SWOT Analysis

All companies need competitive advantages when trying to get their product out and about to the world, and the absolute best way to start that off is of course to take a step back, and see what you have at your disposal in terms of advantages and to take a close look into who your competition is to make sure they don’t overshadow you and your product because “Marketing planning is the basis for all marketing strategies and decisions (Pg. 20)”.

In terms of strengths, the overall idea and concept of Duos themselves is the pure foundation of the strengths that would set apart Duos from the other chocolate products. For starters, other chocolates tend to only feature one type of chocolate whenever they make variations of their own product. For example, Hershey’s chocolate, by standard, comes in milk chocolate, but they also have a dark chocolate version, as well as their own “Cookies and Cream” version which of course feature while chocolate with little crunchy bits to mock the cookies. Duos on the other hand will of course feature those same different types of chocolate but at the same time in a snack sized truffle that is sure to mix and blend two types of chocolate together to create a whole new flavor and experience.

The only weakness I can see with Duos is simply just the fact that consumers could get tired of them. I can see Duos achieving their first goal by standing out and having that new twist, but the question is, how long will that hype last? As with just about every product in the world, the fear of their product just not standing the test of time is always a fear because "If the brand is not succeeding, however, the marketing manager must strive to change target consumers' attitudes toward it (Pg. 114)." If Duos do end up not lasting long in terms of uniqueness, then I would have to resort to having to scramble around and make up more Duos related products, and that could easily end up badly, so I want to make sure that I don’t end up in that position to begin with.

With opportunities and threats, the only primary threat that comes to mind when it comes to truffles and chocolate balls in general seems to be Lindor truffles. Lindor Truffles have actually been a family favorite among my own family, but that won’t stop me from taking them on. With that in mind, the opportunities are clear, and that is the fact that I can play and mess around with the different flavor combinations within the types of chocolate.