| Course | BU 323 Strategic Marketing Planning and Brand Storytelling |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 2 |
| Paper type | Competitor analysis |
| Length | About 880 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Herzing University |
| Program | BS in Marketing |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for BU 323 Unit 2
What an Arizona Shopper Would Buy Instead: Rio Seco's Competitor Analysis, Including Where It Cannot Win
Student Name
Business, Herzing University
BU 323: Strategic Marketing Planning and Brand Storytelling
Instructor Name
February 4, 2026
What an Arizona Shopper Would Buy Instead: Rio Seco's Competitor Analysis, Including Where It Cannot Win
Choosing the Competitors
The invented Las Cruces sauce business at the center of this plan, Rio Seco Chile Company, does not compete with every hot sauce on the shelf. Its competitors are whatever a shopper at Saguaro Market, the 34-store Arizona grocery chain it plans to enter, would buy instead if Rio Seco's green chile sauce were not there. Bergen and Peteraf (2002) argue that competitors should be identified by overlap in the customer needs they serve and in the resources they use, rather than by industry labels, because firms in the same industry may not compete for the same buyers while firms in different categories sometimes do. Applying that test from the shopper's side gives four groups.
The first is the large national hot sauces a shopper already knows, of which two are compared here: Cholula, which McCormick acquired for $800 million in 2020 (McCormick & Company, 2020), and Tabasco's green pepper sauce. The second is jarred salsa verde, a green sauce used for many of the same meals, represented by the Herdez brand sold in the United States by MegaMex Foods, a joint venture of Hormel Foods and Herdez Del Fuerte (Hormel Foods, n.d.). The third is frozen roasted green chile, which many Arizona cooks buy each fall and use as an ingredient. The fourth is other sauces sold with a New Mexico chile claim. Store-brand hot sauce was left out because shoppers choosing it are buying on price alone, which Rio Seco will not match; a shopper who would switch to it if Rio Seco vanished was probably not going to buy a $6.49 bottle.
The Attributes Compared
Five attributes are compared, chosen because a shopper weighs them, not because data happened to be available: the kind of flavor, from vinegar and pepper to roasted chile; how the product is used, as a table condiment or a cooking ingredient; the origin claim on the label; price per ounce on the Saguaro shelf; and how visible the product is in the store. Kotler and Keller (2016) note that competitor analysis should concentrate on the attributes that drive buyer choice, since a long list of company facts rarely helps a marketer decide anything.
Several cells are marked unknown. Rio Seco has not yet visited every Saguaro store, and published sources do not report shelf prices or facings for a particular chain. An honest unknown is more useful to the plan than a guess, because it identifies what the owners must check during their first store visits.
The Comparison
The table compares Rio Seco with the four competitor groups. Sources are noted in the cells or in the text above.
| Attribute | Rio Seco green chile sauce | Cholula | Tabasco green pepper sauce | Herdez salsa verde | Frozen roasted green chile | Other New Mexico chile sauces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flavor | Roasted green chile, mild to medium | Arbol and piquin pepper, vinegar | Jalapeno, vinegar | Tomatillo, serrano pepper, onion | Roasted chile, no seasoning | Varies |
| Main use | Condiment and cooking | Table condiment | Table condiment | Dip, cooking sauce | Cooking ingredient | Varies |
| Origin claim | New Mexico chile, protected by state law | Mexican recipe | Louisiana company | Mexican brand | Often New Mexico or Arizona grown; varies | New Mexico, if lawful |
| Price per ounce at Saguaro | About $1.30 (planned) | Unknown; check in store | Unknown; check in store | Unknown; check in store | Seasonal; unknown | Unknown |
| In-store visibility | None yet | High; national promotion | High; national promotion | High in Hispanic foods aisle | Seasonal freezer displays | Unknown |
Where Rio Seco Can Win
Rio Seco has one attribute no national hot sauce shares: a roasted green chile flavor with a New Mexico origin claim that state law protects. Under the New Mexico Chile Advertising Act, a product cannot be labeled or advertised as containing New Mexico chile unless New Mexico farms grew it (N.M. Stat. § 25-11-3). Cholula and Tabasco compete on familiarity and price per ounce, and they are vinegar-forward table sauces rather than chile-forward sauces, so a shopper looking specifically for green chile flavor has few shelf-stable choices. Against frozen green chile, Rio Seco offers convenience: a bottle that sits in the pantry and goes on eggs or tacos without thawing or cooking. That combination, green chile flavor in a ready-to-use bottle with a protected origin, is where Rio Seco can win.
Where Rio Seco Cannot Win
Rio Seco cannot win on price, reach or promotional spending. The national hot sauces are backed by some of the largest food companies in the country, have years of shelf presence and can fund promotions a firm with a $38,000 marketing budget cannot approach. It will not win the shopper who wants a salsa verde for chips, since Herdez's tomatillo sauce serves that use better and is already established in the Hispanic foods aisle. It will not win the committed cook who buys a case of frozen roasted chile every fall and wants an unseasoned ingredient. And among other New Mexico chile sauces, it has no clear advantage on origin, since any lawful competitor makes the same claim; there it must win on flavor and presentation, which requires tasting.
Naming these limits keeps the plan from spending money where it cannot succeed. The segmentation work in Unit 3 should therefore look for shoppers who want green chile flavor but not the effort of cooking with frozen chile, and the positioning in Unit 4 should be stated against national hot sauces, not against salsa verde or frozen chile.
