Name:
Product Planning Project
Period:
Class #:
u
_______ / 100
You and are creating your OWN BRAND and a new product that you will be the face on of that brand. You will need to
create a plan for this new product using outline/bulleted formatting and section headings included in bold below. THIS IS
NOT AN ESSAY OR PAPER. Please refer to ALL attached resources, and use the hypothetical iPhone plan as your example.
INITIAL PRODUCT IDEA
 This should be detailed description of the product you would be making. Explain what type of product it
is according to the provided categories.
 Product category
 Product Design Levels
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
In a chart/table format provide the following:
Due: Fri 10/7 Submitted: ______


Listing of 3 Direct Competitors, qualities and prices (Direct competitors make the same thing as you do!)
Listing of 3 Indirect Competitors, qualities, and prices (Indirect competitors make similar but not identical
products to you)
INITIAL PRODUCT PLAN
 Target market description
 Packaging plans
 Pricing
 Initial prices based on competitors
 pricing strategy
 Pricing Math
WORK CITED
 Bullet list of website URL address for any websites used in your research
 Minimum of 3 websites must be cited
Product Plan Rubric:
Unit Rate
Poor
Intermediate x 1
Good x 2
Initial
Product Idea
10
Not
covered
Limited information
provided, covering
neither area of Product
Design--specifically
Competitive
Analysis
7
Not
covered
Initial
Product Plan
10
Not
covered
Poor detail regarding
potential competition,
lists 1-2 competitors,
no clear sense of
competitive position
Poor explanation, no
creativity, lists 0-1 of
the plan details
Information from good
sources, covering either
area of Product Design,
could’ve been more
extensive
Good basic grasp of
competition’s products,
lists 3-4 competitors,
could be competitive
Work Cited
3
Bullet
Formatting
3
Not
covered
Not
covered
Total Points
Excellent x 3
Points
Extensive research
covering all listed areas
for Product Design
30
22
Good product idea,
could be successful, lists
2 of the plan details
Excellent detail of
competition’s products
and the comparability,
lists 5+ competitors,
probable competition (+1)
Excellent product idea,
probable success list all
areas for Plan Details
1 Work Cited
2 Works Cited
3+ Works Cited
9
Not bulleted but does
include chart for
Competitive Analysis
Bulleted but does not
include chart for
Competitive Analysis
Excellent organization
including both bullet &
chart
9
30
/100
INTRODUCING…
BRAND: Apple PRODUCT: iPhone
INITIAL PRODUCT IDEA
 Our innovative company, Apple, will be reinventing the way you communicate and enjoy life with our
new cellular phone, The iPhone. … (more details should be given here)
 PRODUCT TYPE: Our iPhone is a Specialty Product that caters to customers seeking. Newer,
updated models of the iPhone will not be released too frequently, and will not be immediately
available in all stores.
 PRODUCT DESIGN:
1. CORE … Our iPhone will provide its possessors with the benefit of having everything
they could imagine wanting or needing accessibility to in the palm of their hands
2. ACTUAL … Our iPhone is a trend-setting, sleek, user-friendly cell phone and computer in
one—that will be available in two sizes (S, & S-Plus), 4 colors, and with variant audio
headphone options
3. AUGMENTED … iPhones can be pre-ordered for in-store or home delivery, or purchased
in-store or online. Purchase can be financed through iPhone For Ever. Apple provides 1
year manufacturer warranties with all products. Customers may purchase extended
warranties within 90 days of initial purchase. We provided 24 hour stellar customer
service by phone, email, and online chat for immediate assistance.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Top
Competitors
Product
Quality
Product
Pricing
Direct Competitors (MOBILE PHONE PRODUCTS)
Samsung
Sony
HTC ONE M9
Galaxy S6
Xperia Z4
(more
details
should
Indirect Competitors (PC MANUFACTURERS)
Dell
HP
IBM
be
given
here)
INITIAL PRODUCT PLAN
 TARGET MARKET: Everyone…
 Teenagers – who use iPhones to listen to music, and socialize with friends (and family) through
calls, iMessage, Facetime, downloaded apps, games, and social media.
 College/University Students – who use iPhones to for the same as teenagers, as well as to easily
record, store, and organize notes.
 Business People – who use iPhones to finish work efficiently, handle documents frequently, and
communicate with clients easily.
 Adults & Kids – who use iPhones everyday for personal use like placing calls, mapping directions
and playing learning games.
 PACKAGING: Like all of our products, we will provide our luxury mobile phone in a deluxe white on white
box—storing all accessories underneath the main paneling that perfectly encases the iPhone.
