INTRODUCTION Marketing

There are many definitions of marketing but one of the simplest suggests that: "Marketing is getting the right product or service in the right quantity, to the right place, at the right time and making a profit in the process". Marketing is about identifying and understanding your customer and giving them what they want. It's not just about advertising and promoting your business. Effective marketing is a result of examining every aspect of your business and how it affects the consumer's end experience. It covers everything you'll need to do in order to deliver your products and services to the consumer including research, planning, pricing, packaging, promotion, selling and distribution. Marketing is the social process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others.- Philip Kotlar. Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals. These definitions are mostly accepted by academics and marketing managers. They emphasis that marketing focuses on planning and executing activities to satisfy customers' demands. Whereas earlier definitions restricted marketing as a business activity, this definition is broad enough to indicate that marketing can occur in non-business organizations. Although the above definitions are acceptable, we believe that marketing should be defined still more broadly. A definition of marketing should indicate that marketing consists of activities performed by individuals and organizations. In addition, it should acknowledge that marketing activities occur in a dynamic environment. Marketing: The marketing activities common to this step are those activities necessary to demonstrate the product is unique and sustainable in a competitive marketplace. During the conceptual phase the following marketing activities must be completed:

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Identify three unique features or benefits of the product Identify the competition Establish customer requirements for the product Identify potential market barriers Identify market distribution channels Identify product pricing criteria

Marketing Information: Completion of the conceptual marketing needs assessment usually will result in a rationale of why the product will receive a positive market response, gross estimates of the market and its segmentation, a simple explanation of how the product will be marketed, and an estimated price for the product.

Marketing strategy
An organization's strategy that combines all of its marketing goals into one comprehensive plan. A good marketing strategy should be drawn from market research and focus on the right product mix in order to achieve the maximum profit potential and sustain the business. The marketing strategy is the foundation of a marketing plan. Marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. Marketing strategy includes all basic and long-term activities in the field of marketing that deal with the analysis of the strategic initial situation of a company and the formulation, evaluation and selection of marketoriented strategies and therefore contributes to the goals of the company and its marketing objectives. A marketing strategy is a process that can allow an organization to concentrate its limited resources on the greatest opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.

Key part of the general corporate strategy

A marketing strategy is most effective when it is an integral component of corporate strategy, defining how the organization will successfully engage customers, prospects, and competitors in the market arena. It is partially derived from broader corporate strategies, corporate missions, and corporate goals. As the customer constitutes the source of a company's revenue, marketing strategy is closely linked with sales. A key component of marketing strategy is often to keep marketing in line with a company's overarching mission statement.

Types of strategies
Every marketing strategy is unique, but can be reduced into a generic marketing strategy. There are a number of ways of categorizing these generic strategies. A brief description of the most common categorizing schemes is presented below: * Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme, firms are classified based on their market share or dominance of an industry. Typically there are three types of market dominance strategies:

o Leader o Challenger o Follower

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Fig : Aarong showroom

Company Overview
Today, few urban consumers will argue that Aarong is the local Mecca for deshi handicraft. Aarongs product designs has brought consumer attention back to the products and styles that are indigenous to Bangladesh, its designers blending the traditional with the contemporary in a manner that has won instant consumer appeal, starting a revolution in trends that has now been taken up by countless other boutiques and stores. Aarongs product designs focus on the diverse types and textures of crafts and patterns that have been passed along from generation to generation among weavers and artisans in craft hubs around the country. Aarong also plays the role of protector and promoter of traditional Bangladeshi products and designs. It houses an extensive design library where remnants of our rich craft heritage, such as Nakshikantha art and Jamdani patterns, have been widely researched and archived for present as well as future use.

