Running Head: Marketing Design & Innovation3

[Students Name][Students ID]Course Title: Marketing Design & Innovation[Course Leader]Word Count: 3000

Executive SummaryThis assignment covers the topic of Marketing Design & Innovation. The selected contemporary consumer product for this assignment is KitchenAid French door refrigerator model number KFIS25XVMS. The report has been designed in three sections. In its first section, the background of the study along with the introduction of the product, rationale of the study and objectives of the assignment are outlined. The second part deals with the literature review and in the third part a comprehensive analysis of objectives of the assignment is presented. In the end a brief conclusion is provided which summarizes the entire topic of the assignment.

Table of ContentsContentsMarketing Design and innovation5Task 15Introduction5Introduction to Product5Current Market Scenario6Assignment Problem7Continuous Change A Norm7Review of Managerial Theory8Benefits and Values delivered by KitchenAid French-Door Refrigerators to Customers9Colour, Shape, Design, Imagination & Relevance10Brand Appeal of KitchenAid French Door Refrigerators in relations to other major competitor brands in Contemporary Market13Increasing Market Share13Image, Identity & Brand Status13Conclusion14Task 215Reflective Summary15Course Relevancy15Difficulties Faced in Learning the Module15Innovation A Challenge16The Benefits Sought to the Future by Learning this Module16Conclusion17References18KitchenAid French-Door Refrigerators20

