KẾ HOẠCH XUẤT KHẢU hải sản SANG THỊ TRƯỜNG QUẢNG ĐÔNG TRUNG QUỐC

KẾ HOẠCH XUẤT KHẢU HẢI SẢN SANG THỊ TRƯỜNG QUẢNG ĐÔNG TRUNG QUỐC MARKETING PLAN TO EXPORT SEAFOOD TO GUANGDONG - CHINA MARKET FOR MINH PHU SEAFOOD CORPORATION Forewords Over the past 10 years, the seafood industry has experienced a rapid and stable development and significantly contributed to the national economy growth The growth share of seafood in the overall agriculture, forestry and fishery sector in particular and in the national economy in general has gradually increased over the years Seafood has become an important economic industry, partially restructe the rural agriculture, eradicate hunger and alleviate poverty as well as improve standards of living for the community The presence of civil boats/ships fishing in the sea has partially ensured the security, and protected the sovereignty of the national marine areas and islands With over 3200km of coastline stretching from the northern to the southern areas, tropical monsoon climate and other favorable conditions, Vietnam is rich in seafood types as well as potentials Although seafood exports have recently faced several difficulties and been negatively impacted by the global economic downturn, Vietnam seafood export revenues have reached over US$5.5 billion in the first 10 months of 2013 These impressive figures reflect that export seafood has rich potentials to bring high economic values to the nation As a leading seafood group in Vietnam, Minh Phu Seafood Corporation (herein referred as Minh Phu) was formerly known as Minh Phu Seafood Export Factory headquartered at the Industrial Zone, Ward 08, Ca Mau City, and Ca Mau Province Its primary operations include feeding, processing and trading seafoods & meat products Founded on December 14 th 1992 and experienced 15 years of continuous development, Minh Phu has so far affirmed its prestigious position in Vietnam, in Asia and in the world In 2006, Minh Phu became a joint stock company and was listed on the Vietnam stock market The enterprise has stepped from feeding and processing breed shrimps and commercial shrimps to exporting these products to foreign markets This is a development milestone in the context of fierce competition and strict market requirements Minh Phu became the holding company of nine Southern – province – based subsidiaries The subsidiaries operate in the fields of feeding, fishing and processing such seafoods as prawns, fish Minh Phu’s seafood revenues are currently ranked the top among Page seafood firms in Vietnam In 2012, the company sales were up to VND 7,965 billion; its export volume reached 32 million kg (valued at 369.4 million) The company's main market is the U.S., EU and Japan However, the firm exports to these markets have recently slowed down Therefore, Minh Phu is looking for new markets for its seafood exports One of the potential markets is China The company has oriented to penetrate the market and China’s Guangdong Province with many advantages and challenges is selected as a “pilot” A marketing plan is set under the expectation to boost the corporation business in this market with high potentials both vertical integration, high quality and branding Besides, the marketing plan is expected to increase Minh Phu’s sales and expand its markets so as to maintain its current leading position I AN OVERVIEW OF THE COMPANY AND ITS TARGET MARKET: Brief introduction about Minh Phu products and services The marketing plan was developed for the best quality products offered by Minh Phu Seafood Corporation - shrimps and fish The target market is Guangdong, one of China's most populous provinces, has several big and modern cities and shares border with Vietnam Primary products of Minh Phu Corporation:  Shrimps are the main exports of the Minh Phu: shrimps products include black tiger shrimps and white shrimps The company offers shrimp breeds, feeds commercial shrimps, processs and exports shrimps, especially shrimp products of high added value  In addition to shrimps, Minh Phu also offers fresh fish such as sutchi catfish, grouper, etc Page The selected products to be exported to this new market will be branded as "Clean Seafood" or "Chieng Thuy Khai San" in Chinese They include tiger shrimps, white shrimps, sutchi catfish and catfish The company products’ features: Clean, fresh, nutritious, rich in protein, high quality, etc These products are fed in clean environment or fished off-shore and meet EU standards "Clean Seafood" is attractively packaged, friendly designed and easy to use with added values such as low fat or food safety features Products are produced and packaged in modern production lines and with advanced technologies of international standards Besides, food hygiene and safety are strictly controlled All activities and procedures of the company comply with relevant laws, regulations and