Table of Contents

1) Executive summary
2) Introduction
a) Mission Statement
b) Brief History of Firm
c) Description of product and other products marketed
by the firm.
d) Recent sales/profit history of the firm
3) Marketing plan
a) Industry overview
b) Situation Analysis
c) Segmentation base
d) Marketing Mix:
i) Product
ii) Price
iii) Promotion
iv) Place
4) Strategy to build and cover customer – relationship
5) Implementation procedures & timing
6) Recommendations
7) Conclusion
8) Appendix
9) References

1
 Executive Summary

This project is about marketing plan for the mineral water which is produced by

Masafi Mineral Water Company. At the beginning we will write about the mission

statement of the organization as a whole and then we will analyze the mission to

know whether it consist of the characteristics of a good mission or not. After that

there is a brief history of the firm and the description of the products produced by the

firm. Next there is a marketing plan which consist information about the overview of

the industry, key competitors, situation analysis, segmentation bases, marketing mix,

strategy to building a strong customer-relationship and the Implementation

procedures. Finally, we are going to write our recommendation, conclusion and

reference.

2
Introduction

• Mission statement: "We resolve to continue our drive towards achieving the

highest levels of excellence in the health and hygiene sectors through constant

improvement and innovation in our product mix. As market leaders, we remain

committed to deliver beyond the expectations of our customers, with a conscious

concern for the environment".

This statement tells what the company wants to accomplish, it want to achieve highest

levels of excellence in the health and hygiene sectors which consist of all characters

of the good statement; its realistic because these goals are challengeable as well as

achievable, also it’s realistic because it leads to hierarchy of objectives including

business and marketing objectives. Specified; specified to be excellence in health

sectors, this specification support marketing objective. Fits the market environment;

market environment require from all companies to pay attention to the health and

benefit of customers and real consideration to the environment. Its stand on this

critical issue is reflected in its eco-friendly PET packaging. PET or Poly Ethylene

Terephatalate, is a material that has been used for years to bottle soft drinks and other

foods and medical products. And the mission is motivating; motivating through the

commitment to deliver beyond the expectations of the customers. Because this

mission consists of characters of good statement it well helps the company to specify

its detailed objectives and goals for each level of management.

• Brief history of Masafi: the leading producer of pure natural mineral water in

the Gulf, was established in 1976 with a paid-up capital of approximately five and

3
half million dollars. As a unique brand that has been holding the market leadership for

the past 30 years, Masafi has today become a generic name for mineral and bottled

water in the entire Gulf region. It has acquired this status symbol by providing world-

class products known for their pure natural freshness.

The origin of Masafi Water lies in several rich underground springs of Masafi, a

mountainous region in Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven Emirates that make up the

United Arab Emirates. The natural mineral rich water is packaged at a modern

bottling and manufacturing facility near the source in Masafi.

Masafi's strict adherence to international quality standards has been well rewarded;

these are some of the rewards and accolades Masafi received:

• Masafi was the first recipient of the ISO 9002 certification in the

region.

• Masafi awarded the (ISO 9001:2000) certification for developing and

maintaining a high standard Quality Management System.

• The company was also awarded the HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical

Control Points) certification.

• Masafi has also received accolade "Plant Manager of the Year".

Through its 30 years history, Masafi has invested heavily in projects that benefit the

community and also helped sponsor international sporting events held in Dubai

including the Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament. Masafi Water has been consumed

by top stars like Tiger Woods, Colin Montgomerie, Boris Becker and Martina Hingis.

Masafi has also made a partnership with the international humanitarian and medical

4
relief organization, Medecins Sans Frontieres to help for creating awareness and

generating funds for refugees around the world.

• Description of the product and other products marketed by the firm:

The product that we chose is a mineral water which Masafi produce it in different

designs, sizes and specification bottles.

Masafi produce water and mobilize them in different seven sizes; the biggest is 1.5

liters bottles; The factors looked into besides visual appeal were to make them easily

portable at time of use and crushable at time of disposal. Besides choosing eco-

friendly PET bottles, Masafi has also been innovative in introducing smart packaging

ideas for more convenience & easy handling. The second size is 1-ltrs bottles; the 1-

ltr bottle was introduced to cater to people looking for easier storage and lesser

wastage. Yet again, the 1-ltr bottle was quickly embraced by consumers, serving as

the perfect choice for small families.