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Historical context
Established in 1978, Aarong is a fair trade organisation dedicated to bring about positive changes in the lives of disadvantaged artisans and underprivileged rural women by reviving and promoting their skills and craft. Reaching out to weavers, potters, brass workers, jewellers, jute workers, basket weavers, wood carvers, leather workers and more, Aarong embraces and nurtures a diverse representation of 65,000 artisans, 85% of whom are women. Today, Aarong has become the foundation upon which independent cooperative groups and family-based artisans market their craft, in an effort to position the nations handicraft industry on a world platform of appreciation and acknowledgement.

Aarong began as a cause a means to an end for a quiet organisation fighting to uphold the dignity of the marginalised. In 1976, when BRAC- a Bangladeshi NGO dedicated to alleviating poverty and empowering the poor, first began encouraging sericulture for women in Manikganj, their only buyers were a few scattered retailers in Dhaka. Weeks, even months would pass between supply and payment, until BRAC intervened. Aarong was born out of a need to ensure that the penniless silk farmers of Manikganj were paid for their goods upon delivery, so that they could feed their families. Today, Aarong's reach has spread beyond Manikganj to the rest of the country. It has grown into a thriving international enterprise showcasing ethnic wear to beautiful crafts from silks, handloom cotton, endi to terracotta, bamboo, jute and much more. From a single shop, Aarong has grown into one of Bangladesh's biggest retail chains, with eight stores spread across the major metropolitan areas of the country - in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Sylhet and one in London, UK.

Goods and services of Aarong

Holding the steadfast to its original Mission, Aarong today supports the lives and livelihoods of thousands of rural artisans and handicraft producers. These producers and artisans create wide range of products for the different types of consumers in home and abroad. The products are unique and traditional and appealing to the modern consumers, staring from clothes, accessories to home wares. Aarong designs and creates clothes for women, men and children. There are designers and more than3000 weavers across the country are involved with the production of Aarong clothing lines. And for the fashionable accessories there is one special department called jewelry department where jeweler creates elegant jewelries that are contemporary yet traditional using gold, silver and jewels like pearl, emerald and diamonds. The other accessories like bag, sandals and produced in AAF centers using leather, jute, bamboo etc. In home ware and decorative Aarong produces pottery vases and sculpture of wood, bamboo, brass and clay etc. For exporting the products Aarong has a separate department in head office and very selective artisans work here to produce fine quality products and these are sent to the production centers as sample of the exporting products. Here is the list of products Aarong produces: Page

MEN'S PRODUCTS
1. Traditional 2. Executive Shirts 3. Maanja 4. Fotua 5. Short Kurta 6. Tshirts 7. Stoles/Shawls 8. Sandals Fig : Mens Dresses

WOMEN'S PRODUCTS 1. Traditional 2. Western 3. Nightwear 4. Shawls/Scarves 5. Shoes 6. Bags 7. Fabrics 8. Tops, Pants Fig : Womens collection

CHILDREN'S PRODUCTS 1. Clothes 2. Toys 3. Books 4. Shoes Fig : Childrens Dresses Page

JEWLERY PRODUCTS 1. Gold 2. Silver 3. Pearl 4. Other

LEATHER PRODUCTS 1. Shoes 2. Bags/Wallets 3. Belts 4. Boxes 5. Photo Frames Fig : Leather Products

NAKSHI KANTHA PRODUCTS 1. Decorative 2. Wall hangings 3. Christmas decorations HOME ACCESSORIES 1. Curtail 2. Bed cover & cushions 3. Rugs

5. Photo Frames

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4. Table Lamps

Fig : Hometex Products

6. Coasters 7. Napkin Rings 8. Mats 9. Trays 10. Cutlery 11. Bowls and Platters 12. Photo Frames 13. Bookends 14. Boxes 15. Hammocks 16. Plant Accessories 17. Candles FOOD 1. Milk 2. Butter 3. Juice Fig : Aarong Juice OTHER PRODUCTS 1. Herbals 2. Oil 3. Shampoo 4. Toothpaste Fig : Candles

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Goals

Empowering destitute rural women by providing opportunities for employment and income generation. Ensuring commercial success of the enterprise of women producers. Reviving traditional skills of rural artisans.

