Uber Marketing Strategy 1

Uber Box Journey Man Marketing Strategy

Taylor Renee Jacobs

MCM 707-F1WW

Ted Jones

March 23, 2015

Uber Marketing Strategy 2

Uber Box Journey Man Marketing Strategy

Executive Summary

The Uber Gaming Company is a start-up company planning to launch one new product

for the first year to allow brand awareness. The product will be the Uber Box product line and

this marketing strategy will focus on the Journey Man edition. The Uber Box Journey Man is a

deck box which shows high quality and durability for the users, and is an all-in-one container for

trading card game accessories. The market is mainly focused on Millennials and Generation X

who play trading card games. The company plans on introducing the product through exclusive

distributors and strictly online. Since the company has a low budget, the company will mostly

advertise online, buzz marketing, and events. The marketing plan is taking an aggressive, but

attainable approach to objectives, including a profit of $45,000 the first year.

Current Marketing Situation

Uber Gaming Company is a start-up company focusing on the accessories for trading

card game audience. The company started as the founder and his friends, whom play multiple

different formats in card games and also attended many tournaments. The individuals were

getting frustrated in carrying multiple deck boxes, bags, and mat holders. The founder created a

box, called ‘Uber Box’ which gave the possibilities of holding multiple sixty to one hundred card

decks, the dice, and a holder for the play mat in a durable all-in-one container.

Marketing Description

The trading card game industry is a mass market with a variety of different types of

players. The Trading Card Game stereotypes no longer focuses on a nerdy role, multiple other

types of individuals also play this type of game. However, the gender demographic is primarily

favorable to male gender, “84.1% are male vs. 15.9% female” (David-Marshall, B., Dreunen, J.

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van, & Wang, M., 2010, pg. 8). In the Trading Card Game industry, the age of the average player

is 25 years old, but the starting age varies depending on the type of format being played. There

are two types of target markets within the Trading Card Game demographic.

Younger Trading Card Players (6-14 years) Adult Trading Card Players (16 years and over)

The Uber Box Journey man will focus on the adult demographic consist of children and

adults who are 16 years or older. This demographic focus more on competitive trading card game

play and will purchase all of their cards and accessories mostly at hobby game stores.

Product Review

Uber Gaming Company will launch the first product line, Uber Box. Within the product

line length, the Uber Box has four different Boxes, however, this marketing strategy will only

focus on the Journey Man:

Customization The length of the durable container is around 15 in. with magnet or Velcro closures The fabric covering the container is canvas with reinforced edges Moveable spacers Reinforced strap Mat holder Multiple pockets Dice holder within the container This product will sell for 60 dollars

Competitive Review

Uber Gaming Company is solely focusing on the trading card accessory line, the

company will only focus on that type of competitor. Since consumers take great pride in their

decks and cards, it is crucial to purchase accessories to make sure they are protected. The

accessories include deck boxes, sleeves, and play mats. There are multiple companies who sell

these, but the main competitor is Ultra PRO.

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Ultra PRO: Created in 1952 as the leading manufacturer and supplier of sports and gaming collectable accessories. The brand is known for their durable and high quality products, especially their Ultra PRO sleeves. Ultra PRO has partnered with many distributors and has the license to sell certain products. “We [Ultra Pro] market and sell our products through a top-tier network of over 150 distributors and customers in North America, Europe and Asia, which in turn supplies our products to thousands of hobby shops, toy stores and other retailers worldwide” (Ultra Pro, 2015, para. 2). Ultra PRO is a highly competitive brand due to the vast amount of merchandise they sell and their customers’ brand loyalty.

Inked Play Mats: There are plenty of companies online which allow customization, but Inked Playmats is one of the biggest. Customization is a huge market for the customers and if they are will to spend hundreds of dollars on a deck to play at competitions they will spend the money to personalize their own brand. Inked Playmats allows the customer to be a designer or to just upload an image. The company also gives the customer the opportunity to order in bulk, so this is great for distributors as well. The prices vary depending on the project.

Channels and Logistics Review

Since Uber Gaming Company is a start-up company, the distribution aspect will be

extremely exclusive. To get a better price on materials, Uber Gaming Company will also partner

with local craft stores. The company will focus on mostly online and various hobby gaming

stores. Some hobby stores include:

Puzzles and Planewalkers in Englewood, Ohio Legendary Games in Lafayette, Indiana

SWOT Analysis

The Uber Box product line has several strengths and opportunities. However, since Uber

Gaming Company is very new there are several weaknesses and threats for the Uber Box

product. Table A1.1 summarizes Uber Box Journey Man’s main strengths, weaknesses,

opportunities, and threats.