What to Check Before Launch
Three unknowns must be resolved during the owners' first visit to Saguaro stores: shelf prices per ounce for the national sauces and any New Mexico chile sauces already stocked, the aisle and shelf height where each sits, and whether any other New Mexico chile sauce is carried. These facts will decide the price point and the in-store tactics in Unit 7. Rio Seco Chile Company and Saguaro Market are composites created for this course; the national brands and their ownership are real and are described only from published sources.
References
Bergen, M., & Peteraf, M. A. (2002). Competitor identification and competitor analysis: A broad-based managerial approach. Managerial and Decision Economics, 23(4-5), 157-169. https://doi.org/10.1002/mde.1059
Hormel Foods. (n.d.). MegaMex Foods, LLC. https://www.hormelfoods.com/about/our-family/megamex-foods-llc/
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Marketing management (15th ed.). Pearson.
McCormick & Company. (2020, November 30). McCormick completes acquisition of Cholula hot sauce [Press release]. https://ir.mccormick.com/news-releases/news-release-details/mccormick-completes-acquisition-cholula-hot-sauce
N.M. Stat. § 25-11-3 (2025).
Reading the BU 323 Unit 2 instructions
For Unit 2 of this marketing course, students analyze the competitors their chosen firm faces. Most versions want a rationale for which competitors are included, a comparison table across several attributes, sources for the information and a discussion of the firm's competitive advantages and weaknesses. Many rubrics ask you to consider indirect competitors and substitutes, not only brands in the same category. Instructors reward honesty about missing information over invented figures. The attributes should be ones buyers care about. The section typically runs three to four pages with a table, and sources such as company press releases, annual reports and store visits should be cited in APA 7.
How this BU 323 Unit 2 example is built
The sample explains its selection rule first, citing research on competitor identification, and names four groups a shopper might substitute along with one group deliberately excluded. It then explains why five attributes were chosen and why several cells are unknown. The comparison table runs those attributes across all six columns, including the firm itself. A section on where the brand can win points to the protected origin claim and ready-to-use format. A section on where it cannot win names price, reach, salsa uses, scratch cooks and parity with other New Mexico brands, and draws implications for targeting and positioning. The close lists the unknowns to check during the first store visits.
Reading the BU 323 Unit 2 rubric
The rubric for this analysis generally weighs the logic of competitor selection, the quality of the comparison, use of sources and the strategic conclusions. Selection earns full points when the writer explains why each competitor belongs, ideally from the buyer's perspective, and why others were left out. The comparison is judged by consistent attributes applied to every competitor. Sources score best when each cell is either supported or honestly marked unknown. The conclusions criterion is often weighted heavily and rewards papers that name where the firm cannot compete as clearly as where it can, as the sample does. The last points go to tidy tables and accurate APA citations.
BU 323 Unit 2 help: mistakes that cost points
A frequent Unit 2 error is listing every company in an industry instead of the rivals buyers actually weigh. Another is comparing different attributes for different competitors, which makes the table useless. Students often invent market share or price figures they cannot source. Indirect competitors, such as a different product that serves the same use, are commonly missed. Some papers describe competitors' histories at length without comparing anything. Finally, resist the urge to claim the firm wins everywhere; a competitor analysis that admits where the firm is weak gives the rest of the plan a realistic foundation and usually scores higher. A short note on how each source was found, such as a press release or a store visit, lets the instructor judge its reliability.
Get a BU 323 Unit 2 example written to your instructions
Forward the Unit 2 instructions with your BU 323 rubric and the competitor set if the assignment fixes one. We write a custom example that argues the selection by substitution, holds the same attributes across every column, leaves unknown cells unknown and closes on ground the plan should not contest. First custom sample free, returned in 24 to 48 hours.
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- BU 323 Unit 7: Tactics and budget
- BU 323 Unit 8: Complete marketing plan
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BU 323 Unit 2 questions, answered
How many competitors belong in the table?
Three or four is usually right unless the instructions set a number. Beyond that the attributes get thin and the table stops being read. Include one direct rival, one that solves the same problem differently and, where it applies, the option of the buyer doing nothing, which is a real competitor and almost never appears in a first draft.
Where does competitor information come from?
Published material only: their own site and pricing pages, annual reports where the firm is listed, trade coverage, job postings, customer reviews and packaging. Record the date you looked, because prices and claims move. Where an attribute cannot be established from public sources, write that it is unknown rather than estimating, since the table is supposed to be checkable.
Should I include indirect competitors?
Usually yes, and they are often the more interesting rows. A buyer solving the problem another way, or deciding to keep what they already have, is competing for the same money as the firms in your category. Check whether the instructions restrict the set. Where they do not, one indirect entry with the substitution reasoning shown adds more than a fourth direct rival.
Where can I find a free BU 323 Unit 2 sample paper?
A free copy of the BU 323 Unit 2 competitor analysis, table and all, is shown above. If you are analyzing rivals for a different brand, share the assignment with a few details about your firm, and the desk will draft a custom analysis for you at no cost, normally inside 48 hours.
Should BU 323 Unit 2 include indirect competitors?
Yes, when buyers would choose them instead. The sample includes salsa verde and frozen roasted chile because an Arizona shopper might buy either in place of a green chile table sauce. Leaving substitutes out can make a firm look more unique than it is.