Element

15 years Ago

Now, or in the near future

Barrier

Water

Price was lower

High

Price

Distributor

Loek Masthoff.

Not commercial or focussed. Considered biggest market as being the NGO's.

Lead by Prof. Van Cotthem, not the distributor.

A focussed, commercial environment. Has a clear businessplan, with timeframes.

Availability, Credibility

Packaging

Sacks of 20 kg

Buckets of 5 kg, bottles of 750g

Affordability

Marketing

Purely mouth to mouth, counting on the impact of reforestation projects and small horticulture tests.

Small network, in Belgium and in Burkina Faso .

No marketing material.

Information only via Prof.Van Cotthem.

Internet did not exist.

Large network. Dedicated salesforce. Marketing first directed towards early adopters and innovators.

Marketing material: Pamphlets, internet, billboards

Marketing and information

TerraCottem NV

Only bought by Bernard De Vos Q1 1993.

Firm has become more mature. Has more research material.

More proven projects.

Credibility

TerraCottem NV

No dedicated people working.

No marketing plan

No business plan

Dedicated people working on it.

Working systematically on certain markets.

Humanitairan projects

Only in the hands of NGO's. Lack of control by TerraCottem.

They bought TerraCottem at production price, so TerraCottem NV loses money on these projects.

TerraCottem have bigger control and are more in harmony with policy of TerraCottem NV . TerraCottem does not loose money anymore on these projects.

Credibility – (Negative) price – information and marketing – availability

Negative side effects

Only by word of mouth

Proven by the years.

Credibility

Price

400 BEF/kg = 10 EUR/kg

9,55 EUR/kg

Price

Micro-finance

Undeveloped finance technology at that time

Most of Africa is familiar with this way of financing projects

Affordability

NGO's

Mentality: worked in their own corner, very national minded.

Are much more open towards ideas.

Mentality

Economy

Very underdeveloped. Very low communications means. Fixed phones and faxes, but not trustworthy.

More developed, better infrastructure, better communications methods. Mobile phones, trustworthy fixed lines and faxes.

Prof. Van Cotthem

Driving factor behind TerraCottem. Vulnerable for criticism from jealous scientists, no proof for long term use.

Out of the picture, which means TerraCottem can become a mature product.

Credibility

Market development

Only Africa , by starting projects through NGO money.

More financial powerful countries. All but Africa .

Creditbility

TerraCottem

One product – research still on going

One product – Research combined with commercial support.

Credibility - information and marketing

Value line

Import via humanitarian aid towards projects and users which can not afford the product.

Different steps in value line, within every step someone who has a direct advantage that the next step will be taken up to the end client. See also win-win

Availability – affordability – credibility – marketing