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Marketing Assignments

TASK 1:

What changing perspectives in marketing planning affect


Starbucks?
Marketing is defined as the set of institutions, activities and processes for producing,
communicate, exchanging and delivering the companys offers (products or services) to
the specific audience (customers, partners, clients and society). Marketing is also
considered as the process by which organizations create value for the customers,
partners, and other stakeholders by delivering their desirable products, services or
ideas (Robert, 2008). The marketing planning refers to the sequential process by which
overall marketing objectives, goals and operations are decided by the organization. In
the changing environment, marketing planning is also subjected to several changes.
The old perspective of the marketing planning was more related with the media and
advertisement reach whereas the new perspective of marketing planning is more
aligned with customers. Starbucks has been developing its marketing plans in
consideration with the needs and wants of customers. Within this new perspective,
Starbucks needs to create a substantial level of trust with the customers through
appropriate customer relationship strategies. In addition, the marketing plans are
developed after conducting appropriate market research with the customers to assess
their needs and wants.

Task 2:

How capable is Starbucks of planning its future marketing


activity?
Starbucks has been developing appropriate measures to market its products and
services. The capability of marketing of Starbucks is assessed through its success in
several markets. The highly developed marketing team of the company has potential to
develop appropriate plans and strategies to meet the needs of customers. In this
regard, Starbucks hires skilled marketing managers who have wide scope and potential
to assess the needs of customers. Moreover, it also ensures creativity and innovation in
the marketing plans. In the competitive market, the innovative and creative marketing
ideas of Starbucks are sustained for the long term. Consequently, it leads to success of
marketing activities of the company.

TASK 3:

Assess the main barriers to marketing planning that


Starbucks might face and examine how Starbucks may
overcome barriers to marketing planning?
Marketing planning is an important activity in the organizations which needs to be
conducted in the logical sequence for defining marketing objectives and drawing the
plans for achieving those objectives. While conducting marketing planning, Starbucks
may face several challenges or barriers. Some of the barriers faced by Starbucks in
marketing planning are as follows:

Environmental barriers: The current legal, social, technological and cultural norms and
regulations form the external environment of the Starbucks which may pose many
barriers to the marketing planning of the company (Duncan and Tom2002). All these
factors may limit the ways by which Starbucks interacts with the environment or
responds to the environmental changes. The regulations of business may prevent the
Starbucks to conduct the survey for comparison its products with those of competitors.
In some markets, availability of skilled workforce for conducting survey with customers
is also one of the barriers faced by Starbucks. To overcome these barriers, Starbucks
often conducts online surveys and takes feedback of customers regarding its products
and services. These surveys provide important input to the management in the
marketing planning process.

Cultural Barriers: Culture is the combination of the beliefs, knowledge, customs, moral
values, attitudes and other values and capabilities shared by a group of people in a
society or organization. Within the organizations, culture plays an important role in
defining performance of employees. In perspective of marketing planning,
organizational culture impedes the efficiency and effectiveness of employees and
managers when they lack belief in the planning. The internal culture of Starbucks
supports the marketing plan because all employees and managers belief in their plans.
However, the culture of particular countries for which marketing plans are developed
may pose barriers to the effectiveness of the marketing plans of the company. In some
markets, the people may not behave as they pretend in the surveys. In such situations,
the plans developed may not get successful.

Behavioral Barriers: the behavioral workforce also influences the effectiveness and
efficiency of the marketing plan in a broad way. For instance, a conservative and risk
aversive team may get extra time to test the marketing methods which may generate
steady returns and sales growth. In such situations, the marketing plans may get
delayed. On the other hand, a marketing team with risk taker managers may lead to
aggressive marketing with innovative ideas and concepts. In the Starbucks, the
behavioral barriers to marketing planning are managed effectively by combination of risk
takers and risk aversive people in the marketing teams.