Services

Free Medical check-up including free eye treatment, eye-glasses and treatment costs for severe illnesses Advance wage payments for employees in need Day care services Workers retirement fund

The Marketing Research Process:

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Defining the problems, the Decision alternatives, and the research objectives
Aarong has a reputation for new product development and creativity. Aarong is an organization that is dedicated to change the lives of disadvantages, promoting traditional products from Bangladesh and opening their doors so their products can be exported. After observing Aarongs marketing strategy we have defined following problems, on which we can do our research. Aarongs target market is mainly upper class people but they are trying to make available their product for every class of people. But the marketing strategy Aarong follows does not reflect their trying to make available their product for every class of people. From Aarongs marketing strategy it seems that most of the time they emphasize on female clothes. Though sometimes they take some marketing strategy on male clothes, but mass people remain in dark about their other products (Shawls/Scarves Leather products, Jewelry products, Childrens products, Nakshi Katha, Home accessories, Bamboo/Leaf products, Terracotta products) as they do not take any marketing strategy on them. As Aarong has huge variety in their products, they remain vulnerable to the possibility that their producer may not be able to produce product timely due to their inability. The collection channel of the organization is not that much structured so that they can get the products from the producer on time and it may create problem for them in future. If any producer is not able to make the product on time due to some personnel problem then the company will also not be able to deliver their product on time. This is a big problem and it happens most of the time on delivery.

Though Aarong is now capturing 68% of total handicraft market share in Bangladesh. But they have some small competitors like Kay Kraft, Anjans, Deshal, Jattra, Khubsurti, Rina Latif, OZ, Roang and some other Boutiques taking their 32% customer and increasing in a slow rate. Aarong always face price wars with their competitors. Its competitors have some superior products like OGs Panjabi shape, Khubsurtis design of Salwar kamiz Roangs Sharis color, which is decreasing Aarongs market share as well as sales.

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Developing the Research Plan:

Designing a research plan call for decisions on the data sources, research approaches, research instruments, sampling plan and contact method.

Survey Research:
Surveys are the best suited for descriptive research. Companies undertake surveys to learn about peoples knowledge, beliefs, preferences, and satisfactions. It requires development of a survey instrument, usually questionnaires, which the respondents are asked to fill up.To obtain feedback about Aarongs marketing strategy we have done customer survey. The questionnaires of this customer survey are given below:

Customer Survey
1) Are you familiar with Aarong? a) Yes; b) No; If the customer response is Negative the following questions are asked to them. I. Where are you from?. a) From Dhaka b) From Devotional Town c) From District Town d) Rural Area II. What is the reason behind it? a) I have not seen any TV advertisement; b) I have not seen any Billboard; c) I have not seen any Showroom; d) Above all. If the customer response is positive the following questions are asked to them. I. Why do you prefer Aarong? a) Quality b) Price c) Availability d) Fashionable

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II.

Are you satisfied with the service of Aarong? a) Yes b) No c) Up to mark d) Not up to the mark Do you want variety of Aarong product? a) Yes b) No Which kind of product you purchase from Aarong? a) Traditional b) Household c) Jewelry d) Baby product e) Other Are you satisfied with the response of AArong? a) Yes b) No Are you comfortable with Aarong product? a) Yes b) No What kind of customer you are? a) Regular b) Occasional c) Functional d) Frequent Whats your comment about price of the Aarongs products? a) Fair b) High c) Standard d) Very high Does the product variety satisfy your taste? a) Yes b) No c) Can be improved What do you think about Aarong product? a) Modern b) Antiquated c) Traditional In what sector do you think Aarong should develop? a) Quality b) Price c) Design d) Product variety

III.

IV.

V.

VI.

VII.

VIII.

IX.

X.

XI.

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XII.

