Page 42 - William Brown 2017

Marketing
Unique Selling Point (USP)
When marketing a product you must be able to sell the
idea/concept to the intended consumer group and to do that your
product must be unique, has a selling point that separates it from
any other products that intend to do the same function. Therefore,
the USP of The Pukka Rucka is that there are no direct products on
the market that purposely aim to improve your rucking technique in
rugby by lowering your body position and driving through whilst
focussing on the main priority in rugby, the ball. The Pukka Rucka
helps to engage your core muscles by making you get into low,
wide body position and driving back pads which provide resistance.
The ruck in rugby is becoming more competitive and crucial to
maintaining or turning over possession. This is why I have invented
the Pukka Rucka, to help all levels of rugby players to improve this
edge of their game and gain a competitive advantage over their
opposition as you too want to gain a competitive advantage over
your business rivals.
The Pukka Rucka’s main USPs:
 It is versatile. Its main target is rugby playing setups, for
example clubs, schools and NGBs like the RFU. I also look to
appeal to the individual players as well to widen my market and
sales. However, this product helps to improve core strength as
well as just the rucking technique. Therefore, it can be used by
any person who likes to keep fit and wants to improve on their
core strength. The design is simple and it only requires a post or
pole to set it up. This gives the product it’s USP as it can be used
by anyone not just rugby players.
 Its performance is unique as it specifically relates to rucking in
rugby. There are many pieces of training equipment in rugby
such as the contact pad, the jackal pad and the scrummage
machine. However, none of those products offer everything The
Pukka Rucka offers in one. For example, a scrummage machine
will allow one to get into a low body shape and get them to use
the leg muscles and core to push the machine, but it can only
really be used by 3+ people effectively and is too big to pack up
and go. This is where The Pukka Rucka edges competitors
products as it can be disassembled, stored and transported
easily.
SWOT Analysis
This marketing strategy stands for (S)trengths,
(W)eaknesses, (O)pportunities and (T)hreats. I will use SWOT Product
analysis to assess how successful The Pukka Rucka is and
also see if there are any weaknesses which can be
addressed and developed on for the future of this product.
We use this in marketing to get an overview of the product
you wish to sell and make any improvements if needed and
to emphasise the strengths of the product whilst identifying
your opportunities and threats.
(S)trengths
The strengths are The Pukka Rucka’s USPs, as these are the
stated unique points that the product has to gain a
competitive advantage over your rivals. (USPs are listed
previously)
On top of the USPs the other strength that I have is working
in a Niche market and focussing on a specific part of that
market which hasn’t been properly discovered. Therefore, I
am the first person to create a piece of equipment that
focuses primarily on improving body technique in the ruck in
rugby.
(W)eaknesses
On the other hand of trying to sell in a Niche market, the
problem is that although rugby as a game is huge, the
training equipment for the ruck is not focussed on.
Therefore, it will take more tie and money invested in
marketing to get the product out there and make it a
familiar brand that both rugby players and looking further
ahead, fitness orientated people use.
(O)pportunities
This relates to the factors I could use to make my product
and brand become more recognised in the rugby market. For
example, getting in contact with high level rugby players
and asking them to try out The Pukka Rucka and give it a
review, then get a magazine report from a either ‘Rugby life’
or ‘Mens Health’ on the review. By getting publicity this
opens doors into the market. Making the most out of
existing resources in the a wider markets to narrow the
scope into the rugby market.
(T)hreats
These are the things that slow down your marketing
campaign. For example, your test group writing unreliable
feedback or feedback that doesn’t help you to develop your
product further. Other threats could include a bad review in
a magazine article from the main rugby magazine ‘Rugby
life’. That would really hit the company hard and put off
potential consumers.
The Pukka Rucka interacts well with the consumer. It offers an aesthetically
pleasing design with a nice curved shape and rounded parts to the design and in
the colour ways catalogue, the colours stand out and match well to attract the
consumers eye. The ergonomics of The Pukka Rucka are comfortable, the pads
are thick enough for maximum comfort and offer protection to the user, meaning
using The Pukka Rucka is pleasant experience. The function of improving body
shape in the ruck and increasing core muscle strength is effective as the
consumer feels the tension in the core muscles when pushing the pads back, this
tension comes from the resistance bands that provides a high counteracting
force. The Pukka Rucka can be used both indoors and outdoors as long as there
is a pole at the right size for the product to fit. It is mainly designed for rugby
players at all levels, however, it can be used by anyone who wants to increase
their core muscle strength. It is light enough to carry and small enough to be
stored in most places, it can be disassembled to make it smaller and fit into
tighter spaces.
Price
The price must be competitive, not too expensive that it puts potential consumers
off buying the product or that it costs much more than its next best existing
product. Nor should it be under-priced, meaning that you do not make a profit
from it, as you must take into consideration the material and manufacturing
costs.
The Pukka Rucka’s price of £75 means that it offers a lot for the reasonable
price, considering rival products on the market are higher than £100 and do not
offer the same service that specialises on improving technique and strength in
the ruck position. Therefore, the price is modest and affordable.
Promotion Place
There are many ways to promote and advertise Place in marketing refers to
The Pukka Rucka. As listed previously, methods where you can find
include social media, newspaper/magazine information about the
adverts, radio and tv, and sponsorships. All are product and where you can
good ways of promoting The Pukka Rucka, but I buy it from. This means that
must consider which will be most cost efficient whilst creating media pages
and more importantly which methods connect to or articles about your
my target market the best. I must look to appeal product, you must provide
to new customers and also create a way of contact details such as a
attracting brand loyal customers away from rival website name, phone
companies. The best way to do that is to create number and email address
an informative and well presented social media so that customers can
page and website. These are the cheapest forms enquire about the product.
of promotion as it does not cost to create The Pukka Rucka can be
accounts or set up your own website. owever, I H bought direct off the
must also present and analyse the other instagram/ facebook page
methods of promotion to compare them with ThePukkaRucka or online at
each other. (www.pukkarugby.co.uk)
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