requirements Members of Minh Phu are all aware that product quality always goes hand in hand with the brand and the survival of the enterprise With its investments in technology, upgraded machines, following the management systems of GMP, SSOP, ISO 9001: 2000, BRC, GLOBAL GAP, etc, Minh Phu has become the leader for product quality in Vietnam and its products are always welcomed in the market Target market Chinese seafood market is expanding with high growth rate Increased personal income and changed lifestyles have boosted the demand for seafood consumption in this country, especially high quality seafood products China is a potential market for a great number of seafood exporters around the world Guangdong - China is a highly potential market, located on the Eastern coastline of the People's Republic of China This province shares the border with Vietnam and has some deep Page seaports near Vietnam Guangdong GDP has taken the lead among Chinese provinces since 1989 This province includes many big cities which have witnessed both economic and tourism development Thanks to the above-mentioned advantages, Guangdong is an attractive market for not only Vietnamese seafood enterprises but also for other foreign companies Competitive Advantages Minh Phu seafood products have following competive advantages over other products sold in Guangdong: “Clean Seafood” is fresh, nutritious, rich protein, high quality, attractively packaged, friendly designed and easy/simple to use “Clean Seafood” will be distributed in the new market in a particular approach which takes advantage of the successful domestic and foreign distribution of the company so far With its network of agents and distributors, the company's products will be delivered to customers fast and conveniently “Clean Seafood” will be advertised with both traditional and new types of advertisements so that products quickly become customer-friendly The latest advances of modern marketing such as social networks, cloud computing, viral marketing, guerilla marketing, etc will be applied to optimize the effectiveness of advertising and communication at the lowest costs Positioning Statements: The company strives to build the product image for "Clean Seafood" as high quality, clean, safe, affordable and convenient products in Guangdong This will differentiate Minh Phu Products from other existing seafood products in the market since there is much cheap and low quality seafood which is produced from seriously polluted water and there is also too expensive seafood imported from European to Guangdong Estimated revenues and profits For the above long term and strategic plan, Minh Phu sets the revenues of US$30 million, profit of US$2.7 million and a small Guangdong’s market share for the first year The company expects to increase the revenue by 50% and 25% in the second and third year respectively For Page this huge market, even though the business plan is quite “modest”, it is the foundation and first steps for the company to increase its exports to this highly potential market II ANALYSIS OF THE CONTEXT, CONDITIONS AND MARKET: Strengths: 1.1 Dominant customer service: As a prestigious company in Vietnam and foreign markets, with the largest export turnover in Vietnam, Minh Phu Corporation has established an effective service network, delivering products of the highest quality to customers in the shortest time Through such local distribution systems as agents, supermarkets and cleanseafood shops, the company's products delivered to customers are always of high quality In the plan on exporting products to Guangdong, Minh Phu focuses on selecting and cooperating with commited agents and distributors of high responsibilities, business ethics and financial strength The company will support its agents by recruiting, training, and paying salaries for core sales teams who are assigned to every store to create a professional image At sales points, selected staff must be local people who are good at selling products and answering phone calls, enthusiastic, energetic, love the company and its products and fully understand customers At sales locations, sales are frequently updated using software which is installed on the sale point computers by the company These computers are networked to the center/server one Salepeople are carefully trained about how to use the software and how to introduce products to customers The company focuses on after-sales services such as bartering, checking customers’ level of satisfaction via phone calls, customer care, product introduction, vouchers for loyal clients, point accumulation, VIP customer discount In addition, products are under warranty terms (customers can return products, products’ expiration date is ensured, etc) Professional marketing teams constantly update information and situations in the market and report to their managers for