Burger King Marketing Plan Analysis

This assignment delves into a comprehensive marketing plan for Burger King. It examines the company's target market, marketing objectives, and strategies employed to achieve them. A detailed SWOT analysis is conducted to assess Burger King's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within the fast-food industry. The plan emphasizes the need for product innovation and market penetration to enhance customer engagement and compete effectively against rivals like McDonald's.

Running Head: MARKETING 1
Marketing Plan: Burger King

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Product Description and Brief History of Company.......................................................................3
SWOT Analysis...............................................................................................................................4
Strengths.......................................................................................................................................4
Weaknesses..................................................................................................................................4
Opportunities................................................................................................................................5
Threats..........................................................................................................................................5
Marketing Objectives.......................................................................................................................5
Target Market Strategy....................................................................................................................6
Marketing Mix.................................................................................................................................7
Product.........................................................................................................................................7
Price.............................................................................................................................................7
Place.............................................................................................................................................8
Promotion.....................................................................................................................................8
Implementation and Control Plan....................................................................................................9
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
Marketing plan is the program, which is created by an organization, when it plans to bring a new
product or promote in the market. It includes all the aspects, which can be used by an
organization to attract its potential customers. It is very important for the company to develop an
effective marketing plan because it works as an important document of the company. The
organization, which is taken into consideration here, is Burger King, which is a well-established
fast food organization in United States. The report includes the discussion about the products and
services provided by Burger King. After discussing products, it analyzes the target market and
marketing objectives of the company. The company is implementing effective marketing
strategies by using marketing mix tool, which includes four strategies, i.e. product, price, place
and promotion. For analyzing the external and internal environment, SWOT analysis is
conducted. This analysis provided the information about the organization’s internal and external
factors, which can affect the growth of company in fast food industry. At the end, the report
consists of the implementation of control program for this marketing plan.
Product Description and Brief History of Company
Burger King is a fast food chain all over the world, which is based in United States of America.
Founded in the year 1953 as InstaBurger King, the company is headquartered in Miami Dade
County, Florida. InstaBurger King was established by Keith J. Kramer and Matthew Burns and
then it was transformed in Burger King by David Edgerton and James McLamore. After looking
at the McDonalds’ original store, the founders of Burger King opened their first outlets. The
production model of the company was based on a machine, i.e. Insta-Broiler. It is one of the
leading hamburger chains in the world that is operating its business operations in more than 100
nations, from which 90% are privately owned franchises. The major products of the company are
hamburgers, French fries, chicken, soft drinks, desserts, salads, hot dogs and some other
breakfast items (Burger King Corporation, 2017). As of 2016, it was reported that company
owns 15,738 fast food outlets in more than 100 nations.
The company is offering the fast food products, so that it can fulfill the needs and expectations of
people regarding food and other breakfast items. The company has expanded its business
operations in different countries and diversifying its product range (Goi, 2009). It is expanding
its business by establishing franchises in many countries. The way, in which the organization

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licenses its outlets, differs according to the region. In its organizational life, the company has
faced various issues and legal cases, which have affected its brand image. Burger King has made
various efforts to deal with these situations. Now, the company has become successful in the area
of fast food chain. Company is facing intense competition from many competitors, like;
McDonalds, Dominos, KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Ball, Subway etc. Now, the company is adding
new food products in its fast food chain, which is enhancing its business operations all over the
world. Currently, Burger King is the second largest fast food provider after McDonalds only.
SWOT Analysis
SWOT analysis is the tool that is used for evaluating the external and internal factors, which may
impact the growth and success of an organization in its prospective industry. When it comes to
prepare the marketing plan for company’s products, it is important to analyze the external and
internal environment of the company (Kipley & Jewe, 2015). SWOT analysis for Burger King is
stated below;
Strengths
Burger King is one of the largest brands in the fast food industry. Currently, it is second
strongest fast food restaurant. Apart from hamburgers, the company is using diversified product
range, like; breakfast products, chicken items, dinks, desserts. As similar to McDonalds, this
organization is equally strong in terms of branding. The places, where it has its outlets, it is very
well-known to capture the audiences through its advertising and marketing processes. More than
80% of the outlets of Burger King are possessed by franchisee. This strategy has assisted the
company in focusing on including innovation menus rather than thinking about the funds and
financing options. These strengths of the company are adding more value to the company’s
processes and operations (Kotlar, & Armstrong, 2012).
Weaknesses
The weaknesses of Burger King are related to the generic strategies and its business model.
However, the company has moderate product differentiation; one of its major weaknesses is that
the business model of Burger King is easily imitable. Other firms can copy the products and they
can also offer burgers. The company has a restricted product mix. Due to increased health
consciousness in the people, there is the decline in the consumption of burgers and other fast

