5. Study the case given below and answer the questions given at the end.

Water purification (households) market in India is slowly becoming competitive with the introduction of Aquaguard in a big way. Zero-B is another brand which has been in the market for the last few years. It also offers portable models (tumblers). New brands are also entering the market. Aquapen, a pocket sized water purifier was launched in 1997 at a cost of Rs. 594. The product works on a 6V battery and has a LED indicator which flashes every fiive seconds to indicate the product is operational. The purification process lasts for about 50 seconds. A battery lasts for about 5000 glasses. The company planned to retail the product at around 50,000 outlets and had planned an advertising budget of Rs. 5 crores.

Taking into account, the other brands in this market, formulate a detailed marketing plan for Aquapen addressing the following issues :

Questions :

(a) Specify the target segment you would select for Aquapen.

(b) What will be its positioning ?

(c) Identify the media strategy to reach out to the target segments.

(d) Comment on the distribution strategy.