timely response Delivery staff are strictly recruited and selected to deliver products to customers with their enthusiasm, polite attitude (these staff will wear the company uniform on which the company logo is embedded.) Page 1.2 Convenient store locations with consistent signboards and the network of committed agents and distributors To support agents to increase sales as well as maintain the brand image, Minh Phu partially sponsors store rental, consistent signboards and advertising panels costs for agents and distributors That explains why the company’s stores will be based in favorable, airy and spacious locations to draw customers' attention 1.3 Unique/distinct products: For Guangdong market, "Clean Seafood" must convey the company messages to consumers: high quality, safe, rich in protein, attractive and offered by a top Vietnamese seafood group In order to create distinct and unique products, Minh Phu not only focuses on high quality products but also invests in product packaging to match with the leading Vietnamese seafood corporation of 10,000 billion VND sales With modern technological lines, shrimps and fish are fed and fished in clean water, strictly processed and packaged The company offers reliable products of high quality, fresh, clean and convenient features for customers Minh Phu exports meet the most rigorous standards of the import market An illustration is that the company's products have been accepted in such strict markets as U.S., EU, Japan so far and Guangdong later For the diversification of products to draw the attention of different customer segments, the company has studied the local culture to create a number of instant foods These products attract students, office people and employees, etc who have limited time to cook fresh food Customers will be introduced about the process of producing "Clean Seafood" (fresh and high quality materials, produced and processed with advanced technologies, meet local and foreign hygiene standards, etc) Thereby, customers are likely to trust the “Clean Seafood” products and they will become customer-friendly products soon 1.4 HR: Employees have extensive experience in feeding, purchasing, processing and distributing products: Inheriting existing strengths, when penetrating the new market, the company will continue to maintain the achieved results and experience in domestic and foreign markets Minh Phu organizes annual training programs to improve its staff skills and discuss business experience Page That explains why the company always has staff of excellent skills and experience These HR has contributed significantly to further strenghthen the enterprise brand as well as improve the quality of its products Thanks to their enthusiasm, the company has consistently ranked in the top 10 seafood export enterprise in Vietnam It’s HR that will help the company successfully implement the export strategy in Guangdong market 1.5 The company has on – site/local subsidiaries which research, feed, purchase and process products With a network of nine subsidiaries, the Group feeds, purchases and processes on site to ensure fresh, delicious and nutritious materials Minh Phu pays attention to its research team who studies nutritious products, processing methods, the best supplies, etc so as to further improve the product quality, differientiate the companies products over others and ensure the leading position of the company This demonstrates why the company always provides fresh and clean products which satisfy the requirements of the strictest markets in the world The above-mentioned nine members will also significantly contribute to the development of the company in the field of seafood export to the new market Weaknesses: 2.1 Sources of supplies constantly fluctuate in both quantity and quality Vietnam is a country of a long coastline However, fishing tools are quite simple and backward so fishing capacity is not very high Besides, frequent natural disasters cause difficulties and bottlenecks for fishing and seafood industry Therefore, the company’s inputs/supplies are often scarce Moreover, prices of inputs fluctuate day by day and the enterprise is passive in costs 2.2 Limited financial resources In spite of being a large corporation, joining a big market like China will require an extensive distribution system, enthusiastic and experienced employees that are good at Chinese Besides, shipping and storage costs are really high, so it is tough for the company to penetrate this market without additional funds Fortunately, the fishery industry in general and seafood export in particular are encouraged and supported by Vietnamese government The enterprise enjoys favorable policies issued by the government and loans accepted by banks Page 2.3 Limited management capabilities of some leaders: In comparison with Chinese enterprises, leaders and managers of