XIII.

How did you introduce with Aarong? a) Billboard b) Friends c) Family d) Internet Do you think Aarongs marketing policy is good enough? a) Yes b) No c) Need to be developed Are you satisfied with customer service of Aarong?

XIV.

Any comments?...................................................................................

Customer data

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Low customer range fail to satisfy customer demand due to unavailability High price Sometimes fail to give proper customer service. Aarong has good reputation for fine quality products. bring innovative and always bring some new product in the market Doesnt have enough outlets comparatively with their competitors.

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Analyze the customer survey:

Aarongs main target customers are urban area based. For that reason their customer range varies from upper middle class to upper class people. For that reason they cant reach most of the common people in the market. Aarongs products are high in quality. They have huge range in product variety. But most of their products are high in price and sometimes Aarong fail to satisfy customer demand due to unavailability. It may make them vulnerable to the possibility that their producer may not be able to produce product timely due to their inability. The collection channel of the organization is not that much structured so that they can get the products from the producer on time and it may create problem for them. If any producer is not able to make the product on time due to some personnel problem then the company will also not be able to deliver their product on time. This is a big problem and it happens most of the time on delivery. Aarong charges higher price relatively than their other competitors as a result sometimes customers lose their interest to by product from them. Its sales force or sales girls within the outlet are not properly trained up. Sometimes they make customers disappointed by their attitude and customer doesnt feel good to buy from there. Aarong is a very reputed organization. They are now capturing 68% of total handicraft market share in Bangladesh. Its a local brand and now exporting their products outside of the country. Aarong has good reputation for fine quality products. It has a strong management team who are continuously giving their great effort to make it a successful one. Another important fact is that, they are innovative and always bring some new product in the market which meets customer requirement and expectations. Aarong has almost Zero production damage rate which reduces their cost. The organization is a respected employer that values its workforce.

As the quantity of Aarong outlet is few (at present Aarong has 11 domestic outlets). As a result the competitors of Aarong get comparatively more advantages. Their competitors like KayKraft, Anjans, Deshal, Jattra, Shada Kalo, OZ, Roang hve much more outlets. As a result consumers can easily get introduced with their products. It may lose loyal customers of Aarong to their competitors.

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Present the Findings:

As the customer range of Aarong is low, they have opportunities to enhance customer range .Which not only helps them to increase customers sells but also it can strong their marketing leading position. Aarongs main target customers are urban area based. As a result big portion of customer range are remain deprived from its facilities. So it is needed for Aarong to enhance customer range. The collection channel of the organization is not that much structured so that they can get the products from the producer on time and it may create problem for them. To satisfy customer demand the availability of the product should increase. This will help them to increase customer range too. Aarong has high variety of products as a result their responsiveness is also high. But compare to product variety production rate of Aaron is low. As a result to keep their responsiveness high the price of the product remains high. In occasions like Eid,Pahala Baishakh,Pooja thir outlet becomes very much crowdie as a result in many cases it becomes tough to give proper customer service for the sellsman.to overcome this problem the salesman should be properly trained to deal with customers in any circumstances. To prevent taking advantages of competitors Aarong should increase their number of outlets.In this case they can select more exclusive places in cities. On the other hand they can consider cities, where they have not opened any outlet yet.In that case they can follow any marketing strategy to open new outlets.

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Conclusion:
Established in 1978, Aarong is a fair trade organization dedicated to bring about positive changes in the lives of disadvantaged artisans and underprivileged rural women by reviving and promoting their skills and craft. Reaching out to weavers, potters, brass workers, jewelers, jute workers, basket weavers, wood carvers, leather workers and more, Aarong embraces and nurtures a diverse representation of 65,000 artisans, 85% of whom are women. Today, Aarong has become the foundation upon which independent cooperative groups and family-based artisans market their craft, in an effort to position the nations handicraft industry on a world platform of appreciation and acknowledgement.

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