And other sizes like;330ml, The 330 ml was previously available only as a sports cap

which was reintroduced in 2002 with regular screw-on caps, 250 ml cup, 200ml cup,

125ml cup and 100 ml cup.

Other products marketed by the firm:

Tissues: Masafi has launched different types of tissue; Boutique Fragrant tissue, facial

tissues and car tissue.

Boutique Fragrant tissue: Masafi has launched a fresh new range of Boutique Fragrant

tissue in four subtle fragrances: Oud, Rose, Jasmine and Lavender. Even softer, even

gentler on sensitive skin, they add a refreshing touch to the unmistakable quality of

5
Masafi tissues. And their lingering pleasant scent also makes them ideal for leaving in

vehicles or bathrooms to freshen the air.

Facial tissues: there are two types of facial tissue the first one is Mosaic and the

second one is floral. Masafi tissues are made from 100% high-class virgin pulp. These

tissues are produced with high-speed fully automatic and state-of-the-art technology

to achieve a very soft and very hygienic process. This makes Masafi tissues extremely

soft yet making them strong & wet resistant with high absorbent properties. Great care

is taken to ensure zero fluorescence is used while processing, making Masafi tissues

gentle and safe for your skin.

Car tissue: The new car tissue box has been specially designed for use in vehicles and

comes with a handy side pocket, which allows drivers to reach for a tissue quickly and

easily. The car tissue box with an attractive design, opens at the side, and will sit

neatly on the door side pockets in cars. The new box will also help drivers avoid

waste and discomfiture, which are usually associated with the standard car tissue box.

Juices: Masafi starts producing juices in different sizes and flavors, in term of flavors

it produce orange, apple, luscious mango and exuberant tropical. In term of sizes, the

biggest size is two littler and the smallest is 200 ml.

6
 • Recent Sales/Profit history of the firm

Masafi has been making more and more profit every year thanks to their clever

business sense and solid market penetration. In the second quarter of the year 2002

Masafi announced an increase in sales growth by a whopping 8%. Although the

bottled water industry has witnessed quiet a sluggish growth, never the less, Masafi

has managed to sell over 3.6 million liters of bottled water in the second quarter of the

year 2002 alone topping its rate in the previous years. Experts expect numbers to go

up as the company continues its growth and expansion to new markets and new

product lines.

• Industry of Mineral Water:

The water Industry considered as a one of the oldest Industries in marketing since it is

one of the main basic need of the human being. Humans use water everyday specially

drinking water. As a result, many people start their investment in this industry, so

they can deliver the human need of water. The water Industry depends on the source

and the size of water. Marketers can get water from the seas, rivers, underground,

dams, and snow. Today, there are many companies which provide drinking water in

many bottles shape to the people. This Industry also has a wild range which one

company can reach at least the nearby countries. This Industry is very important

because the human spending is increasing as reported in “Water Industry News”

website, In addition, some scientist think that the future wars are going to accrue

because of the lack of water. By the fact that this business is increasing, many

7
international mineral water companies entered the UAE market and made this

business very competitive in this market by the quality, bottles, and healthy and the

market mix of this business. Masafi as one of the first mineral water companies in the

UAE established in 1979 and by a big support from people. The main source for

water for the company is the Masafi Mountains which gave the company good

positioning since the area is well known as a very good source of drinking water.

• Competitors of Masafi Company:

There are a lot of important competitors that compete with Masafi Company as
leaders market in the UAE and some of them are:
1- Al Ain water
2- Oasis water
3- Riwa water
4- Gulfa water
5- Nestle water
6- Aquafina water
7- Evian water

A study case of Al-Ain drinking water bottle as a competitor product

against Masafi mineral water

8
Classifications:
the classification of both Al-Ain and Masafi water are convenience products

which means both products needed every day which make them frequently purchase

by the consumers. The price is low and fixed; the products are always at convertible

places or everywhere which make them very easy for the consumer to reach and get.

