Digital Marketing

A private company owned predominently by the Kramer family, Otto’s Cookies is known throughout the country for its cookies and pastries. Although the majority of consumers will recognise the brand – and its range of over 60 products – from the shelves of popular retail outlets, the company also distributes its goods through food-service facilities (motorway service areas and sports stadiums, for example,) and ‘At Home Party Packs’ (such as parties for birthdays, anniversaries and so on).With three production plants located around the country, Otto’s Cookies operates these sales channels through two key methods of distribution. Firstly, the company delivers directly to its largest customers – the major grocery retailers. The second is its 12 regional sales and distribution centres which cater for smaller retail outlets. From these local centres, sales representatives visit existing and potential customers selling the entire product range. Fulfilment to these smaller accounts is via the regional centres, with deliveries to them from the production facilities on a daily basis.The major grocery accounts are administered from the company’s head office (located at the largest of the production plants) by key account managers who deal directly with the stores’ buying departments. Sales staff at the regional centres are assigned to the various market segments in which they trade, those being: wholesale distributors; small retailers; medium-sized retailers; food-service facilities and At Home Party Packs.Overseeing the whole operation is managing director, Rex Kramer who is assisted by the marketing director Steve McCroskey and HR director Elaine Dickinson. Whilst all three play a significant role in the running of the company, day-to-day business is overseen by operations director Ted Striker.Rex Kramer – who took over as MD when his father, Otto, died – has a sales background and this is reflected in the commitment to personal sales that dominates Otto’s Cookies’ marketing efforts. This emphasis on selling – and marketing – to intermediaries (rather than consumers) has resulted in only a limited ‘corporate’ online presence which does little more than give a background to the company and its products. There is no company-sanctioned social media presence. However, the organization has a budgetary commitment to TV advertising, the objective of which is solely brand promotion.Launched two years ago, sales in ‘At Home Party Packs’ (pre-selected products are delivered from the regional centres to customer’s premises at a requested time and date) have been very disappointing. Steve has identified that this is the result of a lack of marketing emphasis on the service. Therefore he has decided to instigate an Internet only sales strategy to revive its fortunes. Other than being included with brand advertising, there will be no dedicated offline marketing for the At Home Party Packs. All orders will continue to be handled and fulfilled by the regional centres which will continue to have staff assigned to the service.