MARKETING STRATEGIES

OF

BASKIN ROBINS

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HISTORY:

Nearly three-quarters of a century ago, two brothers-in-law shared a dream to create an

innovative ice cream store that would be a neighborhood gathering place for families. Burton

"Burt" Baskin and Irvine "Irv" Robbins had a mutual love of old-fashioned ice cream and the

desire to provide customers a variety of flavors made with ingredients of the highest quality

in a fun, inviting atmosphere.

hey started out in separate ventures at the advice of Irv’s father. In 1945, Irv opened

Snowbird Ice Cream in Glendale, California. His store featured 21 flavors and emphasized

high-quality ice cream sold in a fun, personalized atmosphere. A year later, Burt opened

Burton's Ice Cream Shop in Pasadena, CA. By 1948, they had six stores between them. This

concept eventually grew into Baskin-Robbins.

In 1949, there were more than 40 stores in Southern California when Burt and Irv purchased

their first dairy in Burbank. This business decision allowed them to have complete control

over the production of their ice cream, and the development of new ingredients and flavors.

Embarking on a vision implemented by two guys Burton "Burt" Baskin and Irvine "Irv"

Robbins, Baskin Robbins entered India in 1993 through a joint venture with the Ghai Group.

Its first manufacturing plant outside North America opened in Pune. Offering delicious and

fun treats in 150 cities/ towns with 500+ stores, Baskin Robbins is one of the largest retail

chains in India. The company has a dedicated team of people with expertise in the hospitality

industry that has turned BR into world's most loved Ice Cream Brand.

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INTRODUCTION

Baskin-Robbins® has nearly 7,000 store locations in over 50 countries outside the US. You

might be surprised where in the world you'll find us. We're one of the world's most

recognizable brands of ice cream treats and the world’s largest ice cream specialty chain!

Baskin-Robbins® stores throughout the world dish out global favourites like World Class®

Chocolate and Strawberry Cheesecake, but also local favourites, such as Green Tea and Rum

Raisin. No matter where you are in the world, you will find unparalleled quality and variety

at every shop.

The fun theme was supplemented by the ambience in the stores and the friendliness of the

staff, who allowed customers to sample as many flavors as they wanted before making their

final choice. A survey conducted at the beginning of the 21st century revealed that the Baskin-

Robbins brand name was recognized by approximately 97 percent of the population in

America.

The Graviss Group was founded in1945. The brands that currently form part of the Graviss

Group are Hotel InterContinental Marine Drive Mumbai, Mayfair Banquets, Baskin Robbins,

Rich’s, Kwality Ice Creams Middle East, 6th Street Yogurt, Meats & More. Graviss has

newly acquired Zaffran and Kebab Corner by Zaffran. The Group directly employs in excess

of 800 people across all the regions in India as well as in the Middle East.

The franchise model created by Burt and Irv decades ago is still used by Baskin-Robbins

today. We are 100% franchised, with each owner holding a stake in the business' success,

while product development and merchandising are handled at Baskin-Robbins headquarters.

This hands-on, small business approach allows franchisees the ability to create a strong

presence in local communities all over the world. Through this franchise business model, we

continue to provide innovative, high-quality ice cream treats to more than 150 million

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customers worldwide. And as a result, Baskin-Robbins has grown to become the world's

largest chain of ice cream specialty stores, with more than 2,800 locations throughout the

United States and 5,800 around the globe.

There are many forms of enjoyment in life: there’s spontaneous pleasure, anticipated

pleasure, there is long-term happiness and there are spur-of-the-moment joys. For people

everywhere, ice cream has probably generated each of those types of pleasure.

Baskin-Robbins has long been dedicated to making the experiences of eating ice cream an

enjoyable one. “America’s Favourite Neighbourhood Ice Cream Shop" is a philosophy at

Baskin-Robbins shared by everyone. Each employee, store owner and corporate team

member is proud of our heritage, and they are dedicated to upholding the flavour, the fun, and

the local, neighbourhood feel that make the experience unique to Baskin-Robbins.

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MARKETING-MEANING

The management process through which goods and services move from concept to the

customer. It includes the coordination of four elements called the 4 P's of marketing:

(1) Identification, selection and development of a product,

(2) Determination of its price,

(3) Selection of a distribution channel to reach the customer's place, and

(4) Development and implementation of a promotional strategy.

Marketing is based on thinking about the business in terms of customer needs and

their satisfaction. Marketing differs from selling because (in the words of Harvard Business

School's retired professor of marketing Theodore C. Levitt) "Selling concerns itself with the

tricks and techniques of getting people to exchange their cash for your product. It is not

concerned with the values that the exchange is all about. And it does not, as marketing

invariable does, view the entire business process as consisting of a tightly integrated effort to

discover, create, arouse and satisfy customer needs." In other words, marketing has less to do

with getting customers to pay for your product as it does developing a demand for that

product and fulfilling the customer's needs.

