Assignment Detail

Assignment ID: FG132436351

Question
Question 1. Identify the product, promotion and place variables in this situation. What price do you think they should charge? Why?
Question 2. What steps in the marketing process did Todd and Alan Reed take?
Question 3. What potential problem might they encounter with this product? How could Todd and Alan use the last step of the marketing process to overcome the problem?

Todd Whitman was a full-time student at a community college in the St. Louis area. In addition to going to school, Todd also worked for a company out of Idaho (Todd’s home state) that made ice cream. As Todd tells it: “Alan Reed owns a potato farm in Idaho. He was looking for another market for his potatoes when he realized that the chemical make up of the potato was such that it could be used in making a tasty ice cream without using any sugar – i.e. a sugar free ice cream. He figured there had to be a market for that kind of product, one made without any artificial products to sweeten, so he made a few batches and tried it on his friends, without telling them it was made from potatoes.” He called the ice cream Al and Reed’s. This is where Todd came in. While in St. Louis, Todd’s job was to attempt to get the product sold to St. Louisans. His employer shipped him a few gallons (as much as he could hold in his home freezer). Todd started trying to sell Al and Reed’s to local grocery store chains, and ultimately got one of them to carry the ice cream in a couple of stores on a trial basis. He also brought some samples in to his Introduction to Business class, after persuading his teacher to allow a taste test. The product went over well, until the students found out it was made from potatoes!

Todd continued his promotional efforts with grocery stores, calling on them whenever he could. He left promotional pamphlets that explained the concept and production of ice cream made from potatoes, and offered the stores discounts for buying in volume.