First, pick a company that is dominating its industry (e.g., it’s clearly the top, or top two, company in its field in terms of revenue, brand recognition, ranking, etc).  

Next, pick a challenger in the same industry who is trying make headway and compete with this sector-leader (think upstart, newer entrant in the same field).

Then, research each company’s marketing mix (focusing on their leading product).  

For your essay, address each of the following:  

• Briefly introduce the two companies you chose.
• In doing so, summarize what you learned about their marketing mix*.
• For the challenger: discuss how their approach to the marketing mix  attempts to differentiate from and compete with the dominant player. 
• Wrap up: Share two marketing recommendations to strengthen or improve the challenger’s competitiveness, appeal, etc.