Marketing is a form of communication between you and your customers with the goal of

selling your product or service to them. Communicating the value of your product or service

is a key aspect of marketing.

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The 'Customer orientation' is perhaps the most common orientation used in contemporary

marketing. It involves a firm essentially basing its marketing plans around the marketing

concept, and thus supplying products to suit new consumer tastes. As an example, a firm

would employ market research to gauge consumer desires, use R&D (research and

development) to develop a product attuned to the revealed information, and then utilize

promotion techniques to ensure persons know the product exists. R&D companies often

parallel customer orientation with R&D phases to ensure the desired customer specifications

are produced. Customization Maximization (similar to profit maximization in economics,) is

the measurable approach to more efficiently sustaining specific customer needs, in effort to

maximize the customization of the product or service offered to the customer, by the measure

of data relating to responses, feedback, and elasticity.

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MARKETING MIX-4 P’S

The 4Ps of marketing is just one of many lists that have been developed over the years. And,

whilst the questions we have listed above are key, they are just a subset of the detailed

probing that may be required to optimize your marketing mix.

The marketing mix concept gained popularity following an article titled “The Concept of the

Marketing Mix” by Neil Borden published in 1964. Borden explained how he started using

the term inspired by James Culliton who in the 1940s described the marketing manager as a

‘mixer of ingredients.’ Borden’s article detailed these ingredients as product, planning, price,

branding, distribution, display, packaging, advertising, promotions, personal selling among

many others. 

The 4P’s were formalized and developed over the years by experts to ensure the creation and

execution of a successful marketing strategy. Through the use of this tool, the attempt is to

satisfy both the customer and the seller. When properly understood and utilized, this mix has

proven to a key factor in a product’s success.

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THE FOUR P’S

Product

The product is either a tangible good or an intangible service that is seem to meet a specific

customer need or demand. All products follow a logical product life cycle and it is vital for

marketers to understand and plan for the various stages and their unique challenges. It is key

to understand those problems that the product is attempting to solve. The benefits offered by

the product and all its features need to be understood and the unique selling proposition of the

product need to be studied. In addition, the potential buyers of the product need to be

identified and understood.

Price

Price covers the actual amount the end user is expected to pay for a product. How a product is

priced will directly affect how it sells. This is linked to what the perceived value of the

product is to the customer rather than an objective costing of the product on offer. If a

product is priced higher or lower than its perceived value, then it will not sell. This is why it

is imperative to understand how a customer sees what you are selling. If there is a positive

customer value, than a product may be successfully priced higher than its objective monetary

value. Conversely, if a product has little value in the eyes of the consumer, then it may need

to be underpriced to sell. Price may also be affected by distribution plans, value chain costs

and markups and how competitors price a rival product.

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Promotion

The marketing communication strategies and techniques all fall under the promotion heading.

These may include advertising, sales promotions, special offers and public relations.

Whatever the channel used, it is necessary for it to be suitable for the product, the price and

the end user it is being marketed to. It is important to differentiate between marketing and

promotion. Promotion is just the communication aspect of the entire marketing function.

Place

Place or placement has to do with how the product will be provided to the customer.

Distribution is a key element of placement. The placement strategy will help assess what

channel is the most suited to a product. How a product is accessed by the end user also needs

to compliment the rest of the product strategy.

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MARKET SEGMENTATION

Market segmentation pertains to the division of a market of consumers into persons with

similar needs and wants. For instance, Kellogg's cereals, Frosties are marketed to

children. Crunchy Nut Cornflakes are marketed to adults. Both goods denote two products

which are marketed to two distinct groups of persons, both with similar needs, traits, and

wants. In another example, Sun Microsystems can use market segmentation to classify its

clients according to their promptness to adopt new products.

Market segmentation allows for a better allocation of a firm's finite resources. A firm only

possesses a certain amount of resources. Accordingly, it must make choices (and incur the

related costs) in servicing specific groups of consumers. In this way, the diversified tastes of

contemporary Western consumers can be served better. With growing diversity in the tastes

of modern consumers, firms are taking note of the benefit of servicing a multiplicity of new

markets.

Market segmentation can be viewed as a key dynamic in interpreting and executing a logical

perspective of Strategic Marketing Planning. The manifestation of this process is considered

by many traditional thinkers to include the

following; Segmenting, Targeting and Positioning.

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MARKET RESEACH

Market research, as a sub-set aspect of marketing activities, can be divided into the following

parts:

Primary research (also known as field research), which involves the conduction and

compilation of research for a specific purpose.[22]

Secondary research (also referred to as desk research), initially conducted for one

purpose, but often used to support another purpose or end goal.

