Proposed marketing plan for antimos SDN BHD, Malaysia Essay Example

is just one aspect. In order to achieve long-term growth, Antimos needs to focus on marketing strategies that include conducting a comprehensive analysis (2.1 SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS) of the external, internal, and competitive environment. This analysis helps identify current issues, determine the company's strengths, and prioritize resource allocation.

When examining the external environment in Malaysia, stability can be found in factors such as political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal situations. Dr Mahathir leads the current government with majority support and is expected to remain in power. Despite potential slower economic growth in Malaysia's future, mosquito products are widely purchased by people from all backgrounds as they are considered household staples without any social or cultural biases.

The household pesticides market is experiencing slow technological development, but there are currently no significant worries about altering the industry's existing environmental regulations and laws. On the other hand, when examining the competitive landscape using Porter's 'five forces' framework, it becomes apparent that Antimos Sdn Bhd faces significant obstacles in boosting sales and capturing more market share. The marketplace is dominated by numerous competitors, some of whom offer multiple products. Aerosol spray manufacturers alone hold a 52% share of the overall market.

Antimos 301TM is touted for its non-toxic and environmentally friendly qualities, however, less than 3% of the market consists of non-toxic repellent products (see Table 2). This indicates that consumers do not place much importance on the safety aspect of Antimos 301TM. While there are no significant barriers to entry, the high capital requirements for setting up a manufacturing process deter new competitors. Therefore, competition from new entrants is low, but existing players can introduce new products to enhance their

economies of scale. Reckitt & Coleman, the market leader, already offers six aerosol products for sale. Suppliers have low bargaining power as the raw materials needed for pesticide production are readily available. Additionally, mosquito products are inexpensive and the purchasing decision involves little risk, resulting in routine consumer behavior that requires minimal effort and cognitive involvement.

Buyers tend to be not loyal to specific brands and are willing to switch brands easily. There is a wide variety of choices available to consumers in the household pesticides market in terms of product types, sizes, and prices. Like most low-involvement purchases, these products can be easily substituted. The internal environment of the company can be analyzed using a SWOT analysis. Some of the strengths of Antimos 301TM include being a safe and environmentally friendly product that has received international recognition through multiple awards. It is also easy to use and provides long-lasting mosquito repellent effects. Although there have been some consumer complaints about its smell, this issue is relatively insignificant.

After all, mosquito coils with a stronger scent can capture 33% of the market share. Attempting to redesign the product at this stage would postpone the launch of the new marketing plan and require a significant research investment. Weaknesses of Antimos are rooted in its history as a product-oriented company, where marketing responsibilities were handled by engineers. This has resulted in shortcomings in promoting and distributing the products. Product awareness is extremely low, leading to less than 1% market share. Additionally, the distribution of the products is severely limited, with only six retail outlets at Jaya Jusco.

Although the product has strong safety features, the packaging does not effectively convey

this advantage. Compared to well-known aerosol brands, Antimos' grey cardboard box and visually busy design fail to capture consumer attention in stores. In summary, the marketing mix is weak and requires urgent correction.

Using the Ansoff matrix, it is evident that Antimos should implement a market penetration strategy to quickly acquire market share. This can be achieved by enhancing the marketing mix strategy.

In the long term, Antimos can raise public awareness for safe and environmentally friendly repellent products through a consistent public relations campaign.

This campaign aims to change customers' perception and their use of products. The challenges include low market awareness for Antimos 301TM, leading to high promotion costs and potential losses similar to a new product launch. Additionally, Antimos 301TM's unique selling point is its strong safety features, but there is currently not a strong demand for this feature in the market. To succeed in the long run, Antimos must create a desire in consumers for this product benefit. However, changing customer wants is a time-consuming and expensive process.

Segmentation and targeting are important considerations. Table 1 shows the total market size and estimate size per segment. Table 2 suggests a potential segmentation based on toxic versus non-toxic products, but currently, Antimos 301TM does not have a favorable position in this segment. This could be a future target segment once enough awareness and demand for non-toxic mosquito products have been created. To achieve short-term profitable sales growth, it is recommended that Antimos focuses on the remaining RM 94 million market in the repellent segment, particularly emphasizing the mosquito coils segment due to its significant market size and potential economies of scale in marketing efforts.OBJECTIVES:
- Increase market

share to 10%.
- Increase product awareness and trial by consumers.
- Increase number of retail outlets to 100.
- Achieve profitable sales growth.
- Educate consumers to seek non-toxic and environment-friendly mosquito products.

MARKETING STRATEGY - THE MARKETING MIX:
ProductAntimos 301TM has already been recognized with several international awards.

It is safe to use as it is non-toxic and non-invasive, and can be used without the need for burning, spraying, or electrical energy, making it fire-safe. However, it is advised to redesign the packaging to clearly convey the product's advantages and ease of use. The average price of a popular aerosol spray is RM6.45, whereas Antimos 301TM is priced significantly higher at RM9. As customers currently do not fully understand the benefits of the product, the higher price does not seem justified. To support a market penetration strategy, it is suggested to lower the price of Antimos 301TM to RM6.80. This slightly higher price can be justified by the longer-lasting benefits of Antimos 301TM (refer to Table 3).

Promotion for low-involvement purchases is characterized by the consumer's reduced motivation to exert cognitive effort. In such cases, learning is more likely to happen through repetitive exposure, passive processing of visual cues, and holistic perception (Leon G Schiffman ; Leslie Lazar Kanuk. 1991:214).

It is suggested that using a celebrity spokesperson in the advertisements of Antimos 301TM can help raise awareness for the product. The advertisement and promotions campaign should be creative in order to grab consumers' attention, and it should also have sufficient frequency to ensure that consumers remember the product at the point of purchase. Additionally, it is recommended to carry out a public relations campaign to increase public awareness about the use

of non-toxic repellent products, as this will help in the long-term growth of the Antimos brand sales.

Regarding distribution, since there are no exclusive agreements limiting the company, it is advisable to quickly expand the distribution network throughout Malaysia. This expansion should not be limited to just the 26 outlets of the Parkson group, but also include smaller supermarkets and provision stores.

To ensure that the product is easily accessible to consumers at their preferred times and locations, it is necessary to establish an extensive distribution network that includes various intermediaries. It is crucial to efficiently and effectively expand the company's production and supply chain to support this new network.

CONCLUSION

Antimos Sdn Bhd has missed out on significant opportunities in the market due to its product-focused approach since its establishment. To achieve success with the proposed marketing plan, the management needs to adopt a market-oriented approach and make necessary changes in style and structure. The appointment of a marketing manager plays a critical role in the successful execution of the suggested marketing plan.

Assuming a retail price of RM6.80 and an estimated consumption of 6.6 units per year per household, the company has the potential to generate RM19.7 million in retail sales. This is based on capturing a 10% market share, which represents approximately 440,000 households.