SWOT

The company should analyze its markets and marketing environment to find attractive opportunities and identify environmental threats. It should analyze company strengths and weaknesses as well as current and possible marketing actions to determine which opportunities it can best pursue PAGE 56 The strengths of selling whole-grain pancakes should be an easy one. One of the strengths in selling these kinds of pancakes are offering a healthy choice instead of mixing up the old “just add water” recipe. These whole-grain pancakes are organic and only requires natural ingredients to make. Most of the time, people find it satisfying just eating an entire stack of pancakes. Pancakes are also a delightful sweet tooth satisfier instead of having to resort to those sugar-loaded cereals or eating bland oatmeal. One other strength of whole-grain pancakes is that it is a healthier choice than eating old-fashioned pancakes. I’ve mentioned before that eating whole-grain foods has great health benefits such as lower risks of stroke and heart attacks. There is also a benefit in better weight management.

One weakness in selling whole-grain pancakes that I could think of are the requirement of other ingredients to make these pancakes. The pancakes already have added blueberries to them, but to make the proper recipe, it needs other components such as eggs, milk, and oil. I think thats a reason why people would instead reach for the “just add water” pancake mixes so they don’t have to go out of their way to buy other ingredients when essentially, water is readily available to almost everybody everywhere.

An opportunity that may help the recognition and selling of whole-grain pancakes is the news about the hurricane that hit the Philippines. Making a purchase towards these pancakes also provides donation funds to help the hurricane relief. So just by buying these pancakes, you will also be contributing to those in great need who were affected by the hurricane.

The goal is to match the company’s strengths to attractive opportunities in the environment, while eliminating or overcoming the weaknesses and minimizing the threats. Marketing analysis provides inputs to each of the other marketing management functions PAGE 56 A few threats that I could think of is that the words “whole-grain” to describe pancakes may be a little bit of a turn off. Whenever someone hears “whole-grain,” “zero calories,” or “non-fat” it alludes to the horrible tastes and blandness of diet food. Foods that are diet friendly have managed to build up a bad reputation about how they taste and usually they taste awful. Adding blueberries to the pancakes may deter that idea about diet foods tasting really bad away since adding fruit to anything provides that naturally sweet freshness. Another threat to note is that there is a prominent competition within the pancake industry. There are plenty of big pancake brands that have earned their reputation, a couple of them being Aunt Jemima and Bisquick. I think Bisquick is the bigger threat here however, since there pancake mix does more than just make your standard pancake; it also makes biscuits, cake, pizza crust and plenty more.