Using the attached documents (part I, II, and III) answer the below questions. The business being discussed in the paper will be

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Marketing Management

Student’s name

Institution affiliation

Course

Instructor’s name

Date

Marketing Management

Discuss the use of marketing research to be used to gather information on present or potential customers. Which forms of marketing research would be best in gathering consumer information relating to the product/service?

Marketing research provides insights and evidence that may be utilized to generate choices about the marketing strategy and perhaps other activities inside a firm. Chick-fil-A serves customers, and as a result, various kinds of marketing research methodologies may be used to obtain data on their clients' perception of the services and foods they serve. Chick-fil-A regularly undertakes company-wide surveys to get input on ways the company operates. Marshall and Johnston (2019) assert that following consumers' initial queries via purchase placing and fulfillment provides information into their behavior. Feedback is a straightforward and premium method of gathering info. Acquiring relevant feedback enables you to discover problematic spots. Chick-fil-A gives incentives and prizes to customers who make repeat orders and provide reviews. Chick-Fil-A through the use of focus groups modified marketing strategies in order to reach its intended demographic. Digital technologies may be quite helpful based on the market, the business is attempting to target. Numerous customers depend on technology on a daily basis, and that's why Chick-Fil-A should also use this research tool.

Explain several external forces that affect the organization’s marketing planning and strategy.

Consumer choice is an external influence that impacts Chick-fil-A. As consumer tastes evolve, it might have an effect on the management and designing of its marketing strategy. Due to the fact that Chick-fil-A exclusively serves poultry products and does not provide a diverse selection of items, there is a possibility of a preference shift. Additionally, Chick-fil-A's price varies according on economic progress. When consumers have enough cash, they will go for a highly expensive items over the alternative. On the other hand, if individuals lack the financial means to spend, they will go for the less expensive choice. Chick-Fil-A is also affected by competition, which is an external influence affecting the firm's marketing strategy and plan. Rivalry can also be termed as an external factor given that similar eateries such as McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's are in this sector, although the firm’s chicken sandwich has maintained it on center of the leaderboard. The corporation has also been chastised for being heavily engaged in initiatives that are incompatible with its brand. As a result, political resentment can be seen as an external factor affecting this company. For example, customers have criticized it for solely endorsing and contributing funds to anti-LGBTQ groups (Wu, 2019).

Discuss the aspects of the organization’s customer relationship management (CRM) program.

Chick-fil-A outperforms the competition in terms of customer service partly due to the manner it engages with consumers. The company satisfies its consumers through establishing trust, which entails developing connections with them and learning about their personalities, and also their ambitions and desires. This corporation uses a four-part approach as part of its CRM program, which requires workers to interact with clients, grin at them, and converse prior to giving complementary refreshments. Marshall and Johnston (2019) demonstrate that a customer-centric organization puts the consumer at the center of all that occurs within as well as outside an organization. This is why Chick-Fil-A has developed the Mon's Valet service, particularly to cater to the needs of caregivers with small children (Wishart, 2020).

Explain which consumer characteristics (personal, psychological, cultural, situational, social) matter most in the purchase decision

Marshall and Johnston's (2019) illustrations demonstrate that both exterior and internal variables influence customer preferences. Personal characteristics like as affluence and lifestyle may influence Chick-Fil-A consumers' purchasing decisions, since the company may provide its services at pricing that are only affordable to the moderate and higher classes. Well, the psychological characteristics of purchasers are undoubtedly the most critical factor in the purchase behavior. Consumers are motivated to seek pleasure, which Chick-fil-A accomplishes via consumer-employee interactions. Customers' decisions to acquire this firm's services are impacted by their worldview and what they have heard of their products. Chick-Fil-A utilizes exceptional marketing methods that are both compelling and successful in encouraging individuals to consume their delicacies. Attitude about Chick-Fil-A’s products is most based on certain attributes such as the recipe of making the product. At Chick-Fil-A, consumer perception refers to how customers perceive their products and if they enjoy the service provided. This leads people to select this fast-food restaurant as their first choice in America because they believe their goods and services are the greatest.

Explain how the product/service is positioned in the market. Quote or create a positioning statement for the product/service and explain its rationale

Chick-Fil-A's products are positioned well in the market, owing mostly to its competitive initiatives, which contribute to the brand's awareness. The company's mission is to create a unique eating encounter focused on the client and a healthy alternate to hamburger restaurants. The restaurant provides exclusively high-quality poultry dinners and costs a modest charge above comparable options from rivals. Chick-Fil-A's fundamental business principles are optimized for each client encounter (Stevens, 2014). Chick-Fil-A's superior food service and client satisfaction have given the company a distinct competitive edge that its rivals have struggled to emulate. "Chick-fil-A has reaffirmed its brand strategy by appealing to the emotional responses of its consumers" (Stevens, 2014).

