Marketing Management Individual Project (MMIP) Recommendations

Marketing Management Individual Project (MMIP) Recommendations

D-BAT Sports is one of the most popular softball and baseball trainers in the United States. The company has various franchises across the United States that offer baseball and softball equipment and training services. Although the company has been successful over the past decade, there are a few improvements that it can make to enhance its profitability and increase its brand awareness among customers looking for private batting lessons by expert coaches for youth baseball players ages 7-12. This report provides various recommendations that the company can consider to make the improvements. These include both short-term and long-term recommendations in discovering marketing management, using the information to drive marketing decisions, developing value offering product experience, pricing and delivering value and communicating the value offering.

Short-Term Recommendations

Discover Marketing Management Question 4

One of the short-term recommendations that D-BAT Sports can consider to increase competitive advantage is using innovation as a competitive strategy. Innovation is categorized into the enhancement or development of a specific product, enhancing an existing product or service or providing a new product or service, finding new ways of combining or organizing inputs in the production process, and developing new ways of organizing business resources (Bresciani et al., 2021). D-BAT Sports can introduce a new service such as offering online guidance to softball and baseball trainees and providing online tutorials to help them understand the basics of the games. A relevant Bible verse is Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (New International Version, 2011, Rom. 12:2).

Use Information to Drive Marketing Decisions Question 1

The second short-term recommendation that D-BAT Sports should consider to increase competitive advantage is using focus groups to conduct market research. Marshall & Johnston (2023) argue that focus groups include a meeting of 6 to 10 people moderated by an expert who ensures that the conversation between the people in the group focuses on a specific agenda in an open, unstructured format. D-BAT Sports can select focus group members from each franchise to gather different opinions about its services and understand customer needs and expectations.

A scripture verse related to this recommendation is, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (New International Version, 2011, Prov. 27:17).

Use Information to Drive Marketing Decisions Question 3

The third short-term recommendation that D-BAT Sports should consider to increase competitive advantage is improving its customer relationship management using chatbots. The company can use chatbots to answer customers’ basic questions, such as questions about the location of franchises, membership fees, and how to enroll as a member. The company can also use chatbots to guarantee 24/7 customer support and conduct follow-ups after purchases to maintain a good relationship with its customers.

Accordingly, a scripture relevant here is Romans 14:19, “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (New International Version, 2011, Rom. 14:19).

Develop Value Offering Product Experience Question 3

The fourth short-term recommendation that D-BAT Sports can consider to increase its competitive advantage is building its brand equity through social media platforms. According to Hoo et al. (2024), brand equity includes brand loyalty, brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality, and brand assets. D-BAT Sports can use social media platforms to increase brand awareness by advertising its training services and sharing testimonials of customers who have benefited from the training services.

A Bible verse related to this recommendation is 1 Timothy 4:12, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity” (New International Version, 2011, 1 Tim. 4:12).

Develop Value Offering Product Experience Question 5

The fifth short-term recommendation that D-BAT Sports should consider to increase competitive advantage is increasing customer satisfaction through a reward system. For instance, D-BAT Sports can create a reward or incentive system for customers who enroll for membership in the training facilities to demonstrate that they value their members, thus increasing customer satisfaction. Proverbs 11:24-25 relates to this recommendation. It states, “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (New International Version, 2011, Prov. 11:24-25).

Long-Term Recommendations

Discover Marketing Management Question 2

One of the long-term recommendations that D-BAT Sports should consider to enhance its growth is creating a global marketing strategy to reach customers in new locations outside the United States. D-BAT Sports can use social media marketing to inform customers worldwide about its products and services and where to find them and gather their feedback to align the services with customer needs and preferences. Proverbs 21:5 is relevant to this recommendation, stating, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty” (New International Version, 2011, Prov. 21:5).

Discover Marketing Management Question 5

The second long-term recommendation that D-BAT Sports should consider to enhance its growth is using strategic alliances to expand into global markets. According to Kalra (2023), strategic alliances include forming partnerships with local companies in foreign markets, sharing costs and risks, and exchanging resources and knowledge. D-BAT Sports can partner with sports academies in different countries worldwide to expand into the global markets and increase profitability. Ecclesiastes 4:9 relates to this recommendation, stating that “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil” (New International Version, 2011, Eccles. 4:9).