Marketing Design and innovationTask 1IntroductionThe only evidence of life is growth and this statement holds as a truth not only for life only but for other things as well. Because, as the people evolved since the beginning of this world so as the things did, and growth was the phenomena which remains in a continuous direction with both. However, it wont be an exaggeration to say that the items and appliances of electronics developed out of fractions in view of the fact that, something new is being added everyday in the market. According to Bitard and Basset (2008), in order to meet this need of market, every organization needs to focus on its two integrated functions that are also associated with each other and are also responsible for meeting the objectives of an organization; to be precise, marketing and designing. Additionally, if the design of a product fails to achieve the target of meeting the expectations of a customer and the market as a whole then, the marketing and its techniques wont be able to communicate successfully in order to promote a companys product. Therefore, it is essential for organizations to develop such a process of marketing which fulfills the need of customers meanwhile achieve the goals of the organizations. Furthermore, it also helps in creating value for the customers by communicating the needs and significance associated with the product (Cooper, 2005).Introduction to ProductAccording to Cunningham (2008), innovation is the key to achieve a competitive edge in the global market. But, the fact is also undeniable that, innovation is nothing but just a rescheduling of an existing offer which is often denoted as renovation as well. However, it is important to state here that, in order to achieve the goals of an organization, marketing design and innovation act as a foundation by creating and delivering value which eventually satisfy the needs of customers, (Designium, 2008). The development in technological products in the current century is incredible as a result; every single product reflects a unique example of marketing, designing and innovation. In order to meet the objectives of the task, KitchenAids French-Door Refrigerator is selected. As the aim of the study is to provide an analysis on the values and benefits that are derived by the KitchenAid French-Door Refrigerators along with its features and the demand in the contemporary consumer market. In regard to innovativeness in KitchenAid selected French Door Refrigerator, the product offers so many innovative features which includes, the bulk capacity storage option, separate temperature settings for each compartment of the refrigerator and freezer also. Moreover, the most innovative feature is of setting up different temperature as per the need of the stored food items such as diary products and vegetables, fruits and vegetables can be stored in a same compartment but on a different temperature via setting up temperature as per need of different shelves.Current Market ScenarioAs the current century is incredible for the technological development thus, in last 10 years a remarkable advancement has also observed in the sales of French-Doors refrigerators (Consumer Research, 2013). The reason behind it, French doors refrigerators are in higher demand because of their bulk capacity storage and outstanding appearance. However, these refrigerators are fairly new in terms of appliances because before year 2005, they were rarely available and accessible to customers in the market. Other than KitchenAid KFIS25XVMS, LG LFX31925SW is one particular standout in the market of French door refrigerators. In the same regard, GE Profile PFE29PSDSS is also an other name in the same market but it havent received as much reviews as KitchenAid in the market of home appliances. Based on the ranks on Amazon, the higher the sales rank the more the refrigerator will be sold. Thus, the sales of KitchenAid French door refrigerators havent fall in the last 5years (The Best Refrigerators, 2013).Assignment ProblemThis paper is aim to investigate and analyse the benefits and values driven by KitchenAid French-Door refrigerators to the customers. Further analysis on the uniqueness of the design elements such as; colour, shape, design, imagination, relevance and usefulness and the brand appeal of KitchenAid French-Door refrigerators in relations to competitors in the contemporary markets.Continuous Change A Norm Change necessary for all the living creatures along with the organizations in order to grow and move forward towards success. As according to Porter et al (2003), innovation is the key to obtain competiveness in the global as well as local market. Thus the home appliances industry isnt left behind in this case as the industry of refrigerators has changed a great deal in the last 10years. From fridge to freezers, then fridge and freezers together and now even more jumbo in terms of capacity and storage the KitchenAid French-Door refrigerator falls in to the category of fridge and freezer both. The market of electronic appliances reveals how the product design plays a vital role in enhancing competition among other brands meanwhile, reducing the factors of risks and creating innovation on the demand as well as supply side (Hsu, 2011).Review of Managerial TheoryHowever, the investment in home appliances is an investment of long term thus in this regard, the three important factors that needs to addressed are, the functionality, durability and usability of the product. When a company launches a product, it expects its life be long and productive. However, they know the product will not sell forever, i.e., it has a life cycle. According to Peter (2009), this theory of life cycle is evidenced through five stages: 1) Product development: When the company has the idea and gets all the feasibility study, productivity and development. In this period, the product is not yet on the market, so its sales are zeroed and investment costs are increasing. 2) Introduction: The period in which the product is launched in the market, where sales are growing slowly. There is no profit in this stage, because of the cost to put this product on the market. 3) Growth period: Rapid acceptance by the market and increasing profits. 4) Maturity: A period of low growth in sales. Profit levels become stable or decrease, depending on the expenses that the company has to defend the product from the competition5) Decline: is when sales and profits begin to fall.According to Pettinger (2007), the deliberated mix of controllable components of a products plan of marketing often term as four Ps of marketing and are; product, pricing, placement and promotion. These four components adjust until the time when the right combination is found by the marketers in order to meet the needs of customers in a best manner meanwhile generating an optimum income as a return for the company.With the evolution of society and the change in consumption habits, new needs appear, and consequently products to meet them. Thus according to Kotler (2009), the investment in the process of research and development must be implement as a continuous practice by an organization in order to stand as an innovative venture in the competitive world of market where innovations are being welcomed by the customers. Consequently, French-door refrigerators by KitchenAid are one such innovative product in the market which is achieving their targeted sales by delivering the promised value to their customers (Shenkopf, 2013).Benefits and Values delivered by KitchenAid French-Door Refrigerators to CustomersAccording to Kotler (2009), the comprehensive perspective of a product is derived from three aspects that are;1. Product Benefits: The benefit of a product or service consists of the requirements that a particular advantage of it meets in the sense that what drives the consumer is the satisfaction of needs, and not intrinsic characteristics or advantages of the product in question.2. Product Value: The sale from the point of view of the customer should consider one thing: everything is much more expensive unless they add value. Sometimes the value is in making a purchase to express love. Sometimes it is a good investment to have prestige, style and durability. Some clients are able to pay dearly for a particular product, just because they appreciate its beauty or form. Any of these factors may be important to a particular client with respect to a specific purchase.3. Marketing Sustainability: With the growing importance of the subject and as a result of the current crisis of renewable resources, sustainability is now seen as an important process for a balance of the business and it guiding policies and individual actions.The benefits and value delivered by the selected product KitchenAid French-Door refrigerators are tremendous. As the customers needs are changing time to time. Now they have become more demanding than before as they want a product which saves their time, energy, and must be cost savvy as well. Thus, in this regard, KitchenAid Refrigerators are one such product that meets up all these requirements. Some of them are; they are star energy efficient which means they are 20% more energy efficient then the minimum federal standard. They have bigger total interior capacity than any other French door refrigerator in the market (Top Ten Reviews, 2013). They have adjustable user friendly shelves and drawers that are humidity and temperature controlled with a lockable and ice and water dispenser. Another desirable attribute is, there is a user friendly control panel available in order to adjust the temperature and customize the humidity level and more along with the door alarm which is a much needed feature of French door refrigerators (KitchenAid, 2013). Moreover according to Kotler (2009), there are three aspects of a product model such as, core, actual & augmented product and are as follows;