By these definitions, an example of primary research would be market research conducted

into health foods, which is used solely to ascertain the needs/wants of the target market for

health foods. Secondary research in this case would be research pertaining to health foods,

but used by a firm wishing to develop an unrelated product.

Nevertheless, while secondary research is relatively inexpensive, it often can become

outdated and outmoded, given that it is used for a purpose other than the one for which it was

intended. Primary research can also be broken down into quantitative research and qualitative

research, which, as the terms suggest, pertain to numerical and non-numerical research

methods and techniques, respectively.

There also exist additional modes of marketing research, which are:

Exploratory research, pertaining to research that investigates an assumption.

Descriptive research, which, as the term suggests, describes "what is".

Predictive research, meaning research conducted to predict a future occurrence.

Conclusive research, for the purpose of deriving a conclusion via a research process.

Applied research – examines variables within a specific context of interest to a marketer

Basic research – aims to understand relative relationships between variables. The

variables may have either causal or correlational relationship. Causal relationships is

when one variable influences the other but not vice versa. Conversely, Correlational

relationships is when there is a statistically testable relationship between an event and a

condition.

Causal research – research done to identify and understand cause-and-effect relationships

through experiment. Experiments are typical in causal research. 

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TYPES OF RESEARCH

Typical market research methods are:

1) Qualitative research methods

Focus groups - form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about

their perceptions, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes.

In-depth interview – a method of analysis, which proceeds as a confidential and secure

conversation between an interviewer and a respondent.

projective techniques - designed to let a person respond to ambiguous stimuli,

presumably revealing hidden emotions and internal conflicts projected by the person

2) Quantitative research methods

Panels - a longitudinal statistical study in which one group of individuals are interviewed

at intervals over a given period of time

Surveys - a part of longitudinal and cross-sectional studies. They collect either primary

data or Secondary data. Primary data – new data collected on a project-by-project

basis. Secondary data – they already exist and can be accessed within an organisation or

from external sources.

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TYPES OF MARKETING STRATEGIES:

Very often the success or failure of a company is a direct result of an effective or not so

effective marketing strategy. Therefore, choosing a marketing strategy that fits the company

product is of vital importance.

Deciding on your audience

The first step toward developing an appropriate marketing strategy is to know your audience.

Are they 15 to 25 year old gamers? 21 to 40 year old football fans?

Creating a Psychological Process Profile

Secondly, you should create a hypothetical psychological process a buyer of your product

will take as a result of your marketing efforts. Read more about consumer psychology here.

Connect a Type of Marketing Strategy

Based on your understanding of the target audience and the process you wish to take them

through, choose a type of marketing strategy that you believe will have the greatest positive

impact.

Assess your Efforts

With whatever data is available through your marketing methods, assess whether your

assumptions were correct and react accordingly.

FEW MORE TYPES

Cause Marketing

Finding a causes both your customers and your company cares about can create magic for

your business. This requires internal knowledge about what your organisation cares about and

who they want to help in the world.  A good example of this is Toms Shoes. Instead of doing

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the traditional “buy one get one free” promotion, Toms built a strong customer following and

reputation for giving back by giving away a free pair of shoes to someone in need for every

shoe purchase made by their customers.

Close Range Marketing (CRM)

Use Wifi or bluetooth to send promotional messages of their products and services to their

customers’ smartphones and tablets at close proximity. Close Range Marketing is also known

as Proximity Marketing.

Relationship Marketing

Many companies focus on building relationships with their customers instead of always

exclusive trying to sell them something (transactional marketing). Customers who love your

brand more will also spend more money with your brand. Many traditional retailers have

found this to be true. Walgreens has seen that customers who buy from all of their purchasing

channels (store, web, mobile, etc) buy up to six times more than the average customer that

only buys in their store.

Transactional Marketing

Driving sales can be challenging, especially for retailers that have to consistently sell

products in high volume to consumers. In order to stay with the demands of investors,

retailers have to encourage consumers to buy using coupons, discounts, liquidations, and

sales events. High volume big-box retailers like Target are constantly running promotional

events in order to get interested consumers into their stores.

Scarcity Marketing

In some markets it’s important to control how much product is available at one time. In many

cases this is done because of the difficulty of acquiring raw materials or higher quality of the

product. A company may choose to make their products accessible to only a few customers.

Rolls-Royce’s release of theirChinese edition car called Phantom sold quickly. While the cost

of the car was higher than most cars the scarcity drove the desire and the price.

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Word of Mouth Marketing

Word-of-mouth Marketing is the passing of information from person to person by oral

communication. Customers are very excited to share with the world the brands they love.

Many consumers find meaning in sharing stories of their favorite products and services.

