Assess your critical grasp of the subject matter, your research skills

For this assessment you will write an individual report (2500 words maximum), to assess your critical grasp of the subject matter, your research skills, and ability to express and articulate the findings of research.

Assess your critical grasp of the subject matter, your research skills

For this assessment you will write an individual report (2500 words maximum), to assess your critical grasp of the subject matter, your research skills, and ability to express and articulate the findings of research. Please read the case study below. The report is to be submitted to blackboard in MS-Word format by Friday by 11.59pm. You will also reference additional sources beyond the core text and class materials.

Established in 1979 and headquartered in Northampton, England, Blue Bird is a British Shoe Maker business. The town of Northampton has a rich history of shoe making dating back to the 15th century and is considered the shoe making capital of the world. With many of the finest English shoes manufacture in the town, the sector is currently worth approx. £1.25 billion, and shoes exported from the town are revered across the world. Despite its former success, Blue Bird has been struggling in recent years. Traditionally the company specialised in hand made leather shoes for men and women, with their core product offering being quality handmade brogues. The current Company Director (Mike Stevens) has highlighted problems attributed to an overall decline in sales of the company’s traditional product line, lack of skilled staff and the brand’s current performance not being on a par with other local competitors.

However, despite the challenges, many potential opportunities exist for the company.

The town boasts a wide student base owing to the local university (The University of Northampton), which has expanded due to the opening of the new £330 million ‘Waterside Campus’. The current student base of the university is approximately 12,850 students.

After discussions with the Board of Directors, Mr Stevens has been considering the way forward as a two-fold process; firstly, to appeal to Generation Z – individuals typically with birth years between the mid-1990s to mid-2000s whom have used the internet since a young age. This demographic cohort are report to be comfortable using technology and also with interacting via social media.

Secondly, to appeal to this demographic cohort, Stevens has suggested developing a new product line of sporty, casual and customisable footware. Foe this, he is considering introducing a hand paint design service which allows consumers to create their own pair of unique baseball boots to appeal to the younger audience. Regarding the targeting of Generation Z, Steven’s states

“What the brand needs is rejuvenating, in a way that attracts younger customers – the consumers of today and tomorrow”

Although the company currently has a website and a presence on social media platforms such as; Facebook and Twitter, they are unsure as to how to make the most of these media channels to communicate with the identified “new target segment”. The lack of “digital skills” within the organisation also presents a challenge as the website and social media platforms are not being use to engage with consumers effectively.

Stevens sees the advances in digital technology and also the recent expansion of the local university as an opportunity to “tap in” to make the new product line appealing to the growing student base. To do this, the company requires a clear vision in the way of a Digital Marketing Strategy for the company to move forward.

You have recently been appoint as the Digital Marketing Manager for Blue Bird and also have been tasked with creating a digital marketing plan for the firm.

Review the ‘Blue Bird’ case study and create a digital marketing plan presented in the form of a 2,500 word report (maximum). The report should be comprise of two sections as follows:

Part A:        Situational Analysis
–       To include; Porters 5-forces, SWOT/TOWS and Customer Analysis.

Part B:        Strategy Formation
–       To include proposed objectives and strategies