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food products. It has affected the business operations of the company and decreased its sales and
revenues. The company is facing difficulties in handling the number of franchises. The quality
management is also not much efficient at Burger King, which can affect the brand image of the
company. In addition, this company has unstable ownership, means the company has changed
the hands various times (Luttrell, 2016).
Opportunities
Business expansion is one of the major opportunities, which Burger King may have in this
competitive business environment. The company can expand its business in the emerging
markets. Making its outlet network stronger by penetrating the existing market will assist Burger
King in enhancing its profits and revenues and it will be able to reach on top position in fast food
industry. In addition to this, the company can introduce a new food segment with the healthy
food products and fruit juices and shakes. As mentioned above, people are becoming very much
aware about their health, so company should understand the needs and preferences of customers
and introduce this new segment. It will assist the company in attracting the customers and
increasing its customer base (Luxton, Reid, and Mavondo, 2015).
Threats
In the fast food industry, one of the major threats is the intense competition. Burger King is
facing fierce competition from different domestic and international players in the industry. Some
examples are, such as; KFC, Dominos, McDonalds, Subway etc. Moreover, government is
promoting health awareness by implementing various programs, so that people prefer to eat the
food products, which does not affect their health. Apart from this, increase in the prices of raw
materials may impact the business operations of Burger King.
Marketing Objectives
Marketing objective of a company is the goals, which is established by the organization, when it
promotes its products and services to the target market and potential customers. As mentioned
above, Burger King is one of the biggest fast food service providers in the world. By complying
with its vision and mission statements, company is working on its marketing objectives. There
are some marketing objectives, which are set by Burger King and it is creating effective
marketing strategies and marketing plan to achieve these objectives (O'Guinn, Allen, & Semenik,

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2011). By attaining these objectives, it will be able to establish and sustain the brand reputation
in the competitive fast food sector. Some of its marketing objectives are stated below;
 To provide quality fast food products in various locations of the world
 To develop and diversify the product range according to the needs and expectations of
customers
 To attract a maximum customer base towards the products and services of Burger King
 To improve its brand awareness among the people
 To increase the market share in fast food industry over its competitors and reach to the
first position in the global fast food industry
After setting these objectives, the company is working to meet these objectives, so that it can
establish a strong brand image in the fast food industry.
Target Market Strategy
Target Market is a group of people, who most likely to purchase the products and services of the
company. The company can use different kinds of target marketing strategies, so it can cover a
large market under its target market. They can emphasize on the target market with marketing
mix, segmentation and establishing multiple marketing mix. Each and every organization
chooses its target market by considering various characteristics of market segmentation. The
process of market segmentation refers to dividing the total market on the basis of different
characteristics, such as; behavioral, demographics, psychographic etc.
First, Burger king is targeting the people on the basis of demographic characteristics and
targeting the children and youth generation from upper and middle level people (Cobb &
Catherine, 2008). In addition to this, it is focusing on the geographic characteristics also and
searching for a strategic location to introduce its new franchise. Under its target market strategy,
Burger King is targeting the people, who are willing to eat the delicious, hygienic and non-
conventional food at the restaurant. Targeting this market will assist the company in reaching to
most of the population in the world.

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Marketing Mix
Market Mix is the tool, which includes different strategies, which are implemented by an
organization from the production stage to promotion stage of a particular product or product
range (Dominici, 2009). It includes four strategies, product mix, price mix, place mix and
promotion mix. The marketing mix for Burger King is given below;
Product
Burger King is operating its business as a quick fast food service provider and focusing on
hamburgers as its primary product. The major product line of the company is;
 Hamburgers
 French Fries
 Chicken products
 Shakes and cold drinks
 Sides
 Breakfast meal
Apart from its burger chain, this firm also offers other alternative products, like; chicken and
fish. It also offers different salads, such as; Chicken Caesar and MorningStar veggie salad.
Moreover, Burger King provides the products as meal for children and value meals. Thus, the
product range of the company is wider than any other player in the industry (Ryan, 2016).
Price
Pricing strategy of the Burger King is created on the basis of generic strategy, i.e. cost
leadership. It reduces the prices and costs of the products. The company needs to implement
effective pricing strategies to regain the profits. The pricing strategy of Burger King is given
below;
 Bundle price strategy
 Market Oriented strategy
Under its pricing strategy, Burger King is executing the market-oriented pricing technique. This
strategy of the company includes establishing the prices on the basis of current market trends and
conditions, like; competition, changes in the environment and customer preferences. Another
pricing strategy of the company is bundle approach of pricing (Scarborough, 2015). For instance,

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the people can purchase their value meal and meals for children, which are very much affordable
for the purchasing the food products. Thus, it can be said that Burger King generally relies on the
market trends to make decision on prices.
Place
The products and services of Burger King can be availed at its food outlets all over the world. It
is the component of marketing mix that includes the place, which the entities utilize to make
transactions with the customers in target market. It is using effective distribution channels. The
major ways, through which the company is positioning its products, are; like; mobile app of the
company, restaurants, website of company (Shimp, 2008). People can use company’s mobile
application to look at the different coupons for discounts and some other special offers. In
addition, they can place their order on official website of the company. By taking the orders from
this website, the firm can do the home deliveries. Under this part of marketing mix tool, Burger
King majorly focuses on improving the physical existence of its fast food outlets.
Promotion
In addition to above marketing strategies, Burger King is employing some different strategies to
enhance the promotion of its products and services among its customers. This marketing mix
strategy includes the tactics, which are utilized to communicate with the targeted customers
about the offers of company (Burger King Corporation, 2017). Burger King is implementing
various communication strategies, like; advertising, personal selling, public relations and sales
promotion.
Under the promotion process, the company is majorly relied on advertising the products among
target market. It uses different media, like; online media, print media and broadcasting media,
like; TV, Radio. Moreover, it can use the personal selling techniques for encouraging the people
to purchase more products from its food menu (Thorson, and Moore, 2013). In addition, it is
promoting the products by implementing public relations, such as; its foundation provides the
scholarships. It also provides the financial and economical supports to the educational courses.
These strategies assist the company in promoting and making the Burger King brand stronger. It
mixes the promotion strategies to discuss this factor of marketing mix tool.

