Marketing Concepts and Internal Relations: A Case Study of Unilever

This paper explores the concept of marketing and its application within Unilever, a global consumer goods giant. It examines the current and future trends in marketing, the different marketing processes employed by Unilever, and the role and responsibilities of a marketing manager. The paper also analyzes how marketing influences and interrelates with other functional departments within the organization, highlighting the value and importance of effective interrelationships. Through a case study approach, the paper provides insights into the strategic marketing practices of Unilever and the significance of a well-coordinated marketing function for organizational success.

Marketing Concepts and Internal Relations
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction to the concept of marketing, including current and future trends.....................3
2. An overview of the different marketing processes................................................................4
3. Explanation of the role and responsibilities of a marketing manager in the context of the
organization................................................................................................................................5
4. An explanation of how marketing influences and interrelates with other functional
departments of the organization.................................................................................................6
5. The value and importance of the marketing role in the context of the organization.............7
6. Conclusions that emphasize the significance of having effective interrelationships between
different functional departments................................................................................................8
Reference List............................................................................................................................9
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1. Introduction to the concept of marketing, including current and future trends
Marketing is an essential component for the functioning of the business organizations. It
provides a way of effectively reaching out to the consumers and helping them to possess
knowledge of the products and services that the companies deals in; thus increasing the
demands of the products in the process. According to the words of Philip Kotler, Marketing
engages the managers of the organization for planning the strategies for the market and
allocating the resources available, generating the concept of the products and the services
among the consumers. Identifying the likely consumers for the products that the company
deals in (segmentation of the products), planning for the promotion of the same and
allocating proper selling channels for the purpose also comes under the processes of
marketing. The current trends in marketing, for Unilever, include:
Marketing through social media platforms- Social media platforms can be relied on, for
promoting the goods and services of Unilever. Social media platforms also help in collecting
feedback from the customers regarding the existing products, the quality and the benefits of
the products and the improvisations that must be incorporated into the products so that the
customers can be increasingly attracted towards the products manufactured by the company.
Designing interactive content to increase customer engagement- The quiz, polls, info
graphics, surveys and contests organized on the internet platforms as well as on social media
platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and similar such sites helps in the marketing of
the products and services of Unilever. The polls about the existent products help the company
in understanding the reaction of the customers to the products. The rise in the demands for a
particular product demanded by the customers during a particular season can also be recorded
for reference through the online polls and surveys conducted among the regular customers.
For example, the increase in the sales of petroleum jelly and similar kinds of personal care
products dealt with, by Unilever, during the winter season (unilever.co.uk, 2018).
The concept of marketing is the philosophy that the business organizations should evaluate
the demands and needs of the customers and take effective decisions to fulfil those needs in
the best manner. Given below are the different market concepts that can be adopted and
executed by Unilever-
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Selling concept: This encompasses planning for a number of promotional ventures like
advertisements, in order to spread product awareness among the consumers (Bashaw et al.,
2015).
Product concept: This concept is concerned with the designing and development of products,
as per the requirements and demands of the customers in the market.
Societal marketing concept: This concept concerns the sustainability of the processes while
considering the long-term benefits for the company.
Marketing concept: This solely considers the demands and requirements of the customers.
Production concept: This encompasses the manufacture of the maximum possible number of
product units, in order to maximize the revenues that are earned by the company.
2. An overview of the different marketing processes.
There are different concepts for marketing like:
The marketing processes that are involved in Unilever are:
Selection of the target market: Unilever selects the target market and segment where it can
launch its products, for gaining maximum profits. The marketing department helps in
carrying out the survey of the market and deciding on the market segment to be considered
for launching the products.
Implementation and control: The regular assessment of the market helps in the
determination of the kinds of products that are in demand among the customers and the ones
that can be launched, for gaining increased share of the markets and attracting the customers.
