Snow Monkey: Strategic Management Case Study Analysis, MGT306

This case study provides a detailed analysis of Snow Monkey, a vegetarian ice cream company operating in the United States. The assignment explores Snow Monkey's value proposition, which centers on developing ice cream with nutritional benefits. The study examines the company's current product-based strategy, competitive advantages, and its ability to tap into consumer trends, particularly the growing demand for healthier ice cream options. The analysis highlights Snow Monkey's innovative approach to the ice cream industry, its focus on natural ingredients, and its potential to position itself as a breakfast snack. The case study concludes with recommendations for Snow Monkey, including understanding customer responses, focusing on Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), and engaging in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities to ensure sustainable growth and maintain its competitive edge in the evolving market. The assignment is structured to meet the requirements of a strategic management course, including an executive summary, introduction, central section, conclusions, recommendations, and references.

Running head: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
Strategic Management
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Notes:

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Table of Contents
Introduction: Brief Outline of Snow Monkey.................................................................................3
Discussion........................................................................................................................................4
Current Strategy...........................................................................................................................4
Competitive Advantage...............................................................................................................6
Recommendations and Conclusion..................................................................................................7

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Executive summary
The ice cream market is deemed to be subject to favourable growth in the tears to come. There
has been a noticeable increase in the demand for the premium ice creams. The rise in demand has
been specially been witnessed in developing nation. The behaviour of the consumers in
accordance to the specifications in the ice creams that they consume has also grown. The
contents of the products that people consumer are important factors that are considered while
consuming a said product and formulating the purchase decision. While various companies have
been able to recognise the above and have reacted by changing the portion sizes and the contents
of the ice creams, they have failed to offer ice creams that provide nutritional benefits. Snow
Monkey is a company operating in the industry which has taken the behaviour of the consumer
community into account and have been able to come up with a unique value proposition in the
industry that ensures a sustainable future not only for the company, but for the consumers. The
current paper presents a brief overview on the background of the company and the key factors
that the company has been able to tap into in order to ensure a competitive advantage in the ice
cream market in the United States. Furthermore, recommendations will be provided in order to
determine the strategic purview of Snow Monkey regarding their journey in the long run. It has
been suggested that the company should focus on identification of customer needs, developing
the IMC competencies and contributing to the community with CSR activities.

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Introduction: Brief Outline of Snow Monkey
Snow Monkey is a vegetarian ice cream company that has been successful in tapping the
ice cream market of the United States of America (Snow-monkey.com, 2019). The main value
proposition that is offered by the company while they operate in the market is based on the
development of ice cream that provides nutritious benefits to the consumers of the products. The
company was started by two individuals who paid due importance to maintaining healthy
lifestyles and paid head to what they consumed. Mariana and Rachel were the ideas behind the
development of the company, furthermore, they had been responsible for development of the
core product that the company offered. The latter were roommates in Boston University and they
were careful enough in monitoring what they consumed. Furthermore, both of them were athletes
and shared love for ice cream. Due to the concern of the latter towards nutritional elements of
what they consumed, they experimented with different ingredients after which they were
successful in developing the core product that is offered by Snow Monkey. The ice cream that
they developed was well appreciated within their friends circle as a result of which they though
that they would be subject to success if they realise the latter into a business. The attitudes and
awareness of the consumers regarding what they consumed had become a major driver in the ice
cream industry and thus, Snow Monkey aimed to position themselves in the market as company
that offers ice cream that can be considered to be an alternative to unhealthy ice cream
(Forbes.com, 2019). In the establishment phases the participated in various business expos and
contest and emerged victorious with handsome rewards that helped in developing the financial
capability of the company. The company aimed to position themselves a company that offered
ice cream that helps in checking the consumption of substances such as sugar, dairy and others.
The main ingredients that are used by the company are naturally sourced as a claimed by the

