A.1 Steak Sauce
Introduction
A.1 is a premium Steak Sauce with an estimated 54% market share. In comparison, Lawry has a market share of around 10% while others such as Heinz and Private Label control the remaining 36% market share. A.1’s longevity in the market has propelled it to a market leadership position and consumers associate the product with quality. As the quality perception survey indicates, customers are willing to pay the price Kraft charges for A.1 and have a strong association with the product. The brand equity that A.1 enjoys allows Kraft to ignore Lawry’s planned Independence Day promotion because its competitive position is not centered on lowering prices.
Analysis
Steak sauce sales vary throughout the year, and Lawry’s planned promotion suggests that the company is targeting periods with high sales volume to run its promotions. The Independence Day and Memorial Day holidays account for approximately 10% of annual sales. Consequently, if Kraft opts to respond by lowering its price to $2.99, the company will lose substantial revenue, and the lower prices may not result in higher sales volumes to cover the deficit. Year 1 sales projection shows that Kraft will sell 33,113,228 units of A.1, and responding to Lawry’s promotion will mean selling 3,311,329 units at $2.99 which will lead to $6.6 million in lost revenue. Consumers still consider A.1 the best steak sauce in the market, and selling it at a reduced price may in fact drive some customers to the competition. A.1 accounts for approximately 3% of Kraft’s annual sales, and with the market size the company controls it would be a mistake to run a reduced price promotion. Additionally, Lawry’s current market size is quite small compared to A.1’s, thus Kraft should not incur such a heavy loss trying to respond to what Lawry does. Even though Lawry’s composition closely matches A.1, the latter