References

Johnston, M. W., & Marshall, G. W. (2019). Marketing Management. McGraw-Hill. 3 rd Edition. https://www.acetermpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/eBook-PDF-Marketing-Management-3rd-Edition-by-Greg-Marshall.pdf

Stevens. J. L. (2014). Successful Brand Positioning: Chick-fil-A. Crisis Management Solutions. https://crisismanagementsolutions.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/successful-brand-positioning-chick-fil-a/

Wishart. J. (2020). How Chick-Fil-A Uses Customer Delight as a Competitive Advantage. Rhythm systems. https://www.rhythmsystems.com/blog/how-chick-fil-a-uses-customer-service-as-a-competitive-advantage

Wu. J. (2019). Beyond the sandwich wars: Chick-fil-A’s history of outrunning competitors and criticism. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/30/beyond-the-sandwich-wars-chick-fil-as-history-of-outrunning-competitors-and-criticism.html

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Marketing Management

Student’s name

Institution affiliation

Course

Instructor’s name

Date

Marketing Management

Q1. Provide a description of the product/service and a brief history of the firm.

1946 was the year when Truett Cathy founded the Dwarf Grill, before rebranding it as the Dwarf House and later to Chick-Fil-A in Atlanta. In this same year, Cathy created the company’s recipe (chicken sandwich). In 1984, the headquarters of this firm were established in Atlanta, just before opening a stand-alone eatery in 1986 (Chick-Fil-A, 2021). The company started its first campaign in 1995 and in 1996, it started sponsoring a bowl game. The firm’s sales surpassed two billion dollars in 2006, while it became a billion-dollar brand. Chick-Fil-A's main products include chicken and poultry products, including scrambled burritos and waffle fries.

Q2. Explain your current or possible global marketing efforts.

The firm’s efforts to expand globally are built upon the expansion of its menu, which only revolves around chicken products. Given the limited nature of its goods, which has hindered it from expanding into other regions, the company has opted to broaden its menu to include items such as waffle fries. Therefore, Chick-Fil-A has been tirelessly working to retain and attract more clients from around the globe.

Q3. Explain the organization’s mission. Provide its mission statement or create one if necessary.

Chick-Fil-A’s mission statement illustrates the need for the firm to be the best quick-service restaurant in America that wins and keeps its customers. This means that the firm is convinced that it can win and retain customers by offering better products and services. Better products and services means that Chick-Fil-A offers foods that are of high quality, while its services ought to be quick and affordable at the same time. For Chick-fil-A, the purpose of a mission statement is to help the firm meet its objectives.

Q4. Explain your competitive strategy.

Chick-Fil-A's operations complement its business philosophy of providing high-quality goods with superb service at reasonable prices. This company's consumer-centric strategy will help it carve out a position in the industry. Marshall and Johnston (2019) illustrate that a company promoting and practicing a high level of customer focus is referred to as a customer-centric organization. It has gained a significant competitive edge not just through outstanding product development, but also through exceptional customer service. The organization delights its clients by establishing trust, which entails developing connections with them and learning about who they are, as well as their aspirations and desires. Despite being a fast-food restaurant, they seek to create a pleasurable time for every client while also having a beneficial impact on the community.

Q5. Conduct a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis for the organization

Strengths

One of the key strengths that makes Chick-Fil-A the best is the services it provides to its customers. This customer service is made possible by the training that employees undergo, wherein the training is centered on understanding and happiness. Another strength is the firm’s menu selection, which includes chicken sandwiches instead of burgers. The firm also offers quality food products, which are as a result of Cathy, who took time in developing the original chicken sandwich recipe. Brand building can also be described as a strength given that it involves the local community. Powerful marketing efforts such as 'Eat Mor Chikin' aided in the brand's growth (McGinty, 2019).

Weaknesses

Poor geographic coverage can be described as a weakness because Chick-Fil-A’s presence is limited only to the US, meaning that its popularity is limited. Popularity among middle-income people in the US is a concern primarily because of the firm’s highly priced products.

Opportunities

Chick-Fil-A has an opportunity to expand to new markets such as the European ones which Marshall and Johnston (2019) name as the most successful. Here, its products can be well received, thus increasing its customer base. Health is a concern for customers, and this firm has the opportunity to reinvent itself by creating healthy food options. Although the company's brand is recognizable, its involvement in many religious and political activities may turn off some consumers, and this implies that by rebranding itself, it might attract new ones. While the firm does provide the conventional chicken sandwich, it has to create new offerings to widen its popularity and expand its customer base.

Threats

The culture of Chick-Fil-A is often regarded as among the most orthodox in the world, earning it much criticism. While the firm's branding is not political, it continuously provides financial support to ideological initiatives and activities, earning them a great deal of indignation from those opposing such efforts. The company's revenue situation is impacted by intense rivalry from established companies such as McDonald's and independent eateries. Changing health and economic policies might have a detrimental effect on the firm.

