Question 1:

You are the ‘Product Marketing Account Manager' for the Australian made and owned ‘Rapidly Absorbed Ultra Pure Magnesium Spray' brand, sponsored by Healthy Care.

There is growing Australian awareness that aches, pains, and even anxiety and depression, can be aided by direct skin contact of magnesium based products.

Three years ago Healthy Care released the "Concentrated easy to use topical spray" promotion - the primary targets were busy people in metropolitan cities, such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Darwin.

Sales have been excellent to date. The launch consisted of a $10 million national television campaign, which was followed by a $2 million radio advertising campaign and $1 million billboard and bus-station campaign. Social media was used sparingly.

Healthy Care has just handed you your toughest assignment. You are to now extend the ‘magnesium themed program' in the form of a new product - massage oil, intended to appear sensual and romantic.

The executive management team at Healthy Care have their hopes pinned on your campaign being a great success in influencing cultural change, not just in the health goods consumer market, but also in the special events and luxury giftware market (for Mother's Day and Valentine's Day.) The first priority however is to achieve great sales results of the new base product.

Healthy Care's Managing Director has given you the following information:

1. There will be no television budget for your project, because the executive committee think that's cost prohibitive and not the best approach for this specialised product.

2. The objective is to create sales results of $20 million nationally, through a new marketing promotions campaign targeting Australian women.

Healthy Care's MD has allocated $3m for you to work with for promotional purposes. Your ability to create and retain this prestigious account, and grow your career, will depend heavily upon you achieving your company's sales goals.

Devise an ‘innovative' marketing promotions campaign for Healthy Care's new Magnesium massage oil range for the January to May period 2016.

Write the marketing plan. Include creation of the new brand name, tag-line, value proposition, and incorporate a detailed summary of your target demographic.

Question 2:

You are the product manager for a large, well-financed, Chinese clothing company, called Peaceful Dragon.

Your Hong Kong based Marketing Director, Vivian, has just been sent over to head up the Australian branch of the business. She says there's been growing success in main-land China (and South-East Asia) for cute sleep-wear attire and garments for girls (aged 5-12), and she wants you to introduce a new product range along these lines for Australia.

Vivian is inspired by the success of the Japanese brand ‘Hello Kitty" and wants you to help her create an amazing brand, similar to that, but with a restful night-time theme.

Vivian wants you to introduce a new range of four items: slippers, pyjamas, night gowns and restful eye-masks, all to be available in different colour and pattern combinations.

Vivian has directed you to start prototype development of these 4 items immediately. Given your knowledge of the new product development process you think her request is unreasonable, but you think the proposed product range launch date of April 2017 is achievable.

You decide to respond to her request by producing a business report on the associated risks. You also decide to include your recommended (standard) test-marketing program to support your argument - a plan of how best to proceed.

Write this business report for submission to your Marketing Director, Vivian.