Strengths: 1. Quality

2. Differentiation

W eaknesses :1. Lack of Brand

Awareness2. Lim ited Budget

Opportunities:1. Growing M arket

2. Im m ediate Distributors

Threats: 1. Com petitors2. Low Product Developm ent

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Strengths

1. Quality: Uber Box Journey man boast the value and durability this deck box has to offer. The company is very specific in finding the most rugged and durable canvas material to keep cards, dice, mats, etc. safe and organized in one container.

2. Differentiation: The Uber Box Journey Man has complete differentiation from other products on the market due to the all-in-one concept. There are multiple deck boxes out there, but none are as durable and organized as the Uber Box Journey Man.

Weaknesses

1. Lack of Brand Awareness: Uber Gaming Company is a start-up company whom is introducing a new product life cycle. Having Lack of brand awareness can cause issues relating to the limited budget.

2. Limited Budget: Since Uber Gaming Company has a limited budget, research and development, advertising, and labor will be affected due to the lack of a budget.

Opportunities

1. Growing Market: The Trading Card Game market is always expanding due to the introduction of new games, new sets, or new formats. There will always be a steady market because friends teach other people to play.

2. Immediate Distributors: Most small Hobby Stores will always sample a new product if the company believes they can earn a profit. Store owners are seeing the issues of competitors carrying multiple things inconveniently around. There is now a solution for the customer needs.

Threats

1. Competitors: There is already an established and well-known brand in the trading card game accessories market. Since Uber Gaming Company has a low brand awareness, UltraPRO will continue to be a threat.

2. Slow Product Development: Uber Gaming Company has a limited budget and only two or three individuals are creating the box. Since the Journey Man has the option of customization, this will increase in the slow production time.

Objectives and Issues

Uber Gaming Company have aggressive objectives. However, these objectives are

attainable and help set the path for future paths with and within the company.

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First-Year Objectives

For the first year, Uber Gaming Company will only sell the Uber Box product line,

including the Uber Box Journey Man. Uber Gaming Company wants to sell enough Uber Box to

start proper Research & Development. Since the company is a start-up, there is very little fixed

cost because the owner is creating them by himself in his own how. With little fixed cost, the

profit goal is to sell 800 units or a profit of $45,000; with an average cost of $60. The company

will sell primarily in exclusive shops and online.

Second-Year Objectives

During the second year, Uber Gaming Company will try to expand into their own brick-

and-mortar, expand to more distributors, expand in internet sales, and also start on the second

product line, Uber Mats. Expanding the products, Uber Gaming Company will need to purchase

a large screen printer to create the Uber Mats. By expanding internet sales, Uber Company will

offer customization on their website. Regarding Sales, if Uber Gaming Company purchases a

store front, the fixed cost will rise. However, regarding of the additional expenses, Uber Gaming

Company has a goal of tripling sales to $135,000.

Issues

Introducing a new product and company can cause some issues. The main issues is to

establish brand awareness and the image the brand would like to create. Uber Box wants the

customers to know the products are very durable and have value. This leads into the second issue

is the small investment the company has to start with. The company wants durable products but

does not have a huge budget to invest in the introduction of the product. Finally we will have

individuals monitor the customer complaints, if any, but since it is a small company addressing

them quickly and properly may be an issue as well.

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Marketing Strategy

Uber Gaming Company’s marketing strategy for the Uber Box Journey Man will focus

on high value, quality, and durability. The product has high differentiation from previous

products and brands currently in the market. The Uber Box Journey Man will focus on the target

market described in the market description, Adult gamers (16 – 45).

Positioning

Uber Box is positioned to be a versatile, durable, and multi-purpose product. Since this

product gives the ability to hold multiple decks within one container, it differentiates itself from

products currently on the market. Customization will eventually be available, however, the

benefits from the product is to carry every accessory at once, a durable and protective container,

and the safety and security of the accessories.

Product Strategy

The Uber Box Journey man will be sold with all of the features described in the Product

Review section. As the product becomes more aware to the consumers we will push more of the

customizable boxes to the market. However, entering a customizable option may increase

production and delivery time.

Pricing

Focusing on the Uber Box Journey Man, the price strategy will go as follows.

Given the information on this

table, we decided to sell the

product for $60.00. The sixty

dollar price has a 40% mark-up

from the variable cost at $22.40.

Fixed Cost - $8,1000 $8,100Variable Cost - 20.40Cost-plus Pricing

22.40 + 8100/800 = 32.53Dollar Mark-up

60.00-32.525 = 24.475Mark-up Percentage cost

24.475/32.525 = .75Markup percentage on selling price

24.475/60 =.40

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The materials for the Uber Box Journey Man are relatively cheap, however, the manual labor

takes a while because they are all hand made. Throwing in the variable for manual labor in

customizing each box and the mark-up for stores and online, the company is determined the sixty

dollar price is fair. The Uber Box is also based off of extreme value, so the value-based pricing is

sufficient.

