Marketing Planning Assignment

Page 1 of 7 ARUBAV2MP26 Marketing Planning Assignment Date for Submission: 17th October 2017 (14:00 BST) Page 2 of 7 Assignment Brief As part of the formal assessment for Marketing Planning you are required to submit a Marketing Planning assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments. Learning Outcomes: After completing the module the student should be able to: 1. Critically appraise an organisation’s marketing mix and suggest improvements. 2. Apply appropriate tools & techniques to audit a marketing environment and propose realistic responses. 3. Critically apply marketing concepts in different contexts and consider the implications for marketing planning including international, product/service marketing, e-marketing, changing routes to market, ethical and sustainability considerations. 4. Develop, justify & evaluate a realistic marketing plan for an organisation. Your assignment should include: a title page containing your student number, the module name, the submission deadline and a word count; the appendices if relevant; and a reference list in Arden University (AU) Harvard format. You should address all the elements of the assignment task listed below. Please note that tutors will use the assessment criteria set out below in assessing your work. Maximum word count: 3000 words (maximum) Please note that exceeding the word count will result in a reduction in grade proportionate to the number of words used in excess of the permitted limit. Page 3 of 7 Assignment Task You may base this assessment on your own chosen organisation (only if agreed with your tutor in advance via email sheaton@arden.ac.uk) or follow the scenario provided below: Scenario: Competition in the gymnasium market is continuing to grow internationally, and thus brands are turning to innovation as a way to stay ahead of existing competitors as well as new entrants. This includes for example, alternative training methods, holistic body/mind care as well as showing movies on demand for clients. Additionally, one of the threats traditional gymnasiums face is the growth of the low-cost/budget gymnasium (see for example, http://www.easygym.co.uk). Conduct some research into the market, and base your assignment on the introduction of an innovative gymnasium concept, (including the possibility of a budget offer if this doesn’t exist to any great extent in your chosen market already) in a country of your choice. Following on from this, you are asked to prepare a creative, robust and fully-justified marketing plan for a new entrant gymnasium. Instructions Develop a Marketing Feasibility Report to address the needs of this task including both appropriate (referenced) marketing theory as well as practical application. It should be structured as follows: 1) Front cover. 2) Executive summary (summarising the main findings of the report and reflecting on the value of marketing planning to the organisation). 3) Contents page. 4) Situational analysis based on a PESTLE analysis which should analyse and evaluate any country-specific issues as well as any specific issues pertaining to the industry via an assessment of Porter’s Five Forces, ensuring that your recommendations going forward reflect the findings of this section. 5) Marketing objectives (using the SMART format). 6) Marketing plan (strategy and tactical details). To include: segmentation, targeting and positioning analysis; marketing mix development (including the value of e-marketing & sustainability issues for the business) (use 7P’s rather than 4P’s here). 7) An outline promotional plan and marketing budget for the promotional launch of the concept (schedule, timings, DRIP/Burst campaign? spend on different promotional tools incl. social media). 8) Conclusions, recommendations and summary. 9) Appendices. This must include biography, references and any other relevant material. Page 4 of 7 Formative Feedback You have the opportunity to submit a draft plan in order to receive formative feedback. The feedback is designed to help you develop areas of your work and it helps you develop your skills as an independent learner. Your work must be submitted to myself via sheaton@arden.ac.uk at least two weeks prior to the submission date. This is to allow time for you to reflect on the feedback and draft your final submission. Guidelines You MUST underpin your analysis and evaluation of the key issues with appropriate and wide ranging academic research and ensure this is referenced using the AU Harvard system. The My Study Skills Area contains the following useful resources: Guide to Harvard Referencing http://moodle.bl.rdi.co.uk/guides/HarvardRef/AU_Harvard_Quick_Ref_Guide.pdf Guide to Harvard Citation http://moodle.bl.rdi.co.uk/guides/HarvardRef/AU_Guide_to_Harvard_Citation.pdf You must use the AU Harvard Referencing method in your assignment. Additional notes: Students are required to indicate the exact word count on the title page of the assessment. The word count excludes the title page, executive summary, reference list and appendices. Where assessment questions have been reprinted from the assessment brief these will also be excluded from the word count. ALL other printed words ARE included in the word count. Printed words include those contained within charts and tables. See ‘Word Count Policy’ on the homepage of this module for more information. Assignments submitted late will not be accepted and will be marked as a 0% fail. Your assessment should be submitted as a single Word (MS Word) or PDF file. For more information please see the “Guide to Submitting an Assignment” document available on the module page on iLearn. You must ensure that the submitted assignment is all your own work and that all sources used are correctly attributed. Penalties apply to assignments which show evidence of academic unfair practice. (See the Student Handbook which is on the homepage of your module and also in the Induction Area) Page 5 of 7 Section Sub-Sections Learning Outcome(s) Executive summary (10%) This should not be an introduction and terms of reference. It should be a summarised account of the key issues and recommendations of the report. Develop, justify & evaluate a realistic marketing plan for an organisation. Critically appraise an organisation’s marketing and suggest improvements. Situation Analysis (25%) External Analysis: PESTLE analysis – selecting main factors for discussion only – be selective here Apply appropriate tools & techniques to audit a marketing environment and propose realistic responses. Competitor Analysis: Analysis of the competitive forces using Porter’s Five Forces. Summative findings only Marketing Objectives (10%) New Product: brief description of the concept & the benefits offered to customers. Develop justify and evaluate a realistic marketing plan for an organisation. Marketing Objectives: these should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and set within a given time frame (SMART with much of the emphasis here is on realistic!) Marketing Plan (35%) Market Segmentation: apply relevant segmentation criteria. Critically apply marketing concepts in different contexts and consider the implications for marketing planning including international, product/service marketing, e-marketing, changing routes to market, ethical and sustainability considerations Develop, justify & evaluate a realistic marketing plan for an organisation Target Market: describe the chosen target market (s), explaining your reasoning Positioning and Differentiation: Explain how the target market should perceive the Brand / Product / Business. Marketing Mix: Outline the product, pricing strategy, promotional strategy and the distribution plans and where appropriate the 3P’s of the service mix – People, Process and Physical Evidence.. Marketing Mix Contexts – Global, Sustainability and E-Business: Outline how the marketing mix will meet environmental aims. Outline Promotional Plan and Marketing Budget (10%) Using your indicative promotional plans (related to the marketing mix above) as a basis, calculate the costs of marketing the concept (don’t ignore social media here and also bear in mind your target audience(s). Develop, justify & evaluate a realistic marketing plan for an organisation Conclusions and Recommendations (10%) Conclude the main points of the report and then develop some specific recommendations on how the firm should proceed from this point in implementation of the plan, recognising any limitations in marketing planning. Develop and implement a marketing plan for the Brand. Establish a broad base of marketing knowledge and the strategic implications. Page 6 of 7 Assessment Criteria (Learning objectives covered – all) Page 7 of 7