Nitro Snowboards Marketing Plan
Put yourself in the shoes of VP for Marketing and develop a market plan for the next step for Nitro Snowboards.
Overview: Nitro has been designing, building, and distributing snowboards for almost 30 years. Recently
through extensive R&D, our engineers have designed a new board that will revolutionize backcountry
boarding for years to come. As the VP, you need to analyze and understand how to best market the
company’s new innovation and craft a Marketing Plan. As you craft your plan, consider the iconic status of
existing snowboards, and the lack of any recent radical innovations in the category, which pose major
challenges in securing consumer adoption. If the company continues along the same distribution channels
as its other board lines, Nitro potentially lacks the market penetration and sales that are forecasted for
this new innovation. You will need to consider a cohesive and innovative plan for all 4 Ps of this product
launch.
Based on this information, create a go-to-market strategy addressing the following:
Marketing Objectives – These could include marketing objectives such as market share,
customer satisfaction, loyalty, etc.
Target Market (examples: professional players, hobbyists, etc) – Who have you identified as the
most appropriate segment (target) for this product/service? Create a profile, define a typical
target consumer, and describe them in specific detail. Why have you chosen this target market over
others?
Product/Service Strategies – Define your service/product features and benefits and performance
characteristics versus competitive products. How does the product/service fulfill the value
proposition? What product/service changes do you recommend? What attributes do you want to
add/delete to your product/service? What do you recommend in terms of changes to package
design, logos, and/or brand identity? This may include the service promise, including any customer
service and warranty information.
Pricing Strategy – Outline your pricing objectives and explain how they relate to your marketing
objectives. Present a list price for your product that retailers will pay you. Discuss payment
terms/options including any discounts and allowances you will give to your retailer customers.
Discuss how you will balance pricing issues amongst different channels. Provide a rationale for your
choices.
Place Strategy -Define your distribution strategy. In which retail channels do you want to sell your
product? Why? Provide a rationale for your choices. Define your selling approach. What selling
message will you use to persuade your retail partners to carry the product?
Promotion Strategy – Discuss if/how/why you will use the following promotion tactics: advertising
(TV, print, radio, outdoor, Internet), consumer sales promotions (displays, price promotions, gift with
purchase, sweepstakes/contests), event marketing/sponsorships, public relations, trade show, and
conference participation, direct marketing (mail, telephone, email), Internet marketing, and Web 2.0
social media programs and other forms of communication. How will the customer receive
information about the product? Be specific about what role each medium will play in the strategy
and fulfill the overall marketing objectives. What is the recommended timing and frequency of the
marketing communications plan?
Action Plan – discuss timing, and decide who should be responsible for the various aspects of
implementation, and indicate the resources necessary to implement the marketing plan.
Use 2 of these sources and let the other three be from academic resources.
https://hbr.org/1981/05/marketing-intangible-products-and-product-intangibles
https://www.liveabout.com/what-is-a-marketing-mix-2295520
https://www.mindtools.com/akksnwa/themarketingmixandthe4ps