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company, they help I revitalising the consumer of the product. As of 2019, the company had
around 1,200 retail outlets across the country and are aiming to expand with the help of the
motive of providing their products to consumers across the United States (Snow-monkey.com,
2019). The motives of the organisation is characterised by an aim of repositioning themselves as
a part of breakfast of the consumers. The latter is an issue that can be realised with the motive of
the organisation in being available in grocery stores. The company has been successful in
developing a value proposition in various areas, however, it can be opined that they should
increase their efficiency marketing communications.
Discussion
Current Strategy
It has been found out there has been an increase in demand for ice cream that are free of
lactose and substances that can potentially lead to allergies in individuals (Misselwitz et al.,
2013). Furthermore, there has been a rising concern on consumption of ice cream as a result of
the high levels of sugar, preservatives, artificial flavours and saturated fats. Hence, companies
are trying to cope with the same, with the help of modification to their offerings in the market
and changes in their products. It has been found that there has been an increase in the number of
companies who claim that the ice creams that they offer in the market have been made in
accordance with the needs of the tastes and preferences of the consumer community. However, it
has been discovered that companies are merely decreasing the portion sizes of the ice creams,
curtailing the use of items with saturated fats and items that can lead to illnesses in consumers.
The taste of the ice creams are retained with the help of artificial flavouring and ingredients that
are potentially not safe for consumption (Ateteallah, Elkarim & Hassan, 2019). The ice creams
that are offered by Snow Monkey are made of ingredients that are sources from non-dairy

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products and ingredients that are free of allergens. Furthermore, the main ingredients that are
used by the company are sourced from natural ingredient. The product offerings from the part of
the company also have a distinct flavour and textures that delivers favourable tastes. Snow
Monkey has been able to identify an opportunity in terms of the motives of the consumer
community in terms of consumption of ice cream. The company has thus, been able to gain
awareness regarding the needs of the consumers. The organisation has taken an innovative
strategy in answering to the questions that have been laid down. The current strategy of the
company is a product-based strategy through which they aim to provide value to the customers.
The paleo community is supposedly growing and it is the aim of the company to provide their
services to the paleo community (Chang & Nowell, 2016). It is clearly evident that the company
has been able to focus on research and development with the help of which they, have been able
to develop ideas that help in the develop ideas for the diversification of the product line as a
result of which they have been able to develop ice creams with new flavours. Even though the
company has been able to develop new products, it should still be identified that all the
ingredients that are used by the company are completely natural and are sourced from natural
sources.
It has been found that the company aims to tap into the breakfast menu of consumers.
The latter is an aim that can be realised with the help of the unique value proposition offered by
the company. The company aims to position itself as a company offering ice cream that ca be
consumed as an essential part of the breakfast. The products that are developed by Snow Monkey
help in realising the motives of the diet and health conscious part of the community by offering
products that not only give them the flexibility to indulge into ice cream but also gain nutritional
benefits from the consumption of the same. The ice cream made with assortment of fruits,

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banana puree, hemp seeds and various other types of super foods are likely to elevate the health
quotient that is associated to the meals and provides value by nourishment and by fuelling the
body can be easily added to breakfast. Thus, by tapping into or entering the breakfast as a part of
the complete meal, can help the company in accordance with their aims of expansion. The latter
is an option allows the company to offered in various supermarkets and grocery stores with the
help of which the products offered can be subject to favourable responses thus ensuring
favourable sales figures and exposure in the consumer community.
Competitive Advantage
Competitive advantage refers to the advantage that an organisation experiences due to
superiority and a unique value proposition that is possessed by the company (Noe et al., 2017).
There are various companies in the US who have been able to identify the trends in the ice cream
industry (Chen et al., 2016). There have also been visible trends in the form of the change in
tastes and preferences of the consumers. Hence, it is imperative for companies to take steps in
order to remain relevant and to ensure that the companies are able to sustain themselves in
accordance with the changes. Snow Monkey has been able to answer to the consumer trends in
such a way that no other company has been able to. They have successfully been able to disrupt,
not only the ice cream industry, but the food industry as a whole. The company that was
launched as a company offering just ice creams now saw the potential of being an essential meal
on its own. With ingredients completely sources from natural sources, the company have been
able develop product that nourish the system of the individual consuming the same. Other
companies in the US frozen dessert industry can only claim that they are aligned to the needs of
the health-conscious parts of the population (Gendel & Zhu, 2013). However, it has been found
that the companies have only curtailed on the portion sizes of the ice creams some have even

