Unit 2 Marketing Essentials

1.1 Introduction

This unit is designed to introduce students to the principles of marketing, enabling them to develop a basic marketing plan and to employ elements of the marketing mix to achieve results. While they will learn the underpinning theories and frameworks, they will also be able to relate these to real-world examples, including products/services that they encounter in their own daily lives.
Organisations such as Apple, Google, VISA, Burberry, Zara, Cadbury, Nestle, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Unicef, BP and small local businesses all have at least one thing in common: they all use marketing to influence us to engage with their products and/or services. Whether it is becoming a loyal customer buying a product and service or donating to a charity, organisations use a range of marketing techniques and tools to inform and influence us.
The knowledge, understanding and skill sets that students will gain on successfully completing this unit will enhance their career opportunities; whether setting up their own business or being employed by an organisation.

1.2 Learning Outcome

By the end of this unit a student will be able to:
1 Explain the role of marketing and how it interrelates with other functional units of an organisation.
2 Compare ways in which organisations use elements of the marketing mix (7Ps) to achieve overall business objectives.
3 Develop and evaluate a basic marketing plan.

1.3 Essential Content

LO1 Explain the role of marketing and how it interrelates with other functional units of an organisation

Definitions and the marketing concept:

• Definitions of marketing and the nature of marketing.
• The development of the marketing concept, including current and future trends. How the external environment influences and impacts upon marketing activity.
• The role of marketing:
• The structure and operations of marketing departments.
• Overview of marketing processes that include analysis, strategic planning and the marketing mix.
• The different roles of marketing within both a B2C and B2B context.
• The interrelationships of functional units:
• Marketing as a business function.
• The different roles of business units and the interrelationships between these functional units and marketing.

LO2 Compare ways in which organisations use elements of the marketing mix (7Ps) to achieve overall business objectives

The 7Ps marketing mix:

1. Product: Differences between products and services, importance of brands, product development and product lifestyle.
2. Price: Pricing context, pricing strategies and tactics.
3. Place: Channel management, supply chain management and logistics.
4. Promotion: Integrated communication mix and promotional tools.
5. People: The different roles of ‘people’ in marketing, including customer interfacing and support personnel. The different skills, attitudes and behaviour of people delivering the product or service to customers.
6. Physical evidence: The tangible aspects of service delivery − visual, aural and olfactory elements.
7. Process: Systems and processes involved in delivering a consistent service. Different types of processes used to expedite the marketing function.

Achieving overall business objectives:

• The shift from the 4Ps to the 7Ps and the significance of the extended marketing mix.
• An overview of the marketing planning process (Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control) and marketing strategy.

LO3 Develop and evaluate a basic marketing plan

Marketing planning:

• The importance and value of marketing plans.
• The links between marketing plans, marketing objectives and marketing strategies.
• Evaluating and monitoring marketing plans using appropriate control and evaluation techniques such as sales analysis, market-share analysis, efficiency ratios and cost-profitability analysis.
• Structure and development of marketing plans:
• Market segmentation and target market selection.
• Setting goals and objectives, situational analysis tools and techniques, creating a marketing strategy and allocation of resources and monitoring and control measures.
• Collective agreements.
• Discipline, grievances and redundancy − best practice.

Recommended Resources

GROUCUTT, J. and HOPKINS, C. (2015) Marketing (Business Briefings). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
JOBBER, D. and CHADWICK, F. (2012) Principles and Practice of Marketing. 7th Ed. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill.
KOTLER, P. and ARMSTRONG, G. (2013) Principles of Marketing. London: Prentice Hall.
MCDONALD, M. and WILSON, H. (2011) Marketing Plans: How to Prepare Them, How to Use Them. 7th Ed. Chichester: John Riley and Sons.
Journals
Journal of Marketing
Harvard Business Review
Websites
American Marketing Association                            www.ama.org
Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK)                  www.cim.co.uk
Links
This unit links to the following related units:
Unit 1: Business and the Business Environment
Unit 22: Product and Service Development
Unit 23: Integrated Marketing Communications
Unit 37: Consumer Behaviour and Insight
Unit 40: International Marketing
Purpose of this assignment
This unit is designed to introduce students to the marketing principles , enabling them to develop a basic marketing plan and to employ elements of the marketing mix to achieve results. While they will learn the underpinning theories and frameworks, they will also be able to relate these to real-world examples, including products/services that they encounter in their own daily lives.
Organisations such as Apple, Google, VISA, Burberry, Zara, Cadbury, Nestle, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Unicef, BP and small local businesses all have at least one thing in common: they all use marketing to influence us to engage with their products and/or services. Whether it is becoming a loyal customer buying a product and service or donating to a charity, organisations use a range of marketing techniques and tools to inform and influence us.
The knowledge, understanding and skill sets that students will gain on successfully completing this unit will enhance their career opportunities; whether setting up their own business or being employed by an organisation.

Task 1

You are a newly appointed marketing manager of EE Limited (a mobile phone company in UK) and have noticed poor cross functional communication and a lack of marketing orientation throughout the organisation. In order to address these challenges, you believe there is a need for a management meeting where you would explain the role of marketing and how it interrelates with other functional units of the organisation in a presentation.
Using the above scenario or similar research, you are required to prepare approximately 8 PowerPoint Slides and your speaker notes of approximately two sides of A4 addressing Task 1 which should:

• Introduce the concept of marketing, including current and future trends.
• Give an overview of the different marketing processes
• Explain the key roles and responsibilities of the marketing manager at EE Limited.
• Explain how roles and responsibilities of marketing influence and interrelates with other functional departments of EE Limited.
• Address the values and importance of the marketing role in the context of EE Limited.
• Emphasise the significance of having effective interrelationships between different functional departments of EE Limited.
  The presentation slides and speaker notes should be submitted as one copy. You are to make effective use of PowerPoint headings, bullet points and subsections as appropriate. Your research should be referenced using the Harvard referencing system. Please also provide a bibliography using the Harvard referencing system.

Task 2

You have been promoted as the new Marketing Director for EE Limited. The first objective you have been set is to research the competition and produce a marketing plan based on your findings. Your research should be referenced using the Harvard referencing system. Please also provide a bibliography using the Harvard referencing system.
You are required to write a report to the Board. Your report needs to clearly address the following:
Task 2a: Compare how EE Limited and another competitor of your choice apply the various elements of the extended marketing mix to the marketing planning process to achieve business objectives. The recommended word count is 1,000–1,500 words
Task 2b: Produce a marketing plan of approximately 2000 words to meet EE’s marketing goals and objectives. The extended elements of the marketing mix should be addressed in your marketing plan.
The following outline could serve as a guide for your marketing plan:

• Executive
• Company Overview
• Current Marketing Situation Analysis
  • Internal analysis
  • External analysis
  • SWOT analysis
• Objectives
• Strategy
• Segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP)
• Tactics & Action
• Budget
• Control
• Conclusion

You may include an appendix as appropriate.