Marketing Mix and Strategy: A Review

The assignment delves into the multifaceted world of marketing, examining core elements such as the 7Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process, Physical Evidence) and their influence on consumer behavior. It explores the critical role of strategic marketing planning in organizational success, highlighting various models and frameworks used for effective planning. Furthermore, it discusses the growing trend of outsourcing marketing functions and analyzes its implications for businesses. The assignment draws upon academic literature and real-world examples to provide a comprehensive understanding of contemporary marketing practices.

MARKETING
ESSENTIAL

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1 ...........................................................................................................................................1
P1) Important roles and responsibilities of marketing functions................................................1
P 2 Responsibilities and roles of marketing in enterprises context ............................................6
TASK 3 ...........................................................................................................................................7
P3) Marketing Mix of two different organisations. ...................................................................7
TASK 3 .........................................................................................................................................10
P 4 Evaluate and produce plan of marketing ...........................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Marketing can be determined as the management process through which an organisation
can easily introduce their products and services at market place. It can be describes as an action
or business of selling and promoting goods and services with the help of market research and
advertising. Marketing is a very wide concept, it is an effective management which helps in
exchanging relationship between buyers and sellers (Dibb and Simkin, 2013). It is a combination
of various activities in which creating, delivering, communicating and exchanging of goods and
services are involved. Apple Inc. is world's largest American multinational company that design
and manufactures computer software, online services and electronic products for customers and
clients. The headquarter of company is in Cupertino, California, company has wide variety of
goods and services in which various hardware products are included such as iPhone smart phone,
iPad, tablet, computer, iPod portable media player, apple smart watch, Apple digital media
player and home pod. Company is famous for providing high quality goods and services to their
potential buyers in order to satisfying their needs and wants. Apple Inc. is world's most leading
technological company which is incorporated on January 3, 1977. this report contents the study
about roles and responsibilities of marketing functions and how these are impacted on
organisational condition. This also describes the relationship among marketing and other
organisations. Marketing mix of two organisations who are competitor of each other. In the end
an effective marketing plan is created, which helps in attaining organisational goals and
competitive advantage at market place.
TASK 1
P1) Important roles and responsibilities of marketing functions
Marketing plays most essential role in implementing a business with its effective
activities, it is important in establishing an effective relationship among business organisation
and customers who are willing to taking advantage of offered services of firm. Business
marketing can be describes as the practices of an individual or firm in which government,
various institutions and commercial business are included (Gordon, 2012). The major motive of
marketing is to attract large number of customers and identify their needs and wants. Marketing
is a wider concept which helps in promoting organisational products through an advertising
function. It is the responsibility of manager to develop various marketing strategies or tactics in
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order to gaining the attention of customers for long time growth and success of firm. In today's
scenario, every business organisation is focused on establishing an effective relationship with
their potential buyers through providing high quality and value added services and goods. The
major purpose of firm is to identify basic needs of customers and produce as different demand of
customers in respect of satisfying their needs and wants (Hair and et. al., 2012). Marketing plays
a vast role in achieving organisational goals and objectives in order to reaching at higher position
at market place. Mostly organisations are focused on satisfying the needs and wants of customers
in terms of money. The functions of marketing is tasked with branding of firm, advertising,
participation in various activities and customers interaction. Marketing functions are helpful in
attracting large number of customers through offering high quality services to their buyers.
Roles and Responsibilities of marketing functions:
 The major role of marketing is to implement various effective strategies and policies in
order to capture a wide area of market. As a well reputed company Apple Inc. is mainly
focused on cover a big area at market place in terms of gaining attention of customers.
The marketing manager of Apple Inc. develop various marketing strategies in respect of
increasing their sales and revenue.
 Company can easily grew in competitive market with the help of unique policies, this
provide significant support in long run of business and its activities.
 The over all organisation is dividing among various departments in which marketing
department plays important role in managing all marketing activities that are incurred in
business. This department is also capable in conducting survey and different marketing
campaigns.