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limited the use of items containing started fats. This, has resulted in reduction of the taste of the
ice cream. There are companies who have tried to tackle the loss of flavour with the help of
artificial flavouring. Hence, the health quotient claimed by the companies were not sustained.
The companies that offered yogurts had the potential to capture in industry, however, the portion
sizes did not favour. Snow Monkey has been able to gain a competitive advantage with the help
of the key ingredients, the unique value proposition and the appeal that they have been successful
in generating as a company in transition from being an ice cream company to a superfoods
company.
Recommendations and Conclusion
To conclude, it has been realised that Snow Monkey is an organisation that are aligned
perfectly to the needs of the health-conscious consumers of ice cream. The health quotient has
shown a prospective of the company as a breakfast snack. Thus, following are the
recommendations that can help in sustaining the future directions of the company with respect to
the opportunities that have been identified and strategies that can be adopted to ensure a future
that is sustainable;
 Understand customer response: It comes down to the prospective customers to be able to
decide whether people would appreciate the option of consumption of ice cream for
breakfast. The perception of the consumers is one of the most vital factors that must be
capitalised on in order to ensure that the activities carried by the company are well received
(Pappas, 2016). Snow monkey must incorporate market research to identify the notion of the
consumer community.
 Focus on IMC: Integrated Marketing Communications is the assimilation of tools and tactics
used by organisations to communicate the value proposition of the company in the industry

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and to increase the chances of generation of turnover (Valos et al., 2016). Snow Monkey
lacks in their marketing efforts even though they have incorporated and realised digital
marketing. The company should increase their investment in traditional marketing activities
and increase the promotional budget.
 CSR activities: CSR activities help companies in gaining appreciation from the diverse
regulatory groups and communities (Jamali, Karam & Blowfield, 2017). These are activities
that they can help in serving the community and will also help in throwing light on the
company, Hence, it should be incorporated into operations.

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REFERENCES
Ateteallah, H., Abd-Elkarim, N., & Hassan, N. A. (2019). Effect of Adding Beetroot Juice and
Carrot Pulps on Rheological, Chemical, Nutritional and Organoleptic Properties of Ice
Cream. Journal of Food and Dairy Sciences, 10(6), 175-179.
Chang, M. L., & Nowell, A. (2016). How to make stone soup: Is the “Paleo diet” a missed
opportunity for anthropologists?. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and
Reviews, 25(5), 228-231.
Chen, Y. I., Burall, L. S., Macarisin, D., Pouillot, R., Strain, E., De Jesus, A. J., ... & Zhang, G.
(2016). Prevalence and level of Listeria monocytogenes in ice cream linked to a
listeriosis outbreak in the United States. Journal of food protection, 79(11), 1828-1832.
Forbes.com. (2019). How Snow Monkey Is To Ice Cream What Chobani Is To Yogurt. Retrieved
13 December 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/geristengel/2018/04/25/how-
snow-monkey-is-to-ice-cream-what-chobani-is-to-yogurt/#45b7f4c16786
Gendel, S. M., & Zhu, J. (2013). Analysis of US Food and Drug Administration food allergen
recalls after implementation of the food allergen labeling and consumer protection
act. Journal of food protection, 76(11), 1933-1938.
Jamali, D., Karam, C., & Blowfield, M. (2017). Introduction: Corporate social responsibility in
developing countries: a development-oriented approach. In Development-Oriented
Corporate Social Responsibility: Volume 2 (pp. 1-12). Routledge.

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Misselwitz, B., Pohl, D., Frühauf, H., Fried, M., Vavricka, S. R., & Fox, M. (2013). Lactose
malabsorption and intolerance: pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment. United European
gastroenterology journal, 1(3), 151-159.
Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2017). Human resource
management: Gaining a competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
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Pappas, N. (2016). Marketing strategies, perceived risks, and consumer trust in online buying
behaviour. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 29, 92-103.
Snow-monkey.com. (2019). OUR MISSION. Retrieved 13 December 2019, from https://snow-
monkey.com/pages/impact
Valos, M. J., Haji Habibi, F., Casidy, R., Driesener, C. B., & Maplestone, V. L. (2016).
Exploring the integration of social media within integrated marketing communication
frameworks: Perspectives of services marketers. Marketing Intelligence &
Planning, 34(1), 19-40.