Project Introduction

This blog details Aalto University's Global Marketing Management course project, the purpose of which is to select a real-life company and prepare a marketing plan for a foreign market entry for its product or service. The following is a short introduction to the project to get things going.

 

The Company

Pöllöt Ltd: Homepage | Pöllöt on Facebook | Pöllöt on Twitter | Pöllöt on Instagram

 

The Product

Wooden sunglasses made out of bamboo:
 

 

Short History

In fact, very short. The company was just established in 2013 by two Finnish students from the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. They do not yet have any experience in the international markets.

 

Target Country

The most logical selection for early internationalization is Sweden, as it is close to Finland both geographically and culturally. Russia was also briefly considered as a possible target country, but the bureaucracy involved for example in the movement of people and goods over the European Union and Schengen Area borders - combined with the cultural differences between Finland and Russia - made Sweden by far the safer choice for a start-up company.

 

Internationalization Potential

Sunglasses have a somewhat constant demand all around the world. Pöllöt Ltd is producing premium eyewear both in terms of product quality and style, and can be seen as an up-and-coming challenger of established high quality eyewear brands. The main attribute which differentiates Pöllöt from these brands and their models is the material used in the products: The frames for the eyewear are made out of bamboo, which makes them environmentally friendly and surprisingly lightweight.

The main value of the company is to use ecological and renewable materials, and the company also wishes to offer customers a high-quality option that differs from the mainstream. The Pöllöt brand appeals to trend-seeking customers who look for sustainably produced luxury goods and do not want to "wear what everyone else wears".

Of course, Pöllöt is not the only wooden eyewear company in the world. There are many American firms (e.g. Proof, Shwood, Woodzee, Capital) as well as a couple based in Europe, more specifically in Barcelona (Palo, Mahonki) and Amsterdam (Hout Couture). However, based on a quick market research there are no other Scandinavian firms producing wooden sunglasses, and the existing European firms are all very young and small. The market growth potential is enormous, considering the fact that the product is a very new invention and seems to offer a fashionable, ecological, and fresh alternative to mass-produced eyewear.


That should do it for the introduction of the project, more on everything later!