- The group chose the Sony Walkman as their product in the maturity stage of its life cycle. - Their extension strategies included redesigning it to be smaller and add more colors/styles to appeal to younger customers. - They also proposed adding Bluetooth connectivity and memory storage to give it new functionality to transition to a new market segment. - The group argued these changes would make the Walkman relevant to new users while retaining loyal customers.

2. Individually how many products of
Virgin can you name ?
You have 3 minutes!!!!

3. High
Market
Growth
Low
High Market Share Low

4.  Product Life Cycle – shows the stages
that products go through from
development to withdrawal
from the market
 It refers to their full life span as such.
 Are Sega Megadrives
still around?

5. £
£

6. › Each product may have a different life
cycle
› PLC determines revenue earned
› Contributes to strategic marketing
planning
› May help the firm to identify when
a product needs support, redesign,
reinvigorating, withdrawal, etc.
› May help in new product development
planning
› May help in forecasting and managing
cash flow

7. › Development
› Introduction/Launch
› Growth
› Maturity
› Saturation
› Decline
› Withdrawal

8. › May come from any of the following –
› Market research – identifies gaps in the
market
› Monitoring competitors
› Planned research and development
(R&D)
› Luck or intuition – stumble across ideas?
› Creative thinking – inventions, hunches?
› Futures thinking – what will people be
using/wanting/needing 5,10,20 years from
now

9. › New ideas/possible inventions
› Market analysis – is it wanted? Can it be
produced at a profit? Who is it likely
to be aimed at?
› Product Development and refinement
› Test Marketing – possibly local/regional
› Analysis of test marketing results and
amendment of product/production
process
› Preparations for launch – publicity,
marketing campaign

10. › Advertising and promotion campaigns
› Target campaign at specific audience?
› Monitor initial sales
› Maximise publicity
› High cost/low sales
› Length of time – type of product

11. › Increased consumer awareness
› Sales rise
› Revenues increase
› Costs - fixed costs/variable costs, profits
may be made
› Monitor market – competitors reaction?

12. › Sales reach peak
› Cost of supporting the product declines
› Ratio of revenue to cost high
› Sales growth likely to be low
› Market share may be high
› Competition likely to be greater
› Price elasticity of demand?
› Monitor market –
changes/amendments/new strategies?

13.  New entrants likely to mean market is ‘flooded’
 Necessity to develop new strategies becomes more
pressing:
› Searching out new markets:
 Linking to changing fashions
 Seeking new or exploiting market segments
 Linking to joint ventures – media/music, etc.
 Developing new uses
› Focus on adapting the product
 Re-packaging or format
 Improving the standard or quality
› Developing the product range

14. › Product outlives/outgrows its usefulness/value
› Fashions change
› Technology changes
› Sales decline
› Cost of supporting starts to rise too far
› Decision to withdraw may be dependent on
availability of new products and whether
fashions/trends will come around again?

15. £

16. Sales
Development Introduction Growth Maturity Saturation Decline
Time

17. Sales
Effects of Extension
Strategies
Time

19.  Can be defined as - a medium to long-term
plan for lengthening a products life cycle. It is
likely to be implemented during the Maturity or
early Decline.
 Extension Strategies include:
› Redesigning the Product – New and Improved!
› Adding an extra feature – Now with…(colour, quality,
texture…)
› Changing the packaging and advertising to appeal
to a NEW Market Segment.
› Providing a Unique Selling Point (USP) – Cross shaped
MP3 player.

20.  Individually you are required to:
 Produce a Product Life Cycle, illustrating
at which point an Extension Strategy
may be applied to a product.
Remember to include the four stages!
 Identify a product (not already
discussed) at each individual stage of
the Product Life Cycle. Most points for
most original, creative.

21.  In GROUPS you are required to: (on A3 paper
provided)
 Determine appropriate Extension Strategies
to lengthen the Product Life Cycle for a
product you identify as a group. Include
appropriate design features that will appeal
to the Target Market i.e. design, colour,
durability, shape.
 As a group, justify why you have chosen
these Extension Strategies? It is important
not to forget who your Target Market is!!!
 Explain the results to the remainder of the
class through a short presentation.