Word of Mouth is one of the ancient ways people learned about what to purchase. Modern

marketers have learned how to create authentic word of mouth for their companies and the

products they represent.

Call to Action (CTA) Marketing

CTA Marketing refers to methods of converting web traffic into leads or sales on websites

using text, graphics, or other elements of web design. Conversion strategies help improve the

percentage of online visitors who become customers or who join the mailing list.

Viral Marketing

Cult Brand marketers are constantly creating new business ideas that keep their products in

the heart and minds of the global consumer. Each time a new product is created, customers

have to be given a reason to dream about their future purchase. Sometimes marketers of Cult

Brands hit on something so great that people can’t help but share with others. Getting your

customers talking about your products and services is very important to growing awareness

for your business.

Diversity Marketing

Develop a customized marketing plan by analyzing different customer segments based on

cultural differences including tastes, expectations, beliefs, world views, and specific needs.

Undercover Marketing

Sometimes not telling everyone everything can become a great source of buzz. Think of a

movie trailer that got you very excited to go see the movie. While not showing all the aspects

of the movie, the advertiser can create enough intrigue to drive viewers to want to see more.

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Mass Marketing

Major corporations need to drive large numbers of purchasing of their products in order to

survive and grow. While mass marketing may seem like a shotgun approach to marketing this

is far from the truth. Big businesses spend big money in understanding big data–thats a lot of

bigs!) This gives them an insight to where to place media for their potential national

customers who buy their products and services. Walmart is an example of an effective mass

market retailer. As the number one retailer in the world, they are very smart about their mass

marketing efforts, often giving their customers a feeling of locality and warmth.

Online Marketing

As commerce has propagated to the Internet, a new form of marketing has emerged. From

online banners to those annoying pop ups, online marketers have attempted to get their

customers attention any way they can. Most online strategic marketing efforts today are a mix

of growth hacking strategies ( A/B testing taken to the max) and a variety of awareness

tactics that drive attention. A very effective online marketer is the insurance company Geico

who simply asks their users to enter their zip code for an instant quote on a better savings.

Email Marketing

As soon as customers migrated into the online world, Internet marketers have attempted to

collect and organize emails for potential prospects. Many business-to-business marketers

depend on email marketing as a primary way to connect with customers. At industry

tradeshows, IBM consultants can often be seen exchanging email information with their

prospects.

Social Media Marketing

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter offer a unique opportunity for savvy businesses

willing to invest in customer engagement. Social media marketing is still in its infancy but is

growing up rather quickly. Companies like Southwest Airlines have departments of over 30

people whose primary responsibility is to actively engage with customers on social media.

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Marketing Plan For Baskin Robbins Marketing  

With regard to the ice cream industry, it could be segmented on certain bases such as taste

and price. Whilst certain individuals would prefer high quality ice cream made with natural

sugar and fresh cream because of its taste, others would simply not be able to distinguish the

difference in quality and would buy primarily based on price and availability.

We have identified that Baskin Robbins uses certain main segmentation bases for dividing

their market, namely demographic and psychographic characteristics. Under demographic

segmentation, they focus on the income bracket of consumers. Their products are mainly

aimed at the affluent with higher disposable income group to spend on frivolous luxuries such

as premium ice cream. Also probably the most important type of segmentation bases which

our consultancy considers is the psychographic segmentation. To be attracted to consuming a

premium ice cream, consumers need to be part of a particular lifestyle segment. They would

be among those who enjoy the luxuries and indulgencies associated with the particular brand.

Using these segmentation means we have conducted a research and identified that, Baskin

Robbins has narrowed down its business to cater to specifically two main target markets.

Whilst Baskin Robbins portrays the image of targeting all age groups, our research confirmed

that their main target market would be the middle and higher upper income group of people,

basically the urban professionals and families with toddlers.

And our research identified that young individuals are more involved in socializing mainly in

Colombo urban areas. Hence the current location placed in close proximity to two main

Universities and schools in one of Colombo's main streets (Galle Road) in a high foot traffic

area of Colombo itself (Kolpity). Therefor the secondary target group of Baskin Robbins

could be categorized as teenagers, young adults and students who live in the urban area of

Colombo.

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Primary Target Market

Upper middle and higher income group

The primary target market of Baskin Robbins is comprised of middle (Rs. 150 000 to Rs. 200

000) and higher (Rs. 200 000 above) income professionals and families with toddlers. This

market would possess a relatively high disposable income percentage. The lifestyle of such

individuals would be high value on family time spent, high focus on child centered activities

and they would be individuals who associate a product with brand name, quality over price,

hence having ice cream at Baskin Robbins would be aligned with their social class. Also the

premium loyalty which is associated with the Baskin Robbins brand name, these individuals

with a high profile status class would be subject to a strong attachment to Baskin Robbins and

develop a sense of belonging, which is then in turn passed along to the children. As a result,

the families are adjudged profitable high volume customers.

