MARKETING PLAN OUTLINE I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY II. MISSION STATEMENT III. SITUATION ANALYSIS A) MARKET SUMMARY – INDUSTRY ANALYSIS B) ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS C) SWOT D) COMPETITION IV. MARKETING...

MARKETING PLAN OUTLINE
MARKETING PLAN OUTLINE
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Skinny pop popcorn manufactures and sells popcorn products and is a renowned snacks brand. Skinny pop is presently owned by Hershey Company which is headquartered in Austin, Texas. They also sell its products internationally. Skinny pop popcorn was invented by Andy Friedman and Pam Netzky in the year 2010 in Chicago. The first thousand packs of new popped popcorn were hand packed by the founders of Skinny pop and sold it in different stores of Chicago. In 2012, Skinny pop started to get manufactured from Chicago and was distributed in 4500 retail stores. In 2013, Skinny pop partnered with Jason Cohen a food industry entrepreneur to grow the sales of Skinny pop popcorns. Skinny pop recorded as sales of $44 million in 2013. In 2014, Skinny pop sold and manufactured their products to over 25000 retail stores in United States and internationally. The founders of Skinny pop sold their major stake to TA Associates for $320 million in the same year of 2014. TA associate hired a new CEO and incorporated Skinny pop as a part of Amplify Snacks Brand. Later Amplify Snacks Brand was acquired by Hershey Company for $1.6billion at $12 per share.
Skinny pop manufacture original pre-popped popcorn make from high quality kernels, sunflower oil and salt. They introduced popcorns with different flavors later. They also launched microwave popcorns and special item popcorn cakes and popcorn chips. Their ultimate aim was to manufacture pre-popped popcorns in airtight packs which will be low in calorie and delicious in taste. The popcorn was targeted towards the young and active women and children of the society and was presented as a nutritious afternoon snack. Now, the company will make a new marketing plan to increase its sales from 2.67% in 2018 to 5% in 2019 & 2020. Below is the marketing plan which can be implemented to achieve the desired growth.
II. MISSION STATEMENT
The ultimate aim of Skinny popcorn is to deliver the popcorn lovers a snack which is made from simple ingredients and is of delicious flavor. The popcorn is made with a premium popcorn kernel, sprinkles of sunflower oil and a perfect pinch of salt. The popcorn is pure and perfectly popped. The popcorn has no genetically modified organisms contained, zero preservatives and is completely gluten free. This makes the snack a perfectly guilt free and tasty popcorn. Skinny pop popcorn is for all segments of the people who want snacks that taste yummy and are good for their health. So to give a touch of special taste to the popcorn lovers’ Skinny popcorn started to offer microwave popcorns, popcorn cakes and its most recent popcorn chips. All the products of Skinny popcorn portray a slogan “snacking without compromise”. Skinny popcorn also offers many vegan options. Presently, they are trying to reach the customers and especially their popcorn lovers online at Skinnypop.com. Skinny popcorns are also available in many retail stores nationwide.
III. SITUATION ANALYSIS
A) MARKET SUMMARY – INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
The above statistics depicts the leading ready to eat popcorn brands in USA as of 2016. Based on the sales of the different companies, it is Skinny pop which tops the list at $183.4 million. It is estimated that the consumption of popcorn in the US stands at 15 billion quants annually. It is one of the most wholesome snacks consumed and economically available in the USA. As per a report, published by the popcorn institute around 70% of the popcorn is eaten in the US at home. This includes both popped i.e. packed and cooked popcorn as well as pre-popped i.e. not cooked. The rest 30% is consumed outside the home i.e. in schools, theaters and inside stadiums. Almost 90% of the sales of the popcorns for home consumption in the US are unpopped. The states which produce the maximum popcorn are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska and Kentucky. The peak season of the sales of popcorn in the US is during the autumn season. It remains elevated throughout the winter season and then gradually shrinks during the summer and the spring seasons. It is a popular snack with all age groups in the US. The majority of popcorn is manufactured and consumed in America. Although the sales of popcorn is steadily enhancing worldwide yet it is found that Americans consumes more popcorn than any other people of the world.
B) ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The factors that influence the popcorn quality are the kernel moisture, processing methodologies, expansion ratio and home handling and storage.
Apart from that to achieve the maximum pop in the kernel the moisture content of the popcorn should be maintained at 13.5 to 14.5 percent. Moisture content of over or under 13.5 percent negatively impacts the popping ability of the corn.
The ideal minimum expansion ratio for good popcorn as per the processors is between the ranges of 35:1 to 38:1. However, due to hybrid of the popcorn kernels, sometimes the expansion ratio is over 40:1.
