Baku Culinary Academy Marketing Plan

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BAKU CULINARY ACADEMY

Marketing Plan

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Table of Contents

Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...2

1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………2
2. What is our service?…………………………………………………………………………………………..2
3. Competitors……………………………………………………………………………………………………….3
4. What are our POPs and PODs…………………………………………………………………………….4
5. Branding…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5

1. Brand Elements………………………………………………………………………………………...5
2. Brand Strategy…………………………………………………………………………………………..6

1. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………….7

APPENDIX………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..8

Abstract

This paper introduces start-up project in food industry – “Baku Culinary Academy”. The main of the paper is to speak about branding strategy to be applied to the start-up project. Moreover, paper includes product description, analyzes culinary market of the country and differentiates the BCA from competitors. We will examine how high education prices at “Baku Culinary Academy” will be justified by offered services.

1. Introduction

Creation of a culinary school should address certain problems and situations it wants to solve. We recognize that there are lot of chefs in the country that cannot get job at prestigious restaurant because of their educational background, since majority of them are graduates of the vocational schools. They do not need basic culinary knowledge but deeper understanding of how to cook masterpieces and be able to sell themselves in the highly competitive labor market. Also, there are people who can or cannot cook but always wanted and have passion to learning really tasty meals’ secrets. However, unfortunately, there is not any culinary school in Azerbaijan that would serve all these people, and this is where “Baku Culinary Academy” comes.

1. What is our service?

“Baku Culinary Academy” (BCA) is the first of its type cooking school in Azerbaijan whose primary goal is to teach culinary at a professional level and supply big and famous restaurants with chefs. Academy invites everyone who loves cooking to join its classes. You can be a food addict or chef who wants to develop own skills and take them to the new level, everyone is welcomed at “Baku Culinary Academy”. We offer our students three dimensions in studying: learning Pastry Arts, Cuisine Arts, and special opportunity to master both pastry and cuisine arts at the same time. Each study module has levels from which students can start learning: 1) basic level, that can be a start point for all three modules and have 40 seats – 2 groups each of 10 students in pastry, 2 groups each of 10 students in cuisine, and 1 group of 8 students studying both pastry and cuisine; 2) intermediate level, that also applies for every module but has less available seats – 24, where pastry and cuisine dimensions have 1 group of 12 students each, and 1 group of 4 students who can study both dimensions; 3) superior level provides 12 seats for cuisine and pastry modules only, with 1 group of 6 students at each. Students will be studying in the professional and modern kitchen that can compete with the ones in real restaurants, and be provided with ingredients required for cooking and teachers who proved to be masters in culinary. All classes will also be supervised by another person whose responsibility is to ensure everyone follows safety rules and to help in emergency cases when anything in the kitchen goes wrong. Academy’s graduates will be honored with diplomas and certificates.

1. Competitors

As it was mentioned earlier, BCA will be the first private culinary academy in Azerbaijan which sets such big goals as cooperation with restaurant industry’s leaders and introducing them its students. However, we cannot pass by the vocational schools that besides culinary teaches people other work fields, such as plumbing, tailoring, etc. The key point here is vocational schools in Azerbaijan are designed to help those who could not enter the university or finish the high school to get any professional orientation and to be able to find job in future. Cooks that have graduated from these schools have general understanding about culinary and cannot stand in one raw with professionals. These cooks are being hired mainly to work at schools’ or small cafes’ kitchens, eateries, or public canteens.

On the other hand, there are lot of culinary schools abroad, and, to name one, Le Cordon Bleu – the famous French culinary university. This university offers many dimensions to study, for example “Wine and Management”, “Pastry”, “Cuisine”, “Advanced Studies in Taste”, etc, and is showing excellence in preparing chefs since 1895. However, we are not going to expand our business by going outside of the country and, therefore, will focus only on local competition.

1. What are our POPs & PODs?

The followings are our points of parity and points of difference with vocational schools – our main competitors.

POPs:

Teaching cooking – BCA and vocational schools are institutions to learn cooking, both having kitchens and teachers for this purpose.

Diplomas (+certificates) to the graduates – graduates of both vocational schools and BCA are receiving diplomas once they finish their education, however, BCA also gives its graduates certificates and recommendation letters, that were prepared based on thorough evaluation of student, to make them stand out from other cooks, i.e. much more competitive, and to increase their chances to get hired by respectful local and international restaurant owners.