FRAMEWORK GRID and SUGGESTED REFERENCES (be sure to delete the reference column when you submit the Framework)Internal Responses/SituationDetails/Facts from CaseStrength or Weakness? Support

Mission,

Strategy,

GoalsReach 1 billion users and have $1 billion in profit by 2013.

Advertising through tweets to make money.

Weakness: 1 billion users by 2013 is not probable and is setting the company up for failure.

Historical ContextBought, modified and marketed by Obvious Inc.Strength: A completely fresh and new approach in social networking/searching.

Weakness: Only been in the industry for a few years, not a ton of user loyalty.

Leadership and Corporate Culture3 founders, 5,200 empolyees. Built mainly off of investors capital, lack of self generating revenue.Weakness, main founder is jumping to the next best thing, investors will want a ROI in near future.

Organization

Structure &

Behavior"We've had a little bit of flack over the years about not having a business model. As much as we'd like to be able to tell people to shut up, money is important," he said. "It takes a lot of money to run Twitter, and it takes a lot of money to do what you people are doing building your applications, and there has to be a solid revenue model underneath it all."

Known worldwide as a networking toolWeakness: No true laid out path of where the company intends to venture next.

Strength: Keeps all opportunities open, no limitations, and publicly known as a different way to communicate with the world. Keeps company image fresh and jovial.

Human

ResourcesEmpolyment keeps risingBoth: Increase in network support and promotion of tool, but high increase in people costs every year.

Operations &

ProcessesGross margin and net earnings expected to decrease quarterly while operating expenses increase quarterly.Weakness: A loss of net earnings and an increase in expenditure would not be profitable.

Research &

DevelopmentNew ideas like advertising and creating commercial accounts.

Strength: Would create profit

Information TechnologyConstantly upgrading and adding new features that appeal to users.

Stay up to date in teh industry and create loyalty through impressed users.

Risk

ManagementMoney is needed to run Twitter, without profit Twitter will not be able to function in the future.

Weakness: Unresolved issue that is not taken very seriously by the founders. Not an immediate priority.

Accounting & FinancialMainly all investments, still working on a way to make profit. Operating expenses keep increasing,Weakness: Lack of profitability.

External Environmental Forces (Opportunity/Threat Scanning)Details/Facts from CaseOpportunity or Threat? SupportSignificance or ImpactReference

Mkt/Industry

StructureThe new hit Social Networking and Searching industry of this generation. Opportunity because full innovation is involved and new companies start up in this industry annually. It is all about the newest way to network/search with other users. CH 3 and Videos

Competition

EnvironmentIntense, multiple networking companies like Google, Facebook, Bing.Threat: Google and Facebook are royalty in the networking/search industry with extremely loyal users.CH 3 and Videos

Economic

EnvironmentTwitter is completely free to users with no irritating ads all over the page. Opportunity: Relying on VC, Twitter is currently ad free which most users appreciate.CH 3 and Videos

Social, Cultural,

Population &

DemographicsNew way of connecting with friends and learning about people, events, companies, brands on a casual-short message.Everywhere, global. Mainly in USAOpportunity: Keeps people connected that are short on time. Accessible through a phone by SMS makes it easy to use.CH 3 and Videos

Regulatory, Legal &PoliticalTwitter was involved in the protest of the Iranian election.Opportunity: Showed the world how involved Twitter is in the mass media and gave a voice to people that wouldnt have been heard otherwise.CH 3 and Videos

Technological

EnvironmentIntroducing a new Events featureOpportunity: Allows groups of people to become connected under one keyword.CH 3 and Videos

International

EnvironmentPositive feedback and attraction worldwide besides China where most networking companies are banned. Opportunity: Chance to expand to more countries with translation options.CH 7 and Videos

Moral &

EthicalPerfectly moral to use ads as a way to gain revenue and create profit.N/ACH 4 and Videos

Ecological/Social Responsible

EnvironmentA part of many charities and involved with the community. See Personal Issues.Opportunity: To gain users from followers of charities that Twitter supports.CH 4 and Videos

The purpose of this analysis is to determine all potential uncontrollable forces and trends in the external environment that must be responded to with internal strategic and tactical plans. This is the external analysis of the SWOT analysis or situation review.

