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Consulting Project tesa SE
| Wintersemester 2013 / 2014 |
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This overview provides a summary of the joint student consulting project of tesa SE and the Vienna University of Economics and Business, conducted between September 2013 and January 2014. The project focused on the product Tesa Auto Protect (or Tesa Anti-Scratch), which is a scratch-protective film for cars. The transparent film is applied almost invisibly onto car surfaces which are sensitive to scratches in order to prevent scratches (e.g. from parking) up-front and save car owners time and cost of scratch repairs. The objective for the project thereby was to define the target market, develop a successful marketing strategy and analyze, why the product had originally suffered a lack of customer responsiveness. Furthermore, additional application fields were to be identified and a recommendation given of whether and how to re-launch the product in future.
Project Phases and Methodology
This objective was reached through four project phases carried out by 19 Master students and 3 supervising faculty members. In the first phase, students had a creativity workshop to brainstorm a broad set of possible application fields, with the most promising fields being chosen for further analysis. In the second phase, students conducted detailed market research on the chosen application fields to give valid judgments about their market potential. In the third phase, the most promising of these fields (automotive) was chosen for an in-depth, marketing research, where more than 100 potential customers and automotive experts were approached in qualitative interviews, customer behavior observations or field trips. Findings of this primary research were then used in phase four to develop a successful marketing strategy, conduct a cost-benefit analysis and give a final recommendation.
Recommended Marketing Strategy
This methodology revealed numerous interesting findings on how to successfully adjust the marketing strategy:
Product: It was recommended to narrow the product line to larger film sizes only. Based on customer feedback, the product should be offered in sizes of A4, A3 and a longer roll. It is also suggested to introduce an online stencil system connected to an automobile database so people can customize the film to the specific design of their car. Moreover a new packaging was developed by the team through rapid prototyping. Price: It is recommended to keep the price as it currently is and scale it to the new sizes. The rather high price (compared to popular protective film solutions) should be supported via effective promotional activities. Place: The project’s findings suggest that Tesa focuses primarily on DIY stores, grocery stores and car dealerships for distributing the product. It is recommended to enter these three physical channels simultaneously while being synchronized with the general promotional activities, such as in-store live demonstrations of the application of the product. Promotion: A new marketing campaign called "Protect your baby" is recommended to create customer awareness. The aim of this campaign is to play off the emotional connection drivers have with their car, to increase their desire to protect it. The recommended media is aimed to reach drivers on a daily basis in order to create credibility and awareness of the product. Also, a promotional tour with a car that invites users to try to scratch it and a smartphone game are recommended.
Overall Recommendation
These changes are considered essential to successfully increase customer responsiveness; however, based on the cost-benefit analysis, these recommendations are expected to require a high seven-figure investment. As there are serious doubts on the product’s ability to return this investment in the coming years, it is recommended not to re-launch the product.