Vietnamese companies are mainly experts with many years of experience in management Therefore, the company has appointed a number of key leaders to China so as to study about business practices and consumer tastes there Opportunity: 3.1 Guangdong is a vast market: Guangdong - China is a big market with the population of more than 80 million Therefore, it is a highly potential market for Minh Phu to exploit Besides, many Chinese people not really trust domestic products due to food safety problems Thus, exports such as fresh, clean and high quality shrimps or will attract a lot of interest from customers who have high living standards and demand for clean food On the other hand, Minh Phu is a high profile corporation in the strict foreign markets such as the U.S., EU, Japan, etc That’s why it is not difficult for the company to establish its Chinese customers’ trust and loyalty 3.2 Guangdong has several seaports and is the neighbor of Vietnam – This facilitates transportation Geographically, Guangdong is a province which has a long coastline and many deep-sea ports Vast Guangdong market which is close to the Vietnamese border will facilitate the transportation of Minh Phu products between the two nations China is a large nation with the population of over 1.3 billion (accounting for 19.22% of the world population) as of May 7/2013 With this large population, its close-to-Vietnam location and the fact that consumption of seafood in China has increased by six times in the past 30 years, China is a “fertile ground” for the development and expansion of seafood enterprises in general and of Minh Phu in particular 3.3 Feeding, fishing, processing, consuming and exporting seafood are strongly encouraged and supported by Vietnamese government In terms of government policies, seafood export industry is being encouraged by the nation "Decision ref 1690/QĐ-TTg on the approval of the development strategy for Vietnam seafood Page industry by 2020 is issued dated 16/09/2010 " According to this decision, the government encourages the seafood industry to become famous and prestigious brands of high competitiveness in international markets In addition, seafood sector are supported by domestic commercial banks with low-interest-loans This is an advantage for the company when competing with other rivals in foreign markets Challenges and threats: 4.1 Fierce competition environment: In fact, when joining either domestic or international markets, the company has to face intense competition The competition becomes fiercer because China is a highly potential market that several companies expect to penetrate Minh Phu’s main competitors in Guangdong market are local companies who imports seafood from neighboring countries including Vietnam with border-trade approach Because these companies not have to pay import taxes, transport costs (Lorries of containers) are very low for border-trade business When products are successfully imported, they are packaged and sold at really cheap prices Therefore, these products are the main competitors of “Clean Seafood” Other rivals are Vietnamese, European, American and Japanese seafood exporters to China Besides, local seafood businesses will also set strategies to compete with Minh Phu The aforesaid competitors are challenges of Minh Phu when the enterprise penetrates Guangdong market 4.2 Increasingly high requirements for product packages and quality Seafood products must be strictly controlled and supervised from the stage of feeding and fishing to processing and transportation by the company production and management system Minh Phu regularly inspect, check, praise the achievements of responsible staff in order to ensure high quality products Since features of seafood products are fresh and of short use duration (expire soon), if the restoration process is poor, the product quality will be negatively impacted and the enterprise’s Page rivals can take advantage of this bad situation to smear “Clean Seafood” brand That explains why Minh Phu always pays attention to enhance the sense of responsibility of product delivery team and ensure the careful restoration process of “Clean Seafood” The company regularly assigns staff to penetrate the market and listen to customer comments and feedbacks on its products for timely response to the strictest customers 4.3 Trade Barriers: Trade barriers are a major problem for any exporter Chinese government has imposed 14 tax types on foreign-invested companies and exporters The taxes include VAT, consumption tax, business tax, corporate income tax, personal income tax, resource tax, land value-added tax, urban real estate tax, transport license use tax, stamp duty, deed tax, slaughter tax, agricultural tax and import tax The company’s research shows that Vietnamese seafood exports to Guangdong will be subject to the following main tax rates:  Corporate