2014

Marketing Management II
Individual Assignment
Prajakta Talathi (GSEP13CMM031)

The assignment describes in detail the purpose of marketing in an organization and why marketing is
the core and central process of an organization. This assignment also highlights the key issues faced
while implementing marketing strategies and how to handle them. Lastly, it identifies the benefits
and disadvantages of marketing in an organization.

Marketing Management II Individual Assignment

Table of Contents

Is marketing a core and central process for an organisation today? If so why? ................................... 3
Marketing ............................................................................................................................................ 3
Marketing A orga isatio s ore a d e tral process ................................................................... 3
Why? ................................................................................................................................................... 4
What are the key issues that organisation must consider when implementing marketing strategies? 5
Marketing Implementation ................................................................................................................. 5
Key Issues ............................................................................................................................................ 5
Analytical/Operational Resources .................................................................................................. 5
Behavioural ..................................................................................................................................... 5
Organizational ................................................................................................................................. 6
How can an organisation effectively implement these key issues into strategic marketing
approaches? ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Implementing Marketing Strategies ................................................................................................... 7
Marketing Control ............................................................................................................................... 7
Corrective Actions ............................................................................................................................... 7
Strategic Marketing Approaches .................................................................................................... 7
Issues in management commitment or motivation ....................................................................... 8
Meeting Resistance to Change ....................................................................................................... 9
Explore the benefits and disadvantages of marketing for an organisation? ........................................ 10
Marketing .......................................................................................................................................... 10
Benefits of Marketing ....................................................................................................................... 10
Core and Central Process of an Organization ............................................................................... 10
Increasing Customer Value ........................................................................................................... 11
Capturing Market Insights............................................................................................................. 11
Forecasting Demand ..................................................................................................................... 11
Connecting with Customers .......................................................................................................... 12
Building Strong Brands .................................................................................................................. 12
Shaping the Market Offerings ....................................................................................................... 12
Creating Successful Long-term Growth ........................................................................................ 13
Delivering Sustainable Marketing ................................................................................................. 13
Disadvantages of Marketing ............................................................................................................. 13
Forecasting and Estimating ........................................................................................................... 13
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Marketing Management II Individual Assignment

Marketing Myopia......................................................................................................................... 13
Time Consuming............................................................................................................................ 13
Less Product Differentiation ......................................................................................................... 13
Lack of Predictability ..................................................................................................................... 13
Resources ...................................................................................................................................... 13
Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 14

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Marketing Management II Individual Assignment

Is marketing a core and central process for an organisation today? If

so why?
Marketing
Marketing is about identifying and meeting human and social needs (Kotler & Keller, Marketing
Management, 2012) profitably. When directed towards specific objects that might satisfy needs,
needs become wants (Kotler & Keller, Marketing Management, 2012). Marketing is a process of
identifying and converting consumer wants into products and services. Marketing begins with
customers (identify their needs) and ends with customers (satisfy these needs).

Source: (Unger, 2013)

Marketing An organisations core and central process

Customers no longer separate marketing from the product it is the product (French, LaBerge, &
Magill, 2011). Engaging customers today requires commitment from the entire company and a
redefined marketing organisation. In this era of engagement, marketing is the company (French,
LaBerge, & Magill, 2011).

Source: (Melara, 2013)

Marketing is no longer the responsibility of a single department it is a company-wide undertaking
that dri es the o pa ys isio , issio , a d strategi pla i g (Kotler & Keller, Marketing
Management, 2012). An organisation succeeds only when all departments work together to achieve
goals i.e. when engineering designs the right products, finance furnishes the right amount of
funding, purchasing buys the right materials; production makes the right products in the right time,
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Marketing Management II Individual Assignment

and accounting measures profitability in the right ways (Kotler & Keller, Marketing Management,
2012).

Why?
Business processes like finance, operations, accounting, etc. will not matter if there is no sufficient
demand for their products and services. Successful marketing builds demand for the products and
services and marketers must decide what features to design into a new product/service, what prices
to set for the same, where to sell products/ offer services, and how much an organization should
spend on advertising, sales, etc. (Kotler & Keller, Marketing Management, 2012). CEOs today,
recognize the role of marketing in building strong brands and a loyal customer base, intangible
assets which contribute heavily to the value of a firm and helps in making profits. Thus financial
success depends on the holistic characteristic of marketing.

Source: (Kotler & Keller, Marketing Management, 2012)

The set of tasks necessary for successful marketing are (Kotler & Keller, Marketing Management,
2012):

Developing marketing strategies and plans,

Capturing marketing insights,
Connecting with customers,
Building strong brands,
Shaping the market offerings,
Delivering and communicating value, and
Creating long-term growth

To conclude, organisations need to become marketing vehicles, and customer-engagement engines,

responsible for establishing priorities and stimulating dialogue throughout the enterprise as it seeks
to design, build, operate, and renew cutting-edge customer-engagement approaches (French,
LaBerge, & Magill, 2011) which is possible only through marketing.