These products use mass promotions trying to take the consumer attention.

1- Quality of Natural Facts:

Masafi mineral drinking water 0.5 liter bottle:-

PH 7.8
Calcium 3.4
Magnesium 19
Sodium 10
Potassium 0.2
Bicarbonates 27
Sulfates 19
Nitrate 0.4
Chloride 47
Total Dissolved Solids 130

Al-Ain mineral drinking water 0.5 liter bottle:-

Calcium 8
Magnesium 13
Sodium 8
Potassium 2
Bicarbonates 30
Sulfates 5
Nitrate 0.3
Chloride 40
Total Dissolved Solids 110

As we can see there isn’t much different in the quality of the water mineral

products of both companies. Consequently, both companies tried to register their

products in many health organizations to prove their quality to the costumers. These

9
organizations can make the consumers more confident when buying the product

which would increase the profit of the companies.

2- Price:
Both companies Al-Ain and Masafi have the same price which is 1 Dirham

to get 0.5 liter Masafi bottle or 0.5 Al-Ain bottles. We note the price is fixed at 1

Dirham which makes it more comfortable for the consumers. We are going to talk

about it more later on the paper.

3- Product:
The product for both companies is a mineral drinking water in a bottle which

is used by almost half of the earth population. Now the companies want to add more

value to its product, so it can hit the highest satisfaction with its customers.

4- Features:
Features will differentiate between two companies. Companies should studies

the customers needs or values of pure water and add it to the product to take

customers value. For Masafi Company, they use bottles that are deeper in blue than

Al-Ain water, so it can take the attention of the customer than its competitors.

5- Style and Design:

Style in Masafi and Al-Ain Company is about the style of the mineral water

bottles. The appearance of both bottles is good. However, we as a group like the

design of the Masafi bottle more because it is more creative and handy same as

the other bottle. Inundation, to these differences between two bottles, there are

little more basic differences between the two.

Masafi mineral drinking water 0.5 liter bottle:-

10
 - The bottle is 1.5 inch taller than Al-Ain
- The bottle is easy to carry.
- The bottle can be compressed after used
- You can see the water through the bottle
- The bottle has more of blue color

Al-Ain mineral drinking water 0.5 liter bottle:-

- The bottle 1 inch more width than the Masafi bottle allow to put bigger
label
- The bottle is easy to carry.
- The bottle can be compressed after used
- You can see the water through the bottle
- The bottle has more of the white color

6- Labels:
The labels on the product should be able to take attention of the customer. The

label should not have very long description. It also should have the brand name or the

sample of the product. For example, if the product is orange juice, the label should

have orange on it. On our case, the labeling in both products is so similar to each

other. Both labels have same think except that Masafi added little mountain and palm

as a background. These add differentiate to a track the attention of the customer.

There are other appearance differences such as...

Masafi mineral drinking water 0.5 liter bottle:-

- The label has many different things

- Brand name: Masafi written in English and Arabic
- The Natural Facts
- Promotion of Masafi wining the GMR effectiveness in marketing awards
Gemas 2006
- The ability to be compresses

11
 - Brands of certificates
Al-Ain mineral drinking water 0.5 liter bottle:-
- The label has many different things
- Brand name: Al Ain written in English and Arabic
- The Natural Facts
- The ability to be compresses
- Picture of old places in the UAE.
- Brands of certificates

7- Packing:
Packing is important because it decide how much the company can carry on its

trucks and containers. The smart packing can increase profit by shipping more

products and faster which would save money for less oil use. In our case, we can see

that the same amount of bottles in one carton is used in both companies Masafi and

Al-Ain. However, because the carton of Masafi is little taller, the container would

carry less than Al-Ain company. As a result of the long-term run, Al-Ain water

would make more profit from packing because the container can carry more cartons

than Masafi.

