Objective of this Case Study
There are some objectives of this case study. Such as, • Know the history of Trap Ease.
• Sought outing the problems. • To find out target market. • Proper segmentation.
• Re-positioning trap ease product. • Defining the trap ease marketing mix • Identifying the competitors.
• Re-arranging the old and new strategies. Swot Analysis
Strength
1. Very innovative and engineered product 2. Highly environmental.
3. Long lasting product because of re-usability. Opportunities
1. High potential market. 2. Attractive product.
3. Ease to use product than other. 4. Less competitors.
Weakness
1. High price. 2. Less promotion.
3. Not proper segmentation. 4. Product oriented strategies. 5. Lack of marketing people. Threats
1. Any company that can create mouse traps. 2. Insecticide.
In order to evaluate their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity the investors need the information ifthere’s another more sophisticated tool of fighting against mice. If there are - theiropportunities are not so high. But ifanother tool haven’t been invented yet and the Trap-Easeis the only innovative mousetrap on the market, Martha and investors are able to use this opportunity.
Group would write mission strategy like “we are making innovative mousetrap that traps mice
easily”.
I suggest writing it as: “to get rid of mice in the easiest, cleanest and safest way – you can
achieve it with the Trap-Ease mousetraps”.
2.I also think that the best target is women, as mostly women are doing
housekeeping. The otherconsumer target can be vessel-owners or docks because in ships there are usually problemswith mice and rats. Moreover, docks will buy traps in large amounts improving the sales of the company.
3.The company’s positioning is that the Trape-Ease “traps mice easily”. I think that thispositioning is too broad and not catchy. I would rather position it as “the Trap-Ease traps micecreating no clean-up problems”, or “traps mice leaving your hands clean”.
4. Product:
- Innovative mousetrap – the Trap-Ease. Price:
- $2.49 per 2 units Place:
- National grocery, hardware, and drug chains such as Safeway, Kmart, Hechingers and CB Drug.
Promotion:
- $10,000 on advertising in Good Housekeeping and other “home and shelter” magazines.
Considering the Place, I think, Trap-Ease can be also distributed through supermarkets (likeWal-Mart and others), because housewives often visit these kinds of supermarkets. Other itemsof marketing mix, in my opinion, can be remained the same.
5.The Trap-Ease America’s competition is the producer of traditional, spring-loaded trap as its
price is cheaper than Trap-Ease’s and it is the perfect substitute of the Trap-Ease. 6.The company is facing marketing myopia and its marketing strategy is too product-oriented butnot customer-oriented. Martha cares about how to sell
expected units of traps rather than caringabout how to meet customer needs and create value for them. I would change the marketingstrategy in the following way: Case 1. Trap-Ease America: The big cheese mousetrap. Prepared by Akmaral Shotbayeva, Finance
The Trap-Ease America’s marketing strategy is based on product differentiation and widening thetarget. Primary consumer target is women, esp.
housewives. Secondary Consumer target is docksand ship-owners.
Product Strategy. The Trap-Ease America will introduce new tool fighting against mice (for example,
the spray which smell frightens mice off so that they wouldn’t like to “enter” the house) or improve theTrap-Ease. (For example, the plastic tube can be blacked out (toned) so that a mouse inside the trap isnot seen as women are afraid of mice and would prefer not to see them at all).
Distribution Strategy. The Trap-Ease will be distributed in national grocery, hardware, drug chains,
and supermarkets as well. Orders will be delivered strictly on time.
Control. The Trap-Ease America will strictly monitor customer service satisfaction and control the
time of delivering the orders to retailers, especially to docks. The company will also control that
Summary The Trap-Ease is a simple yet clever device, manufactured by a plastics firm under contract with Trap-ease America. The trap works simple efficiency. This Trap-Ease had many advantages for the consumer when compare with traditional spring-loaded traps or mouse poisons. Trap-Ease has much strength that others don’t. Ease mousetrap win first price in the National Hardware Show. Trap-Ease America should use this reputation to persuade consumers to buy their product without wasting time. But lack of information about the current market situation is a problem for Trap-Ease. Trap-Ease should try to convince their
customer that using their product will be safer and no mess. In order to success in such an aggressive market, Trap-Ease America should have a better product launching technique. ... ”
“... to let the consumer look and try for themselves and build up the customer mind about this product is better than others method of mousetrap. If Trap-Ease is lack of marketing expertise they should get help from the marketing professional. With pure marketing expertise, a series of effective promotion and advertisement can be done. This will help to “boost up” the sales and deep into consumer mind about benefit of this product and keep on using it in the future. By using proper marketing methods, Trap-Ease mousetrap should be success in the market in the future.
Trap-Ease America: The Big Cheese
of Mousetraps
Case study
Introduction
:-
➢
The Trap-Ease is a device, manufactured
by a plastics firm under contract with
Trap-ease America.
➢
This Trap-Ease had many advantages for
the consumer when compare with
traditional spring-loaded traps or mouse
poisons.
➢
Trap-Ease mousetrap win first price in the
National Hardware Show. Trap-Ease
America should use this reputation to
persuade consumers to buy their product
without wasting time.
➢
Trap-Ease should try to convince their
customer that using their product will be
safer and no mess.
➢
Trap-Ease is lack of marketing expertise
they should get help from the marketing
professional. This will help to “boost up”
the sales and deep into consumer mind
about benefit of this product and keep on
using it in the future.
➢
The trap ease had won the contest by
beating out over 300 new products.
Marketing
Assignment#4
Case study#1
➢
Submitted to:-MAM Shahla
➢Submitted
by:-Mariam
Arshad
➢
ID NO:-093344
➢
Submitted on:-2/10/10
INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
SCIENCES
Q1:-Martha and the Trap-Ease America
investors feel they face once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity. What information do they need
to evaluate this opportunity? How do you
think the group would write its mission
statement? How would you write it?
ANS:-They face once in a lifetime opportunity
means that they are talking about the
potential for profit and growth.In this case
Martha(the president of Trap ease) had not
done enough research about its product in
the market to assess whether the demand
for her product would be there or not.It
seems that Martha and its investors were too
focused on how amazing their product was
and not the actual needs or wants of the
customers that would be buying it.
The information they need to evaluate this
opportunity are the
following:-➢
Make effective Marketing plan.
➢
Apply effective skills to convince
customers.
➢
