Situation Analysis

• Vision
• Target Audience
• Segmentation
• Needs and Requirements
• Competitors
• SWOT Analysis

Marketing Strategy

• Market Program
• Strategy To Be Competitive
• Goals

Marketing Mix

• Detailed Product Information
• Distribution & Logistics
• Price Strategies
• Promotional Strategy
• Monitoring and Marketing

Summary

Vision

Due to the growing interest humidity level and its consequences, we propose an innovative humidifier that combines efficiency with simplicity. It is so important, because it is possible that if the relative humidity drops below 40%, excess of static electricity may cause sparks which can damage servers and IT equipment. Moreover, this is controlled by web interface and allows for 2 day of autonomy. It is also environmentally friendly because it consumes a lot of energy and it is compatible with EU directives. We want to provide humidifiers mainly for data centers in order to maintain proper humidity.

Our firm

Our firm want to break into the Portugal market like a new firm and get the first position in the next 3 years. We sell humidifiers for data centers, we plan the whole humidifier system according to specific requirements with additional services. Specific requirements for example controlling system and web interface etc.

Target audience

Primarily we offer solutions for humidifying data centers, but we also undertake other specific needs.

Data centers are found the following locations:

• Shopping malls
• Banks
• Universities
• Airports
• Government agencies
• Medium and large companies
• Hospitals
• Business centers

Segmentation

Our ideal customer would me a small data center, which is cares about the safety of its IT equipment, environment and looks for savings.

Needs and Requirements

Our customers do not need very sophisticated humidifying system. They look for something which do not cause excess of water in air, because it is much more dangerous than too low humidity. These companies look for information in the internet for example on online forums. They have limited amount of money.

Current competitors

Humidifier market is very large, complex and quite saturated, many companies are present product on the household-, health-, agriculture humidification market. Humidifier market for data centres is very complex. There are few local seller, the bigest one is “JS HUMIDIFICADORES O ESPECIALISTA DA HUMIDIFICAÇÃO”, and there are so many import products from myriad countries. They are almost without exception, chose internet market to sale products.

• there are about 20 portugal companies which make humidifiers
• a lot of companies from other countries
• there rather make humidifiers which use the compressed air and running water, so our would be a good alternative for places where there is no running water – like DC
• companies which offers services specially for humidifiers almost does not exist
• however such a services are provided by companies dealing with air conditioning

SWOT Analysis

Strengths:

• Ecological
• Product may be used in places where is no running water
• Cheap
• Low cost of maintenance
• No problem with suppliers – parts easy to get
• Technological skills
• Distribution channels
• Individual needs compliance
• Individual solutions
• Production quality
• Reliable product/ services

Weaknesses:

• Lack of experience
• Lack of relationships
• Lack of developed distribution network
• Low budget
• Problems with communication with the clients
• Management
• Unknown brand

Opportunities:

• By selling via internet it is possible to get to more companies around the world
• Possibility to expand Polish, Spanish and Hungarian market, and around the world
• Build up distribution channels trough the internet
• Changing customer tastes
• Technological advances

Threats

• Competitors have a lot of experience
• Unfamiliarity
• Technological advances
• Changing customer tastes

Enter the market with new products, expand to the national market, designing products to solve the needs of all customers, develop specific control systems for each particular case.

Marketing Program

After finished the prototype for data center of ISEP we have our first specific product to solve the humidity problems in a 80 m3 data center. We make a website to throw our product to the market. We explain here, how operate and how to use our prototype and we can adapt the humidifier to solve different humidity problems either different size of data centers or for another applications. We offer guaranty for 1 year and we have doing the maintenance. In the first time we will have a promotion to the another universities, with concerting visit’s in ISEP’S data center and showing how operate our product. Then we conctact with the responsible of data centers of local hospitals, banks, medium and large companies….Explain that if they use our products they can extend the live of our machines and they solve a lot of money.

Strategy to be competitive

Participate in events where we can showcase our product

Facilitate the payment for the customers

Finding suppliers in China to lower the price of our product

Have personal contact with each client and each case

Goals

• Enter and remain in the local market absorbing 30% of production.
• Expand to the national market.
• Promotional campaigns among potential customers.
• Increase the staff to develop new ideas.
• Recive industry recognition for our work.
• Obtain customer satisfaction.

PRODUCT

• our humidifier (controlled by web interface, 2 days of autonomy, friendly to environment, compatible with EU directives)
• possibility for determining the active area
• service (replacement of parts, solving problem with web interface)
• guarantee for 1 years

PLACE

• selling via internet with 30 day for testing
• website in different languages: English, Spanish, Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese
• possible chat on the website to ask questions directly
• in future few small shops

PRICE (I don’t know it – these are factors we have to take in account)

• marketing objectives
• marketing mix strategy
• costs
• organizational consideration
• competition
• environmental factors
• discounts for bigger humidifiers
• stock of filters in promotion

PROMOTION

• ad in internet
• participating in EXPO
• discounts for known clients
• informational materials
• sponsored articles
• visiting potential customers
• presenting the prototype build for ISEP

It was observed that last few years people are more aware of influence of humidity level and due to that interest we decided to introduce a new humidifier, which is efficient, friendly to the environment and cheap to maintenance. Our humidifier has great potential – it can be suited easily to needs of customer, so it ensures customers’ satisfaction. To strengthen position of our company in the market we would like to provide also services associated with parts replacement and repair.