Product Life Cycle and Product Strategy Perspectives
Week 2 – Discussion Forum 1
Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.
Tip: This week, you will have two main discussion forum posts. Your discussion forum posts are due on 2 different days. You need to work harder to submit well-examined and thoroughly analyzed initial posts, one of which is due on Thursday of the week, and the other is due on Saturday of the week. Please dedicate enough time to each forum question and make sure you use your “critical thinking” and your “analytical/problem-solving” mind. Understanding these concepts will be vital in order to complete your final project in Week 5.
Product Life Cycle and Product Strategy Perspectives [WLOs: 1, 3] [CLO: 1, 3, 5, 6]
- Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum,
Read
- Chapter 3 of the course text, Principles of Marketing
Instructions:
- Part 1– Do a web search for dead brands or product fads.
- You can use the article Blast From the Past: Vintage Technologies That We No Longer Use
-
- Links to an external site. for inspiration.
- Explain how this dead brand or product went through the four stages of the product life cycle (PLC). Introduction, growth, maturity, and decline—every product has a life cycle story waiting to be told.
- Identify what key events marked the start and end of each stage. (e.g., Was it competitors’ innovation? A new technology? etc.)
- Discuss product, price, place, and promotion strategy for each phase of the life cycle you find. You will see these four Ps will differ when the product shifts to another life cycle. Include your analysis of these differences.
- Part 2– Pick a service brand. You can use your current favorite service brand. Using it as an example,
- Explain how services differ from goods.
- Discuss the four Ps for your service (i.e., product, place, price, and promotion).
- Discuss whether services go through a life cycle.
- Your initial post must be at least 350 words.
- Be sure to use subject headers for each of the questions asked.
- Review the Level Heading section of Introduction to APA
- Links to an external site. resource from the Writing Center for more information.
- Be sure to properly cite your textbook and at least three scholarly or credible resources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper
Links to an external site. guide. Refer to the Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources
- Links to an external site. table for additional guidance on source types.
Guided Response:
- Respond to at least three of your fellow marketers by Day 7 (Monday).
- Respond to at least three classmates for brand, products, and categories other than the one you picked.
- Try to respond to those who do not yet have three replies.
- You are encouraged to post your required replies earlier in the week to promote more meaningful discussion and collaboration between you and your fellow marketers.
- Continue to monitor the discussion forum through Day 7 (Monday), and respond to anyone who replies to your initial post.
Skills Learned This activity helps you practice the following industry-required skills:
- Analytical Skills
Helpful Tips:
- Review Section 3.2 in our text regarding product life cycles.
- Identify an appropriate product.
- Choose one that has moved through all phases of the life cycle.
