The road map should be adjusted based upon the market share expectations for a selected market.
Generally, there are three scenarios for a brand to pursue.
- Leader: Brand investment and innovation to become #1 in the category.
- Player: Brand plans to compete effectively, obtaining a market share of 5% -20%.
- Participant: Niche. Brand objective is incremental shipments with little/no investment.
Calibrate expectations to investments in brand support and management oversight.
Everyone wants to be a category leader or player.
To achieve this status, it is necessary to conduct local market research, innovate, maintain competitive pricing, invest in marketing, and align with a strong sales team.
Projects fail when brands want category leadership but invest only to “niche” levels (Opportunistic Strategy)