The strategies that are resorted to by the significant competitor companies like Procter and
Gamble are also revealed during the market research and this helps in deciding on the pricing
strategies and similar such strategies that need to be resorted to, by Unilever.
Situational analysis: The marketing department is responsible for carrying out the analysis of
the external and the internal business environment, by using tools like PESTLE and SWOT
and identifying the threats to Unilever. The marketing department also carries out analysis of
Porter’s Five Forces for identifying the competitors. Along with this, the bargaining power of
the customers and the suppliers of Unilever and judging the threat of new entrants for
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Unilever are also analyse to judge the position of the company in the market and the ways by
which it can improve its performance (Clarke et al., 2015).
Marketing mix decisions- The marketing department of Unilever also carries out the
decisions for the marketing mix development. The components of marketing mix include
decisions like:
The planning for the products- The development of the products are planned as per the
requirements of the customers and their varying preferences in the market. The development
and designing of the new products as well as the improvements of the existing products are
all performed as a part of the development of the appropriate marketing mix for Unilever.
The planning for the prices- The pricing strategies for the products are decided upon, by the
analysis of the market conditions, by Unilever.
The planning for the distribution channels: The distribution channels are decided by
conduct market research that helps in identifying the area where the demand for the product
is high.
The planning for the promotional: The promotional methods are decided after analyzing the
different Medias and their rate of attracting customers.
3. Explanation of the role and responsibilities of a marketing manager in the context of
the organization
The marketing manager of Unilever has a lot of roles and responsibilities that focuses on
developing and implementing the short and long-term marketing strategies for the employees,
which will assist in achieving the overall objective of the organization. The roles and
responsibilities of the marketing manager of Unilever have been discussed below:
Market Research: Marketing manager of Unilever conducts market research that allows
them to understand about the requirement and demands of the customers. Gaining knowledge
about the needs of the customers will help the organization in developing services and
products that are high in demand and thus will increase the sales of the organization (Babin
and Zikmund, 2015).
Development of marketing plan and strategy: Marketing plan is the core of any business
firm. The marketing plan helps in providing guidance to all the members of the organization,
the plan should be modified throughout the year as per the market demand. The marketing
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manager considers all the factors and elements of planning process that will help in
enhancing the operation of Unilever.
Public relations: The marketing manager is required to communicate with their customers on
a regular basis throughout the different stages of the purchasing process. This process allows
the managers to retain their existing customers and the communication allows them to get
feedback about their services.
Measuring success: The most important role of marketing manager involves the analysis of
the data in order to identify the success rate. The managers of Unilever can understand about
the success with the help of sales figure, number of website hits, customer satisfaction and
market share data. These records are important, as they are significant for the marketing
process (Westwood, 2016).
The marketing manager helps in the promotion and development of products and services as
per the market demand so that the sale of the organization can be enhanced. They work in
order to assist their employees to achieve the goals and objective of their company.
4. An explanation of how marketing influences and interrelates with other functional
departments of the organization
The functional departments of Unilever, apart from marketing, include the finance
department, research and development (R&D) department, sales department and the HR
department. The marketing department plans for the promotional functions and for the
allocation of the resources in Unilever, after consultation with the finance department. The
online advertisements, traditional advertisements and similar such ventures are decided upon,
after calculation of the available finances (Gnizy and Shoham, 2014).
R&D Department- The market surveys are carried out by the marketing departments of
Unilever, for checking the demands of the existing products and for inspecting the
requirements of the customers for the purpose of development of new products in the market
(Harmeling et al., 2015). The information about the kinds of products that needs to be
developed, like some innovative personal care product or so on, by Unilever, are collected by
the marketing department and then the information is passed onto the R&D department of the
company. The R&D officials are responsible for the development of the required products by
deciding on its composition and properties, for meeting the requirements of the customers
effectively.
