Marketing Strategy : Company X Entering the Australian Wine Market

Abstract

The main objective of this thesis was to identify which marketing strategy is most effective for wine producing companies to enter and compete on the Australian wine market with excessive supply and diminishing demand. The purpose of the thesis was to create a marketing strategy for the commissioner, a case company, referred to as Company X for confidential reasons.

Secondary research, predominantly based on marketing literature and governmental statistics, was conducted to create the theoretical framework. It was also used in the empirical part of the thesis, mainly in analyses related to the external environment. Primary research was conducted in two forms: an interview with the director of the case company and a customer survey conducted by external researchers.

The theoretical framework was synthesised from various concepts related to marketing strategy and designed to be potentially usable for companies operating in different industries globally. The synthesis resulted in a structure of the theoretical framework that contains three main parts: core strategy establishment, competitive positioning and the marketing mix.

The marketing strategy for Company X was created in accordance with the theoretical framework. The core strategy was selected based on internal, external and SWOT analyses of the company. The positioning was established based on analyses of the target segment and competitors identified by customers that belong to that segment. Finally, the marketing mix was built on the outcome of the chosen core strategy and positioning. This particular sequence of actions was chosen to ensure relevance for any company that operates in the Australian wine industry.

The commissioner was extremely satisfied with the outcome and is planning to implement the proposed marketing strategy in the nearest future.