References

Chick-Fil-A. (2021). History: Company History. Chick-Fil-A. Inc. https://www.chick-fil-a.com/about/history

Johnston, M. W., & Marshall, G. W. (2019). Marketing Management. McGraw-Hill. 3rd Edition. https://www.acetermpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/eBook-PDF-Marketing-Management-3rd-Edition-by-Greg-Marshall.pdf

McGinty. J. (2019). “Covert Cows. The Chicken Wire. https://thechickenwire.chick-fil-a.com/inside-chick-fil-a/covert-cows

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Running head: MARKETING III 1

MARKETING III 2

Marketing III

Student name

Institutional affiliation

Marketing III

 Q1.

Chick-fil-A has developed and improved customer-focused product plan which highly relies on excellent tasting and good quality products. This product plan can be explained as follows; Chick-fil-A is a well-known fast food chain in the United States that serves chicken sandwiches. The fast-food chain offers a whole menu, from breakfast to dinner, as part of its marketing mix strategy. Sandwiches, bagels, eggs, and biscuits are just some of the items on the breakfast menu at Chick-fil-A. Salad dressings and sauces are also available. Nuggets and other kid-friendly fare can be found in a separate part of the menu. Health-conscious shoppers can choose from a wide variety of salads. Chick-fil-A also has two methods of product plan that it uses; the permanent product plan and the temporary product plan.

Q2

Chick-Fil-A is in the Product Life Cycle Growth stage. The company's ongoing sales growth is one of the key reasons Chick-Fil-A is in the Growth stage. Since 1967, when the first Chick-Fil-A opened, sales have been steadily increasing. Massive competition from restaurants such as KFC, Popeye’s and McDonalds is also another reason. Chick-fil-A is also facing competition from eateries like Burger King and Sonic. Chick-fil-A is trying to improve market share in both markets to maintain growth. The business is increasing store locations and introducing new products to the menu to help boost sales and market share during the PLC's growth period. Lastly the growing demand for the organizations products which has prompted increase in production is another evidence that Chick-fil-A is in the growth stage.

Q3.

Some viable techniques of building the equity of the Check-fil-A brand include: Building massive brand awareness through excellent customer services. This ensures that clients recognize the brand identity of the organization whenever they are searching for either goods or services and that their perception of the brand is as it was intended by the organization. Another technique is communicating the what the brand means and what it stands for by promoting positive clients’ feelings and judgments (Kang, 2016). This will ensure customers have a warm feeling towards the organization’s product and are therefore more likely to be loyal and pass the word on. Lastly, building a strong bond of loyalty with their clients is a very powerful aspect of brand equity in Chick-fil-A, though this is difficult to attain. Loyal customers make repeat purchases because they have a positive bond with their brand. Others even act as the brand ambassadors of the Chick-fil-A products.

Q4

Chick-fil-A recently made a decision to create a compelling brand by working on a new advertising model, ‘cows-plus’ marketing strategy which is designed in a way that it will rely less on its iconic mascots. The main aim of this new marketing strategy is to amplify the brands message by connecting and building relationships with new and existing customers. It will also massively support the growth of the brand nationwide. The recent decision to introduce a brand new membership tier, the Chick-fill-A One Signature Status which is a step above the existing Chick-fill-A One Red Status is significant in selling the brand of the company widely (Kang, 2016). Other recent branding decisions introduced include the new reward and bonus challenges which are important in strengthening the organization’s brand.

Q5

Chick-fil-A organization has made efforts to retain their customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention. They have achieved this by always striving to provide the excellent customer service for their clients. By doing these, they are able to retain and satisfy their customers. Chick-fil-A is also constantly gathering customer’s feedback. In this way, they ensure their customers’ satisfaction by asking them. This strategy enables them to understand the improvements required to ensure best services to their clients therefore retaining them. Lastly, Chick-fil-A has implemented a loyalty program for its loyal customers. The rewards and bonus challenges are significant in expanding how they thank their loyal customers (Leary et al., 2021). Customers are given an opportunity to win amazing prizes including tickets to visit the Chick-fil-A college football hall of fame. In this way, they are able to retain their customers, and even make them feel satisfied.

References

Johnston, M. W., & Marshall, G. W. (2019). Marketing Management. McGraw-Hill. 3 rd Edition. https://www.acetermpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/eBook-PDF-Marketing-Management-3rd-Edition-by-Greg-Marshall.pdf

Kang, D. (2016). Turning inside out: perceived internal branding in customer-firm relationship building. Journal Of Services Marketing, 30(4), 462-475. https://doi.org/10.1108/jsm-07-2015-0229

Leary, R., Burnham, T., & Montford, W. (2021). The effects of implicit firm theory on customer engagement and firm-related judgments. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 38(7), 751-765. https://doi.org/10.1108/jcm-06-2020-3926

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