United Cereal Lora Brill’s Eurobrand Challenge

I. The positioning of United Cereal (UC)

a. The vision of United Cereal

We accompany you to embrace every delicious and hopeful morning.

You inspire us to pursue forever innovative and vigorous winning.

------- United Cereal

In a study (James C. Collins, Jerry I. Porras, 1996), James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras proposed that a well-conceived vision consists of two major components: core ideology and envisioned future. Core ideology defines what we stand for and why we exist. The envisioned future is what we aspire to become, to achieve, to create-something that will require significant change and progress to attain.

1) Core ideology

Core ideology consists of two distinct parts: core values and core purpose. While the strategies and practices will adapt to the changing environment endlessly, core values and core purposes remain fixed in the companies which enjoy enduring success. As a set of guiding principles, core values are the essential and enduring tenets of companies and have intrinsic value and importance to those inside the organization. UC’s two time-tested values-customer and market oriented, and constant innovation-which can be summarized from the company phrases, are embodied in its vision:

 Customer and market oriented (“You inspire us”): It is customers who lastingly gave UC inspiration to do innovation and led UC to become a pioneer in the use of consumer research and focus group. UC listens to the customer, spots the trend, and holds the high value placed on extensive market testing prior to launching new products.

 Constant innovation (“Innovative winning”): UC had a well-earned reputation as an innovator both in its products and brand management system. Honoring the past while embracing the future, UC rejects the conventional wisdom and creates innovative products being market leaders for more than half a century old.

Core purpose, the second part of core ideology, is the organization’s reason for existence and reflects...