income tax rate: 33%  VAT: 13%  Business tax: 5% The above taxes will affect the company’s product prices This is also one challenge for Minh Phu when exporting seafood to Guangdong market 4.4 High insurance and transportation costs as well as transportation risks are major challenges for the business plan: Insurance and transportation costs are factors that increase the product prices and make it difficult for the company to compete in product prices, especially when the company exports seafood to Guangdong - a market of a great number of cheap products This reduces “Clean Seafood” products competitiveness even though they are of high quality The company’s transportation methods vary from market to market For markets that are near Vietnamese border, the company transports its products by frozen containers For coastal Page 10 markets, the company will ship its products with shipping enterprises such as Vinaline, Cosco Container Ltd - China, Grand China, Shang Hai, Hai Hua, etc Insurance cost and transportation risks partially increase price of exports Although insurance limits losses and damages during the transportation process, not all risks are covered This is also a challenge for the company consideration High costs of stores and warehouses in China: The company’s store network is not only sales points but also places to create brand image and build customers’ trust For frozen storage system which keeps the products before distributing to supermarkets, restaurants and distributors, certain standards to ensure quality products are required Besides, this system should be based at locations which are convenient for transportation and suitable for sales purpose This is a big challenge for companies requiring appropriate strategies to reduce business costs III ANALYSIS OF CUSTOMERS AND MARKET SEGMENTS: Geography and population: China is a large nation with the population of more than 1.3 billion (account for 19.22% the world population) up to July 2013 Seafood supplies from several major fresh water seafood feeding centers in China have significantly reduced due to drought This increases seafood prices in China Therefore, several Chinese fish markets are searching for alternative supplies of white fish China boosts seafood imports due to the shortage of domestic supply resulting from hot weather in the summer Rural population aging forced China government to issue some policy changes, followed by modifications in policies on seafood production and import Geographically, Guangdong is not only a big and populous province and a neighbor of Vietnam but also has a long coastline and many deep seaports These favorable geographic features facilitate transportation of products Guangdong is currently among the richest provinces in China with its highest GDP among administrative units (excluding Hong Kong and Macao) With the population of 110 million (80 million locals and 30 million immigrants), Guangdong is the most populous provinces in China Page 11 Therefore, their demands for seafood items such as fresh shrimp, fish, pearl oyster, holothurians, abalone, dried squid, etc are various Wealthy people needs "high quality" seafood while people of average income need affordable items and are not very strict about the product quality Guangdong is a neighbor of Vietnam, so it’s easy to travel from Vietnam to Guangdong Guangdong is located along the coastline of China, so it’s convenient for shipping seafood (through Da Nang or Hai Phong seaports) or road transport through Mong Cai - Dong Hung border gate Another advantage is that it costs less to ship products through seasport when Vietnam has Haiphong seaport which is near China Guangdong is an attractive tourist destination in China and famous for its longstanding cuisine It welcomes thousands of tourists around the world Therefore, its demand for food is also really high Guangdong people prefer crispy and fresh tastes Minh Phu products with fresh, clean and hygienic features will satisfy Guangdong people tastes Through market research, the company thinks Guangdong is a highly potential market because of its local competitors’ problems as follows: “Dirty food” is currently a pressing problem for the Chinese people Compared with other countries, China has fewer food safety standards, and its standards are often lower than others 1/4 of these safety standards have not been updated for more than one decade According to experts, Chinese seafood is facing with several safety and hygiene problems (microorganism or antibiotics portions excess the approved regulations/standards) Therefore, Chinese seafood products are not welcomed by foreign markets The main reason for this situation is China’s polluted environment China’s economy sharply grows There are many harmful organisms in the Chinese gulf and sea Besides, in the shrimp and fish feeding process, dirty waste