For this week’s discussion, I would like you to consider the following and answer the following questions. According to Lamb, Hair, and McDaniel (2015), when you consider your favorite brand of sandwich cookie, if you’re like most Americans, chances are it’s Oreo. In fact, Oreos are so popular that many people think Oreo was the original sandwich cookie. But they’re wrong. Sunshine first marketed its Hydrox sandwich cookie in 1908. Hydrox thrived until 1912, when Nabisco (now part of Kraft) launched Oreo. With Nabisco’s superior distribution and advertising, Hydrox was soon outmatched. By 1998, Hydrox sales totaled $16 million, while Oreo’s revenues were at $374 million. Hydrox has been purchased by Keebler (subsequently purchased by Kellogg), whose elves are trying to give the cookie a major facelift. You are part of the Keebler team deciding what to do with the Hydrox brand.

Reference

Lamb , C.,  Hair, J., & McDaniel, C. (2015). MKTG. Principles of Marketing. Independence, KY: South-Western, Cengage Learning.

Discussion Assignment: Answer the following discussion questions, numbering each answer appropriately. (For this particular assignment, may present work in first-person if desired.  This means you will need to tie-in your answers with marketing terminology and support your ideas with research.) 

1. Can you re-create Hydrox through a name change? What kind of brand name could go head-to-head with Oreo? (Most people unfamiliar with Hydrox think it is a cleaning product.) Make a list of three to five possibilities and explain them.
2. How can you package your renewed sandwich cookie to make it more attractive on the shelf than Oreo? What about package size? Draft a brief packaging plan for the new Hydrox (or whatever name you chose). You can research what other competitors are doing, present those ideas with proper referencing and present your idea, explaining why you think your idea is workable and important.
3. Can you modify the original formula to make something new and more competitive? Will a brand extension work here? Why or why not?  Be sure to describe what you are proposing in marketing terms found and appropriately applied from Chapter 10.

 Initial response to discussion prompts with substantive  content / appropriately addressed the topic and all parts of topic (minimum 250-300 words)