Cognitive Barriers: These barriers may arise because of ineffective people involved in
the marketing planning. Lack of knowledge, competencies and skilled people may lead
to ineffective marketing planning. Without appropriate skills and competencies,
managers cannot develop effective plans to carry marketing activities. In the Starbucks,
cognitive barriers to marketing planning are overcome by hiring skilled and competent
workforce in the marketing team.

TASK 4:

Explain the marketing planning is essential in the


strategic planning process of Starbucks and how the
factors affecting the implementation of marketing plan
have been taking into account?
In the todays markets, the businesses can only get success by creating and keeping
customers. Companies do this by providing long term value to customers in several
respects (Kotler et al., 2001). In this regard, marketing management is very important
because it assesses the needs of customers and develops appropriate products and
services for satisfying those needs. Within marketing management, marketing planning
is one of the most important tools which provide a framework for creating customers for
the company. Within marketing planning, one problem arises from the environment in
which business operates. The external environment keeps on changing. Therefore,
businesses like Starbucks also need to adapt to these changes for surviving in the
market (Baines et al., 2008). In this respect, marketing planning plays very important
role because it provides framework (by developing new products, services, and
marketing strategies) to the organizations to adapt to a new market. The strategic
planning provides future direction to the organization and is also related with the
decision making about finance, operations, and other business issues (Hill and Jones,
2008). The strategic planning sets the overall direction for the company and provides it
a layout or framework so that its products and services fit into the framework for
achieving business objectives. Within overall strategic planning, marketing planning
plays key role because it maintains a link between the environment and the business.
Within a large and international business organization such as Starbucks, the hundreds
of customer and several markets are involved. Therefore, marketing planning in the
Starbucks need o be conducted effectively (Robert, 2008). The marketing plan in
association with the strategic plan helps the Starbucks to achieve competitive
advantage by identifying relevant sources, gain commitment to the overall
organizational strategy, get resources for investing in the business, inform stakeholders
about the business and set objectives for performance measurements. In this way,
marketing planning serves as an important support to the strategic planning of the
company.

In the Starbucks, the factors impacting the implementation of marketing plans have
been taken into account with great care. The cultural and social aspects of the products
and services are highly considered. In addition, in different markets the advertisements
of the companys products are conducted in the relevant way so that success of
marketing plans can be enhanced.
TASK 5:

Write a Marketing plan


The marketing plan developed for the marketing of a drink names as The Coconut
Juice. The steps for the marketing plan of the Coconut Juice are as follows:

Marketing Objectives
To attain 15% market share in the first two years

To expand the product portfolio and market after one year

To increase net profit margin of the company to 5% in the second year

Target Market
The target market of the company will be based on the following two factors:

Demographics: It includes age, gender and occupation dimensions

Age: All age groups

Gender: Male and female

Occupation: Students, employees and Businessmen

Behavioral: It include lifestyle and consumption behaviors of customers

Health conscious people

Lifestyle conscious people

Positioning
The positioning refers to the process by which image of the companys products and
services are maintained in the customer minds. The positioning of the new Coconut
Juice will be based on the high quality and fresh juice. Pure Coconut ingredients will be
used for the production of the Coconut Juice. In addition, the prices of the products will
not be very high. In addition, the advertisements of the products will be developed by
portraying its high quality image.
Marketing Mix
Product:

The product planed to be offered in the market is Coconut Juice. Fresh high quality
product will be introduced.

Price:

The pricing strategy of the Coconut Juice will be based on the penetration pricing.
Therefore, initially the product will be offered with low price to get a substantial market
share. However, after 6 months, the prices of the product will be marginally raised in
alignment with the other competitors prices.

Promotions:

The promotions of the product will be conducted through advertisements, personnel


selling and sponsorships. Local sports events will be sponsored by the company. In
addition, the product will be promoted to the colleges and schools through personal
selling. However, the mass market will be caught through mass media such as
television advertisement and social media marketing.

