| Course | MKT-4790 Applied Marketing Practices |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Module 2 marketing plan assignment: strategic analysis |
| Length | About 469 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | B.S.B.A. in Marketing |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MKT 4790 Module 2
On the Shelf With Everyone Else: A Strategic Analysis for a Cidery Entering Retail
Student Name
B.S.B.A. in Marketing, Thomas Edison State University
MKT-4790: Applied Marketing Practices
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
On the Shelf With Everyone Else: A Strategic Analysis for a Cidery Entering Retail
The Market
The cidery would sell in liquor stores, specialty beverage shops and restaurants in Mercer, Somerset, Hunterdon and Middlesex counties. In these outlets, cider sits beside craft beer, hard seltzer and wine, and shelf space is limited. Store owners decide what to stock based on what sells, distributor support and margin. The textbook stresses that market analysis must include the forces that shape demand and channel decisions, not only consumers (Walker & Mullins, 2013).
Customers
The plan considers three groups. Taproom loyalists, who already know the brand, would buy it in stores if they could find it. Craft beverage explorers try new local products and look for stories about where products come from. Gluten-free drinkers choose cider because it contains no barley or wheat. Smith (1956) described segmentation as fitting the product and its promotion to the ways groups of buyers differ, instead of selling to the whole market as a single mass; these three groups want different things from the same can.
Competitors
The cidery's most important competitors for shelf space are local breweries, which have distributor relationships it lacks.
| Competitor type | Example | Strength | Weakness against the cidery |
|---|---|---|---|
| National cider brands | Widely distributed brands | Price, distribution, awareness | No local story, sweeter recipes |
| Regional craft cideries | Cideries from New York and Pennsylvania | Quality, craft image | Not from New Jersey orchards |
| Local craft breweries | Central New Jersey breweries | Shelf presence, loyal drinkers | Not gluten-free; beer, not cider |
The Company
The cidery's strengths are its own orchard fruit, its reputation in the taproom, a dry style that differs from sweet national brands and a family story. Its weaknesses are no distributor relationship, no canning line, which means paying a mobile canning service, and a small marketing budget of about $40,000 for the first year. Closing the competitor intelligence gap found in Module 1 is part of this analysis, since market orientation depends on generating intelligence about competitors as well as customers (Kohli & Jaworski, 1990).
SWOT Analysis
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Own orchard fruit; dry style; taproom loyalty; family story | No distributor; mobile canning cost; small budget |
| Opportunities | Threats |
| Interest in local and gluten-free products; restaurants seeking local drinks | Crowded shelves; distributor consolidation; price competition |
Strategic Issues
First, how to gain retail distribution without an established distributor relationship. Second, which customer group to target first, given a limited budget. Third, how to position a dry farm cider against both national ciders and local beers. The research plan in Module 3 will gather the information needed to resolve them.
Conclusion
The strategic analysis shows a crowded shelf where the cidery's farm story and dry style are real advantages, but where distribution and budget are serious constraints. The three strategic issues set the agenda for the rest of the plan.
References
Kohli, A. K., & Jaworski, B. J. (1990). Market orientation: The construct, research propositions, and managerial implications. Journal of Marketing, 54(2), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299005400201
Smith, W. R. (1956). Product differentiation and market segmentation as alternative marketing strategies. Journal of Marketing, 21(1), 3-8. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224295602100102
Walker, O. C., Jr., & Mullins, J. W. (2013). Marketing strategy: A decision-focused approach (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
MKT 4790 Module 2 instructions, in plain terms
The four marketing plan assignments, worth 40 percent of the grade, are completed in Modules 2 to 5 and combined and revised into the final project. This first part covers strategic analysis: the market, customers, competitors and the company, summarized in a SWOT analysis. Use the business from your earlier written assignment, gather what information you can about the actual market and competitors, and end with the strategic issues the plan must address. Each later plan assignment builds on this one, so make the issues specific enough to guide the research and strategy that follow. Use specific local evidence where you can.
Inside the MKT 4790 Module 2 example
The paper analyzes the market, including the channel decision makers who control shelf space. A customer section identifies three groups and uses research on segmentation. A competitor table compares three competitor types. A company section lists strengths and weaknesses with numbers where possible. A SWOT table summarizes the analysis, and a strategic issues section turns it into three questions the plan must answer. The conclusion ties the analysis to the next module's research plan. The competitor table is short but covers the three kinds of rival the cidery actually faces, and the company section includes the budget figure that constrains every later decision. That constraint reappears in the research and strategy parts.
Reading the MKT 4790 Module 2 grading rubric
Marketing plan assignments are graded with rubrics in the Evaluation Rubrics folder, which look for thorough analysis, accurate concepts, specific evidence and clear organization. Analyses that include channel decision makers as well as consumers show understanding of the market. A SWOT that leads to specific strategic issues, rather than ending as a list, demonstrates the decision focus of the course. Tables for competitors and SWOT help the reader, and research on segmentation adds support beyond the textbook. Mentors also credit analyses that use local, specific evidence, such as shelf space in nearby stores, rather than national statistics alone. Mentors value a SWOT whose items each trace to evidence in the analysis above it.
Common MKT 4790 Module 2 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Students lose points by listing SWOT items without analysis, by ignoring competitors outside their own category or by stopping at the SWOT without stating the issues it raises. Others describe the market in national terms when their business competes locally. Define the market as your customers experience it. Include indirect competitors. Turn the SWOT into a few strategic questions. Keep the analysis tied to your specific business and its real constraints. Write each strategic issue as a question the rest of the plan will answer, so the later parts have a clear agenda. Name the plan part that will answer each issue. A free first sample on your own MKT-4790 marketing plan part is available on request.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
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More MKT 4790 and B.S.B.A. in Marketing sample papers
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MKT 4790 Module 2 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MKT 4790 Module 2 sample paper?
A strategic analysis and SWOT for a cidery entering retail, ending in three strategic issues, is the plan assignment above.
What does a strategic analysis in a marketing plan cover?
The market, customers, competitors and the company, usually summarized in a SWOT analysis.
What is market segmentation?
Splitting a market into groups whose needs differ and tailoring the marketing to each.
Why include indirect competitors?
Because customers choose among categories, so a cider competes with craft beer and other drinks for the same purchase.
What should follow a SWOT analysis?
A short list of strategic issues that the rest of the plan must resolve.