Marketing PlanningDetailsFavorable or Unfavorable? SupportSignificance or ImpactReference

Product/

Service or OfferingTwitter/Tweets: Mini blog service for users that can network instantly 140 characters or less. Favorable: Users gain information on anything or anyone they follow.CH 10, 11

Videos

Pricing

Free to users.Favorable: No fee = more users.CH 12

Videos

Promotional

Mix (IMC) Advertising

Sales Promotion

Personal Selling

Direct Marketing

Interactive Media

Public Relations/PublicityJust starting ads (promotion tweets) to create revenue.

Free promotion at concerts and other interactive networking sites.

Big bang in public relations with the presidential race, public can follow celebrity tweets, charity functions.Both: Users were attracted to Twitter because it didnt have ads, but the ads will make Twitter profitable.Favorable: Attracted new users

Favorable: Keeps users connected to each other in a casual network where in reality it would be impossible to communicate.CH 13-18

Videos

Place: Logistics,

Distribution,

Supply ChainAnywhere. Anyone with an account and a phone/computer can send a SMS and tweet.Favorable: Easy access is better for attracting and keeping users.CH 13&14Figure 13-3

Videos

Market Research and

IntelligenceVast knowledge of user interest based on tweets. Can create social interest graph of interest to companies and influence consumer strategy.Both: Best user feedback, but could violate user privacy. CH 8Videos

Break -even and profitability calculationsNo profit, running on VC right now and working slowly on a full business model in order to make Twitter profitable. Expected $1 billion in near future.Unfavorable: No business model and no profit makes Twitter barely a for-profit company at all.CH 12, pg 272 Figure 12-5, BEPVideos

Marketing Positioning and TargetingDetailsFavorable/Unfavorable. SupportSignificance or ImpactReference

Segmentation

Minute segmentation focused towards the young generation based on web design and features but very much open to all segments, consumers, users, buyers, sellers etc.FavorableCH 5, CH 9 Figures 9-1, 9-2Videos: Consumer profile class notes

Targeting

Demographics

Geographics

Psycho Graphics

BehavioralAll demographics, psychographics and geographics because it is a networking tool.Behavioral: Those who want to stay updated, involved with their world either a lot (high usage) or a little (low usage)Favorable: No limitation opens the user pool tremendously.CH 5

Page 195, Handout

CH 9Videos

B2BCH 6, CH 17, CH 15 Figure 15-4

Consumer/Buyer Behavior/Decision ProcessUsage rate, influences, and upgrades on Twitter are all dependent upon the consumer and their choice. Puts power of the tool in their hands. Favorable: Gives the user a say in the service/productCH 5 Figure 5-1Videos

Specific Competition

POP, PODCompetition with Google, Facebook, MySpace, and BingUnfavorable: Facebook is dominating the networking industry while Goggle dominates the search industry. Little effect on these companies if a bit of market share is taken away.CH 3, CH 11, CH 9 Figure 9-6

Positioning and MessageMade for the user in the most user friendly search/networking site out there. Trying to position themselves in line with Facebook but set themselves apart from Facebook and Google.Favorable: Highlights casual connectivity of users, access to what they want, and the innovation that sets them apart from Facebook and Google.Unfavorable: With the decline of users in 2009 Twitter has a long way to go to be in line with Facebook.CH 9 Figure 9-6, CH 11, CH 15-18 Videos

The purpose of this analysis is to understand who buys, why, who and what influences the decision process, the competitive points of difference and points of parity, the product positioning and or messaging. This area identifies the current marketing planning process and the findings of marketing research and intelligence. Further this area of analysis indicates cost, price, volume and profitability relationships through appropriate financial calculations.

Occasionally, there are personal issues in the case, if present, detail.Personal IssuesDetails/Facts from CaseFavorable or Unfavorable? SupportSignificance or Impact

Creativity

Totally founded on creativity, the next best thing and how to give it to users.Favorable: Keeps Twitter in the spotlight of whats the next hot trend in networking.

Values

Not looking for profitability right away but for what is best for the user.Both: Puts users first, but money is a necessity in the business world.

Ethics

Greatly connected to the community and what it views as favorable charities.AKA) World AIDS day, charity water and Room to Read.Favorable: Makes users and nonusers sympathetic to Twitter as a networking tool and a company.

Career

??

Skill Sets

Founder have vast knowledge in webdesign and programming and often switch jobs.Favorable: Everyone is well rounded and the diverse perspectives of each founder keeps innovation high.

The purpose of this area of analysis is to determine if individual or personal issues or agendas are called into play in the case.