L.A. Gear is an athletic shoe manufacturer that is struggling in the athletic footwear industry. The company is ranked number three following Nike and Reebok. L.A. Gear is well known to its female customers due to their fashionable shoe line. To be able to gain some ground on the other shoe manufacturers L.A. Gear is going to have to develop a men's shoe line and capture some of the male buyers. This is not going to be an easy task since Nike and Reebok spend an extensive amount of money on their advertising campaigns including celebrity spokesmen. L.A. gear not only needs to capture the male buyers but they also need to maintain their female customers so a delicate balance is needed. An extensive research and marketing campaign will be necessary to penetrate this market and still maintain its loyal customers and brand recognition. Once the research is gathered a full scale marketing campaign will follow once the new direction of the company is determined.
An extensive research study will be initiated determining what the male customers want in an athletic shoe. These studies will take place online, by ground mail, and by telephone. Once the information is gathered the various types of men's shoes will then be developed focusing on the most popular needs determined by the survey results, which will include a question regarding price. L.A. Gear will then compare the needs of the customers to the industry leaders and determine how the leaders achieved the needs of the male customers and what opportunities L.A. Gear could use to "one up" the competition. L.A. Gear's shoes already focus on comfort, style, and fashion and will now include high performance.
After the direction of the new shoe line has been developed, a price of each shoe will need to be ...