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Sales Department- When the customers become aware of the products and services that are
provided by Unilever, then the rate of sales of the products also increases simultaneously. If
the rate of sales of the product decreases in the market, then the marketing department plans
for the promotional campaigns and advertising for the products launched by Unilever, so that
the customers are effectively influenced. Planning for new methods of marketing, like relying
on social media techniques, promoting the products via YouTube and similar such techniques
are also carried out by the marketing department.
Human Resource Department- The marketing ventures popularize the name of the company
in the market and invites new and talented individuals to join in their work force. The
marketing department, in a way, influences the talent of the work force that is recruited by
Unilever, in its different departments (Bratton and Gold, 2017).
5. The value and importance of the marketing role in the context of the organization
Marketing plays a vital role in Unilever as it helps in improving the business of the
organization in a number of ways. The importance and value of marketing role on the
Unilever organization has been discussed below:
Enhancing the reputation:
Marketing process helps in increasing awareness about the products and services of an
organization (Arnett and Wittmann, 2014). There are various tools and techniques that are
used by the marketing department in order to promote the products and services of Unilever,
increasing awareness attract customers towards their products. The increase in customer
strength allows in enhancing the reputation of the organization and increase the brands value.
Improving the communication process:
Communication is the significant function of an organization that helps in increasing the
efficiency and productivity of the organization. The marketing department conducts
marketing research that allows them in understanding about the needs of the customers. They
communicate the requirements to all the other departments and the stakeholders of the
company. After analyzing the report, a decision is taken in order to fulfil the requirements of
the customer that increase the sale of the company. Thus, marketing helps in communicating
with the customers and the stakeholders of the company.
Increasing the sales volume and profitability:
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Marketing plays a significant role in increasing the sale of the organization and increasing the
profitability of Unilever. The marketing department is responsible to develop marketing
strategies that will help them in promoting about the products of the company with the help
of different tools and platforms. The marketing process allows the organization in gaining
information about the current markets trends, as per the trends and requirement the company
modifies and brings innovation to the products that are high in demand (Kotler, 2015). This
enhances the sales volume and increases the profitability level of the organization.
Staying competitive in the market:
The marketing process identifies about the requirements, needs of the society, and
accordingly develops plans and strategies that helps the organization in achieving their
objectives and targets. The company launches new products and services as per the customers
and increases their sale that allows them in enhancing their market share (Church and Iyer,
2018). The marketing process allows Unilever to understand about the competitive
environment, as per which the organization can develop plans in order to gain competitive
advantages and sustain in the competitive market.
6. Conclusions that emphasize the significance of having effective interrelationships
between different functional departments
The effective interrelationship between the different departments helps in carrying out the
functions of the organization with increased ease and efficiency. The interrelationship
between the department of finance and the marketing department helps in the appropriate
management of the organization. This report explores the concept of marketing and its
various elements. The significance of the current and future trend on the marketing process
has been discussed. The marketing strategies and techniques that are used by Unilever in
order to enhance their business have been identified in this assignment. The learner will gain
knowledge about the roles and responsibilities of marketing manager and the importance of
marketing within the organization of Unilever. The marketing strategies and the marketing
managers enhance the business in various ways with the help of marketing tools. The
interrelationship between the different departments of the organization allows understanding
about the importance of coordination for the success of an organization.
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Reference List
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Bratton, J. and Gold, J., 2017. Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.
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Clarke, A.E., Friese, C. and Washburn, R. eds., 2015. Situational analysis in practice:
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Gnizy, I. and Shoham, A., 2014. Uncovering the influence of the international marketing
function in international firms. International Marketing Review, 31(1), pp.51-78.
Harmeling, C.M., Moffett, J.W., Arnold, M.J. and Carlson, B.D., 2017. Toward a theory of
customer engagement marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 45(3),
pp.312-335.
Kotler, P., 2015. Framework for marketing management. Pearson Education India.
Unilever UK & Ireland. (2018). Home. [online] Available at: https://www.unilever.co.uk/
[Accessed 8 Mar. 2018].
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