Background: Häagen-Dazs created the category of “super-premium” ice cream. Before Häagen-Dazs, ice cream was typicallycheaply produced and cheap to buy, largely targeted at families and children. Häagen-Dazs ushered in a new age in which ice cream could be exclusive, prestigious, sophisticated, and even sexy. Using only the purest, finest, and all–natural ingredients, Häagen-Dazs remains the best-selling brand in the “super-premium” segment, despite stiff competition from other players, most notably Ben & Jerry’s. Their products in Canada include single-serve packaged items and small take-home tubs. Currently Häagen-Dazs has a highly loyal, but mature and aging consumer base.
The younger consumer sees the brand as slightly intimidating, less approachable, and old-fashioned. Young adults, including college and university students, are heavy ice-cream consumers and are seen as future brand advocates. Häagen-Dazs wishes to build their business among this sizable younger adult segment. Requirements – the first steps of a Marketing Plan: 1. State what is, or could be, the company’s Mission Statement. (2 marks) 2. Write a “SMART” Marketing Objective for Häagen-Dazs(ensure that it addresses “how much and by when?”) (3marks) 3. Conduct a Competitive Analysis for the brand: identify 3 Direct and 3 Indirect competitors. (6 marks) 4. Conduct a SWOT Analysis: use a table and include 2 or 3 points in each quadrant: S&W are internal/“controllable”, O&T are external/“uncontrollable” and they have a“CDSTEP” label (8 marks) 5. What is Häagen-Dazs’s Sustainable Competitive Advantage from the 4 types we discussed? Briefly provide your reasoning. (2 marks) 6. Given Häagen-Dazs’s goal to build business among young adults, which Growth Strategy from the matrix does this equate to? What specific steps could the brand take to realize growth using this strategy? (4 marks)