 PRICING:
 Pricing will vary per phone dimension/size, storage size, and features
128GB - $749 | 256GB - $849
 Customers can opt to play full price upon initial purchase, or subscribe to a loan program
through their cell phone service provider (AT&T, Sprint, Tmobile, & Verizon only)
 Customers can upgrade—if they qualify—when new iPhones are released, receiving the newest
model either at a discounted price per the older model iPhone trade-in, or at no cost.
WORK CITED
 Bullet list of website URL address for any websites used in your research (Minimum of 3 websites)
4 PRODUCT TYPES (Pick one of these)
Convenience Products
Among the four types of consumer products, the convenience product is bought most frequently. A convenience product is a
consumer product or service that customers normally buy frequently, immediately and without great comparison or buying
effort. Examples include articles such as laundry detergents, fast food, sugar and magazines. As you can see, convenience
products are those types of consumer products that are usually low-priced and placed in many locations to make them readily
available when consumers need or want them.
Shopping Products
The second one of the 4 types of consumer products is the shopping product. Shopping products are a consumer product that
the customer usually compares on attributes such as quality, price and style in the process of selecting and purchasing. Thus, a
difference between the two types of consumer products presented so far is that the shopping product is usually less frequently
purchased and more carefully compared. Therefore, consumers spend much more time and effort in gathering information and
comparing alternatives. Types of consumer products that fall within the category of shopping products are: furniture, clothing,
used cars, airline services etc. As a matter of fact marketers usually distribute these types of consumer products through fewer
outlets, but provide deeper sales support in order to help customers in the comparison effort.
Specialty Products
(The iPhone example Plan)
Number three of the types of consumer products is the specialty product. Specialty products are consumer products and services
with unique characteristics or brand identification for which a significant group of consumers is willing to make a special
purchase effort. As you can see, the types of consumer products involve different levels of effort in the purchasing process: the
specialty product requires a special purchase effort, but applies only to certain consumers. Examples include specific cars,
professional and high-prices photographic equipment, designer clothes etc. A perfect example for these types of consumer
products is a Lamborghini. In order to buy one, a certain group of buyers would make a special effort, for instance by travelling
great distances to buy one. However, specialty products are usually less compared against each other. Rather, the effort must
be understood in terms of other factors: Buyers invest for example the time needed to reach dealers that carry the wanted
products. To illustrate this, look at the Lamborghini example: the one who wants one is immediately convinced of the choice
for a Lamborghini and would not compare it that much against 10 other brands.
Unsought Products
The 4 types of consumer products also include unsought products. Unsought products are those consumer products that a
consumer either does not know about or knows about but does not consider buying under normal conditions. Thus, these types
of consumer products consumers do not think about normally, at least not until they need them. Most new innovations are
unsought until consumers become aware of them. Other examples of these types of consumer products are life insurance, preplanned funeral services etc. As a consequence of their nature, unsought products require much more advertising, selling and
marketing efforts than other types of consumer products.
On the next page, you can find relevant marketing considerations for
each of the 4 types of consumer products. You will also find details
regarding the 3 product design levels. Read carefully and refer to all
information provided as you create your original brand and product
plan! Be detailed & creative! Be sure to turn in your Assignment Sheet
including Grading Rubric with your Final Product Plan.
4 PRODUCT TYPES (Use this to decide)
3 PRODUCT DESIGN LEVELS (Keep this in mind)
Consumers often think that a product is simply the physical item that he or she buys. In order to actively explore the
nature of a product further, let’s consider ONE product as three different products – the CORE product,
the ACTUAL product, and finally the AUGMENTED product. This concept is known as the Three Levels of a Product.
The CORE product is NOT the tangible physical product. You can’t touch it. That’s because the core product is the BENEFIT
of the product that makes it valuable to you. So with the car example, the benefit is convenience i.e. the ease at which
you can go where you like, when you want to. Another core benefit is speed since you can travel around relatively quickly.
The ACTUAL product is the tangible, physical product. You can get some use out of it. Again with the car, it is the vehicle
that you test drive, buy and then collect. You can touch it. The actual product is what the average person would think of
under the generic banner of product.
The AUGMENTED product is the non-physical part of the product. It usually consists of lots of added value, for which you
may or may not pay a premium. So when you buy a car, part of the augmented product would be the warranty,
the customer service support offered by the car’s manufacturer and any after-sales service. The augmented product is an
important way to tailor the core or actual product to the needs of an individual customer. The features of augmented
products can be converted in to benefits for individuals.