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Implementation and Control Plan
Under marketing plan, implementation and control plan is a process that will ensure the
attainment of the business goals and objectives, which are set by the company. It plays an
important role in this process. Under the process of implementation and control, human
resources play an important role, so there will be need of effective management of the employees
and people of the organization (Freeman, 2010). In implementation of the marketing plan,
Burger King will create its vision and mission statement. This implementation plan will include
all the related activities, their time frame and concerned person, who will be accountable for
these activities. For attaining a considerable market share, Burger King will transform its
promotional and marketing techniques. The below table demonstrates all the processes and
activities in the implementation process of the marketing plan of Burger King (West, Ford, &
Ibrahim, 2015).
Actions Starting date End Date Responsible
Person
Related
Department
Establishment
of new mission
and vision
statement
2/2/2019 - Senior level
managers and
directors
Senior level
Management
Discussion
about mission
and vision with
the staff
3/2/2019 - Board of
Directors and
Management
Top management
Generation of
new ideas and
opinions
4/2/2019 - Creative and
interested team
members
All the divisions
Implementation
of collected
ideas
1/5/2019 - Marketing
managers
Marketing
division

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Implementing
the marketing
plan
1/6/2019 - Marketing and
promotion
managers
Marketing and
advertising
department
Under the controlling plan, the company will set some performance standards to evaluate the
performance of implemented market strategies under its marketing plan. It will be supervised by
the top level management team, so that they can evaluate the effectiveness of the plan. After
analysis, they will make required changes in the plan and then implement this again in order to
achieve predetermined marketing goals and objectives (Chernev, 2015).
Conclusion
Thus, marketing plan of Burger King includes all the related aspects of the company, which are
used by the organization in approaching a maximum customer base. However, Burger King is
well-established player in the fast food industry, but still it needs to do something new and
innovative to enhance its business operations. In addition to market penetration, the company
should focus on product innovation also. The above report includes all the required aspects of
marketing plan of Burger King, such as; marketing strategies, target market, objectives etc.
SWOT analysis of company states that it is a well-established brand in the fast food industry and
operating its business globally. So, company is able to generate significant revenues and profits
from its business operations. This marketing plan of the company will assist it in enticing the
customers towards its products and services. After considering the market trends and changes in
customer needs, the company should focus on introducing its new segment with healthier food
products. It will help the company in competing with its leading competitor, i.e. McDonalds.

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References
Burger King Corporation. (2017). About Us. Retrieved from http://www.bk.com/about-bk.
Burger King Corporation. (2017). Diversity. Retrieved from http://www.bk.com/diversity.
Chernev, A. (2015). The marketing plan handbook. Cerebellum Press.
Cobb, Catherine (2008). "Burger King relents, agrees to extra penny-per-pound payment to aid
Fla. tomato pickers". Nation's Restaurant News.
Dominici, G. (2009). From marketing mix to e-marketing mix: a literature overview and
classification. International Journal of Business and Management, 4(9), 17-24.
Freeman, R.E. (2010). Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach. Cambridge University
Press.
Goi, C. L. (2009). A review of marketing mix: 4Ps or more? International Journal of Marketing
Studies, 1(1), 2.
Kipley, D. & Jewe, R. (2015). Effective Strategic Management: From Analysis to
Implementation. Cognnella.
Kotlar, P. & Armstrong, G. (2012). Principles of Marketing (14 edition), Pearson Education, Inc.
Luttrell, R., (2016), Social Media: How to Engage, Share, and Connect, Rowman & Littlefield
Luxton, S., Reid, M. and Mavondo, F. (2015). Integrated marketing communication capability
and brand performance. Journal of Advertising, 44(1), pp.37-46.
O'Guinn, T, Allen, C, & Semenik, R, (2011). Advertising and Integrated Brand
Promotion, Cengage Learning
Ryan, D., (2016). Understanding digital marketing: marketing strategies for engaging the digital
generation. Kogan Page Publishers.
Scarborough, N.M. (2015). Entrepreneurship and effective small business management. Pearson
Higher Ed.

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Shimp, T.A. (2008). Advertising Promotion and Other Aspects of Integrated Marketing
Communications. Cengage Learning.
Thorson, E. and Moore, J. eds. (2013). Integrated communication: Synergy of persuasive voices.
Psychology Press.
West, D. C., Ford, J., & Ibrahim, E. (2015). Strategic marketing: creating competitive
advantage. Oxford University Press, USA.