Hunley Inc Casting For Growth Case Solution

1. Evaluate Hunley’s competitive advantage.

Hunley Inc.'s competitive advantage was the design and craftsmanship of its flying fishing rods. The rods were made of advanced materials which established the business as a high quality supplier. This was also supported by continuous innovation in designing to produce stronger and versatile rods.

2. What are Hunley’s present challenges in the fly-fishing-rod market?

The business is faced with challenges in the market, the major one being its inability to establish itself as a premium brand. The customers' perception of the brand falls in the mid-tier. Also, despite relationship building with the specialty shops, the shops promote the competitors' fly-fishing rods to derive higher margins than they would get from selling Hunley’s products.

3. Which market segment(s) should Hunley prioritize? Why?

Hunley should prioritise above 35 age group, and the female market segment as the market and customer research clearly shows that the market for fly-fishing is greatly spread from 0 to 90 years old with women being in larger proportion. The rationale is that people above 35 years tend to see their incomes growing which would justify engaging in sporting activities. Furthermore, by targeting women, the target base would increase as women, and brand loyalty will be there as they are less likely to substitute for other recreational activities (Ditton & Sutton, 2004). Also, the focus should be narrowed down to an avid and competitive segment to grow business at a faster pace. A narrow scope is effective in establishing a premium brand (Dall’Olmo Riley, Pina, & Bravo, 2015).

4. Should Hunley make and sell the Grand Bassarra (GB), Titaluk River fly rod? Why? Why not?

Hunley should make and sell the Grand Bassarra (GB) Titaluk River fly-rod as it would be able to sell it at a higher price point. The customers in the industry evaluate the product's quality and position its brand according to the price. Therefore, despite providing high quality and continually innovating to provide a variety of rods, the brand positioning wasn't done effectively. By producing high quality and high price product, it will be able to build terms with the specialty shops effectively. Furthermore, it will be able to impact customer perceptions who would start viewing it as a premium quality brand due to its high price range ranging between $600 and $1000. Professional anglers and specialty shops have appreciated also appreciated the new fishing rod.

5. If Hunley makes and sells GB, what marketing plan would you recommend?

The market plan will be adjusted according to the target segment. To reach a wide range of women in the US, a press release or an advert can be placed in women magazine like Vogue to reach a maximum number of women and influence their view towards considering fishing as recreational activities. Apart from this, to establish the brand as a premium and of high quality, social media marketing which is cheaper and effective as shown in the table will be considered with ads focusing on the intricacy of the crafting of the fishing-rods. Thus, it would be recommended that product differentiation strategy is followed to establish Hunley as a high end brand (Keller, 2009).