Target Corporation Swot

Group Assignment for Recitation Participation

Biyun Cheng, Chenye Liu, Mengdie Wang, Yue Yu

Question1: Brand valuations were mentioned in the chapter as a potential key intangible resource for firms. Some product brands are so well established the entire category of products (including those made by competitors) may be called by the brand name rather than the product type. In your small group, develop two or three examples of this happening in the marketplace. In any of the cases noted, does such brand valuation give the leading brand a competitive advantage? Or does it produce confusion in the market for all products or services in that category?

Example1: When referring to refillable lighters, the first brand name pop up in your mind would be “ Zippo”; when we mention adhesive bandage, “Band-Aid” definitely will show up in your head. These products brand are so well established the entire category of products, so that consumer usually calls brand name rather than the product type as Coca Cola. Below we use Coca Cola as an example to discuss how brand valuation gives the Coke a competitive advantage in marketplace.

First of all, brand value brings the customer loyalty. Coke creates a sense of affinity between the customer and the brand. For instance, Coca-Cola always has a traditional family image, which people can associate with happy times at Christmas. With the right marketing campaign, customer feels more familiar with Coca rather than its competitor Pepsi. Thus, they will become more loyal towards Coca.

Secondly, brand value brings the resonance of global market, directly boost long term profit of coke. Coca cola convey the globally consistent message through its core values of happiness, refreshment and fun. The red and white color image communicates all over the world. So that people clearly linked coca to happiness and refreshment. So there is no doubt that coca cola become a icon in soft drinks.

Example2: Apple was named the most valuable brand in the world today, overtaking four-time brand leader Google, according to Millward Brown’s Brandz 2011 report. Apple’s brand value jumped 84 percent to $153.3 billion in the past year, mostly due to the IPad’s wild popularity and the iPhone’s continued growth.

Given that Apple basically carved out an entirely new computing category with the iPad, it makes sense that the company’s brand would skyrocket. What is surprising is just how far beyond other big brands it is — Apple’s brand value is about $42 billion ahead of Google’s, and even further ahead of third-place brand IBM ($100.8 billion) and fourth place McDonald’s ($81 billion).

Brand valuation provides a common language for brand performance around which a company can be galvanized and organized. Table 1 saws 49.2 million units ship worldwide, up from 20.3 million the same quarter last year. Apple’s iPad once again took first place. According to Graph 1, in the first quarter of 2013, ipad grabbed 39.6% of the market share, which doubles the market share of Samsung, who was in the second place. The brand valuation of Apple makes great contributions to the performance of ipad in the market.

Table 1

Graph 1

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Question 2: An enhancement on the basic SWOT analysis is to consider both current as well as potential conditions.39 That is, conduct the SWOT in two stages: First, list the elements that are current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; then repeat the process with the focus on potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This two-stage process provides a perspective of the possible dynamic changes facing the organization.

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