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Marketing Management II Individual Assignment

What are the key issues that organisation must consider when
implementing marketing strategies?
Marketing Implementation
Marketing implementation is making marketing strategy work by evaluating what is required to
achieve, strategic marketing goals, in a specific organizational environment (Cespedes & Piercy,
1996). Implementation involves actors, intents and "a procedure directed by a manager to install
planned change in an organization" (Nutt, Tactics of Implementation, 1986). While providing a useful
starting point, there are substantial problems with this view of marketing implementation as part of
a logical, rational, goals, strategies, tactics, and sequential flow of missions, which are then
implemented (Cespedes & Piercy, 1996).

Analytical /
Operational
Resources

Key
Issues
Behavioral

Organizational

Key Issues
Key issues that organization must consider when implementing marketing strategies are:
Analytical/Operational Resources
Capability Understanding the real capabilities and practical problems faced as a
company moves into operating through a network of collaborations and strategic
alliances with other companies (Piercy, Cravens, & Morgan, 1998)
Logistics Evaluating the logistical aspects while implementing the marketing strategy
Cost barriers Limiting the costs to the assigned budgets
Behavioural
Market simplification Believing that word-of-mouth or recommendation by customers
is unimportant, the company cannot change to respond to complaints and employees do
not believe that customer satisfaction matters (Piercy N. F., 1998)
Perceived market drivers Believing that market is driven only by technical
specifications and price (Piercy N. F., 1998)

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Marketing Management II Individual Assignment

Organizational
Internal politics Employees do not follow the strategy and manipulate things for own
good
Corporate culture Orga izatio s ore o pete y a d arketi g strategy is ot
aligned
Market complacency Belief that what matters is having the best product and not good
customer relationship
Resistance to change Resistance to change by group and individuals in an organization
(Piercy N. F., 1998).

Source: (McDonough, 2013)

Design Error Many implementation failures occur because organizations develop
routines for implementing strategy, which are taken for granted and rarely challenged
(Argyris, 1985)

At its simplest, the implementation issues has been summarised as "the all too frequent failure to
create change after seemingly viable plans have been designed" (Nutt, Implementation Approaches
for Project Planning, 1983).

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Marketing Management II Individual Assignment

How can an organisation effectively implement these key issues into

strategic marketing approaches?
Implementing Marketing Strategies
Marketing Implementation is the process that turns marketing plans into marketing actions to
accomplish strategic marketing objectives (Kotler & Armstrong, Marketing An Introduction, 2013). If
strategy is Doi g right thi gs the i ple e tatio is Doi g this right . Marketi g pla i g
addresses
hat a d
hy
hereas i ple e tatio addresses
ho ,
here ,
he a d
ho
of arketing activities (Kotler & Armstrong, Marketing An Introduction, 2013). In spite of
doing everything right, marketers experience surprises for which they must practice marketing
control.

Marketing Control
Marketing Control is Measuri g a d e aluati g the results of arketi g strategies a d pla s a d
taking corrective actions to ensure that the objectives are achieved (Kotler & Armstrong, Marketing
An Introduction, 2013).
Steps in controlling the marketing implementation:
Set specific
Marketing Goals

Take corrective
measures to close the
gap between goals and
performance

Measure its
performance in the
marketplace

Evaluate the
differences between
expected and actual
performance

Source: Based on (Kotler & Armstrong, Marketing An Introduction, 2013)

Corrective Actions
Strategic Marketing Approaches
The source and the severity of the issues may vary and hence different approaches are required for
different issues. To begin with, implementation techniques (Cespedes & Piercy, 1996) can be (Nutt,
Implementation Approaches for Project Planning, 1983):
1. Unilateral tactics: Administrative Approach. Manager can make use of authoritative power
and get things done. In case there are some hindrances, he can follow:
Edict the plan

Demonstration or
simulate the strategy

Replace blocking
elements

Structural Change - Place

supporting elements in key
positions

Source: Based on (Greiner, Dalton, Lawrence, & Irwin, 1970)

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Marketing Management II Individual Assignment

2. Manipulative Tactics: Political Approach. Make use of freeze-refreeze process.

Unfreeze

Change

Refreeze

Attempt to reduce the strength of existing patterns of behaviour

Introduce the required new skills and behaviour

Reinforce the new patterns

Source: (Schien & Edgar, 1961)

3. Delegation Tactics: Strategic Approach. Co-opt employees by involving them (Cespedes &
Piercy, 1996).

Cresive

Cultural
Using
Models

Collabo
rative

Comma
nder

Change

Source: Adopted from (Bourgeois & Brodwin, 1984)

Issues in management commitment or motivation
Can be resolved using:
Perceived Inability?
Training and development
Support resources
Formal and informal
encouragement

Failure to accomplish
individual goals?