The company also is determined to open up their own brick-and-mortar store and also

invest in machines in year two. Having this huge mark-up allows the company to take on

liabilities and not increase the price of the product.

Distribution Strategy

Based on the start-up of the Uber Gaming Company and the lack of investment, the

distribution strategy will be extremely exclusive. Having an exclusive market will allow the

company to keep up with orders for both in store and online. The main form of transportation to

get the product to the distributors will be by car of the company. Another type of distribution is

the company will get a vendor license and sell directly to the customer via tournaments and

events.

Marketing Communication Strategy

With a small budget, Uber Box Company wants to still engage and advertise their

products but with minimal cost. Uber Box Company will not use traditional marketing in the

beginning, or if it used, it will be very minimal. For Promotional aspects, Uber Gaming

Company will focus on these areas:

Online and E-mail Marketing: The major consumer for the Uber Box Journey Man are Millennials and Generation X. These individuals spend a lot of time online and also playing trading card games online. This market is primarily on Twitter and on YouTube. Uber Box Company will primarily focus the majority of social media on those two networks. The other networks which will be included will be Google +, Facebook, and

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Instagram. As we partner up with distributors, we will create a mailing list and utilize mail chimp to send out and analyze our newsletters.

Event Marketing: Uber Gaming Company will acquire a vendor’s license so the company has the ability to sell the products at Star City Game events located around the US, local store events, and events held by Uber Gaming Company.

Buzz Marketing: Uber Gaming Company does not have a huge budget for advertising, so the founder’s and friends will carry the items at events. Buzz marketing will be a big aspect of the promotion for Uber Box Journey Man.

Marketing Research

To gain proper and analytical research information, we will monitor the social media

channels we will use. Since Uber Gaming is a small company, the company ca monitor the

inventory to gain research on how well the product will be sold. The Company will also attend

events and be able to monitor consumer trends by observing and being a part of the group.

Action Programs

Uber Gaming Company is still in the product development stage. The Company hopes to

have multiple prototypes developed by the summer so they can move into the introduction stage

of the product life cycle. Uber Gaming understands that in the introduction stage, advertising is

key. However, with a low investment, Uber Gaming Company is going to strictly focus on buzz

marketing and digital marketing

June: Create buzz by sending in various players to tournaments. These individuals will use the

Uber Box during the entire event and will also encourage other people to purchase the product

due to convenience and durability.

July: Release the Uber Box. We will go to the three distributors to advertise our product. During

this month we will give each distributor four extra Uber Boxes to hand out to the winners of

various events. We will also start posting articles on our blog and partner up with other gamers

so they can spread the word about the Uber Box. Our social media strategy will start.

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August: Once multiple individuals start to order the Uber Box, we will hold interviews and create

YouTube video on how versatile the Uber Box is.

Budgets

Uber Gaming Company has set a $45,000 dollar profit for the first-year objects. The

Journey Man will be sold for $60 a box including customization. Using the break-even method,

the company will only have to sell a total of $12,857 worth, or 215 units. This leaves a huge

profit for the Company to invest in projects in year two, and in research and development. Break

even calculation is located in the Pricing Section.

Controls

Since this is a start-up company and the Uber Box is in the introductory stage of

development, Uber Gaming Company will tightly control and monitor the product. The company

will manage multiple source and events to get individuals involved. The Founder will also patent

the product so the bigger competitors cannot steal the idea. The company wants to keep the value

high, but also watch the variable cost. Uber Gaming Company will adapt to the needs and wants

of the Trading Card Game community. The Company will use multiple analytics to watch our

online image, such as Google Analytics, Google Alerts, Mention, and others. Uber Gaming

Company will also use the analytical tools from mail chimp because we are going to send

promotions through an email list

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References

David-Marshall, B., Dreuen, J. van, & Wang, M. (2010). Trading Card Game Industry: From the

T to the C to the G. Super Data Research. Retrieved March 23, 2015, from

http://www.superdataresearch.com/content/uploads/2009/08/TCG2010.pdf

Inked Playmats. (2015). Inked Playmats. Inked Playmats. Retrieved March 26, 2015, from

http://www.inkedplaymats.com/

Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G. (2014). Principles of Marketing 15e. Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Pearson Education.

Ledford, J. (August 22, 2013). 10 Best trading card games. Arcade Sushi. Retrieved March 25,

2015, from http://arcadesushi.com/best-trading-card-games/

UltraPRO. (2015). About Us. UltraPro. Retrieved March 23, 2015, from

http://www.ultrapro.com/pages.php?

page=about_us&osCsid=di64c46rlmokqpt0as74bq8980

UltraPRO. (2015). UltraPro. UltraPro. Retrieved March 23, 2015, from

http://www.ultrapro.com/division.php?d=g

Warman, P. (March 15, 2014). Global games market will reach $102.9 billion in 2017. Newzoo.

