Marketing Opportunity Analysis
The following Opportunity analysis has been conducted to support the introduction of ‘Natureslim’, a new naturally sweetened low-carbohydrate ice cream, into the open and highly competitive Frozen Dessert Industry in New Zealand. This product will be produced and sold by Emerald Foods Ltd as a new variety in the brand New Zealand Natural.
Product Outline
Ice cream which can be defined as a sweet frozen food made from cream or milk products, is a food which is both indulgent and moderately unhealthy. Due to this fact, it is generally inaccessible to consumers who are conscious of their weight and are actively trying to consume foods which are high in nutritional value and consequently, low in fat and sugar content. Although this issue has been addressed somewhat in the industry through the introduction of low-fat options such as the Weight Watchers variety and Tip Tops’ Creamy Yoghurt ice cream, these products, like many low-fat and fat-free foods, are laden with sugar, artificial sweeteners (which have potential to increase risk for bladder cancer in humans) and sodium. Sugar, a refined carbohydrate, ‘enters the bloodstream quickly generating a large insulin response and is subsequently stored as fat leading to weight gain’ (King, 2011). This fact coupled with recent research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association 2012 which concludes that “a low carbohydrate rather than low fat diet would be most likely to produce sustained weight loss” (The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2012), is valid in identifying a sufficient gap in the market that will be addressed through the introduction of a product which is low in both fat and sugar, and thus sought after by the large proportion of health conscious consumers who are aware of the detriment that products with high sugar content will cause to their nutritional goals. This differentiated market offering, manufactured under the name ‘Natureslim’ as a variety of the New Zealand Natural
Product Outline
Ice cream which can be defined as a sweet frozen food made from cream or milk products, is a food which is both indulgent and moderately unhealthy. Due to this fact, it is generally inaccessible to consumers who are conscious of their weight and are actively trying to consume foods which are high in nutritional value and consequently, low in fat and sugar content. Although this issue has been addressed somewhat in the industry through the introduction of low-fat options such as the Weight Watchers variety and Tip Tops’ Creamy Yoghurt ice cream, these products, like many low-fat and fat-free foods, are laden with sugar, artificial sweeteners (which have potential to increase risk for bladder cancer in humans) and sodium. Sugar, a refined carbohydrate, ‘enters the bloodstream quickly generating a large insulin response and is subsequently stored as fat leading to weight gain’ (King, 2011). This fact coupled with recent research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association 2012 which concludes that “a low carbohydrate rather than low fat diet would be most likely to produce sustained weight loss” (The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2012), is valid in identifying a sufficient gap in the market that will be addressed through the introduction of a product which is low in both fat and sugar, and thus sought after by the large proportion of health conscious consumers who are aware of the detriment that products with high sugar content will cause to their nutritional goals. This differentiated market offering, manufactured under the name ‘Natureslim’ as a variety of the New Zealand Natural