excreted by shrimps and fish and chemicals also contaminate the water environment Excessive fishing has negatively impacts on the marine economy development That explains why despite its large sea area, China still has to import seafood to satisfy its domestic needs In fact, the Chinese have recently had a deep awareness of the domestic food industry crisis Therefore, a supply of clean, hygienic, and nutritious seafood will certainly be welcomed by Chinese people Economic characteristics: Page 12 Over the past eight months, Vietnam export turnover in Guandong market has been US$2.9 billion (increase by 22.3% compared with the previous year) and import turnover has been US$4.7 billion (rise by 62.1%) In 2012, China imported 34,253 tons of frozen fish fillets (valued at US$ 89.89 million) This figure increased by 41.43% in volume and 37.2% in value compared to 2011 Vietnam accounted for 15, 676 tonnes (valued at US$32.4 million) out of the above-mentioned 34,253 tons, an increase of 83.65% in volume and 67.6% in value The demand of the Chinese market is quite diverse and the market is considered to be an “easy” market of different classes and incomes Besides, most Chinese consumers prefer foreign products to domestic ones This is an advantage that helps “Clean Seafood” compete with local products Market segments: Based on market research, let us look into features of market segments/target market: Minh Phu products are clean, fresh, hygienic and nutritious products which meet European quality standards Therefore, its markets are diverse, spreading across big cities Because its target markets are tourism, populous and high intellectual centers, Minh Phu focuses on the following market segments for its “Clean Seafood”: - Customer group of large, medium and small supermarkets - Customer group of small and medium store chains - Customer group of wealthy and common people - Customer group of restaurants Market surveys show that Minh Phu’s target customers in Guangdong are large, medium and small supermarkets and small and medium store chains through a network of distributors In terms of shopping habits, Chinese customers often go shopping at supermarkets on weekends and holidays The company booths at supermarkets are conveniently located to draw the attention of housewives Minh Phu products are scientifically showed in glass cabinets and elegantly packaged Page 13 Another shopping habit of Guangdong customers is that they prefer shopping at specialized stores, product showrooms, etc along streets in major cities Through its network of committed, credible and loyal distributors who have strong financial resources and business experience, Minh Phu "Clean Seafood" always to reach consumers with its best quality The company actively supports its agents and distributors with favorable price policies, promotions, sales bonuses, trained staff assigned to sales locations and partial store rental cost sponsor Because the company’s stores must be based at favorable, airy and spacious locations, it will be easier for its agents and distributors to gain profits and continue to stand side by side with Minh Phu These stores are effective advertising channels for the enterprise The company’s focus on the cooperation with small and medium sized distributors always helps it gain expected achievement and effectiveness Its distributors will timely deliver "Clean Seafood" of high quality to restaurants, hotels and households at their assigned areas Under several supports of Minh Phu, its distributors will build their own advertising channels via social networks, leaflets, promotion programs, etc The company has a professional marketing team who are ready to assist distributors to build the professional image for the company at each sales point IV GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Mission statement The mission statement of Minh Phu Cooperation is as follows: "We offer clean and high quality products which build our customers’ trust and satisfaction to the utmost.” Based on the company’s potentials, the level of competition and Guangdong province market, Minh Phu has set goal and objectives in the future To accomplish its mission, the corporation has developed a detailed plan of objectives with sales volume, market share, gross margin, net profit and return on investment for “Clean Seafood” products in Guangdong market as follows: Page 14 ESTIMATED PROFITS AND FIGURES UNDER THE MARKETING PLAN FOR “CLEAN SEAFOOD” (in USD) Criteria Shrimp Volume (tonnes) Initial investment Sales Cost of goods sold (70%) Selling expenses (10%) Administrative expenses (5%) Marketing expenses (3%) Net Profit Corporate income tax Gross profit Gross profit margin (%) Net Earnings (= EBIT – corporate income tax) Return on investment (%) Fish Total 1,66 50,00 20,000,0 00 14,000,0 00 2,000,0 00 1,000,0 00 600,00 2,400,0 00 792,00 6,000,0 