Secondary Target Market

Teenagers, young adults and students

The secondary segment of Baskin Robbins target market is composed of teenagers, young

adults and students (School and university) within the Colombo city suburbs consisting of

both genders and all ethnicities ranging from the ages of 18-24 and 25-30. These individuals

would be having active social lives, and it will be an important aspect as per our research

suggests that this segment of the market enjoys socializing, leisure and entertainment mainly

in Colombo urban areas. While most of this demographic appear to be similar, college

students would be the prime segment to focus on. Most college students whilst mostly

dependent on their parents also have part time jobs and usually receive an average of Rs. 20

000 monthly. Hence these students could be viewed as marginally profitable low to high

volume customers with latent to premium loyalty as they would be spending most of their

income on social activities and entertainment. According to our research it was made aware

that social class and social life is considered a high priority to this segment of the market.

Hence they would feel the need to create a strong relationship or attachment to Baskin

Robbins, as it is a premium product and a hot spot for this segment to satisfy their self-esteem

needs. Also this market would follow up the potential for positive word of mouth and due to

the fact that peer influence is high for this segment of the market, it would undoubtedly result

in the growth of the customer base of Baskin Robbins.

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Design and Development

Brand Positioning

The brand positioning adopted by Baskin Robbins Sri Lanka has somewhat been altered to its

global positioning in order to localize the brand. According to the manager Mr. Hashan

Baskin Robbins attempts to be positioned in the minds of the consumer as a premium product

that is not only targeted at individuals/families with toddlers in the upper middle and higher

income range, but also to teenagers, young adults who are school/college students. And they

attempt to be the "to-go" place in providing them with a quality and wide range of product,

where individuals can come and relax and spend time whilst consuming their ice cream. This

is according to our research a much needed necessity for the younger generation of the

Colombo urban area.

Also with alignment to its global positioning, Baskin Robbins Sri Lanka also attempts to

create an impression in the minds of the customer, that Baskin Robbins is not just a place

where u purchase ice cream but where ice cream and fun come together.

Logo

Baskin Robbins logo has evolved though their 65 year long history. Baskin Robbins log was

originally with the number 31 in the middle of the words Baskin Robbins. This was done in

order to incorporate Baskin Robbins branding of offering 31 flavors and the basic principle

behind this being to offer one flavor for each day of the month.

And in its 60th year of operations Baskin Robbins developed a new logo with adding the

number 31 subliminally within the 'B' and 'R' of the Baskin Robbins logo itself. This was

done in intention of creating a more fun outlook to the logo itself, which as mentioned above

in Baskin Robbins positioning, it would also align itself with the tagline the co- founder of

Baskin Robbins Irv Robbins initially made, "We sell fun, not just ice cream" ("Baskin

Robbins, Our History", n.d.) However even with the introduction of the new logo we see that

Baskin Robbins still uses its initial logo as a secondary logo. And here at Baskin Robbins Sri

Lanka they have adopted the modified logo.

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Old logo: New logo:

Packaging

According to our observation at the Baskin Robbins Sri Lanka, store, the Baskin Robbins ice

cream is made available for plain view of the customer in a see through display area, giving

the customer a clear view of the different flavors made available to them on arrival to the

store.

And with regard to the exact packaging of the product, Baskin Robbins adopts using a plastic

oriented tubs and ice cream bowls to serve its ice cream, whilst handheld ice cream is

delivered using freshly made pancake batter to create that perfect waffle with the Baskin

Robbins logo imprinted using a heat pressing machine.

However our consultancy recommends that Baskin Robbins Sri Lanka move away from the

environmentally unfriendly plastic tubs and bowls to a more environmentally friendly forms

of packaging. A suggestion could be the adoption of corn based ice cream cups which has

already been adopted by Cargill's. ("Corn Based Ice Cream Packaging", n.d.)

Value Proposition

The basic value proposition which has enabled Baskin Robbins to possess a sustainable

competitive advantage has been its offering. At the moment Baskin Robbins globally

provides over 2000 + flavors unmatched by most competition. ("Baskin Robbins, Ice Cream",

n.d.)And at Baskin Robbins Sri Lanka they offer the standard 31 Baskin Robbins flavors, and

according to our discussion with the manager at Baskin Robbins Sri Lanka, they are

preparing to bring in 9 more delicious flavors to add to the current 31 flavors.

And according to our research at present the improvement that needs to be made at Baskin

Robbins Sri Lanka remains the improvement of store ambiance, providing that fun and

homely element.

