M01 · Introductory
M01 · Applied project
Lantern’s marketing foundations for 2027
Fictional case
It is December 2026. Lantern Coffee’s catering for offices and events has grown to 18 corporate clients since March, and Ana Lim wants it to be bringing in a quarter more revenue a year by the end of 2027. A larger rival, Brewline Catering, has been winning bids with self-serve urns and pod machines at a lower price. Ana has interviewed 12 of her clients and asked you to help her build the foundations of a marketing plan: who buys and how, what a client is worth, where Lantern stands, what to aim for and how to compete. Lantern, its clients, Brewline and every figure are fictional.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Corporate catering clients | 18 |
| Events a client books a year | about 6 |
| Revenue per event | $820 |
| Contribution margin ratio on catering | 45% of revenue |
| Clients expected to stay from one year to the next (Ana’s estimate) | 61% |
| Lantern’s price per head | $9.00 |
| Brewline Catering’s price per head | $7.50 |
| Cost to win a new client (tastings and Ana’s time) | $600 |
In the interviews, clients gave several reasons each for choosing Lantern: coffee quality (9 of 12), reliability on the day (7), the baristas’ professionalism (6), flexible menus (4) and price (2). Lantern lost 5 bids in 2026, all to Brewline on price.
Ana is the only person at Lantern who sells to corporate clients. Looking ahead to 2027, two new office buildings with about 1,200 desks open in Lantern’s district, and Brewline is adding a second van to serve it. Several of Lantern’s clients besides Harbor Tech have told Ana they are acting on staff engagement surveys.
Harbor Tech, a 300-person software firm and one of Lantern’s first clients, shows how a corporate client buys. Hana Hallett, the office manager, finds suppliers, books events and signs orders up to $2,000. Tom Okoye, the finance director, approves any supplier contract over $2,000 and sets the budget. Lena Brooks, the head of people, raised the idea of better coffee at staff events after an engagement survey. About 300 staff drink the coffee and fill in the feedback form. Marco Diaz, the reception lead, decides which sales calls and samples reach Hana.
What you will produce
- A map of Harbor Tech’s buying centre and the buying situation for each kind of sale.
- A client’s annual margin and lifetime value, compared with the cost of winning one.
- A SWOT for Lantern’s catering built from the facts.
- A 2027 objective with the number of new clients it needs.
- A recommended competitive strategy against Brewline, in about 200–300 words.
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