Annie McConnel

5 potential setbacks

• Other products that are are sort of similar exist
• People feel that their kids are not that messy eaters
• They don’t understand that not only does it catch the drips but it can be used for storage as well
• They don’t need it as they could just use a bowl to catch the drips and to store in the Freezer
• Where they are shopping may not have my product

3 other ideas

• A long bib that goes around the child’s neck and a long bit of fabric that can be tied around the icy pole so when it drips the cloth catches it.
• Hand wash that when it drips onto their hands it just slides off, like water on a duck’s back.
• If you want to store the ice block back it the freezer it can be stored in a thin piece of plastic with a lid with a pop stick hole that can be placed over the top so it doesn’t spill out.

My marketing plan is to help small children to eat icy poles without them getting the sticky juice all over them and the parents having the clean up the mess. I hope it achieves the joy of eating icy poles without the sticky mess that seems to get everywhere. My target audience is parents that have small children that when eating icy poles they drip it everywhere. It also applies to the parents with kids that don’t finish their icy poles so they have to throw them away, but now they can store them with the silicone fold over cover. My unique selling point is that not any drip catchers have been made with the fold over silicone cover which means that they are able to store the icy poles, as well as they are more compact and easier to store. My distribution plan is to have an online shop and to have them in other stores that sell kitchenware or Kmart and Target.

The four P’s

Product: My product is going to be about 15 cm long and about 6 cm wide. This will mean that the drip catcher will be able to be used with every icy pole.

Price: I am going to charge about $5 because it is a piece of silicone so it isn’t going to be very expensive. This will mean that it will appeal to a larger range of sources.

Position: I intend for my product to be at the low end of the market because it isn’t going to be very expensive and the product should be able cheap enough that people are likely to buy it without thinking it is a rip off.

Promotion: I am going to promote my product on Facebook because most people are on Facebook and will most likely see it. The ad on Facebook with then bring you to the website where the product can be purchased.

Identify your target audience. Who is likely to buy your product/service?

The people who are likely to buy my product are parents. The reason parents with children are the people who are going to buy my product when coming to icy poles they don’t want a mess. They also don’t want their children’s sticky fingers getting on everything as it is a big mess to clean up.

What is your communication objective? How do you evoke the purchase decision? Is it through awareness, knowledge, liking or preference?

The way that I am going to evoke the purchase of my product is to make people want to make their kids happier by saving their leftover icy poles for later. As well as they don’t want their kids to be sad when their icy pole drips all over them and possibly falls on the floor.

Design your message. Is it a rational, emotional or moral message? Is it a combination of all three?

My message is a rational and emotional message because it makes the parents happy helping their kids be happier when eating an icy pole because it is easy and mess free. The rational message is that it benefits the parents as well because it means that their kids are happier and also it means no mess for the parents to clean up from the sticky icy pole.

Choose the media. Will you use social media, traditional advertising or word of mouth?

The advertisement media I will use is Facebook and TV ads. The major platform I will use is Facebook because most parents have Facebook and it is an easy way to promote my product. I may also have an ad that is on TV because some people who watch TV with ads will see it and think that it is a good idea. Many older people watch TV, therefore could purchase them for their young grandchildren.

Message Source. Who will be the face of your communication: you or a celebrity?

The face of my communication would probably be a celebrity with their kids because I don’t have kids, so it wouldn’t really make much sense for me to be in the ad. It also may not be a celebrity because getting a celebrity to be in my ad would be very expensive so I may just have to use have paid actors.

 

Some brand name ideas for my drip catching and storage invention are:

Drip Catcher

Drip Free

Lick, Drip, Catch (LDC)

The name that I am going to choose for my invention is going to be called Lick, Drip, Catch (LDC). I have decided to use this name because it is catchy but it gives you an idea about what the product does and it makes it seem simple and easy but useful. The name makes the product sound easy to use because the name has three short words, representing that it is quick but effective.

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Mission

What I want to do is the create an easy way for little kids to eat icy poles without the sticky juice dripping on them, getting it everywhere and the parents having to clean the mess up. I also want to create a way for people to store their half-eaten icy poles in the freezer so they can finish the rest when they are ready, which eliminates food waste.

Vision

I am going to do this by making a silicone cover that you slip over the stick of the icy pole and fold it back to catch all of the drips. When you want to store it, you fold it back over the icy pole and put it back In the freezer.

My Idea is to make a plastic cover which makes it easier for little kids to eat icy poles without getting sticky hands. It is a long rubber cover with a small slit in the bottom for the pop stick. You slip it on the end of the pop stick and fold the top back to create an upside-down umbrella shape at the bottom of your ice cream. When the icy pole melts it catches the drips making eating icy poles easy and mess free for little kids. The other use of my invention is if you are full from your ice block but you aren’t finished, then you can pull the cover, up over the ice cream and store in the freezer until you are ready to finish it.

My product is desirable because it must be a constant frustration for the parents of little kids because when they eat icy poles, they drip it everywhere and their hands get all sticky. This manages to get everywhere and results in the parents having the clean up the mess. With my invention, they won’t have to worry about the sticky mess from the icecreams and spend their time on something else. It is also desirable because if you don’t finish your icy poles it is a waste to throw them out when you could eat it later. This makes storing half eaten icy poles really easy and doesn’t take up much space at all.

My product is unique because no one has come up with my idea before. There are drip catches that have been made before but they don’t have the fold up storage cover like mine has, so it is unique. It also isn’t as bulky like some of the drip catchers, meaning that storing my invention doesn’t take up much space in the cupboard.

My product has value because it isn’t very expensive but you can get a lot of use out of it because it is rubber and it can be reused again and again. It is a great purchase because it is very useful and it isn’t a large investment.

What are the skills and attributes entrepreneurs need to be successful?

Some skills and attributes that an entrepreneur needs to be successful is to be;

• Persistent
• Courageous
• Determined
• Open-minded
• Creative

All these qualities are needed because if your business doesn’t work out very well at the start, it is important to be persistent with it and try to work out how to improve your business. It is also important to be courageous and determined because sometimes you will need to take a leap of faith with your business and if you don’t have enough courage, then you will never excel. Being determined is also needed because you really need to be determined and really like what you are doing, otherwise your business won’t be as good as it can be. Being open-minded is crucial for the success of your business because if you aren’t, you won’t gain any insights on what to do to improve your business. If you are closed minded, then your ideas won’t improve, and you won’t live up to your potential. Creativity is also very important in coming up with ideas about how create and improve your business as you will constantly be needing ideas for the next step to take in the growth of your business.