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Product Management

Ambiance

According to the outcome of the research it was made evident that customers were not that

pleased or attracted to the current ambiance at Baskin Robbins Sri Lanka. It is the quality of

the ambiance of the outlet that attracts the customers to enter the outlet and purchase the

product. Poor ambiance can result in declining of sales no matter how reputed the brand name

is or how good the product is.

Hence we propose that Baskin Robbins Sri Lanka to improve the ambiance firstly by creating

a good first impression. Although very distinguished in the color theme, the store logo or

signage at the moment is not very visible for vehicles which are moving on Galle Road until

close range of the store. It needs to create an impact, hence our consultancy suggests a

relatively large the "BR" signage with illuminated lights (According to their theme) attached

to a tall structure near the store in order for consumers to be aware of the Baskin Robbins

outlet from at least a 100 meters distance away. (Similar to the McDonalds "M" sign)

With regard to the inner store ambiance, Baskin Robbins needs to work on making the store

more inviting (homely) and comfortable. Their objective should be to retain the customers in

store as long as possible. For the longer the customer tends to linger at the store the more they

would usually spend. Hence we suggest that the iron chairs in use at the moment, which tend

to get cold due to the inside air conditioning be replaced with more comfortable chairs, such

as wooden chairs with a cushion layer to it for added comfort. Also the store atmosphere

could be made more homely/welcoming (More Sri Lankan/Asian) if the images of the models

used wasn't primarily European or western and add a bit of Asian flavor as well. Also more

attractive decor should be utilized in store.

The Pricing Strategy

Baskin Robbins being an international brand which is positioned as a premium product and

our research suggests that they adopt a Price Skimming method whilst they concentrate on

their Colombo metropolitan market. This is possible due to the fact that they have a unique,

high quality product as well as they cater to a less price sensitive market.

This means that Baskin Robbins has estimated its unit price to be positioned in the minds of

the consumers as a premium product. Hence consumers would be willing to pay a higher

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price in return for quality. This is usually seen amongst segments which are social class

conscious.

We propose that the regular, loyal customers be awarded special attractive packages designed

to give them a sense of belonging and thereby retaining the customer further. For example,

loyalty programs awarding gold and platinum cards for frequent customers awarding them

with special privileges.

Sales and Distribution

Distribution channel could be defined as the pipeline which is used to flow goods and

services from the vendor to the consumer. ("Business Dictionary, Distribution Channel", n.d.)

The method of distribution or place adopted by Baskin Robbins is a high foot traffic area in

the Colombo suburb of Kolpity, which is based on one of Colombo's busiest roads. (Galle

Road) And the fact that it is uniquely placed in close proximity to several universities and

schools as well as several business organizations has made it a high foot fall region. Hence

since the trend or behavior pattern of the target market of Baskin Robbins is concerned of

social class they would want to be associated and be seen in the main Baskin Robbins outlet

by their peers.

Our consultancy recommends Baskin Robbins to embark on moving in to the menus of the

major hotels in Sri Lanka, such as Cinemon Hotel Chain, Hilton Hotel, Galle Face Hotel etc.

and even open small outlets in high end consumer malls such as, Crescat Boulevard and

Odel, all places which are associated with the social class of the target market of Baskin

Robbins which pursue social status symbols, and would therefor potentially want to associate

Baskin Robbins to represent their social class.

Advertising and Promotions

According to our discussion with the manager we established that at present Baskin Robbins

Sri Lanka does not under go much advertising or promotions. Therefore our consultancy

decided to make a few suggestions with regard to adverting and promotions.

Baskin Robbins at present is only available in one main outlet in the city of Colombo.

Therefore adopting a mass media advertising technique would not be suitable. It could be

advised that a more vigorous online and Facebook advertising should be done to build up its

online customer community.

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However we do recommend advertising in exclusive magazines such as In Vogue or the HI

magazine, which are all highly used magazines by Baskin Robbins target market, hence this

could be used as a method of creating awareness of the store itself and its promotions.

In addition we suggest Baskin Robbins adopt having the BR signage on light posts from at

least 100 meters away from the store to create awareness of the store itself. This is as a result

that our research showed that there was still a certain segment of the market which was

unaware of the exact location of the store and had more often than not driven passed the

outlet.

Also our consultancy suggests Baskin Robbins to adopt a photo wall in a highlighted

prominent section of the inner outlet to add the "Face of the Month" promotion, where one

lucky boy and girl would be picked randomly and get the opportunity to get his/her

photograph taken and attached on the "Baskin Robbins Face of the Month Hall of Fame".

This would indeed give a sense of belonging to the customer who enters the outlet.

Our consultancy suggests that Baskin Robbins attempt to give college students with a special

discount program. Where after showing their university ID card they would be given a

special student discount and create a loyalty program. This would be similar to the discount

program awarded to for international students with the international student card.

