Agroindustrial project analysi

THE MARKETING FACTOR 45How do institutional constraints affect the competitive environment?* Economic constraints? tariffs? quotas?* Health constraints? sanitary standards?* Political constraints? price controls? subsidies? industrial licensing?direct government intervention?* Legal constraints? antitrust legislation? patents?The MarketingPlanThe data from the analyses of the consumer and the competitiveenvironment are the basis for a project's marketing plan. The purposeof the plan is to position the firm's product most advantageouslyin relation to its consumers and competition. The elementsof the plan are product design, pricing, promotion, and distribution.These constitute the company's "marketing mix," the core of themarketing strategy.Product designMost products have several design options. Even staples such asrice can assume various forms (for example, enriched, parboiled,long or short grain) and packaging (for example, cardboard box,polyethylene or cloth bag). Among the design considerations foragroindustrial products are taste, texture, cooking ease, color, odor,form, nutritive value, convenience, size, and packaging. 7 Thesecharacteristics should be matched with consumers' expectations ofquality and usage yet kept within the market segment's price range.Costly product improvements must therefore be weighed againstthe product's resultant price.The product should be designed by the project's marketing andproduction personnel because marketing identifies the needs forproduction's designs, including prototypes that production canmake for field testing. When the final design adjustments have beenmade, full-scale production and marketing begins (see figure 6).7. For fiber, leather, or wood agroindustrial products, factors such as durability,malleability, washability, and fashion should be considered.