Place:

The distribution of the products of company will be conducted through trained sales
force. The products will be placed in the retail stores, supermarkets and major food
chains. In addition, the products will also be placed in the local schools and colleges.

Controls
The performance of the marketing plan will be gradually assessed and measured
periodically. In case of low performance, appropriate measures and control mechanisms
will be taken.
TASK 6:

What are techniques of Auditing and analyzing the


external factors for analyzing the marketing planning
adopted by Starbucks?
For analyzing the effectiveness of marketing plans, several techniques and tools have
been devised. The most important tools in this regard are PEST analysis and SWOT
analysis which determine the extent to which marketing plans are successful (Kotler et
al., 2012). Moreover, these two tools also identify the threats and opportunities in the
external environment which serve as input to the organization for future marketing
planning.

PEST Analysis
In this respect, the PEST analysis for Starbucks is as follows:

Political Influences: The political forces determine the extent to which an


organization has suitable relationships with the political forces which re
responsible for developing policies and rules for the business world. Within
context of Starbucks, it needs to assess its relationships with the respective
governments and coffee producing nations. This is because in the absence of
suitable relationship with coffee producing countries, the supply of raw materials
can be disturbed which undermines the success of the company. In addition, it
also needs to keep suitable relationships with the local and state governments.

Economic Influences: the economic factors determine that whether there would
be constant demand of beverages and food. The economical factors such as
exchange rates and interest rates may influence on prices of products and also
influence the purchasing power of customers. Starbucks needs to align its
marketing planning with the overall economic factors to ensure competitive
advantage.

Social Influences: The social factors such as religion, customs and rituals may
influence the consumer preferences. While operating in the international market,
Starbucks needs to consider the social factors before developing its marketing
plans. For instance, the advertisements of the company need to be developed
after considering social and cultural factors. Any tool of language used in the
advertisement which is not acceptable in a particular society may undermine the
success of the entire marketing plan.

Technological Influences: Finally, the technological developments are also


considered by the organizations for developing their marketing efforts. The use of
technology can improve the efficiency of the organizational operations. With
respect to Starbucks, the use of technology is important for preparing coffee and
its related products. Changes in technology may also influence the company to
amend its operations.

SWOT Analysis
The SWOT analysis is one of the most important strategic tools which determine the
strengths and weaknesses of the organization and also identify the respective threats
and opportunities available to the company. The SWOT analysis for Starbucks is as
follows:

Strengths: the Starbucks has the largest market share in the industry. This
largest market share gives it a competitive edge on resources required to run the
business. In addition, the environment of the business is also differentiated which
gives it a competitive edge in the market. Moreover, the brand image is also very
strong which identified and appreciated by the customers.

Weaknesses: Despite of the strong brand image and market share, Starbucks
faces certain limitations. The aggressive marketing strategy of the company may
lead to the functional and managerial problems. This can ultimately lead to long
term problems within the organization.

Opportunities: Starbucks has already expanded in several markets of the world.


However, there are some markets where it can enter to diversify the potential risk
in business. There is opportunity for Starbucks to sell coffee beans in the
wholesale market.
Threats: Starbucks does not own the coffee farms. This lack of ownership is a
severe threat to the company in terms of price fluctuations. This is because the
coffee farm owners have authority to manipulate the prices and supply of coffee
beans.

TASK 7:

Plan marketing mixes with two different market segments


of Starbucks?
Marketing Mix Element Consumer Segment Business Segment
Product Coffee, beverages Coffee beans
Place Companys stores Supermarkets
Price Competitive prices Competitive prices
Promotions TV advertisements, social Industry magazines,
media advertisements, personnel selling
discounts in stores

TASK 8:

Explain how ethical issues influence marketing planning?