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Promotions:

The Spiderman 3 campaign:

The summer of 2007 witnessed an innovative tie -up of Baskin Robbins with

Spiderman 3 movie in India . Baskin Robbins promoted Spiderman 3 by me any of a

creative promotion. This not only added visibility but also enhanced customer

interactivity with the brand. The highlight of the promotion was the co -branded TVC which

was aired on key kids channels. The promotion extended to creating three new trendy

flavours keeping in tune with the characters of the movie - Web Slinger, Sand Storm, and

Green Gobbler. The elements of the promotion included poster, standee, cup design, bags, t -

shirts, tags, shelf talker and a Spiderman 3 comic free with every sing le scoop of ice cream.

The Paanchvi Pass campaign:

Baskin Robbins successfully captured the attention of the kids by entering into a tie -

up with Paanchvi Pass, a popular reality show telecast in 2008 by Star Plus and hosted

by Shahrukh Khan. A special Paanchvi Pass flavour was created to make it appealing to

the customers and add excitement to the entire campaign. A gift was assured to any

customer who walked into the store and purchased a Panchvi Paas flavour and 3

lucky draw winners got a chance to meet the biggest Bollywood star, Shahrukh Khan. The

promotion helped Star Plus take its message to niche audience across the country. The

activity provided tremendous on ground visibility for Star Plus and Baskin Robbins in terms

of wall visuals, tent cards, danglers, posters, t -shirts, cups, shelf talkers and a quiz

book. Besides, it got good publicity and generated enthusiasm among the kids.

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The Drona campaign:

Baskin Robbins has become an attractive partner for Production Houses to promote

movies better among its target audience -the youth. This is done by means of appealing

visuals and colorful displays like banners, posters, standees etc. Drona, a magical adven

ture movie based on the warrior Drona tied up with Baskin Robbins to promote the

movie among the teenagers. Visual displays for the promotion of the movie using

Baskin Robbins as a brand included posters, standees, bags, shelf -talker, drop box

and banner . Cappuccino Nibs was named the Drona flavour, also known as the flavour of

magic to get the touch and feel of the movie. The Drona promotion gives kids across the

country a chance to meet Abhishek Bachchan through a lucky draw.

MTV Roadies 6.0:

MTV Road ies -a cult following among youth has now associated with Baskin

Robbins for promotion of the programme and for the integration of the brand

with its content. The promotion makes a lot of sense for both the brands because the

target audience of Roadies is synonyms with the target audience for Baskin Robbins.

The audition promotion was done in selected cities in India where the Roadies

audition was carried out-Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkatta, Ahemdabad, Chandigarh.

JTQ -Jump the Queue passes were given t o those lucky draw winners who purchased

Baskin Robbins ice cream worth Rs. 250/ -. Promotion was done through posters,

banners, standees and the JTQ passes. Interactive games during the auditions were

incorporated which included wild games centered on ice cream.

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The Love Story 2050 campaign:

The movie was unique in the sense that for the first time introduced the time

machine concept in the Indian film industry and therefore, there was a big hype around the

movie. Baskin Robbins built on this hype and the refore associated itself with Love

Story 2050. The publicity for the movie was done using posters, standees, banners

and shelf talkers. The flavour was called the 2050 Flavour with a tagline -The taste

of the future is here. The promotion offered a chance t o the lucky draw winners to

meet the debutant actor Harmen Baweja and Priyanka Chopra and a chance to win a

Boo (a character from the movie) with every 2050 flavour. Baskin Robbins - A Brand

Analysis September 2009

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Other Promos:

Baskin Robbins National level Junior Cricket 7s tournament

Yo Yo Masters Road Show for Delhi children and adults, organised by Cartoon

Network Enterprises, was held in Baskin Robbins store in Connaught Place, Delhi on

July 2007.

Sponsored lucky coupons for Monsoon Masti festival organized by Rajiv Gandhi

International Airport Limited, Hyderabad held on July 2009.

Distributed free passes for Amaze 2008, B -School fest, organised by the Indian�

Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) in Bangalore.

Sold tickets for Rock Concert Rock at India, designed along the lines of

international rock festivals, held in Bangalore in March 2008.

Recently in March 2014, Pizza Hut & Baskin Robbins launched an offer that

provides Pizza Hut patrons an opportunity to sample a range of Baskin Robbins ice

creams, on placing pizza delivery orders.

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Brand Strategy:

Trends: Few trends that favour the brand strategy in India are:

Increasing disposable income of young Indians

Increasing health consciousness of Indians(Low fat ice creams, vegetarian ice creams)

Customer Motivations: The customer motivations that c ould support the growth of th e brand

are,

Flavours unique to Baskin Robbins

I want to be seen as a premium consumer

I need variety in my life

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BASKIN ROBINS IN INDIA

US based ice cream major, Baskin Robbins celebrated its 65th global anniversary on July 31.

