Kyle Mitchell EST 327 ID# 109622732 Homework#1 1/12/2018 1. When conducting a competitive/industry analysis, TerraCycle’s primary advantages are: utilization of an all-natural, environmentally friendly production process, a strong belief in eco-capitalism, and their focusing of supplying fertilizer for specific types of plants. When compared to the competition, the company’s main weaknesses are: their products were not intended for commercial growers, their under-developed company presence and image , and because of their size the company had to provide products in special displays or be lenient with regard to product returns just to keep retailers satisfied. 2. TerraCycle’s product positioning is to supply their customers with a unique, all-natural, environmentally friendly fertilizer that will give them the biggest bang for their buck. Their target market is individual gardeners who enjoy simple gardening around their home, such as small gardens and other various potted plants while also being environmentally friendly at the same time. 3. …show more content…
If a share-of-mind/share-of-heart analysis were conducted, TerraCycle would be placed in the middle of their competitors. After reading the case study, it seems like TerraCycle hasn’t really done that much paid advertisements to get their name out there, but instead they have held fundraisers and other charitable events to raise awareness for environmentally friendly companies such as themselves. In 2005, TerraCycle launched a program called the Bottle Brigade, which allowed schools and other non-profits to collect bottles for them to be recycled and used as the containers for their products. TerraCycle would either give the organization five cents a bottle, or make a donation on the organizations behalf to the Nature Conservancy. By using this method, they were basically getting free advertisement by promoting eco-friendliness and