Marketing Strategies and Business Trends

This assignment requires students to analyze and discuss various marketing strategies and business trends, including the use of digital billboards, targeted television advertisements, and the impact of inflation on consumer behavior. Students are also expected to provide a summary of the Ansoff Matrix and its limitations, as well as an analysis of decentralization in business operations. The assignment also touches on the importance of effective promotion strategies in competitive markets and provides an overview of the current state of online marketing.

Contemporary marketing

Slide 1: Product introduction
This new product defined is an automated babysitter. Introduced to take care of babies while they
are away from parents. The technology is futuristic. The product will take the form of a small
baby sitter. It will be connected to the parent’s phones and computer. It would look like a very
tiny baby itself and would have inbuilt ability to attract children. The product would be movable
and would work on battery that needs to be charged every 7 days.
Slide 2: Need analysis
Before introducing a product in the market, it is imperative to understand the need for the same
(Baker, 2016). The need for this product has been identified because the number of working
parents are increasing. The average life span of people is also decreasing. The 110 years of
steadily improving life expectancy in the UK are officially over and is now falling (The
Conversation, 2017). Therefore in the distant future not many children will have the opportunity
to be baby sit by their grandparents.
Research dictates a surge in the number of working mothers with dependent children. The Office
for National Statistics suggests that there were 4.9 million mothers with dependent children in
2017 (The Guardian, 2017). Over the past two decades alone, the percentage of working mothers

has increased by 11.8% (Office of National Statistics, 2017). Therefore this small robotic baby
sitter can take care of children.
Human baby sitter cannot even be trusted entirely. The parents will always fear the child getting
kidnapped, sexually harassed or physically beaten. The fear of things getting stolen from the
house is also persistent with human baby sitters. This baby sitter is a machine and hence can be
entirely trusted by parents. The child would be much safer and so will the belongings of the
house.
Parents are increasingly paying more for babysitters. The national average baby sitter rate for an
hour is almost $14 which is a 26% increase since 2010 (Business Wire, 2017). This suggests an
increasing demand for baby sitters and that makes it a perfect opportunity to launch an
automated baby sitter.
Slide 3: Product Features
The robot will be connected to the parent’s mobiles and computers. The robot will be
automatically attractive to children. The robot will be able to sense the child’s moods and needs.
The robot can play soothing music to make the child sleep when the robot understands that the
child needs sleep. The robot can guide the children to food and make interesting sounds to keep
children entertained. The robot can also alert parents on their phones if the child is in any kind of
danger or is unwell. The robot also has the in-built ability to contact the police, fire brigade and
ambulance if the need be.
If the child moves too far away from the robot, then the robot will automatically start making
sounds that will attract the child towards the robot. Moreover, the robot will also be equipped
with technology to measure the child’s blood pressure, heart rate and temperature at any given
point of time.
Slide 4: Business Mission
The ultimate goal of the business is to create value by allowing parents to be tension free while at
work. The agenda is to fill the need gap that parents face. The robot will be able to take care of a

child better than human baby sitter. The child’s health would be consistently monitored and
hence the child would remain safe at all times.
As a business, the agenda is to create a disruptive technology that would bring about a wave in
the market and create a robot for parent’s needs (Christensen, Raynor & McDonald, 2016). The
business would ensure complete customer satisfaction through effective delivery, customized
products and efficient after sale service. The business would focus on creating value as well as
generating revenue and enhancing business outside the geographical boundaries by focusing on
international expansion.
Slide 5: SWOT Analysis
Strengths
1. Effective technology
2. Durable product
3. Easily available
4. Unique idea
Weaknesses
1. High price. Starting price is £1499.99
2. Cannot run without battery or
additional electric charge
3. Child may be unable to build or
maintain human contact
Opportunities
1. Improved technology that can measure
how much are children is sleeping or
how many calories are they in taking.
2. Expanding to international boundaries
Threats
1. Imitation of technology in a short
time.
2. Need creation of product is important
but can be tedious
3. Robot running out of charge while on
duty.
Slide 6: PESTLE analysis
Political: UK is a politically stable economy which is makes it an efficient place for conducting a new
business. Politically instable countries are more prone to failed new businesses or lack of government
support.
Economic: United Kingdom ranks 7 on the ease of doing business index (World Bank, 2018). It is a
developed economy with a falling inflation rate of 2.5% (BBC News, 2018). A lowered inflation suggests a
higher disposable income and hence provides a good opportunity for a new business to introduce a new
product.

Social: As mentioned above, the number of working parents are surging and the average life span is
decreasing. These two factors combined create a great opportunity to introduce an automated baby
sitter in the market.
Technological: People in the UK are technologically savvy. Over 89% of adults use the internet and
possess a smartphone (Office for National Statistics, 2018).
Legal: There are a number of laws that guide the new businesses starting in the UK. These laws are
related to trademarks, insurances and tax liabilities.
Environmental: It is essential that a new business is environmentally responsible. The waste from the
Electronic baby sitters must be effectively managed and efforts must be made to reduce the overall
carbon footprints of the business.
Slide 7: Marketing objectives
The main objective of the organization is to reach out to a large number of potential customers
and generate revenue for the business. The marketing team’s objective also includes setting the
right positioning for the product in the minds of the consumers. Positioning refers to the image of
the product in the minds of its target customers.
Time frame Number of customers
targeted
No of automated
baby sitters sold
Revenue
Generated
6 Months (Jan 2019
to June 2019)
8 million (Assuming the
product is sold at 50
electronic stores that
have a minimum footfall
of 500 daily visitors) +
(Social media followers)
5% of Targeted
customers
0.04 Million.
£1499.99*0.04
million customers
Approximately
£60 million
1 years (July 2019 to
June 2020)
12 million 15% of targeted
customers
1.8 million.
Approximately
£2700 million
2 years (July 2020 to
June 2021)
18 million 20% of targeted
customers
3.6 million.
Approximately
£5400 million

