Saxonville Sausage Company is a 70-year-old family-owned business headquartered in Saxonville that generates $1.5 billion in annual revenue primarily from its bratwurst and breakfast sausage products. Its Italian sausage brand Vivio has been successful regionally in the Eastern US but lacks a clear positioning. Saxonville is considering strengthening Vivio's marketing strategy by developing a target demographic and geographic profile as well as values-based positioning concepts to drive national expansion. Focus groups and additional research are recommended to identify the best positioning approach for Vivio to capitalize on the growing Italian sausage market and compete against local and national brands.

1. Saxonville Sausage Company

2. Company’s Background
● A 70 year old company privately held family
business headquartered in Saxonville.
● Well established German brand in the US.
● Revenue in 2005 was $1.5 billion.
● Products-
○ Variety of pork sausages

3. Main Brands
1. Bratwurst
70% of the company’s revenue.
2. Breakfast sausage
20% of the company’s revenues
3. Italian sausage - Vivio (Regional distribution:Eastern US )
5% revenues

4. Saxonville’s Products
Bratwurst Breakfast
Sausage
Links
and
patties

5. VIVIO current marketing
strategy
★ Product
■ Undifferentiated product
■ No clear positioning
■ Italian name to create consistency
★ Price
■ In line with competition
■ Inconsistent with Saxonville pricing strategy
★ Place
■ National supermarkets - 16%
■ Eastern part of US
★ Promotion
■ Discounted price during the launching period

6. Further assessment on VIVIO
❖ Strengths
■ Vivio’s success in the existing market
■ Saxonville’s strong national distribution network
❖ Opportunities
■ Growing market for Italian sausages
■ No national competitors for fresh sausages
❖ Weaknesses
■ Vivio’s lack of clear positioning
■ No product differentiation
❖ Threats
■ Competition from other 29 locally established brands
■ Some competiton from nationl.

7. Segmentation and Target
Market
★ Demographic
★ Physiographic
★ Behavioral

8. Target-
● Primary and secondary demographics
○ Female head-of-households
○ Children, education status, working status
● Behavior considerations
○ Vivio loyalists
○ competitive-brand loyalists
● Geographic considerations
○ Currently in strong italian sausage markets

9. Values
● Good, nutritious meal
● Satisfy everyone’s needs
● Time spent with family
● Creativity

10. ❏ Family connection
❏ Clever cooking
❏ Confidence
❏ Appreciation
❏ Quick and easy
❏ Tradition
Initial Positioning Territories

11. Brand Laddering for Gourmet
cooking oil
VALUE: Discerning good taste
_____________________________________
EMOTIONAL BENEFIT: Makes me feel like a gourmet cook
_____________________________________
FUNCTIONAL BENEFIT: Flavor enhancement that makes even the best recipes taste
unbelievably better
_____________________________________
ATTRIBUTES: Smooth and light texture, pale green natural coloring, higher melt
temperature, emulsifies instantly, sophisticated taste

12. Potential positioning
concepts
● Family connection concept
■ Brand- It welcomes you in
● Love concept
■ Brand- For all you do
● Balance concept
■ Brand- The taste of home
● Creative cooking concept
■ Brand- Creative meals in minutes

13. Product Benefits
● Emotional benefits
● Consumer benefits
● Functional benefits
● Product attributes

14. Research and evaluating the
Italian opportunity
1. Planning new research on the target customer.
2. Building on learning from the focus group.
3. Building positioning concept.
Brand ladder.
4. Additional research deliver a verdict-or two.

15. Recommended brand name
1. Why vivio?
a. Well established in atlantic areas
b. Italian name
2. Why by saxonville?
a. Nationwide recognition and popularity
b. Signifies quality/credibility for an
unknown brand

16. Italian sausage-using consumer
positioning concept voting

17. Supporting tactics offered
by other functional groups
1. R&D-
• Kid-friendly-shaped pre-cut sausage pieces; dinosaurs,
goldfish.
• Different flavor varieties.
• Insert fresh herbs that would be visible through the
sausage.
casing but not impact the taste of the sausage.
• Frozen sausage pellets, both raw and pre-cooked.
• Different forms: uncooked slices, pre cooked slices.

18. 2. Graphics
• Label size and shape changes to maximize the product
visibility window and provide in-case differentiation
• Alternate label graphics using background photographs, fresh
ingredients depictions, the Italian flag
• Faux labels used as tip-ins in magazines to reinforce the
brand
• Labels with “back-placed” recipes
• Different label-copy stickers that “pop”

19. 3. Sales
• Larger package size with dinner-plate shaped trays
• Running more frequent BOGO’s (buy-one get-one
promotions)
• Famous potential spokespeople like Rachael Ray
• Refrigerated display units placed in the produce and dry
grocery sections
• Celebrity recipes

20. Italian sausage concept
assessment

21. Declaration
Created by
Akhila Polishetty, during an internship under
Prof. Sameer Mathur, IIM
Lucknow.
www.IIMinternship.com

22. Thank you