses on Kellogg’s Special K brand and considers how the marketing of this has changed over time. Marketing is not static – it must be developed as market conditions and customer expectations change.

Product life cycle (10 …show more content…

However, marketers should not become complacent and they may seek to inject new life into the brand to prolong the growth stage and put off the onset of maturity. A mature product may need a facelift, and marketers must decide whether to support a declining brand or let it die a natural death.

Why did Kellogg’s engage in marketing research before deciding how to inject new growth into Special K?

Special K enabled Kellogg’s to be alert to current consumer trends such as social trends and changes in technology. The research enabled Kellogg’s to identify consumer perceptions of the brand and what developments consumers would favour. Armed with this consumer and market focused knowledge, Kellogg’s was best placed to inject growth into the product life cycle.

Special K Red Berries is a variant of Special K why was it important to check that the two products were not competing in a major way?

The purpose of bringing in Special K Red Berries was to extend the existing brand rather than to replace it. If for example half of the consumers of Special K had switched over to Special K Red Berries and there had been little overall growth in consumption, Kellogg’s would simply be competing in its own market. It was important to test that this would not happen.

Why was it important to create marketing plans for Special K that fitted with production plans?

Kellogg’s had to be

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