Is Haägen Dazs a market leader? If so, thanks to what strategy can it maintain its position?

Résumé du document

This report's aim is to determine Haägen Dazs's position on the ice cream market and to examine, more deeply, how this position is achieved; thanks to what strategy this American brand operates today all over the world. In order to carry out this report, I decided to focus on the leading product of the brand: the ice cream pint 500 ml, which represents a particular market (with various competitors and targeted buyers). This report is composed of three main parts: first of all I chose to study Haagen Dazs' market position and analyze more deeply it's situation, how it secures it's position. Then I focused on buyer's behavior and tried to define Haagen Dazs segmentation, which led me to the third part of the report: the definition and analysis of Haagen Dazs strategy and the measure of the brand strength.

Extraits

[...] CONCLUSION : This report objective was to determine if Haägen Dazs is a market leader and if so, to explain the reason for this position. The study in depth of the brand sales allowed us to confirm Haägen Dazs leadership and the further analysis of the brand policy and buyers gave us precisions about the reason why such a position has been achieved : innovation, narrow focusing, ability to answer buyers unmet needs and above all, the brand personality as a whole take the most important part of Haägen Dazs success. [...]

[...] The analyse of this key factor in Haägen Dazs success is based on the brand personality, one element of the Brand Envelope. Aaker ( 2005, p.229) claims that a business like Haägen Dazs with a personality tends to be more memorable and better liked than one that is bland, nothing more than the sum of its attributes Indeed, the American brand reflects self pleasure, selfish indulgence more than any other brand. The act of consuming ice cream is shown as a real experience much more than ice cream (Haägen Dazs TV advert slogan). [...]

[...] First, Ben & Jerry has adopted a very offensive strategy to gain the number one position: similar price, similar products. This requires from Haägen Dazs a total awareness of Ben & Jerry strategic plans for the near future. Own brands products, because of their cheaper prices can gain more sales in low price/middle price supermarkets where low income customers cannot afford to buy Haägen Dazs pints (eg in Tesco or Asda). Other threats come from susbtitutes and alternatives products in supermarkets. [...]

[...] A. (2005). Strategic Market Managment. Hoboken, NJ : Wiley. McDonald, M., Dunbar, I. (1998). Market Segmentation. Basingstoke : Macmillan. [...]

[...] The uniqueness motivation is used to see the strategy through. Haägen Dazs strategy consists in a niche differenciated focus : the brand targets particular group (well- do adults) recognizing consumers with special needs and wants (looking for relaxing moment of indulgence). However, as Haägen is targeting the same segments in all the countries in which he operates, the brand is likely to face one of the problem of acting globally which can be resolved by the developing an understanding of its customer base and leverage that experience around the world (Jeannet p.293) The niche strategy that the brand has adopted is most successful when specialisation confers market dominance : this is the case for Haägen Dazs which luxury ice cream pint 500ml give him the market leadership. [...]