Sustainability Marketing

This document discusses the concept of sustainability marketing and explores the strategies used by Icebreaker, a clothing industry known for its sustainable practices. It covers the marketing-mix strategies, including product, distribution, promotion, and pricing. The document also provides recommendations to improve Icebreaker's marketing strategy.

Running head: SUSTAINABILITY MARKETING
Sustainability Marketing
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Company Background................................................................................................................2
Marketing Strategies concerned with Icebreaker.......................................................................2
Marketing-Mix.......................................................................................................................3
Recommendations to improve the marketing strategy...............................................................6
Market Situation of the Organization.........................................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................8

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Company Background
The company concerned in this particular report is named Icebreaker. With the help of
the past studies, it is examined that Icebreaker is a clothing industry that works with the
merino wool outdoor consideration as well as the natural outdoor sector in the aspect of
manufacturing their products (Hoover 2016). Founded by Jeremy Moon in the year of 1995,
it is considered to be headquartered in Auckland, a region in New Zealand. It is known to be
purchased by the VF Corporation, an entity which was listed on the NYSE in the fiscal year
of 2018. The vital sustainable principles of the Icebreaker Company is known to be designed
and established in a concern that the organisation can attain its sustainable goals with the
philosophy of using the synergy of natural fibres while manufacturing its own clothing
products (Swaffield and Winchester 2016). Along with this, the company is known to work
with a sustainable approach that relates to causing zero harm to animals. Specifically, not
using the animals in the concern of producing the clothes that are offered to the customers (its
products are natural, but involves no animal skin).
Marketing Strategies concerned with Icebreaker
The business practices related to the aspect of its marketing strategies have recorded
to be widened as well as developed with the frequent changes that are taking place in the
modern business market (Wirtz et al. 2016). The aspect and philosophy of marketing
strategies started from focusing on the attempt of the business organisations towards the
study and research of its marketing needs. At present, the same targets in a broader concept of
the strategic roles and plans that are connected to the marketing philosophies of the complete
business organisation and its corporate strategies. In this concern, it was analysed that the
concept of marketing at present includes the decisions of the operational department as well
as the financial department of the firm (Feng, Morgan and Rego 2015). In addition, the other

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sectors covered by the marketing strategies is the marketing-mix strategies a company is to
implement in its organisation (Kolb 2016).
Marketing-Mix
The practices in business that is related to the marketing mix are known to occur since
last several decades and are considered to help the productive business organisations to place
the correct product in the correct combination at the correct place at the correct point of time
(Lancaster and Massingham 2017). However, the past studies show that marketing-mix and
its study is multifaceted and challenging. This is because the marketing-mix strategies are
known to involve the entire details involved in business transactions (Chaffey and Ellis-
Chadwick 2019). In light of this, the given report shades the marketing-mix strategies that are
used by the clothing industry of Icebreaker, to understand whether the same is valid or not.
The same is discussed below.
Product
The products of a company are produced and sold in the synergy of selling the same
to the end market and gaining the desired amount of profit as well as revenue from the same
(Lee, Sridhar and Palmatier 2017). A product of a business entity is determined to be one of
the vital factors which helps the same to build a competitive advantage in the business market
and satisfy the unique needs and demands of its potential as well as casual customers (Huang
et al. 2016). Customers are known to be connected to a business enterprise only when they
are to purchase any amount of goods or services from the company. Therefore, with the help
of the studies, it is seen that the clothing firm named Icebreaker has built its product in a
manner that the same has grabbed the prior attention of the customers to stay loyal to the
company (Scott 2016). The above part of the paper significantly shows that the company uses
the synergy of natural fibre in consideration of manufacturing its final clothing products. This

