156.757 MARKETING STRATEGY ASSIGNMENT 2
Due date: 30 April 2025, 11:55pm NZST (Dropbox on Stream)
Co-gurt – Coconut Yoghurt
An investigation into the New Zealand non-diary yogurt market
This assignment is entirely fictional. Background information and the data provided is based on
typical patterns for brands. You are not allowed to contact any companies and or supermarkets. Base
your case analysis and assignment on the information provided and secondary sources available
online. (If you need to make assumptions, state them clearly.)
Globally, the vegan yoghurt market has reached a value of over NZ$ 2.7 billion. It is forecast to triple before the end of this decade. The market share of vegan yoghurts in Western countries is approximately 9%. New Zealand follows this trend, dairy free yogurt alternatives are increasing in popularity, particularly dairy free coconut yogurts.
Vegan yogurt can be prepared using a variety of plant sources, including almonds, soy, coconuts, flax, hemp, oats or cashews. It can be produced in variety of flavours, including vanilla, chocolate, berries etc.
Traditional dairy consumption has been on the decline for decades, with each generation drinking less milk than its predecessor. A plant-based diet has been gaining popularity among the common masses, rapidly looking to replace the use of dairy products, including vegan yogurt. Studies by several renowned universities come to the conclusion that replacing meat and dairy products can help improve human health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A third reason frequently mentioned by consumers is the promotion of animal welfare. The Covid-pandemic has led to a heightened awareness of health and healthy eating, contributing further to the trend of vegetarian and vegan – including diary free - consumption.
New Zealand ranks 5th in the world ranking for veganism and one-in-three New Zealanders considers reducing eating less animal products. “Flexitarians” (consumers who sometimes eat vegan/vegetarian and sometimes not) are strongly increasing, particularly among millennials. 41% of all vegans are millennials with health concerns the most often mentioned reason why to eat an animal free diet.
In summary, vegan lifestyles were once considered radically left-of-centre, but the past few years have seen plant-based diets become incredibly en vogue among the wider, especially the younger population.
Co-gurt is a New Zealand company, producing coconut yogurt. Founded in 2014, it was the 2nd producer of coconut yoghurt in the New Zealand market. The company has grown strongly in the last years and now employs 15 full-time staff (equivalent) and has recently expanded its production capacity by building a new plant that gives Co-gurt the opportunity to double production within the next 3 years.
At the moment, Co-gurt is produced in 3 flavours: vanilla, chocolate and mixed berries. It is available in 330g and 600g plasticised cardboard containers. One-third of their sales come from the smaller size containers, with mixed berries making up over 50% of sales.
The newly build production facility provides opportunities to expand the current product line: not only alternative flavours / sizes offered but to produce related coconut-non-dairy products like Drinking Co-Gurt, a thin, drinkable yogurt popular in Europe, or Co-Gurt Deserts, a higher calories ‘treat’ product.
The two Co-gurt’s founders are enthusiasts of healthy living, bringing a lot of enthusiasm to the business. They are supported by a food scientist who is in charge of product refinement. Recently, they hired their first full-time marketing manager – in charge of a professionally executed marketing strategy and explorations of future (product) developments.
The owners want their business to be sustainable in the long run & want to keep ownership of their product. By hiring a marketing manager (you), they expect a better understanding of their relative position in the marketplace (their Sustainable Competitive Advantage (SCA) and possible B-O-R strategy).
The Data
Data for Co-gurt Case Study in word format (this can be easily copied into Excel to work on data presentation and calculate relative attribute strength.
Your Assignment
Your assignment is to prepare a report based on the case study attached. The report should be presented in a standard format and include:
• Title Page
• Executive Summary
• Environmental Scan
• Market Position
• Exploration of Sustainable Competitive Advantage (based on the Environmental Scan and Market Position)
• Options for Growth.
• Summary and Recommendations
• References
Requirements
• Format: You must follow the format outlined above.
• Word Limit: 1,400-1,600 words (not including Executive Summary and References) .
• Covers: All material covered in Weeks 1-7.
• Report: please use 12pt font and 1.5-line paragraphing.
• Executive Summary: should be no more than one page.
• References: 6 references are minimum (particularly for the Environmental Scan, Market Position and Exploration of SCA). Make sure you provide details about SCA/BOR and
reference this back to the textbook. References should use the APA style.
The following details provide further guidance on the section requirements, as does the mark guide.