Product positioning map for mcdonald's

Marketing 500 – Examination 2 – Take Home

The in-class portion of the exam will be the same as examination #1. Please refer to the course schedule for the topics and materials that will be covered in the next examination.

Take Home Essay – Instructions

Please answer the question in a comprehensive way at the graduate level using applied examples to illustrate your key points. Please be sure to cite reference materials where appropriate. No minimum or maximum page numbers, but a typical paper is about 8 pages w/charts and tables. Please submit a hardcopy in class AND an electronic copy to the BB dropbox by 7pm on the evening of the in-class examination. Please check the data for the in-class portion of the exam.

Take Home Essay Questions

Next, imagine you are the VP of Marketing for McDonald’s and you need to pick a target market and a brand positioning for a new breakfast sandwich (you can define the sandwich as you see fit). Background information on McDonalds is attached (included as a link at BB).

Part 1: Targeting: 1) Determine the “best” target market for the new breakfast sandwich. 2) Describe why you selected this target market (for guidance, use the criteria from the Fashion Channel case study, or the criteria offered on page 213 in the text and in lecture notes). 3) Do research on your target market and offer a descriptive profile of your target market. 4) What do you think will be the financial return of your breakfast sandwich if it is offered/advertised to your target market? Explain. Please refer to The Fashion Channel case study for information how to present your target marketing information. Also refer and cite relevant learnings from text and lecture, and from outside sources.

Part 2. 1) Develop a positioning map for your breakfast sandwich across two dimensions (of your choice) and three major competitor breakfast sandwiches (your choice). 2) Describe your positioning map. 3) Develop a positioning statement that would appeal directly to your chosen target and explain why you choose this statement (remember to frame your positioning statement in the way it is described in text and lectures). Careful to not confusion product differentiation and brand positioning. This is a brand positioning exercise. Refer and cite text, lecture and outside sources.

Grading Rubric:

P1. Selection of a target for McDonalds new breakfast sandwich using appropriate target selection criteria and profile description of target market (see Fashion Channel case study as a model for this analysis).

P2. Positioning map as specified with explanation and positioning statement that would appeal to this target using the positioning statement format described in text and lecture. Includes criteria for correct positioning (see text and lecture). Positioning map supplied.

100-90: Substantive above average description and analysis of all issues posed in the question with full integration and reference to case material, text, lecture and online (secondary research, etc.) where appropriate to support descriptions and analysis, including applied examples. Above or consistent with high level graduate level work product.

80-89: Average description of most issues related to the question. Partial critical analysis of issues by including some reference and integration of learned marketing concepts and some effort at placing answer in context to what is being learned using text, lecture and online materials. Average or close to graduate level work product.

79 or below: Incomplete or wrong answer to question. Incomplete or missing description of some of the specific issues posed by question (i.e. incomplete background, incomplete discussion of research plan, etc.). Lacks substantive and thoughtful analysis and integration of key marketing issues posted by the question and lacks reference to case materials, text, lecture or online research. Below average in terms of graduate level work product.