Retrieved March 24, http://www.newzoo.com/insights/global-games-market-will-reach-

102-9-billion-2017-2/

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Team Marketing Plan Rubric

Total 150 points

Criteria Unacceptable Acceptable Proficient Student Points and Comments

Creates an executive summary for the Marketing Plan.

Vaguely creates an executive summary for the Marketing Plan or completely off the topic.

(0-11 points)

Creates an executive summary for the Marketing Plan and, for the most part, fulfills assignment requirements.

(12-13 points)

Creates an executive summary for the Marketing Plan and demonstrates solid ability to accomplish the assignment.

(14-15 points)

15

Analyzes the current marketing situation for the offering.

Vaguely analyzes the current marketing situation for the offering or completely off the topic.

(0-11 points)

Analyzes the current marketing situation for the offering and, for the most part, fulfills assignment requirements.

(12-13 points)

Analyzes the current marketing situation for the offering and demonstrates solid ability to accomplish the assignment.

(14-15 points)

15

Well done with including more than simply demographic characteristics with your target market description.

Analyzes the threats and opportunities for the offering.

Vaguely analyzes the threats and opportunities for the offering or completely off the topic.

(0-7 points)

Analyzes the threats and opportunities for the offering and, for the most part, fulfills assignment requirements.

(8 points)

Analyzes the threats and opportunities for the offering and demonstrates solid ability to accomplish the assignment.

(9-10 points)

9

See my in-text comment about external vs internal factors.

Discusses the marketing objectives that the company would like

Vaguely analyzes the threats and opportunities for the offering or

Analyzes the threats and opportunities for the offering and, for

Analyzes the threats and opportunities for the offering and demonstrates solid

10

Good job with your

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to attain as well as the issues that could affect that attainment.

completely off the topic.

(0-7 points)

the most part, fulfills assignment requirements.

(8 points)

ability to accomplish the assignment.

(9-10 points)

SMART objectives.

Outlines the marketing strategy the company will use to create customer value and relationships with specific markets.

Vaguely outlines the marketing strategy the company will use to create customer value and relationships with specific markets or completely off the topic.

(0-11 points)

Outlines the marketing strategy the company will use to create customer value and relationships with specific markets and, for the most part, fulfills assignment requirements.

(12-13 points)

Outlines the marketing strategy the company will use to create customer value and relationships with specific markets and demonstrates solid ability to accomplish the assignment.

(14-15 points)

15

Discusses the action programs that will turn the marketing strategy into reality.

Vaguely Discusses the action programs that will turn the marketing strategy into reality.

(0-11 points)

Discusses the action programs that will turn the marketing strategy into reality and, for the most part, fulfills assignment requirements.

(12-13 points)

Discusses the action programs that will turn the marketing strategy into reality and demonstrates solid ability to accomplish the assignment.

(14-15 points)

15

Nice details throughout this section.

Details a marketing budget for implementing the plan.

Vaguely Details a marketing budget for implementing the plan or completely off the topic.

Details a marketing budget for implementing the plan and, for the most part, fulfills assignment requirements.

Details a marketing budget for implementing the plan and demonstrates solid ability to accomplish the assignment.

(9-10 points)

10

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(0-7 points) (8 points)

Discusses the controls that will be used to monitor the progress of the implementation of the plan.

Vaguely Discusses the controls that will be used to monitor the progress of the implementation of the plan or completely off the topic.

(0-7 points)

Discusses the controls that will be used to monitor the progress of the implementation of the plan and, for the most part, fulfills assignment requirements.

(8 points)

Discusses the controls that will be used to monitor the progress of the implementation of the plan and demonstrates solid ability to accomplish the assignment.

(9-10 points)

8

See my comment about including time periods for review.

Uses supporting documentation that supports what is being said in the paper.

Inadequate or minimal use of supporting documentation or cited.

(0-7 points)

For the most part, uses supporting documentation.

(8 points)

Consistently uses supporting.

(9-10 points)

10

Cites references and citations in APA format.

Inadequate or minimal cites references and citations in APA format.

(0-7 points)

For the most part, cites references and citations in APA format.

(8 points)

Consistently cites references and citations in APA format.

(9-10 points)

10

Considered holistically, demonstrates the ability to write at the graduate level.

Considered holistically, the student demonstrates an inadequate ability to write at the graduate level.

(0-23 points)

Considered holistically, the student demonstrates an acceptable ability to write at the graduate level.

(24-26 points)

Considered holistically, the student demonstrates a proficient ability to write at the graduate level.

(27-30 points)

30

Well done with this assignment!

Sub Points = 147

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Grammarly.com Did not turn paper into Grammarly.com

Minus 30 points

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Turnitin.com Did not turn paper into Turnitin.com

Minus 30 points---- ----

0

Revisions based on the originality Report.

Did not revise paper based on the originality report

Minus 15 points

---- ----

0

Total Points = 147