Promotion
In order to create an awareness and publicity, Anytime American Food Truck will strategically use four distinct methods of marketing; word of mouth or personal selling, advertising in the local newspapers, magazines, and finally in the electronic media. Advertisement costs money, and the best way to protect the business from huge advertising costs, which can overwhelm a business strategy, is to keep it simple and creative. As indicated, more stress on direct marketing with customers and their families will be entertained. To have an effective and cheap advertisement going for customers to know what Anytime American Food Truck is all about, there will be an integrated marketing communication (IMC) program in place. With the choice of multiple promotional tools available to them under a single platform, Anytime American Food Truck will be able to reach potential customers easily, and at considerably lower marketing cost. For example, by using wireless technology such as PDAs, iPods and mobile phones, Anytime American Food Truck can provide details of their menu, price, time and place where their trucks will be during the day. Local cable television advertisements are cheap, and they present the advantage of reaching a larger audience at lower cost. Having customer feedback and interaction forms will help personalize service and happy customers will carry the good experience to their family friends, friends, and acquaintances. This is perhaps the cheapest and most effective marketing promotion that will be given priority. In addition to this, to create the buzz in the market, the internet will be extremely useful in spreading the word around, and also in interacting with potential customers. Promos and other attractive incentives that customers can avail off can be projected through the internet. That is why Anytime American Food Truck will be active on social media forums such as Facebook and Twitter. There could also be an initiative to get well known personalities to endorse our products and services. The celebrity need not necessarily be a person of global recognition, but a person, who has a high level of visibility, is a good judge, is credible, trustworthy, and attractive.
Distribution
Channels of distributions are important for organizations like Anytime American Food Truck, as they help them convert potential buyers into profitable customers. Channel distributors make up those, who operate between the producers of products and services and end-users. They can be categorized as merchants, agents and facilitators. The channel of distribution for Anytime American Food Truck will be direct. In a service industry direct interaction with customers is more effective than indirect methods. Direct contact with family members residing in Cleveland will be their primary audience. Another channel which would be utilized is the direct contact channel with our suppliers. Direct contact with stockists will ensure that raw materials needed for processing food products are obtained at wholesale prices. The kitchen would be located in a place which is easily accessible, so that time is not lost on transit. The commissary, or the supplier of raw materials, will serve to offer supplies for Anytime American Food Truck on a priority. This arrangement can be bi-weekly to begin and increased depending on the growth of the business. A contractual agreement will help maintain a uniform pricing against fluctuations. There will be a direct link connecting the supplier to the kitchen and the Trucks. This will ensure that the entire operation goes off smoothly, and customers get what they wish. By arming our operations team with commercially-available, wireless technology such as PDAs, iPods and mobile phones we will look to coordinate transport, supplies, stores and sales, so that we can stick to delivery schedules and minimize operational costs.