Masafi mineral drinking water 0.5 liter bottle:-

- Carton = 24 Bottles
- 40 foot container = 2000 cartons
Al-Ain mineral drinking water 0.5 liter bottle:-
- Carton = 24 Bottles
- 40 foot container = 2070 cartons

• Situation Analysis
(SWOT)

12
 Strengths Weaknesses
- Stable political and economical
environment -
- Almost homogeneous to other brands
Large (and growing) target market available in the market
- -
Strong brand name Can easily lose market share (no
- competitive advantage)
Good company image (linked to
nationalism)
-
Affordable price
-
World-wide distribution channels
(China, Europe, Arab counties)
-
Diverse product line ( water, tissues,
juices)
-
Verity of water bottle sizes
-
High quality and pure water
-
Stylish and attractive packaging

Opportunities Threats

-
-
Endless competitors
High demand for bottled water
-
-
Market price is identical. However,
Company can try to become a price
market may become price sensitive, if
leader by introducing a new price
competitors choose to introduce
(lower than the market price) attracting
products in lower price.
more customers and gaining more
-
market share
Products are easily imitated
-
Company can target and supply
specific events in the country such as
the Dubai Shopping Festival, Dubai
13
Summer Surprise festival and others.
 • Segmentation Bas:
To enter the UAE market, Masafi should identify all the parts of the UAE

market and choosing the right segment to get the most profit from it. It also can help

Masafi to design its products according to the chosen segment. However, it seems that

Masafi Company has a Geographical segmentation where it focuses on cities and

countries which are in Asia, Africa and Europe. The company believes that more

countries it covers would increase their profit because more people would buy their

drinking water as their natural habit.

Masafi always consider themselves and aiming for the leader market by

provides great products. To a achieve this goal, the company plan for customer

satisfaction as a long run segmentation by focusing on competing and reduce threats

which are the lack of resources and company performance in production.

• Target Market:
After segmentation, Masafi wanted to target the segmentation to know their

needs and wants. Target market in water Industry has a big range because all the

people need water to drink. Masafi study the need of people’s need and design the

products according to their needs without targeting a specific group. Masafi wants to

provide water to all people and according to their needs. This is called Differentiated

marketing when the company decides to target many segments in the country market

and designs a separate product for each of the segments. For example, in the UAE

market, Masafi design a sport mineral water, so people can use this product when they

exercise. Also, they have big water bottles for a family gathering. They have small

14
bottles for personal use. They also have very small bottles for medicine taking which

hospitals can use.

• Positioning Product:

Masafi wants to be a market leader for their target marketing. To do so, they

have to position their product as one of the best products in the Industry. The

company focused in the marking mix to help positioning and the product

performance. In addition, Masafi study and take the competitor advantage which

could help position its product as a good product. A good product gives the customers

the more value than its price.

• Marketing Mix

Product: Masafi water bottles deliver a core benefit of thirst quenching. The actual

product design, features, quality, packaging and brand name are all aligned along with

the vision on the company in order to be a market leader.

The bottle design is meant to be modern and attractive; while shaping the bottle in

order to be easier to grab by hand. In addition to the various sizes available to meet

individual customer needs. The bottle is blue and clear reflecting the purity, freshness

and clarity of the water. The engraving of mountaintop figures on the bottle reflects

the freshness of the water and reminds customers of the origin of this product being

from the fresh mountain springs. The brand name Masafi (which means purity in

Arabic) also resembles the area Masafi from which the product is derived. Choosing

this brand name has built the company excellent brand equity as the public now relate

Masafi to fresh, pure and natural mineral water.

15
Pricing: Masafi along with the rest of the bottled water brands in the UAE are

following a pricing strategy that has been stagnant over the past few years. The

overall bottled water market is applying almost identical pricing strategies for their

products including Masafi. For example, all standard bottles of water cost 1 Dirham.

Therefore, we can assume that a competitive based pricing strategy is applied here

since all prices for identical products are consistent.

Place: Masafi has created a unique local and

international distribution chain. Locally, the

products and shipped from the factory via

distributors to local grocery stores,

supermarkets...etc. Masafi had over

100 distribution vehicles in the UAE to

ensure local coverage. In addition, over 95% of the local stores and retail

outlets stock Masafi water. Also, Masafi implemented a

low stock policy with retailers in order to ensure that the

water supply is regularly consumed and frequently

changed. This is to ensure freshness. Moreover, Masafi was

the first company to introduce custom made chillers that are created solely

to display Masafi products in public places and retail stores. Finally,

Masafi vending machines are available all over the country, on main routs

16
on the streets and in highly populated areas in order to make the product easily

attainable for customers whenever they need it and wherever they need it!