00 3,3 33 50,0 00 10,000,0 00 7,000,0 00 1,000,0 00 500,0 00 300,0 00 1,200,0 00 396,0 00 3,000,0 00 5, 000 100, 000 30,000, 000 21,000, 000 3,000, 000 1,500, 000 900, 000 3,600, 000 1,188, 000 9,000, 000 30 30 1,608,0 00 8.0 804,0 00 00 2,412, 000 01 In order to obtain the above-mentioned objectives, the company needs detailed plans for the future: After the first year Minh Phu joins Guangdong market, the company expects to achieve sales of US$30 million including US$ 20 million sales from shrimps and US$10 million from fish In this year, the company will focus on its initial investment, acquire market share and create the Page 15 habit of using Minh Phu Clean Seafood, support distribution channels with advertising and marketing costs Therefore, the company sets the estimated profit of US$2.4 million for the first year In the second years, sales are expected to reach US$ 45 million, an annual increase by 50% From the third year onwards, sales and profit margin are expected to grow by at least 25% and 10% respectively V STRATEGIES AND TACTICS: In order to achieve the expected goals and objectives, the company has built a system of strategies and tactics which focus on pricing and product strategies and trade promotion so that Minh Phu “Clean Seafood” will dominate the Guangdong market - Pricing strategy: To compete with other products in the market, the policy of the company is to offer products of reasonable prices to attract customers In the short term, profit is not the top priority The most important task is to strengthen the habit of using Minh Phu Clean Seafood products in Guangdong market Guangdong customers are considered to be quite sensitive to changes in prices Because there are many alternative products such as local seafood, European and American exports, etc, when there is a change in price, customers will tend to find an alternative product of cheaper or more stable prices Therefore, Minh Phu product prices should be stable This is a challenge for the company in the current context which requires the enterprise to put its efforts to retain its customers when products prices increase The tough task for the company marketing forces is how to support and maintain stable sales activities To achieve the break-even point, the minimum sales should be US$30 million in the first year (i.e the equivalent output should be 1,667 tons of shrimp and 4,000 tons of fish exports) The average prices of shrimp and fish are US$12/kg and US$3/kg respectively These are reasonable prices for the Guangdong market Customers will feel that Minh Phu seafood prices are neither very high nor cheap Its product quality is high and product packages are elegant Minh Phu Clean Seafood has been positioned international markets and will become more and more consumer-friendly in Guangdong market Product Strategy Page 16 Product quality is a vital factor for every business To ensure products of international standards, Minh Phu has built a sound strategy and consistently pursued its goals The company's products always meet safety, hygiene, nuitrion, protein and quality standards The company has set and complied with strict processes such as input selection, fishing and restoration, pre-processing, processing, packaging, loading, transportation, distribution, etc The enterprise always searches for feeding and fishing area of clean environment Besides, the company pays attention to select quality and strong breeds, foods for shrimp and fish Committed and high responsible suppliers and quality fishing grounds are also among Minh Phu’s priorities The last but not least task is to take notice of research and study products and market so as to improve product quality, minimize business expenses and apply the most advanced technologies and modern techniques in the production process Product pacakaging is also an important factor which helps increase sales: In order to win Guangdong consumers’ trust, “Clean Seafood” packages should be safe, attractive and convenient to draw customers’ attention Therefore, the company regularly improves its packages and studies local and foreign products to ensure the sales growth Promotion strategy In order to compete with local enterprises, Minh Phu has set the following promotion strategies:  Advertising Strategy The company takes advantage of ecommerce channels such as social networks, guerrilla marketing, viral marketing for its marketing purposes Besides, cloud computing, mobile communication and new development in e-commerce are effective tools for advertising and sales promotion These will be effective, convenient and low cost advertising channels The company also draws customers’ attention by adversiting on local supermarkets’ websites, press, Sohu, Alibaba sites, etc Minh Phu supports distributors in renting convenient sales location to promote its brand During the Vietnam cuisine week, Minh