cream is likely to cause conflict, and B&J should change this immediately or have an adequate contingency plan .With both the above barriers the key entrants may be the other ice cream manufacturers in the premium or ordinary market, notably the premium. As it is these that already have the distribution network as well as the know how. It will still take a large investment for these manufacturers to sell their image. Internal IssuesDue to the baby boom in 1994 the target market of Ben & Jerry has declined vastly. Although Ben & Jerry still hold a large percentage of the small market share, the company needs to decide on whether this target segment is worth sticking with. At one stage Ben & Jerry's pricing strategy worked really well, however it has become evident that demand over recent years has shifted towards lower priced products leaving pricing strategies being a big issue for the company. Until 1994 all of Ben & Jerry's promotions were gained through the companys socially conscious practices. However price wars with main competitors left the company having to pull funds off advertising campaigns to fund price discounts and store coupons.Due to the fact that imitations for the product are being developed more rapidly, Ben & Jerry have changed their primary marketing goal to establish products that cannot be imitated but the technological developments of the company have not allowed them to launch the products within a realistic time limit. B&J's mission statement includes the need, quite rightly, for a wide variety of innovative flavors. Five years to find the perfect coffee bean seems unnecessary. Coffee ice cream, in this period, may have become unattractive to the customer. What if after this period the product failed to penetrate the market? This scenario is compounded by,- The quick replication by competitors- The high costs related to manufacturing each different flavor As a result it is key to cease brands not received well,...