After Sales Services, on time delivery, warranty claims, helpline for improved servicesRefrigeratorUser-ability, durability, bulk consumption space, energy efficient, humidity control panelColour, Shape, Design, Imagination & RelevancePreviously, refrigerators were nothing but just a square box with some shelves in it to store food items. But, now as time passed so many developments has been made in the over all structure of a refrigerator. From a simple square box, it has altered into a box with different compartments such as fridge and deep freezer separate but in one unit in order to become space savvy available in different attractive colors and design. In regard to this objective, KitchenAid KFIS25XVMS French door refrigerators comes in the stainless steel body along with the company provides various limited colour choices like black and white as well to the customers. The shape of the KitchenAid KFIS25XVMS model is rectangular with the capacity of 14 cubic feet in its refrigerator compartment and 5.4 cubic feet in its compartment of freezer. The refrigerator in total has a weight of 326 lbs with a length of 29 inches, width of 35.63 inches and height of 69.94 inches. The dimensions with stand WHD: 35 5/8 into 69 15/16 into 29 (Top Ten Reviews, 2013).According to Shenkopf (2013), the bottom mount refrigerator freezer of KitchenAid that are basically French door is a part of Architect series of KitchenAid. The homeowners who are focusing towards replacing, renovating and remodeling their kitchen appliances are attracted towards buying the KitchenAid Architect series because it reflects sophistication and element of style in their products. That is why these refrigerators were designed while keeping the factor of design, convenience, colour and dcor in the mind in order to meet the desires of customers (Top Ten Reviews, 2013). These bottoms mount French door KitchenAid refrigerators have a striking and appealing style and as the company is ranked as worlds leading home appliances company thus, customers prefer to buy their products as it reflects sign of prestige to them. Despite of the fact that the KitchenAid KFIS25XVMS series comes with a sleek and stylish design, the refrigerator also have an attractive and technology oriented aspect in it in terms of modern through-the-door ice facility and water dispenser as it all caters the relevancies of todays customers need (The Best Refrigerators, 2013). The refrigerator holds a gallon capacity to store milk, bins, juices and other diary items easily in its main indoor desirable compartment which has the ability to keep the dairy items a little cooler than the rest of the items of the refrigerator (Consumer Research, 2013). On the other hand, its freezer compartment is accessible through a pull out drawer of the bottom mounted refrigerator. These drawers were designed on the basis of keeping the safety of the users in mind and they usually come up with the two sliding and pull out baskets which are manufactured from either durable plastic or wire. Moreover, their ice and dispenser area holds an option to acquire ice cube through its external though-the-door dispensing or internal bin in order to create ease for its users. It also has the accommodation of hot as well as cold bottle storage in the same area (KitchenAid, 2013).

Source:http://french-door-refrigerator-review.toptenreviews.com/Brand Appeal of KitchenAid French Door Refrigerators in relations to other major competitor brands in Contemporary MarketIn order to survive perfectly, it is essential for a brand to build a strong relationship with its customers in order to gain their loyalty. As according to Kotler (2009), the key of the survival of any brand relies on its appeal to the customers in the market and how it differentiates itself from other brands.Increasing Market ShareKitchenAid have number one share in the market of North America because it is their country of origin and they are about two times greater than the size of their nearest competitor. Moreover, they have collaborations with Whirlpool Corp. in India and have the market share at number two in India. KitchenAid has the market share at a position of number three in Europe, Middle East and number four in Africa. However, in comparison to LG and other competing brands KitchenAid is receiving a tremendous response from its customer in the category of French door refrigerators because, the company is efficiently delivering them their desirable values at a fair price (Consumer Research, 2013). Image, Identity & Brand StatusAs the most effective factor of branding is loyalty therefore, whenever a customer buys a KitchenAid product they get filled with joy and prestige as they perceive themselves a part of the worlds leading appliances maker. And this is another factor thats why their customers are coming back to them because they are successfully surpassing their competitors like Samsung, LG, Maytag, GE, BOSCH and others. The reasons behind it, on time delivery, after sales service, warranty claiming facilities and others that are helping them in achieving competitive edge over other brands in the market (Top Ten Reviews, 2013).

ConclusionTo conclude it has been evaluated that, all the businesses in the market needs innovation and an exceptional market design in its business and management systems in order to maintain its sustainability and to achieve the organizations targeted growth rate. According to Kotler (2009), change is most certainly required in order to cope with the current and future market changes. Thus, the KitchenAid KFIS25XVMS French door refrigerator is a first-class brand of refrigerator in the world. Their selected bottom mounted refrigerators are space savvy, energy efficient and advance form of refrigerators and are sufficient to meet the needs of an average family. They are the best option available in the market in terms of usability, durability, style, design and colour for the customers.

