Role of Marketing in Business Organizations: A Case Study of Marks and Spencer

This report discusses the key roles and responsibilities of marketing function in relation to the wider organizational context. It also includes a comparison of the marketing mix of Marks and Spencer and Debenhams, as well as the production and evaluation of a basic marketing plan for Marks and Spencer.

Marketing

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
TASK 2..................................................................................................................................3
P3 Comparison of the ways in which different organisation apply the marketing mix to the
marketing planning process to achieve business objective....................................................3
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................7
P4 Produce and evaluate a basic marketing plan for an organisation....................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10
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INTRODUCTION
Marketing refers to an activity which an organisation undertakes to promote its products
and services which it meant for sale to the targeted audience. The marketing activity includes
promoting, advertising and distributing the goods and services. Every business whether small,
medium or large has one thing in common and i.e. marketing. Every business advertise and
promote its goods or service offered to its customer (Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick, 2019). By
such activity an organisation educate their customers about availability of the product along with
its features and competitive advantage. Marketing plays an essential role in every business.
Company before framing any marketing plan undertakes marketing mix to make their plan more
clear and effective. For reference purpose this report takes an example of a company, Marks and
Spencer. Marks and Spencer is a Britain multinational retailer company that specialises in selling
of high quality clothes, home products and food product. The company was founded in the year
1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer. In UK, the company currently runs 959 stores
among which 615 are stores which sell food products. Marks and Spencer has successfully
located its stores in around 1463 locations around the world.
This report will talks about the key roles and responsibility undertaken by marketing
function in relation with wider organisational context. This report also includes the marketing
mix and preparation of marketing plan.
TASK 1
Covered in PPT.
TASK 2
P3 Comparison of the ways in which different organisation apply the marketing mix to the
marketing planning process to achieve business objective
Marks and Spencer is a British multinational retailer company. It specialises in selling the
high quality clothes, home products and food products. The company currently operates in
around 1469 locations across the world (Czinkota and Ronkainen, 2013.).
Debenhams is a British multinational company with operates in retailing business. The
company sells clothes, household items and furniture. The company got founded in the
eighteenth century by William Debenham. It has around 178 stores across the different countries.
The business objectives of both the companies are as follows:
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Innovation and sustainability: Both the organisations aim to bring creativity and
innovations in their operations or products. Both these organisation tries to come up with new
products which would help them in attracting and maintaining the customers. These companies
know that if they want to survive in future they have to bring innovations in their products and
have to adopt sustainability in their systems.
Reduce costs: All the companies make their policies or adopt such approaches or
techniques which would help the organisation in saving cost. They know that if they save costs
they would be getting more margins in offering the products at a low price which would work as
a cost advantage. They prefer to adopt that techniques which will help them in reduction of cost
and saves money.
Market share: The companies try to increase their market share by trying to sell more
number of their products or by increasing more product lines in the market. Increase in market
share would result in more awareness about the company’s products and services. Therefore both
these companies aim to increase their market share.
A comparison of marketing mix of marks and spencer and debenhams are as follows-
Comparison basis Marks and Spencer Debenhams
Product Product refers to the item
which a company meant to sell
to its target audience. For
marks and spencer such
products include clothing,
home products and food
products. Through these
products the company gain
market gain into the market
space.
For debenhams the products
includes the clothing, home
products and furniture which it
offers to its customers (Jobber
and Ellis-Chadwick, 2012).
From these products the
company can acquire the share
in the market.
Price Price is the value associated
with the item (Huotari and
As in case with Debenhams,
the company practice
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Hamari, 2012). The company
practice price penetration
strategy (Keegan, 2017). In
such strategy the company
offers the products at lower
prices than its competitors
offer to gain competitive
advantage. The company aim
to reduce their cost so that
their price for the products also
get comparatively low.
psychological pricing in which
the customers sees the price
lower or say quite affordable
psychologically. For example
the company sells a product at
a price of $99 instead of $100,
then customer will consider
the product price low and will
purchase it (Kotler and et. al.,
2017). The company try to
reduce the cost so that they can
offer the products at low
prices.
Place Place is the venue where the
company offers its products.
Marks and spencer offers its
products at both online and
offline platforms. The
company has open its stores at
1463 locations across the
different countries. To increase
the market share the company
offers the products at both
online platforms and at stores
so that they can sell more
products to the customers.
The company has its stores at
178 locations across the world.
Also the company uses the
online platform to show case
their products. By performing
this they tend to increase their
market share.
Promotion Promotion is the activity
which a company performs to
educated their customer about
themselves and the products
As in case with Debenhams,
the company follows the
discount strategy (Kozlenkova,
Samaha and Palmatier, 2014).
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they are offering (Kotler,
2012). The marks and spencer
follows competitive pricing for
promotional purpose.
People People refers to the employees
which are working in the
organisation. The company
hires skilled and talented
workforce (Lovelock and
Patterson, 2015). Also they
provide them with training and
development programmes for
their growth. The company
adopts innovate and creative
way in doing the promotional
activities for their company.
These innovative ideas help
the company in attracting more
customers.
Whereas, the company hired
people whose education and
knowledge matches with the
position vacant in the
organisation (McDaniel and