Good popcorn should contain atleast 98% popped kernels and a maximum of less than 2% unpopped kernels or what is known as sprinters. If proper care is taken while processing the kernels, the above 98% popped kernel is easily obtained. The unpopped kernels are due to guarding during processing to avoid contamination as well as damages of kernels in other forms which reduce the quality of the kernels.
Also, handling of the popcorn in home and opening it incorrectly enhances the chances of moisture content which in turn impacts the popability of the popcorns. Therefore, the raw kernels once opened must be kept in airtight containers until it is used. The popcorn should not be ever stored in the refrigerator. The air inside the refrigerator contains very little moisture; as a result the moisture goes below 13.5 percent and can dry up the popcorn.
Microwave popcorn was invented in the US in the 1980’s. With almost 80% of the consumers having microwaves for household use, 73 million microwaves in homes alone. People of all ages enjoy the taste of freshly popped popcorns outside their home also. With the invent of microwaves people enjoys pooped popcorns as a afternoon snack, at home, after school, hotels, stadiums, theatres and amusement parks. The specialty of microwave popcorn is that it comes in various tastes and varieties like in a gourmet to give the delicious taste of popcorn, with low fat and some additional butter.
The popcorn board is funded by the popcorn processors and the companies who supplies popcorn to the various retail stores directly from the corn fields. The board strives to raise the quality and awareness of the US popcorn industry as a multipurpose, whole grain afternoon snack through marketing the popcorn both domestically and internationally.
C) SWOT
The below are the Strength, weakness, opportunities and threats of Skinny pop popcorn:
Strengths:
· Skinny pop popcorn uses all natural ingredients free from gluten and other harmful chemicals.
· It is good for all people of every age group. It is especially good for children and the elder people as it is low in fat and sodium content.
· It comes in variety of flavors, delicious tastes and in different forms. There are popcorn chips, popcorn cakes and regular microwave popcorn with a spread of additional butter mixed in it.
· It is the No.1 brand in USA in terms of sales as on 2016.
Weaknesses:
· The ingredients used were costly like the sunflower oil and the kernel which is of high quality.
· Due to lack of advertisement the brand name is not represented everywhere and is not well-known all over USA barring a few places.
· Lacks strong branding compared to other popcorn brands.
· It is slightly priced higher than that of its competitors.
Opportunities:
· It has the opportunity to expand in the new market both domestically and internationally with its popcorn brand and products.
· Since its motto is snacking without compromise which means it stresses on the concept of quality, delicious and healthy products free from any harmful substances. Hence, this is making the healthy eating more affordable to the customers.
· Their new launch of popcorn chips is based on the conception of attracting the kids instead of potato chips and French fries.
· It is currently selling its products online. This is an added advantage of making the products reach to maximum number of customers.
Threats:
· There are other brands with similar quality products like Smartfood and Angeis Boom Chicka Pop which are its biggest competitors in USA.
· It is extremely difficult and costly to manufacture quality and healthy products with high class ingredients at a low price.

SWOT Analysis Template
     INTERNAL FACTORS
(IFAS)
EXTERNAL FACTORS
(EFAS)
    Strengths (S)
· Gluten free ingredients
· Targeted towards active people
· Comes in variety
· No.1 product in USA
    Weaknesses (W)
· Cost of ingredients is high
· Lack of branding
· Not well known throughout America
· Slightly costly $3.59/ 4.4oz
    Opportunities (O)
· Expansion domestically & internationally
· Healthy eating concept
· Popcorn chips for children
· Digital presence
    S/O Based Strategies
· No.1 in USA can be the best seller in international markets
· Reach maximum customers through online
    W/O Based Strategies
· Enhance the branding of its products through social media
· Make the product price of popcorn chips targeted towards children competitive with the market to attract more customers
    Threats (T)
· Tough competitors like Smartfood and Angie’s Chicka pop popcorn
· Priced high than its competitors
    S/T Based Strategies
· It is No.1 in USA in terms of sales inspite of tough competition from Smartfood and Angie’s Chicka pop popcorn
· High quality ingredients usage than its competitors
    W/T Based Strategies
· More branding through social media, advertising in theaters and stadiums will help to market the product well
· Pricing can be made competitive for its high selling popcorn products
D) COMPETITION
In terms of its competitors Skinny pop popcorns position stands as follows:
1. Smartfood: This is a brand created in 1985 by Andrew Martin, his wife Ann Withey and Ken Meyers in Hampton, Connecticut. It was later acquired by Frito Lays, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. This popcorn company was created with the intention to provide the popcorn lovers with popcorns made of real cheese and would glow in the dark like other popcorn...