 It is required for managers to be focused on maintaining quality and quantity of products
for rendering high range of services to their customers. Apple Inc. is mainly concern on
maintain high quality in their products and services for satisfying the needs and demand
of customers.
 The sales manager of Apple Inc. is focused on enhancing communication with their
regular buyers in respect of increasing sales through providing beneficial services to
consumers (Hansson, Wrangmo and Solberg Søilen, 2013).
 Another major role of marketing is to maintain brand image of company at market place
brand because brand is the representative of product quality and services that are offered
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by company. Brand value is essential for Apple Inc. for increasing growth and market
share. Effective marketing involves various marketing research, this provide significant help in
measuring the current needs and wants of customers and provide goods and services as to
satisfying their preferences. Through effective marketing a company can easily identify
the strength and weaknesses of firm as these are important and plays effective role in
achieving selected goals and objectives.
Various functions of marketing describes as under:
(Source: Marketing Functions 2017)
Marketing function is the process of exchanging goods and services in terms of money and
revenue. The department of marketing plays vital role in promoting business activities in terms
of reaching at mission of firm (Jain, 2013Khan, 2014).
Financing: It is the most essential function of marketing, financing plays wide role in
implementing all business activities in right direction. The whole business activities related with
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Illustration 1: Functions of Marketing

production and marketing is based on credit and money. No business can run their activities
without sufficient finance. There is a hug difference among production and consumption of
products and services. In order to producing and distributing goods organisation needs large
number of funds because these are helpful in fulfilling the requirements of firm. The marketing
manager of Apple Inc. is responsible for arraigning funds for company in terms of short terms
and long term loans, capital ventures and investment. As a most popular organisation Apple Inc.
spend huge amount in advertising process for gaining attention of large number of people
towards the offered services of firm (Ko, Hwang and Kim, 2013). This is essential for sustaining
people for long time with firm and its services.
Buying: This is fundamental function of marketing, as a large business concern Apple Inc. have
separate purchasing department. Whole activities related with purchasing, selling are handled by
this department. The function of buying involves the resoluteness of needs and identifying proper
and effective sources of supplying goods and services to final customers.
Selling: It is the key function of marketing, every business organisation is focused on increasing
their sales for improving their market position through attracting various customers towards firm.
Apple Inc. is a well known brand, so their sales are high as compared to other brands, so
company needs to focus on their selling wide range of products in affordable cost. Selling
function is expensive due to involvement of various activities such as finding potential buyers,
creating demand, transferring the title and negotiating the price.
Product design and development: This also plays most significant role in providing goods and
services to the customers who are asking for taking advantage of offered services of firm. In
today,s market scenario customers are go towards high quality products rather than price and
choose branded goods as per their own choice and demand. Apple Inc. is mainly works on
improving the design of products for attracting customers towards the product and this will hrlps
in increasing sales of company.
Packaging, branding and labelling: these three components plays wide role in marketing, the
packaging includes various aspects such as material and designing of product which are applied
by company for creating the product more attractive at market place (Larashati, Hudrasyah and
Chandra, 2011). Apart from this branding plays important role in presenting the quality of
product and services which are offered by company to their buyers. This also consist special
name and brand of company. Thus labelling involves various functions such as manufacturing
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date, expiring date, benefits of product, usage of product and may other important things needs
to be there on product.
Market information system: MIS function helps in gathering all relevant data and information
about company and its resources. This is an effective technological process which helps in
generating an effective decision for future growth of company. Apple Inc. use MIS system to
enhancing their productivity and performance (Lee and et., al., 2013). Thus it also plays
important role in maintaining all past financial records of company.
Marketing planning: It is the major responsibility of manager to make an effective marketing
plan for implementing all business activities in right direction, so that firm can earn high range of
profit and revenue. An effective marketing plan helps in attaining competitive advantage at
market place. As a well known brand Apple Inc. is focused on generating most efficient
marketing plan in order to carry out all business activities in right direction for gaining attention
of public.