On the occasion, the brand, which has stuck with below-the-line activities over the years,

took the first step towards above-the-line advertising -- by exploring radio and tying it in with

its on-ground activities in India.

On being quizzed as to why Baskin Robbins has, over the years, stayed away from ATL and

other media, Uppal shares, "Our international global strategy promotes Baskin Robbins as

'Your neighbourhood ice cream store'. Thus, our communication was limited to

neighbourhood activities, society campaigns, flyers, newspapers inserts, etc, internationally

as well as in India."

However, he adds, "The brand has realized that the customer is evolving and so is media. We

are moving towards being media agnostic, where while having a strong focus on BTL, we

will slowly move towards other media formats too, depending on the communication need."

Thus, in the US, Baskin Robbins' communication strategy has begun encompassing print,

TV, outdoor, PR and even digital, in addition to BTL. Baskin Robbins India is following suit

with its new campaign.

The brand tied up with Radio Mirchi for a number of activities and promotional programming

content. Birthday spots ran on-air through the month of July discussing its 65th-year

celebration.

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Besides, in a special segment called '31 Expressions', Baskin Robbins' 31 flavours were

discussed by means of a different spot for each day of the month. Thus, for example, on July

2, 'Expression Number 2' was discussed, whereby information about a flavour such as

Bavarian Chocolate was shared.

A CSR activity was part of the campaign, where Re. 1 from every bill through the month

went to Make-A-Wish Foundation.

A fourth activity was done on-ground with Radio Mirchi. This was the 'Spot the RJ contest',

where announcements were made on-air that people could spot and meet RJs at Baskin

Robbins' parlours. Customers could interact with RJs, win gift vouchers, join in cake-cutting

sessions and the RJs would also take them on-air live from the parlours.

This activity was done on weekends across five outlets each in Mumbai, Bengaluru and

Delhi-NCR, thus involving 15 outlets in all. Besides these activities, a parlour decoration

contest was also held across the outlets in these three cities and in Hyderabad.

The brand has more than 400 outlets across 93 cities in India. Discussing the decision to

launch this activity only in a handful of cities, Uppal says that a huge percentage of Baskin

Robbins' business comes from Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, which together house 140

outlets.

The objective of all these activities was to build interactivity in the campaign, create some

buzz in the parlours and give free ice-cream treats to consumers, thereby involving them in

the brand's birthday celebrations.

The Baskin Robbins story in India began in 1993, when it opened its first store in Mumbai.

Besides its 400 outlets, it also caters to other premium channels such as hotels, airlines, malls,

multiplexes and top retail chains across India. It is therefore, present in India at 1800 touch

points in all.

Going further, the company plans to revamp its website, conduct consumer research and

launch some new products, among several other strategic initiatives planned for India.

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CONCLUSION

BASKIN-ROBBINS was one of the first ice-cream companies to undertake marketing in a

big way. The company successfully positioned itself by creating and offering flavors which

were not available anywhere else, combined with good store ambience to lighten the theme of

a ‘fun outing’. The company’s marketing policies helped it stay successful in over six

decades of operation.

From the ages of one to ninety-nine, people visit Baskin-Robbins anticipating the pleasure of

enjoying their favorite ice creams served any way they want. Because of our dedication to

being “America’s Favorite Neighborhood Ice Cream Shop”, Baskin-Robbins stores are

visited by over 300 million happy customers year after year. A number that continues to grow

as Baskin-Robbins spreads throughout the world.

Baskin Robbins is doing well with excellent quality offerings. All that has to be

changed is the communication strategy. Baskin Robbins has to create more touch -

points for the prospective customers to interact with the brand. But caution has to be

taken that the premium brand doesn’t get depicted as a mass market brand. Selective

advertisements in premium magazines, lifestyle television channels, malls, airports etc

would do well. The brand can position itself as a premium alternative to other mass

market brands like Kwality Walls, Vadilal, Amul etc. Also more visibility can be created by

maintaining premium ice cream parlours with excellent ambience that would generate Word-

of-Mouth, the most powerful form of positioning the brand.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Marketing/Baskin-Robbins-

Marketing.htm

http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Marketing/MKTG074.htm

http://www.entrepreneur.com/topic/marketing

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/marketing.html

http://www.entrepreneurial-insights.com/understanding-marketing-mix-concept-4ps/

http://www.marketing-schools.org/types-of-marketing.html

http://www.ukessays.com/essays/marketing/marketing-plan-for-baskin-robbins-

marketing-essay.php

http://www.baskinrobbinsindia.com/history.php

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