Gates, 2013). The company
uses sustainability method for
its promotional method. They
claim to create sustainability
for their products and use it in
their promotional activities.
Process It covers the interface between
the customer and organisation.
It also includes how the deal
each other at every stage
(Morgan, Katsikeas and
Vorhies, 2012). The company
takes service delivery a
paramount consumer relation
point and concentrates on
getting it better. The process
which is used by the company
In case of Debenhams, the
company meets to suppliers
only who meet the setted
minimum standards. The
process which is used by the
company is quite innovative
which brings them in reducing
of cost. The reducing in costs
help the company in offering
the low prices for products.
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is aim to generate a
sustainability into their process
or operations.
Physical Evidence Physical evidence refers to the
any evidence given to
customer that's proves the
relation between customers
and company. These evidence
may include products,
brochures, catalogues and etc.
which marks and spencer
provides to their customers.
The increase in market share
would results in more physical
evidence between the
customers and company.
Debenhams proves its physical
evidence by featuring on
Lorraine Kelly's high street
fashion award. The company
has its presence in 27 countries
covering 3 continents. The
market share of the company is
increasing resulting in increase
in physical evidence.
TASK 3
P4 Produce and evaluate a basic marketing plan for an organisation
Marketing plan is the activities which an organisation will undertake in sequences for
promotion and advertisement purpose. It is essentials for every company to prepare for one, and
so it is for marks and spencer (Peattie, 2016). The marketing plan includes development of smart
and effective objectives. Marketing plan of marks and spencer company is explained as follows-
STAGE 1 Market Analyses
1. Customer needs: The marks and spencer before coming up with new product design first
perform an market research which tells them about the needs, taste and preferences of the
customers. By knowing this the business can make better plans and can serves to good to
their customers.
2. Market and market dynamics: market is a harsh and unpredictable place. There are many
external forces which can directly affect the working of an organisation. These forces
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may include political, economical, technological, environmental, social and legal. All
these factors affects the business and these factors need to get analyse properly before
making any future plans.
3. Company capabilities: Company must know about the factors or say strengths which
make it different from others. Marks and spencer has the strength to provide the good
quality of products to their customers. They also have huge market and a good goodwill.
These factors works as a strength for the company.
4. Competition: The company has many competition into the market some are as follows,
zara, Next, Debanhams and so on. All the competition does creates a burden upon the
shoulder of company as they have to be more innovative with their products.
5. Collaborations and partner: The company had many collaborations with many celebrities,
which brings innovative designs and apparel to the company, these celebs also generates
sales as the customers get attracted with them.
STAGE 2 Market selections
1. Market segmentation: The company segments the market on the basis of income that
region is earning, because the company know that their products can only be afford by
people who belong to above average category so they target the market which can fulfil
this criteria.
2. Market selection: marks and Spencer selected the market where the people can that
income to afford the products for the company.
3. Segment targeting: Marks and spencer selects the market which it wants to target from
the available alternatives with the company.
4. Product positioning: In this the company positions its product in the targeted market.
STAGE 3 Marketing Mix
1. Product: The product is the item which company meant to sell in the market. Here the
product are the clothes, home products and food products.
2. Price: Price is the value for the product. The company has set the different prices for the
products.
3. Place: place is the platform where the products is been placed for selling.
4. Promotion: The company does promotion through TV advertising and digital marketing.
5. People: The employees are the people who work for the company.
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6. Physical Evidence: Physical evidence can be the broachers, catalogues and etc.
7. Process: The suppliers and the middle man comes under the process through which the
company’s products connects to the customers.
STAGE 4 Markets
1. Acquisitions: the company has acquired the market slowly by starting at a very small
scale.
2. Awareness: The company creates awareness about them by promotional and advertising
activities.
3. Customer loyality: marks and Spencer builds up the loyality among its customers by
providing them quality products and the price which does justice to the quality.
CONCLUSION
From the report presented above, it can be conclude that marketing function plays can
important role and function in every business organisation. Its role is inter-related with the other
organisational departments. For reference the report takes an example of a company, Marks and
Spencer. At last report also covers the marketing plan and objectives of the company.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Chaffey, D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F., 2019. Digital marketing. Pearson UK.
Czinkota, M. R. and Ronkainen, I.A., 2013. International marketing. Cengage Learning.
Huotari, K. and Hamari, J., 2012, October. Defining gamification: a service marketing
perspective. In Proceeding of the 16th international academic MindTrek conference
(pp. 17-22).
Jobber, D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F., 2012. Principles and practice of marketing (No. 7th).
McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Keegan, W. J., 2017. Global marketing management. Pearson India.
Kotler, P. and et. al., 2017. Marketing for hospitality and tourism.
Kotler, P., 2012. Kotler on marketing. Simon and Schuster.
Kozlenkova, I. V., Samaha, S. A. and Palmatier, R. W., 2014. Resource-based theory in
marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. 42(1). pp.1-21.
Lovelock, C. and Patterson, P., 2015. Services marketing. Pearson Australia.
McDaniel, C. and Gates, R., 2013. Marketing research. Singapore.
Morgan, N. A., 2012. Marketing and business performance. Journal of the Academy of
Marketing Science. 40(1). pp.102-119.
Morgan, N. A., Katsikeas, C. S. and Vorhies, D. W., 2012. Export marketing strategy
implementation, export marketing capabilities, and export venture performance. Journal
of the Academy of Marketing Science. 40(2). pp.271-289.
Peattie, K., 2016. Green marketing. In The marketing book(pp. 595-619). Routledge.
Persaud, A. and Azhar, I., 2012. Innovative mobile marketing via smartphones. Marketing
Intelligence & Planning.
Turnbull, P. W. and Valla, J. P., 2013. Strategies for international industrial marketing.
Routledge.
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