Task 2Reflective SummaryCourse RelevancyThe Marketing Design and Innovation course is a relevant course in regard to current scenario of market all around the globe. As globalization is taking place as an ever increasing rate and the world is becoming a global village and one unit as the marketing patterns are changing swiftly. The markets are changing in a manner that they are becoming more open to the competitors as all the information is getting transparent day by day. As a response, competitors are entering to the market easily as they are sensing the element of profitability in it. As the market is providing more and more options to the customers therefore, it imposes the responsibility on the organizations to come up with more innovative products and services in order to gain the attention of their targeted customers. Difficulties Faced in Learning the ModuleOne of the main difficulties I have faced while going through this assignment was, to identify the area that, whether the organizations that are inclined towards the innovation in their products and services in targeting the needs of their customers are being successful or not. But, after doing the final assignment of this course, I have analysed that, the market of home appliances has also received a tremendous change in terms of offering innovative products to their customers and I got the answer in clear terms that how these organizations are being successful. Same is the case with the refrigerator manufacturers, as they keep themselves busy in making innovative product better and advance than the previous one to their customers. Therefore, in the current era, the leading home appliances manufacturers companies of the world are; KitchenAid, Maytag and LG. however, KitchenAid with its KFIS25XVMS series of French door refrigerators is doing their best at meeting the needs of their customers. In recent years, LG have also tried to become innovative in the area of bringing more features to their appliances but failed to manage it. Since their provided features were not as user friendly as of KitchenAid. Moreover, they possess less durability and have lesser appeal in minds of the customers. Innovation A ChallengeBefore going through with this course of marketing design and innovation, innovation seems just as a term to me which means to come up with new products every time. But, this assignment has the ability to challenge ones mind with the word innovation, after reading it. However, innovation is a challenge in terms of, enhancement, improvement and advancement in products, ideas, business process or advertising of products and services. This course put me in the thought process to think and evaluate about different innovative products and how the companies brought them in to the market such as KitchenAid, LG, BOSCH and etc. it become more challenging for me when I discovered that innovation and marketing design are derived from the factors of communication, patents and consumerism. The Benefits Sought to the Future by Learning this ModuleSome of the benefits sought to the future by learning this module are, there are actually two lessons that I have learned about the importance of time to the development of innovation around the world. The first is that the will to act quickly can be a trap for both local investors that are eager to emulate the global village and for foreigners as they are anxious to apply a model that works in their country to other markets. The second is that the world may be flat but not smooth. Polychromic, operates at different speeds at the same time. Innovation requires money, organization, development net, but their advancement in intertwined behaviors inherited from tradition and moving in slow motion. But make no mistake. The real constant behind these multiple times is that, innovation is buzzing everywhere. In regard to KitchenAid, its French door refrigerator series is that, by developing such innovative products they have sustain their competitive edge in the market of appliances manufacturers. Moreover, they are doing it by meeting the needs of their customers by delivering them value, benefits and other advancements in their products. ConclusionTo conclude, I would like to mention that, each and everything that I have learned in this course through lectures, books and assignments is relevant to the current world scenario in relation to aspect of innovation. Everything that is thought to me in this course is applicable in real, normal and business life. However, another notable fact of this course is its usefulness in future as it will be more worthy then as compared to now. Since innovation will remain the most needed factor of the organization in future as well therefore, the learning of concepts of innovation along with the concepts of marketing design will stay necessary in order to avoid failures when one is going to join a company or going to start his/her own venture.

ReferencesBrowaeys, M. and Price, R. (2011), Understanding Cross-Cultural Management (2nd Ed.). London: Financial Times PressBitard, P. and Basset, J. (2008), Mini Study 05 Design as a tool for Innovation, INNO GRIPS, PRO INNO EuropeCooper, R. (2005) Ethics and Altruism: What Constitutes Socially Responsible Design?, Design Management Review, University of SalfordConsumer Research (2013) French door refrigerators [Online] Available from < http://www.consumersearch.com/refrigerators/french-door-refrigerators> [21st November, 2013]Cunningham, P. (2008), National and regional policies for design, creativity and user-driven innovation, TrendChart, PRO INNO EuropeDesignium, M. (2008), Global Design Watch 2008, University of Art and Design, HelsinkiHsu, Y. (2011), Design innovation and Marketing strategy in successful product competition, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 26(4), 47-58 KitchenAid (2013), KitchenAid 29 Cu. Ft. Standard-Depth French Door Refrigerator, Architect Series II [Online] Available from [21st November, 2013]Kotler, P. (2009), Marketing Management, Pearson Education IndiaPeter, C. (2009), Innovation and Market Design, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc., 9, 113-137 Pettinger, R. (2007), Introduction to Management, (4th Ed.). United Kingdom: Palgrave MacmillanPorter, S., David, M., Stephen, R., Anil, R., and Vernon, S. (2003),Combinatorial Auction Design, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 100:1115357Shenkopf, S. (2013) Whirlpool vs Amana vsKitchenAid French Door Bottom Mounts [Online] Available from < http://blog.yaleappliance.com/bid/92694/Whirlpool-vs-Amana-vs-KitchenAid-French-Door-Bottom-Mounts-Prices> [21st November, 2013]The Best Refrigerators (2013) Refrigerators and Freezers [Online] Available from < http://refrigerators.findthebest.com/compare/160-196/KitchenAid-KBFS20EVMS-vs-Whirlpool-GX2FHDXVY#rows=r-24%3A%3AFeatures> [21st November, 2013]Top Ten Reviews (2013) KitchenAid KFIS25XVMS [Online] Available from < http://french-door-refrigerator-review.toptenreviews.com/kitchenaid-review.html> [21st November, 2013]

KitchenAid French-Door Refrigerators