Develop Value Offering Product Experience Question 4

The third long-term recommendation that D-BAT Sports should consider to enhance its growth is co-branding with another sports brand that offers softball and baseball products. Co-branding would also enable D-BAT Sports to offer private lessons for other sports brands, thus increasing their brand awareness. A relevant scripture reading here is 1 Peter 4:10, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (New International Version, 2011, 1 Pet. 4:10).

Price and Deliver Value Offering Question 2

The fourth long-term recommendation that D-BAT Sports can consider to enhance its growth is using value-based pricing. Value-based pricing includes setting prices based on the perceived value of a product or service. The main benefits that impact perceived value include add-on and core benefits (Phongthanapanich & Ouparamai, 2021). Core benefits include the fundamental need satisfied by using a product or service. Consequently, add-on benefits include a product’s or service’s attributes that are beyond core benefits. D-BAT Sports can set prices based on benefits such as being trained by expert coaches.

A Bible quote relevant to this recommendation is Zechariah 11:12-13, “I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the LORD” (New International Version, 2011, Zech. 11:12-13)

Communicate the Value Offering Question 5

The fifth long-term recommendation that D-BAT Sports can consider to enhance its growth is using live events to market its products and services. D-BAT Sports can use live events to create a memorable experience for existing and potential customers; this would attract more customers and retain existing ones. Hebrews 10:24-25 relates to this recommendation. It states, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (New International Version, 2011, Heb. 10:24-25).

References

Bresciani, S., Huarng, K.-H., Malhotra, A., & Ferraris, A. (2021). Digital transformation as a springboard for product, process, and business model innovation. Journal of Business Research, 128, 204–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.02.003

Hoo, W., Yi Xin, C., & Moosa, V. (2024). Factors influencing brand equity: Testing Aaker’s brand equity framework in the Malaysian toy industry. Innovative Marketing, 20(1), 40–50. https://doi.org/10.21511/im.20(1).2024.04

Kalra, P. (2023). Foreign market entry strategies: A comparative analysis. Asian Journal of Management and Commerce, 4(1), 276–281. https://www.allcommercejournal.com/article/170/4-1-44-222.pdf

Marshall, G. W., & Johnston, M. W. (2023). Marketing management. McGraw-Hill Education.

Phongthanapanich, P., & Ouparamai, W. (2021). Value-based pricing regarding customer perceived value in contemporary marketing. Journal of ASEAN PLUS+Studies, 2(1). https://so06.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/aseanplus/article/view/248662/169035

The Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV). (2011). Biblica, Inc. (Original work published 1973).

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The company for this project is D-BAT Sports and the focus should be a specific service they provide. The selected specific service is private batting lessons by expert coaches for youth baseball players ages 7-12.

*Please use the following as a reference, as well as at least 3 other current scholarly sources no more than 5 years old:
Marshall, G. W., & Johnston, M. W. (2023). Marketing management (4th ed.). McGraw Hill

*The first 5 MMIP assignments have been uploaded for reference.

Marketing Management Individual Project (MMIP) Recommendations

In Week 8, the student will submit a 600-word recommendations document (12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced), based on information gathered throughout the session while completing the project installments. A minimum of five strategic (long-term) and five operational (short-term) recommendations must be offered. Each recommendation must directly relate to a specific question found in one of the five MMIP installments submitted throughout the session. The weekly MMIP assignment title and question number must be provided. For example: “Price and deliver the value offering question 3”. Here, the recommendation relates to question 3 under that MMIP assignment title.

The student will add scriptural integration throughout the recommendations, quoting relevant scripture verses. A minimum of 10 relevant scriptural quotes must be included, one for each recommendation offered. The scripture verse must immediately follow the recommendation, and its relevance to the recommendation explained. For example, if the recommendation is to acquire similar organizations, a relevant scripture verse would be Ecclesiastes 4:9-10: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”

The recommendations document must include a title page, a brief introduction delineating the recommendations, and a separate section (with a heading) for each recommendation. At least 5 scholarly or practitioner sources, as explained in previous MMIP installments, (in addition to the Bible) must be used. The 600-word requirement does not include the title page, scriptural quotes, or references.