Phu products will be directly introduced to local consumers On this occasion, the company will focus on seafood topics and invite potential partners to join Page 17 It is a good idea to invite Chinese distributors, agents and traders (Business owners, shop owners) to visit Vietnamese seafood feeding areas and factories  Sales Strategy Financing small and large supermarkets to implement discount programs (similar to Walmart discount program) and directly deliver products to Chinese consumers to wake their needs Thereby, the company indirectly helps increase its product volume offered to its distributor and agent network Minh Phu will assign staff to contact managers of small and medium store chains; large, medium and small supermarkets, merchants, agents, restaurants via through communication tools such as telephone, meeting in person, etc Thanks to its showrooms, advertising and marketing activities, etc, the company will send its product samples to customers  Sales Promotion Strategy Minh Phu plans to join seafood trade fairs such as VietFish and other trade fairs in Guangdong to search for its partners The company will contact and meet Chinese partners and introduce its products to them The enterprise is also going to conduct promotion programs (voucher, discount, etc) for customers  Public Relations Minh Phu plans to take part in seminars on seafood imports and exports Besides, the company will join social networks to get customer feedbacks and give timely response VI BUDGET AND CONTROL: In 2012, Minh Phu obtained its net sales of VND 7,936 billion of which marketing budget accounted for 1.2% However, for the business plan in the Guangdong - a highly potential market, the company is going to invest more in marketing activities in order to position its products in this market Page 18 With the estimated total cost of US$26, million of which marketing activities accounts for U.S $ 900,000 in the first year, the company expects to obtain US$30 million sales Marketing expenses are allocated in the following table: MARKETING BUDGET ALLOCATION FOR “CLEAN SEAFOOD” IN GUANGDONG MARKET Activity Budget (in USD) Percentage Communication 369,000 41% Direct offer 110.700 Participating trade fairs and events in 221.400 Guangdong Advertisments on press, TV, social networks 36,900 Sales 486,000 Sales expenses, supplier supports 413.100 Discounting and promotions 72.900 Marketing provision 45,000 Total 900,000 54% 5% VII CONCLUSION: Exporting seafood products to foreign markets is a sound solution and direction for a great number of Vietnamese enterprises Thanks to this solution, Vietnamese products become friendly in the international arena This has contributed significantly to the added value of Vietnamese currency, helping the nation to gain more foreign currency Vietnamese government always encourages and facilitates Vietnamese exporters It can be seen that exporting seafood to Guangdong market is feasible even in the short term In the medium and long term strategy, based on the existing achievement, the company will lay a strong foundation to gradually acquire market share and increase its sales and profits Through the above-mentioned marketing plan with analysis of products, target/potential market, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, challenges, goals and objectives, estimated sales and expenses, marketing tactics, etc, a picture of an export project in Guangdong market becomes clearer Page 19 With our limited time and knowlege, this assignment may not avoid certain restrictions and mistakes However, with the willing-to-learn-spirit, we look forward to receiving your valuable recommendations to complete our plan REFERENCES: Vietnam Economic Times Vietnam Seafood Journal Prices and Market Magazine Foreign Trage Magazine Marketing Management Textbook and Lecture – International Executive Master of Business Administration - Doctor Soren Russel Kirchner – California Miramar University, US Websites:  http://www.vietrade.gov.vn (Trade Promotion Bureau – Ministry of Industry and Trade)   http://vi.wikipedia.org http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qu%E1%BA%A3ng_%C4%90%C3%B4ng  http://www.vasep.com.vn/253/Bao-cao-xuat-khau-thuy-san/San-xuat-Xuat-khau-Thuysan-Viet-Nam.htm  http://www.tienphong.vn/Kinh-Te/646588/Thuy-san-bo-qua-Trung-Quoc-Bai-hoc-chodoanh-nghiep-noi-tpp.html  http://www.seafoodsource.com/en/news/supply-trade/18903-china-eating-moreseafood-than-it-produces  http://luanvan.co/luan-van/kim-ngach-xuat-khau-cua-thuy-san-viet-nam-trong-giaidoan-vua-qua-40075/ Page 20 ... http://www.vasep.com.vn/253/Bao-cao-xuat-khau-thuy-san/San-xuat-Xuat-khau-Thuysan-Viet-Nam.htm  http://www.tienphong.vn/Kinh-Te/646588/Thuy-san-bo-qua -Trung- Quoc-Bai-hoc-chodoanh-nghiep-noi-tpp.html  http://www.seafoodsource.com/en/news/supply-trade/18903-china-eating-moreseafood-than-it-produces