Essay - Leapfrog—product, Pricing, Promotion, and Placing Leapfrog Educational Software Would be...

Leapfrog—Product, Pricing, Promotion, and Placing

***** educational software would be an ideal product, with some modifications, for the Japanese market. Japan possesses a highly hierarchical educational system, from cradle to college. Parents are always concerned that *****ir children will not have an edge over the competition posed by other students because adv*****cing sequentially up the ***** ladder is so important in Japan. Parents are also used ***** paying extra to ensure that their ***** go to proper cram schools so they can get into the right elementary, junior, and senior high schools, which will help ***** get into the ***** colleges, etcetera. However, th***** pressure to succeed means that parents are likely ***** hope that educational ***** ***** give their children an advantage in passing the standardized exams that are so crucial to ***** and professional advancement, rather than general educational enrichment. ("*****ese Education and Literacy," 2000, Asianinfo.com)

Leapfrog provides softw***** for children as young as infants ***** to the age of 18. ("Welcome to ***** Leapfrog Online Toy Store," 2006, Leapfrog.com) Japan is a very technically literate society, in virtually e***** age group, so th***** also could contribute to the product's appeal. But parents might want software that ***** help their children ga***** an advantage into getting into the best kindergartens, which in turn attempt to get students into the best elementary *****. ("Japanese Education and Literacy," 2000Asianinfo.com) In addition to obvious language ***** for the market, to accommodate the Japanese written *****, the ***** might need to incorporate elements of the different tests required ***** students at different levels of ***** educational careers.

Since parents are already more accustomed to pay additional fees for education, ***** private schools ***** ***** common in Japan, and even ***** at public schools pay extra to attend cram schools for the national exams, the market for Leapfrog s*****tware is ***** ***** support a higher price point than in America. ***** general, Japan is a very expensive society. As ***** Japan Career Guide bluntly states "Japan is one of the most, if not the most, ***** countries ***** the world." ("Cost ***** Living and Financial Considerations," 2006, Japan Career Guide)

***** does ***** mean that value should necessarily be stressed in Leapfrog's promotional mix, however. Cheapness in education is not necessarily perceived, in the customer's eye, as a good th*****g. Budgeting in regard to something as valuable as a child's education ***** not something likely to draw the eye of the typical ***** parent. Instead, stressing that using Leapfrog technology could give children a ***** educational advantage against *****ir competitors would be a better strategy. By conveying the message that introducing ***** to technology at the earliest age possible is a ***** thing and that teaching children ***** use their computers as learning tools ***** than playthings ***** makes the mother of the child feel like a good, caring and responsible mother, ***** ***** set an effective tone for its ***** campaign.

***** mothers, and places that mothers frequent in their daily shopping