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natural fibre used by the company is concerned to be beneficial for both the customers as well
as the company. The customers get the skin-friendly products as well as the company gains a
higher amount of profit, respectively. Thus, it can be stated that the organisation of
Icebreaker is known to achieve a different level of paradigm in the aspect of brand loyalty
and competitive advantage as compared to its peer competitors.
Distribution (Place)
The distribution or the placement strategy as the component of marketing-mix is
recognised as the target place where the business organisation actually gets into the synergy
of selling its products to its specified target market (Ranagswamy 2018). Concerning to this
ideology of distribution component of the marketing-mix strategy, with the help of the above
analysis of the report as well as other secondary sources that the company of Icebreaker has
effectively set its distribution strategy based on the demographic factors of the nation the
same is established in. In consideration of this, the company turned capable enough of
planning its supply chain activities concerning to the age as well as the income background of
the society (Christopher 2016). This is because these two factors were considered to be the
most important in the field of selling clothing products to different individuals. Moreover, the
company also recognized the rate of birth as mortality of the individuals in the society to
understand the demand and supply of the clothes production rate. In light of this, it can be
stated that the demographic segmentation of the distribution strategy helped the organisation
of Icebreaker to differentiate its customers as per the diversified choices and needs of every
single customer.
Promotion
As stated by Hair et al. (2015), the business organisations effective in the present
business market have several means through the help of which they can effectively promote

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their business. Out of these available means and modes of advertising and developing one's
business, the clothing firm of Icebreaker is known to take up its marketing strategy of
promotion by implementing the traditional way of advertising in the newspapers, magazines
as well as radio (Weinberg and Mares 2015). In addition to this, the online media platform of
Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Advertisements, as well as Twitter, is taken into consideration.
This helps the company to grab the attention of both the online users of the new generation as
well as the offline users as well. As stated by Van Eemeren and Henkemans (2016), there are
still some people in the society who believes in the traditional way of communication. In lieu
of this, many old and new generation has entirely shifted to the synergy of online media
communication. Thus, the compelling research study of the R&D team of the Icebreaker
Company has realised the importance of using both the communication media as their
advertising tools which would help the same to promote its clothing products effectively and
efficiently.
Price
Recorded as per the viewpoint of Landy and Conte (2016), the pricing strategy of a
business organisation should be set with a complete concentration towards the current study
of the business industry the organisation operates in. This is because the customers are known
to be the most sensitive towards the price of the products or services they desire to purchase.
Thus, with the help of the past studies, it is recognised that the company of Icebreaker have
been determined to use the synergy of flexible pricing strategy based on the different type
and the quality of the cloth fibre (Marek and Martinkova 2017). However, the company have
been recognised to provide its business clients and customers with the synergy of better offers
and discounts which attracts the customer to the company and also stay loyal to the company.

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Recommendations to improve the marketing strategy
Although the marketing strategy used by the company of Icebreaker have been
recorded to provide practical benefit to the same and also maintain its marketing activities in
a significant manner, it does have some drawbacks that create a barrier for the same to be on
the first paradigm. Thus, the given report tends to specify some strategic recommendations
that will help the relevant company under discussion here in the paper to improvise the
synergy of its marketing-mix strategies and satisfy both the customer as well as the
organisational goals.
 Considering the company as the customer and then preparing the product and fixing
the pricing strategy of the same (Nagle and Muller 2017).
 Applying better manufacturing habits that its peer competitors and thereby gaining a
stronghold in the business market.
 Keeping prior pace with advanced and innovative technological changes.
 Studying the behavioural approach of its customers by demanding feedback from
them on every purchase the customer makes (Melero, Sese and Verhoef 2016).
 Continuous and frequent changes in the target base of the customers, as the population
of the world, is known to change on a daily basis.
Market Situation of the Organization
With the help of the studies, it is investigated that Icebreaker lies quite ahead of its
peer competitors in the synergy of maintaining the quality of its product (Pawson and Perkins
2017). In addition, the company is also known to maintain the quality as well as the pricing
strategy of its products in an effective way.

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High quality
Low quality
High priceLow price
Figure 1: Market Positioning Analysis of Icebreaker and its top competitors
(Source: By Author)
Conclusion
Hence, with the help of the above study, it can be concluded that the critical sustainable
principles used by the company of Icebreaker are practical as well as recognisable ones. With
the effective use of manufacturing clothes with the use of natural fibre, the company has been
able to keep its customers sustained in the business organisation. Moreover, this
implementation has also helped the company to gain a profound level of brand loyalty in the
industry of clothing business market as compared to its competitors.

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