FreeWire Technologies Marketing Strategies
Slide 1: Name and Topic
Slide 2: Statement of Purpose
FreeWire Technologies is an energy storage company. It is the first organization to develop commercial mobile electric vehicle chargers. The purpose of the present paper is to analyze the marketing strategy of FreeWire Technologies Company using the 7P framework for David Pearson’s book The 20 Ps of Marketing, and explore what new marketing strategies FreeWire can learn from New Belgium Breweries.
Slide 3: Company Overview
FreeWire Technoligies was established in February 2014 and its headquarters are in San Leandro, California. The company develops mobile energy storage systems that provide clean, quiet power anywhere it is needed. Its customers are electric vehicle drivers.
Slide 4: Analysis of the 7PS
Product:Its first product line, Mobi Charger, comes in both Level 2 AC and Level 3 DC modifications and provides similar electric vehicle charging speeds as traditional fixed stations while totally disconnected from the grid. Its second product line, Mobi Gen, can power anything and is a drop-in replacement for diesel or gas generators in several cases.Mobi Charger provides similar electric vehicle charging speeds as traditional fixed stations while totally disconnected from the grid. Mobi Gen can power anything and is a drop-in replacement for diesel or gas generators
Promotion: FreeWire has been utilizing the media to promote the Mobi Charging and Mobi Gen. It has been making the press releases and giving advertisement in various magazines and daily newspapers.
Publicity:FreeWire Technologies has been honored by the San Leandro Chambers of Commerce as the 2016 innovator of the year. Additionally, the company recently announced that it has been chosen for State Contract 04016, labelling it as an authorized vendor for electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) in the State of Washington. It has been highlighted in Electric Vehicle Buddy, a collected online news source for the electric vehicle landscape, hence, making it popular. It was also ranked second for the 2015 safe energy security prize
Place: FreeWire technologies avails its products at different stations for customers to access them. For example, two Mobi Chargers, battery-supported DC fast chargers for electric vehicle were placed at Honolulu’s Airport Trade center Paiea Street for public use.The chargers currently serve the need of many EV drivers on the road.
Slide 5: Analysis of the 7PS
Price: For Mobi Chargers, the price of 10kW ranges from $20,619 – $26,896. Mobi Gen uses old EV batteries that cost $225 per kilowatt hour ($225/kWh). Electric vehicle drivers are able to download FreeWire’s mobile app for Apple and Android devices at a cost of $6.50 per session. With FreeWire mobile chargers, charging sessions are time-shifted; therefore, organizations always pay off-peak electricity rates.FreeWires’s Mobi is one of the best examples of a new technology operating with the present infrastructure to minimize the cost barriers for fast and simple implementation.
Partnership: FreeWire collaborated with Eurotech to establish a consistent, accessible communication set-up for the Mobi Charger. FreeWire Technologies also collaborated with Siemens in piloting and commercializing the Mobi Charger.
People: FreeWire is working towards satisfying its employees by offering incentives and benefits to make them loyal to the company.Staffs are offered festive bonuses, such as double salary. Additionally, employees are given a sales target and they receive commissions on each product they sale.
Slide 6: Ideas for Improvement from New Belgium Breweries
New Belgium Breweries (NBB) is the American darling of sustainable Premium Craft Beer.NBB has identified five strategic options as practical solutions to its expansion without turning away from its customer base.They include the following:
Green Market Partnership– NBB establishes partnership with distributers that foster sustainability, for instance, Whole Foods and Trade Joe’s. FreeWire can establish partnership with distributers that foster sustainability. Clients of the distributers foster socially and environmentally responsible businesses. FreeWire can implement this option to enhance its marketing strategies since many consumers support organizations that highlight their sustainable practices. Such strategy takes less time to network and create appropriate relationships. Once relations are created, they can be easily maintained to assist in continuing a distribution network of product to a loyal customer base.
Advertising on Traditional Media-The strategy focuses new marketing effort on advertisement on television, print media, and radio broadcasts. Its benefits different people and exposes the organization to a large population of prospective customers.
Advertising on New Media– NBB uses prevalent social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to network with the consumer base and present new product concepts and ideas to its brand followers. Such technique makes it possible to reach a younger audience that resonates with its ideas.It expands on using media, for example, social networking sites as the ideal advertising channel. Using social media and their interactive website, FreeWire can regulate the message of its core values. The strategy provides a mode of expanding brand awareness with ability to reach millions. Additionally, the implementation costs are also low due to the in-house social media expertise already available
Targeting Local Consumers/Grass Roots Effort– Grass roots efforts have made NBB to succeed. Members of the ranger team are able to establish a close relationship with local businesses and clients in new areas. FreeWire can interact well on the grass roots level as its staff is dedicated to do it effectively. It will be able to expand its loyal customer base through investing in individuals, companies, and communities.
Social Responsibility to Stakeholders and Consumers-NBB acknowledges their stakeholders, which reaches from their corporate environment- the customers they serve. They involve in every aspect of their lives, which include product innovation, donation of funds to stewardship, grants programs, charitable foundation, water conservation, and youth environmental education. Employees enjoy benefits, such as health and dental services, catered lunches, free massages, and earning stock in the privately held corporation
Innovation (Experiments with Flavors through Partnerships, Redefining the Craft Beer
Industry)–NBB is involved with experimentation into new Craft Beer flavors. As new consumers are introduced to the brand, NBB sees the potential of creating several new flavors that complement the new consumer brackets taste palette. Previously, the company collaborated with Elysian Brewing Company to introduce and test new brew flavors that could entice consumers. Different programs enabled NBB to create new beer flavors that have now become an intricate part of its brand portfolio.
Slide 7: Bibliography
“Costs and Demand Charges of DC Fast Charging.”FreeWire Technologies, 10 Jan. 2016,https://www.freewiretech.com/news/2016/9/14/costs-and-demand-charges-of-dc-fast-charging. Accessed 14 April 2017.
This source discusses the price of FreeWire products. It is significant because it shows that the prices are friendly and offers more information about the products.
“FreeWire Partners with Siemens to Make EV Charging for Businesses Easier and Faster to Deploy.” Siemens, 15 July 2015, http://news.usa.siemens.biz/press-release/energy-management/freewire-partners-siemens-make-ev-charging-businesses-easier-and-fas. Accessed 14 April 2017.
The source explains how FreeWire collaborates with Siemens to improve its services. The source is important in revealing the company’s efforts to excel.