Exports of bottled water are shipped to countries such as GCC markets, Japan, Asian,

African European countries and the Far East.

Promotions: Masafi is using a mix of promotional tools in order to maximize the

company's market share and increase awareness. Advertising campaigns are held

seasonally in TV channels, newspapers,

magazines, and billboards.

In addition, the company has invested in

heavy sales promotions such as contests,

and rebates such as the Win Diamonds

campaign, the Masafi Shopping Spree,

Uncap and Win and much more.

17
• Strategies to building a strong customer-relationship:

Masafi used many strategies to build strong customer relationship which help

promoting its customer loyalty, Masafi enhance its relation with the customers by

listening to customer feedback and building customer friendly culture. Also it uses

techniques for developing a customer focus and gaining the commitment of all

employees to excellent customer service therefore sales executives remain supportive

to the clients before, during and after any sales.

Other strategy Masafi uses is promotions like "Masafi Shopping Spree"; the

promotion is open to shoppers purchasing any pack of Masafi products. And other

promotion called "Pure Rewards" to create greater awareness among grocers of the

Masafi brand and to encourage them to buy more Masafi products.

Also Masafi intended to grow its customer, their progress was vertical but now they

are primed to expand horizontally. The launch of Masafi juice was part of this broad

master-strategy, aimed at making Masafi a complete food and beverage company by

2011. It is a natural and logical step forward from Masafi well-known mineral water

brand that is synonymous with pure mineral water.

18
• Recommendations:

1. We recommend that Masafi should continue its current strategy

of global expansion.

2. Masafi should continue to introduce brand new products and

product lines such as flavored water drinks (such as cherry flavored,

pineapple flavored, orange flavored, lemon flavored), multivitamin

water drinks geared towards athletes and youth ..etc..

3. Masafi should try to apply a rand new and different pricing

strategy. By minimizing fixed costs and using brand new technology to

become more cost efficient, the company can venture and try applying

a lower price strategy that will win over more customers, causing the

company to become a price leader.

4. Masafi should try to further penetrate the local market y

providing door-to-door delivery services to local houses and

apartments, supplying them with fresh water regularly. This will be

very convenient for customers.

5. Masafi should try to create alliances with major activity

organizers in the country in order to exclusively supply water in those

events such as Dubai Summer Surprises, Dubai Shopping Festival, Al

Ain Shopping Festival, and others.

19
 • Conclusion

In conclusion, thought-out our exploration of the different aspects of Masafi, its

strengths and weaknesses and the overall environment of this particular industry. We

found that Masafi has been performing in an outstanding way for almost three

decades. Their dedication, hard work and loyalty has built trust between the company

and its customers. Now Masafi is considered on of the top selling brands locally,

regionally and internationally. With a little more innovation, and the proper strategic

alliances, the company is yet to grow and thrive.

20
Appendix (A)

Perceptual Map

Low Quality High Quality

Low RIWA WATER OASIS WATER

Price

High GULFA WATER

Price MASAFI

EVIAN

AL AIN WATER

Appendix (B)

Distribution Map

21
 Factory

Retailers

Stores &
Consumers
Wholesalers

• References

22
"Masafi." Masafi. 2006. 26 Jun 2006 <www.masafi.com>.

"Masafi." Strategy. 2006. 26 Jun 2006 <http://www.strategiy.com/ar/ncompany.asp?

id=20050420120142>.

"MASAFI: THE LEADING PRODUCER OF BOTTLED MINERAL WATER IN

THE GULF." African Business Pages . 2006. 26 Jun 2006 <2.

http://www.africa-business.com/profiles/masafi.html>.

"Masafi announces 8 per cent sales growth by the end of the second quarter in 2002."

AME Info. 2006. 26 Jun 2006 <http://www.ameinfo.com/10727.html>.

Dr.
Principles of Marketing MKT200
Section 1 By:
Submitted
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