Objective of this Case Study

There are some objectives of this case study. Such as,

• Know the history of Trap Ease.
• Sought outing the problems.
• To find out target market.
• Proper segmentation.
• Re-positioning trap ease product.
• Defining the trap ease marketing mix
• Identifying the competitors.
• Re-arranging the old and new strategies.

Swot Analysis
Strength
1. Very innovative and engineered product
2. Highly environmental.
3. Long lasting product because of re-usability.
Opportunities
1. High potential market.
2. Attractive product.
3. Ease to use product than other.
4. Less competitors.
Weakness
1. High price.
2. Less promotion.
3. Not proper segmentation.
4. Product oriented strategies.
5. Lack of marketing people.

Threats
1. Any company that can create mouse traps.
2. Insecticide.
In order to evaluate their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity the investors need the
information ifthere’s another more sophisticated tool of fighting against mice. If
there are - theiropportunities are not so high. But ifanother tool haven’t been
invented yet and the Trap-Easeis the only innovative mousetrap on the market,
Martha and investors are able to use this opportunity.

Group would write mission strategy like “we are making innovative mousetrap that
traps mice

easily”.

I suggest writing it as: “to get rid of mice in the easiest, cleanest and safest way –
you can

achieve it with the Trap-Ease mousetraps”.

2.I also think that the best target is women, as mostly women are doing
housekeeping. The otherconsumer target can be vessel-owners or docks because in
ships there are usually problemswith mice and rats. Moreover, docks will buy traps
in large amounts improving the sales of the company.

3.The company’s positioning is that the Trape-Ease “traps mice easily”. I think that
thispositioning is too broad and not catchy. I would rather position it as “the Trap-
Ease traps micecreating no clean-up problems”, or “traps mice leaving your hands
clean”.

4. Product:

- Innovative mousetrap – the Trap-Ease.

Price:

- $2.49 per 2 units

Place:

- National grocery, hardware, and drug chains such as Safeway, Kmart,

Hechingers and CB Drug.

Promotion:

- $10,000 on advertising in Good Housekeeping and other “home and shelter”

magazines.

- $50,000 for travel costs to visit trade shows and to make sales calls on retailers
Considering the Place, I think, Trap-Ease can be also distributed through
supermarkets (likeWal-Mart and others), because housewives often visit these
kinds of supermarkets. Other itemsof marketing mix, in my opinion, can be
remained the same.

5.The Trap-Ease America’s competition is the producer of traditional, spring-loaded

trap as its

price is cheaper than Trap-Ease’s and it is the perfect substitute of the Trap-Ease.

6.The company is facing marketing myopia and its marketing strategy is too
product-oriented butnot customer-oriented. Martha cares about how to sell
expected units of traps rather than caringabout how to meet customer needs and
create value for them. I would change the marketingstrategy in the following way:

Case 1. Trap-Ease America: The big cheese mousetrap. Prepared by Akmaral

Shotbayeva, Finance

The Trap-Ease America’s marketing strategy is based on product differentiation

and widening thetarget. Primary consumer target is women, esp.
housewives. Secondary Consumer target is docksand ship-owners.

Product Strategy. The Trap-Ease America will introduce new tool fighting against
mice (for example,

the spray which smell frightens mice off so that they wouldn’t like to “enter” the
house) or improve theTrap-Ease. (For example, the plastic tube can be blacked out
(toned) so that a mouse inside the trap isnot seen as women are afraid of mice and
would prefer not to see them at all).

Distribution Strategy. The Trap-Ease will be distributed in national grocery,

hardware, drug chains,

and supermarkets as well. Orders will be delivered strictly on time.

Control. The Trap-Ease America will strictly monitor customer service satisfaction
and control the

time of delivering the orders to retailers, especially to docks. The company will also
control that

sample mousetraps are used by retailers to demonstrate them to consumers.

Summary The Trap-Ease is a simple yet clever device, manufactured by a plastics
firm under contract with Trap-ease America. The trap works simple efficiency. This
Trap-Ease had many advantages for the consumer when compare with traditional
spring-loaded traps or mouse poisons. Trap-Ease has much strength that others
don’t. Trap-Ease mousetrap win first price in the National Hardware Show. Trap-
Ease America should use this reputation to persuade consumers to buy their
product without wasting time. But lack of information about the current market
situation is a problem for Trap-Ease. Trap-Ease should try to convince their
customer that using their product will be safer and no mess. In order to success in
such an aggressive market, Trap-Ease America should have a better product
launching technique. ... ”

“... to let the consumer look and try for themselves and build up the customer
mind about this product is better than others method of mousetrap. If Trap-Ease is
lack of marketing expertise they should get help from the marketing professional.
With pure marketing expertise, a series of effective promotion and advertisement
can be done. This will help to “boost up” the sales and deep into consumer mind
about benefit of this product and keep on using it in the future. By using proper
marketing methods, Trap-Ease mousetrap should be success in the market in the
future.
 Trap-Ease America: The Big Cheese
of Mousetraps

Case study Introduction:-

➢ The Trap-Ease is a device, manufactured
by a plastics firm under contract with
Trap-ease America.
➢ This Trap-Ease had many advantages for
the consumer when compare with
traditional spring-loaded traps or mouse
poisons.
➢ Trap-Ease mousetrap win first price in the
National Hardware Show. Trap-Ease
America should use this reputation to
 persuade consumers to buy their product
without wasting time.
➢ Trap-Ease should try to convince their
customer that using their product will be
safer and no mess.
➢ Trap-Ease is lack of marketing expertise

they should get help from the marketing

professional. This will help to “boost up”
the sales and deep into consumer mind
about benefit of this product and keep on
using it in the future.
➢ The trap ease had won the contest by
beating out over 300 new products.

Marketing
Assignment#4
Case study#1
➢Course Code:-MKT-301
 ➢ Submitted to:-MAM Shahla

➢ Submitted by:-Mariam
Arshad

➢ID NO:-093344

➢Submitted on:-2/10/10

INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
SCIENCES

CASE STUDY ANSWERS

Q1:-Martha and the Trap-Ease America
investors feel they face once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity. What information do they need
to evaluate this opportunity? How do you
think the group would write its mission
statement? How would you write it?
ANS:-They face once in a lifetime opportunity
means that they are talking about the
potential for profit and growth.In this case
Martha(the president of Trap ease) had not
done enough research about its product in
the market to assess whether the demand
for her product would be there or not.It
seems that Martha and its investors were too
focused on how amazing their product was
and not the actual needs or wants of the
customers that would be buying it.
The information they need to evaluate this
opportunity are the following:-
➢ Make effective Marketing plan.
➢ Apply effective skills to convince
customers.
➢ SWOT analysis.

➢ Salesman must be friendly

 ➢ Evaluate customer complain and
profitable customer relationship.
➢ If trap ease used Societal Marketing
Concept then they would be successful in
achieving their goals.
I think that group would write its mission
statement centered around their innovative
product because they are too concentrated
on their product.They would write something
like,”Making a better mousetrap so that all
those who trod down our beaten path will
benefit” or group would write mission
strategy like “we are making innovative
mousetrap that traps mice easily”.
I suggest writing it as: “Striving to better
satisfy pest eliminating needs of our
customers through innovation and quality”.
Q2:-Has Martha identified the best target
market for Trap-Ease?What other market
segments might the firm target?
ANS:-Martha has targeted women for her
product.She feels that