Slide 8: Target market
The target market of any product refers to the set of customers whose needs and demands the
organization aim to fulfill (Armstrong, Kotler, Harker & Brennan, 2015). The target market of
the robot baby sitter are new parents of young children, parents who are working as well as
parents of children who do not live with the children’s grandparents.
Initially, the product would be offered at a premium price and hence would be made available to
higher income segments of the society. The product would perform a psychographic
segmentation and target people on the basis of lifestyle. This would include working parents
within the high income groups.
Slide 9: Barriers to entry
There are various barriers to entry of the robot baby sitter that might delay or adversely impact
the growth of the product. These barriers of entry ine
1. Unacceptance by people
2. Unable to develop technology
3. High startup cost
4. Patents by first moving firm
Slide 10: Competitive advantage
In order to survive in the world of increasing competition, it is essential for businesses to identify
a set of attributes that help businesses to gain an advantage over other players of the industry
(West, Ford & Ibrahim, 2015).
The competitive advantage of the robot baby sitter would be world class technology, compact
size and updatable software. International expansion and the wide reach of customers would also
provide a competitive advantage to the product.

Slide 11: Competitive targets
The target customers of the competitors would be the same as and when the competition arises.
The customers would include working parents, single parents, parents who do not live with the
children’s grandparents as well as parents who are frequently busy with work.
While introducing a new product, it is recommended that an effective strategy is adopted.
Ansoff’s matrix is a strategic marketing tool that helps firms in understanding the best strategy
forward to introduce a product into a market (Dawes, 2018).
The baby sitter industry has existed since a long time, the automated baby sitter would be a new
introduction to an existing industry. As the matrix suggests, product development strategy must
be adopted. This process involves the stages of idea generation, concept development,
conducting research, analyzing business, product development, test marketing and finally
commercialization (Ward & Sobek, 2014).
Slide 12: 4P – Product
The first P in marketing mix is the ‘Product’ which throws light on the basic qualities of the
product (Wirtz & Lovelock, 2016). The product is a highly innovative and durable robot baby
sitter which is built with the intention to assist parents while they are at work. The product has
features that enable the robot to sense the child’s needs and alert parents if the child is in any
kind of danger or is sick.

Slide 13: 4P – Price
Price skimming strategy would be adopted to sell the automated baby sitters. Wherein the price
would initially be kept high in order to recover business costs (Spann, Fischer & Tellis, 2014).
The first introduction price would be £1499.99. Once the market has accepted the products and
the business is capable of running on economies of scale then the price would be reduced
eventually to an approximate £1199.99.
Slide 14: 4P – Place
The product would be first launched in the UK. It would be made available at leading electronic
stores at centralized locations of the country. The product would also be exported to international
markets on demand through the business’s website.
Slide 15: 4P – Promotion – Social media
Social media marketing is the art of promoting a particular product through social media
channels like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter (Tuten & Solomon, 2017). The
business would maintain its own Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat accounts.
Facebook account would post updates four times a day, Instagram would have 2 new posts on a
daily basis and on the other hand, twitter account would be used to post once every two hours.
Social media is an interactive way to build a connection with customers.
Any new social media platform that would be introduced in the future would also be used for the
product’s promotion. These platforms would also be used for user generated content and hence
enhanced reach.
Slide 16: 4P – Promotion – Billboards and hoardings
Billboards and hoardings across the city help the citizens of the city encounter the ad various
times a day (Brad & Golan, 2017). Innovative posters would be designed to attract customers
and provide basic information about the products. These billboard designs would be changed
every two weeks. The billboards would be visually appealing.

Slide 17: Estimated cost of marketing channels
IMC channel Target (By the end of first
year)
Approximate Budget
allocated ($1000)
Billboards 1. Total 500 billboards
2. Change billboard
design every 2
months.
700
Product sold on electronic
stores
Tie up with the 50 leading
electronic stores
150
Facebook 2 million followers and over
1095 posts (365*3).
35
Instagram 100k followers and over 400
posts
50
Twitter At least 1 million followers
and over 1825 (365*5)
tweets.
65

Slide 18: Marketing process plan
Slide 19: Recommendations for growth
The business also requires certain recommendations for its growth. There are certain points that
the business needs to ensure for its success which are mentioned as below:
1. Keep up to date with technology at all times
2. Enhance target market: The business can begin targeting aging and sick people who are
dependent on others.
3. Keep vary of competition: Keep a stern eye on increasing competition
Slide 20: Conclusion
With the decreasing life span and increasing number of working parents, there is an increasing
need for an automated baby sitter. This new product would hit the UK market with an aim to
assist parents in babysitting their children while they are away. The premium product would be

priced at £1499.99. The primary target market for the product would be working parents. In
order to promote the product, the business will resort to social media marketing, digital
marketing and advertising through billboards. In order to ensure the success of the product, a
stern eye must be kept on the upcoming competition and effective promotion strategies must be
adopted.

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