The success of marketing planning process is subjected to certain ethical issues. The
ethical issues in marketing can raise certain disagreements and conflicts among
different parties (Ireland, 2003). Each part in the marketing planning process has certain
expectations. The fulfillment of these expectations is further subjected to ethical issues
outlined as below:

Market Research: the ethical issues regarding the invasion of companies in customer
privacy and stereotyping exist in the market research phase. The stereotyping in the
assessment of customer needs can lead to the failure of marketing plans and may also
raise ethical issues. In addition, stereotyping in the marketing research about the
cultural and social considerations may produce drastic results when people in a
particular society behave otherwise as predicted.
Ethics in Advertising and Promotion: within marketing planning, organizations need
to consider that they have substantial mechanisms for advertisements and promotions
in alignment with the ethical considerations (Smith and Taylor, 2004). The ethical issues
in the advertisement may arise by using children for the promotions of particular
products which are not associated with the children. In addition, the ethical issues in
marketing may also arise because of cultural and social values.
Starbucks has adopted appropriate policy for overcoming the ethical issues within
marketing planning. It has produced certain ethical guidelines which serve as standards
and principles for the overall marketing activities of the company. Starbucks has
introduced the degree of morality in its marketing planning.

TASK 9:

Illustrate the difference in marketing products and


services to organizations rather than consumers.
The marketing of products and services differ when it is considered from business-to
business and business-to-customer perspectives. While marketing the products to a
business, organizations adopt a different view and plan as compared to marketing
products and services to customers. This is because of difference in nature of products
and relationships with the other party (McDonald, 2001). When Starbucks conducts
marketing of its products to a company i.e. Barking and Degenham College, it prefers
personnel selling. The marketing representatives of the company may contact
personally or via mail or phone with the college for the marketing or companys
products. Moreover, the company can also market its products to the college magazines
or industry magazines while targeting a company. On the other hand, when Starbucks
decides about marketing of its products to end customers, it mostly relies on the mass
media such as TV advertisements, newspapers and internet marketing.
TASK 10:

Show how and why domestic and international marketing


differs.
The domestic and international markets differ in several respects. The marketing is the
process by which customer needs are assessed and satisfied by offering different
products and services. Within the domestic market, the needs and wants of customers
are same and do not differ to a great extent (Randall, 2001). Therefore, the marketing
plan developed for the local customers can be run on the whole domestic market. On
the other hand, the international market is composed of several markets in which
customers from wide societies and cultures are included. In this market, the companies
face more difficulties to satisfy the needs and wants of customers because of high level
diversity in customers. The marketing in international market differs from cultural and
social perspectives. The companies need to consider that that a marketing plan
developed for one market may not be successful for the second market. For instance, if
Starbucks plans to offer food products in its Indian market, it must offer only those
products which are compatible with Indian culture. In case of incompatibility of products
with particular culture, the marketing strategies get failed. Moreover, international
market involves several factors which incorporate high risk in the international markets.
Therefore, Starbucks needs to adopt a careful view while developing plans for a
domestic market and for an international market.
References

Baines, P., Fill, C., Page, K. 2008. Marketing: Case insight. 1st Edition. Oxford:
Oxford University Press
Duncan and Tom (2002), IMC, Using Advertising and Promotion to Build Brands,
McGraw-Hill Irwin, USA
Hill, C.W.L. and Jones, G.R., (2008). Essentials of strategic Management. 2nd
ed. Ohio:South Western Cengage Limited.
Ireland, 2003, Hoskisson, Understanding Business Strategy. SOUTH WESTERN.
Kotler, P, Armstrong, G, Saunders, J and Wong, V, (2001), Principles of
Marketing: Third European Edition, Prentice Hall, Harlow
Kotler, Philip & Keller, L. Kevin (2012). Marketing Management 14e. Pearson
Education Limited 2012
McDonald, M. (2001) Marketing Plans. How to prepare them, how to use the. 4th
edition, Butterworth Heinenamm
Robert M. (2008). Strategy Analysis . London
Randall, G. (2001) Principles of Marketing, 2nd edition, Thomson Learning.
Smith, P., Taylor, J. 2004. Marketing communications: an integrated approach.
4th Edition. Kogan Page Publishers

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