Disbelief in Strategy?
Investigate on the strategy
Understand clearly the basis
for disagreement, and use
this as a basis for focusing on
what strategy is appropriate
rather than whose strategy is
Fully identify the risks
associated
Make explict the
cause/effect theories

Inducement - additional
payoffs strategy
Persuasion - Talk and
comminicate
Coersion - Use sactions to
change perceptions
Obligation - connect
implementing the strategy to
past favors owed

Source: Based on (Guth & MacMillan, 1986)

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Marketing Management II Individual Assignment

Meeting Resistance to Change

According to (Kotter & Schlesinger, 1979) resistance to change can be dealt using:

Stragies

Education and Communication

Participation and Involvement
Facilitation and Support
Negotiation and Agreement
Manipulation and cooperation
Explicit and Implicit coercion

To conclude, in order to understand marketing implementation issues it is crucial to study the past
and the pressures which may encourage the organization and its people to favour the status quo.

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Marketing Management II Individual Assignment

Explore the benefits and disadvantages of marketing for an

organisation?
Marketing
The marketing process can be explained as (Kotler & Armstrong, Marketing An Introduction, 2013):

Market

Customer Needs

Integrated
Marketing

Profits through
customer
satisfaction

According to (Perrault & McCarthy, 2006) an organization must consider the following before and
after is decides to sell a product.

Analyse the needs

of people

Predict the type of

product required
and which customer
segment requires it

Estimate how many

of them will want to
buy it and when

Determine where is
the product needed
and how will it
reach there

Plan for after sales

service

Analyse
competitors

Decide promotional
strategies to target
the potential
customers

Estimate the price

of the product and
if the organization
will profit from it

Thus, Marketing is a set of activities performed by an organization to satisfy the customers that is
serves (Perrault & McCarthy, 2006). The above set of activities is an example of how the marketing
functions in an organization.

Benefits of Marketing
The following are the benefits of marketing (Adapted from (Kotler & Keller, Marketing Management,
2012):
Core and Central Process of an Organization
Finance, accounting, operations, and other organisational fu tio s o t really atter ithout
sufficient demand for products and services so the firm can make a profit. Thus financial success of
an organization often depends on its marketing ability (Kotler & Keller, Marketing Management,
2012).

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Marketing Management II Individual Assignment

Increasing Customer Value

The task of any business is to deliver value to customers at a profit. In an extremely competitive
economy with increasingly informed buyers faced with enormous choices, an organization can win
only by fine tuning the value delivery process and choosing, providing, and communicating superior
value to the customers.

2. Provide the
value: Use 7Ps.

1. Choose the
value using STP

3. Communicate
the value:
Promotional forces

Customer Value Delivered

Source: Adapted from (Kotler & Keller, Marketing Management, 2012)
Capturing Market Insights
Organization is able to capture market insights using Marketing Intelligence. A marketing intelligence
system is a set of procedures and sources that managers use to obtain everyday information about
developments in the marketing environment (Kotler & Keller, Marketing Management, 2012). The
internal records system supplies data, but the intelligence system supplies happenings.
Forecasting Demand
Marketers help identify business opportunities. An organisation must then measure and forecast the
growth, size, and profit potential for each new opportunity.

Market demand

Company demand

To estimate current demand,

organizations attempt to determine
total market potential, area market
potential, industry sales, and market
share

To estimate future demand,

orga izatio s sur ey uyers
i te tio s, soli it their sales for es
input, gather expert opinions,
analyse past sales, or engage in
market testing

Source: Adapted from (Kotler & Keller, Marketing Management, 2012)

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Marketing Management II Individual Assignment

Connecting with Customers

Organizations benefit by creating long-term loyalty relationships with their customers. This can be
achieved by (Kotler & Keller, Marketing Management, 2012)

Analysing
Consumer
Markets

Connectin
g with
Customers
Identifying
Market
Segments
and
Targets

Analysing
Business
Markets

Building Strong Brands

Marketing helps in building strong product as well as organization brand. It helps in (Kotler & Keller,
Marketing Management, 2012)
Creating
Brand Equity

Building
Strong
Brands
Dealing with
Competitive
Dynamics

Crafting
Brand
Positioning

Shaping the Market Offerings

Marketers classify and differentiate products by:

Setting
Product
Strategy

Shaping
Market
Offering
s
Developing
Pricing
Strategies

Prajakta Talathi GSEP13CMM031

Designing
and
Managing
Services

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Marketing Management II Individual Assignment

Creating Successful Long-term Growth

Marketing plays a crucial role in addressing the challenges faced by the VUCA World by
Introducing
new market
offerings

Shaping
Market
Offerings
Managing
Holistic
Marketing
for the longrun

Tapping
into Global
Markets

Delivering Sustainable Marketing

Marketi gs roader importance extends to society. Marketing has helped in introducing and gaining
acceptance of new products that have eased or e ri hed peoples li es. Successful marketing builds
demand for products and services, which creates jobs. By contributing to the bottom line of the
society, successful marketing allows firms to more fully engage in socially responsible activities
(Kotler & Keller, Marketing Management, 2012).

Disadvantages of Marketing
Forecasting and Estimating
Nothing in Marketing is concrete. It all depends on forecasts and estimates. If the forecast is off the
mark, the company will inadequate or face excess (Kotler & Keller, Marketing Management, 2012).
Marketing Myopia
Marketers make a mistake of paying more attention to the specific product they make than to the
benefits and experiences produced by these products (Kotler & Armstrong, Marketing An
Introduction, 2013).
Time Consuming
Research activities can be more time-consuming and never ending activities.
Less Product Differentiation
Market oriented approach involves spending more time on consumer interaction leaving lesser time
for product differentiation. This can harm the competitive advantage one could have got otherwise.
Lack of Predictability
An organization must respond to perpetual changes observed in consumer wants. Organizations
must move to the new consumer wants and employees need to be aware of what benefits to use in
their sales and marketing strategies.
Resources
Marketers may plan for product development; but fail to see the available resources. Marketing can
be successful only if it has the support of infrastructure, production resources, human skills etc.
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Marketing Management II Individual Assignment

Bibliography

Argyris, C. (1985). Strategy, Change and Defensive Routines.

Bourgeois , L., & Brodwin, D. (1984). Strategic Implementation: Five Approaches. Strategic
Management Journal, 241-264.
Cespedes, F. V., & Piercy, N. F. (1996). Implementing Marketing Strategy. Journal of Marketing
Management, 135-160.
French, T., LaBerge, L., & Magill, P. (2011, July). We're all marketers now. McKinsey Quarterly.
Greiner, L. E., Dalton, G. W., Lawrence, P. R., & Irwin. (1970). Influence and Organizational Change.
Organizational Change and Development.
Guth, W. D., & MacMillan, I. C. (1986). Strategy Implementation Versus Middle Management SelfInterest. Strategic Management Journal, 313-327.
Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (2013). Marketing An Introduction (11 ed.). Harlow, England: Pearson
Education Limited.
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2012). Marketing Management (14 ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2012). Marketing Management. (14). Pearson.
Kotter, J. P., & Schlesinger, L. A. (1979, Mar-Apr). Choosing Strategies for Change. Harvard Business
Review, pp. 106-114.
McDonough, C. (2013, February 07). WHY YOU NEED A THERAPIST WHEN IMPLEMENTING A
MARKETING OPS STRATEGY. Retrieved from Market Spheres:
http://www2.marketspheremarketing.com/blog/bid/218389/Why-you-need-a-therapistwhen-implementing-a-Marketing-Ops-strategy
Melara, D. (2013). Sales & Marketing Strategies to Help Grow Your Business. Retrieved February
2014, from Expert Business Advice: http://www.expertbusinessadvice.com/marketingbasics/sales-and-marketing-strategies-to-help-grow-your-business-224.html
Nutt, P. C. (1983). Implementation Approaches for Project Planning. Academy of Management
Review, 600-611.
Nutt, P. C. (1986). Tactics of Implementation. Academy of Management Journal.
Perrault, W. D., & McCarthy, J. E. (2006). Basic Marketing A Global Managerial Approach. New York:
McGraw Hill.
Piercy, N. F. (1998). Barriers to Implementing Relationship Marketing. Journal of Strategic Marketing,
9-14.
Piercy, N., Cravens, D. W., & Morgan, N. A. (1998). Salesforce performance and behaviour-based
management processes in business-to-business sales organizations. European Journal of
Marketing, 79-100.
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Marketing Management II Individual Assignment

Schien, & Edgar, H. (1961). Coercive Persuasion.

Unger, S. (2013). Ten Marketing Challenges that Can Make or Break Your Business - See more at:
http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/resourceTen marketing challenges that can make or
break your business. Retrieved from Pragmatic Marketing:
http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/resources/ten-marketing-challenges-that-can-makeor-break-your-business

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