Product distribution: It is also an essential function of marketing which are needs to be
performed in well planned manner, so that goods can be reached to their final customers. In this
transporting of goods are involved, the major purpose of firm is to use various means of
transportation to deliver goods and services to their final customers.
Risk taking: Risk are uncertain, they can arise on any situation. Apple is always focused on
resolving their issues through applying various tools and techniques, company mainly prepare an
backup plan for overcoming with conflict situation.
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P 2 Responsibilities and roles of marketing in enterprises context
There is various kind of the organisation which posses their various sections such as
department of marketing. Which needs to be responsible and in favour of the gathering and
regulating functions of marketing. There is the major purpose of this kind of department is to
raise the sale of products and services of the organisation This sector is formally interconnect
and linked with the other departments of the company (Lee and Walsh, 2011). There are number
of the departments in the business some of them are as follows :-
Research and development :- It is the key and backbone of the entire strategy in the
business. It is very first and initial step before developing and building the product. The exactly
success and growth of the marketing department is all depend on this section. Due to this it helps
to figure out the market circumstances, modification and other business environment
(Gummesson, 2011). In this the company initially research for the consumer's references,
behaviour, attitudes, their needs and demands what they are expectation,innovating and trending
in the consumer at each group level of audience. So, later on this help in making and gathering
entire research reports, statistics and further more. Through which it helps to analyse and
examine the consumer mind and business environment. It is important to check and review the
market it assist to know about the recent and current technologies which can help them to modify
themselves and lead to the success as by accomplishing their goals and objectives.
Production :- This department act very significantly. Through the help of the entire
research data statistics ryes analyse the informations and try to figure out the customer wants and
neds. So through this they can make the product which will be successful. They use and gather
the subject matter for so they can produces the goods and services in order to meet the demands
and requirements of the customers. There s the manager of production which is exactly
responsive to identify the entire data which is interlinked with the customers. There is another
initial; function of the department. They all set the design and product by keeping the elements
and factors in the mid which is collected by the research ad development department.
Customer services :- It is one of the essential function of the department of marketing
which provide the services after the sale of the product to the number of the consumers. Thus
Apple Inc. is offer various products which is very essential to the technologies and for the
organisations too. They have to make sure that they will fulfil the needs and demands of the
consumers. Consumer as one of the basic component of the success and growth which provide
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the gratification to them by provide them their choice and preference kind of products which lie
to their requirements. Through that product they will be able to satisfy of them. They also keep
their department of complaints in which they solve the issues an probable so the costumer and
fulfil their demands.
Administration :- This department is somewhere interlinked with the department of
marketing due to the administration and authority which is control by the workers and their
enterprises. Their manor responsibility is to make sure that the organisation is going smoothly or
not, they are moving to the right direction or not and many more. This will help them to run
smoothly and on the correct path which leads to the accomplishment of the objectives an goals in
effective as well as in efficient manner (Hagan, 2011).
Finance :- This department is act as the very crucial in the exactly smooth and sharp
implementation of the marketing. In the entire process of the organisation, in each of the process
the every department demands for the financial support to run enterprise which is offer by this
respective department. To figure out the demands and requirements of the funds as compare to
the managed number of sources of funds which is essential for he functioning closely in terms of
the promotional strategies. They have to deal with the other main activities of the marketing
department. There fore, they also responsible to figure out the funds and invest in proper way so
will get the benefits and advantages in future in race of making the quality products.
Distribution :- This is one of the key function of the all the process due to this the
consumer can get the product easily at by there near store. This marketing and other product in
department is interlinked with the each other. This department of the distribution act as the
middle man in between them. The market can also figure out the assistance of this respective
departments. So that will help to allocate the products and facilities in order to maximizing the
benefits Of the company (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel, 2011). They got the proper channel of the
distribution then they can easily reach to their target audience which help them to increase in
sales and lead to accomplishment of the goals and objectives.
TASK 3
P3) Marketing Mix of two different organisations.
Apple Inc. is a famous technology brand which is known for its high technological
innovation and the great leadership of its founder Steve Jobs. Apple Inc. is focused on proving
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high range of goods and services to their customers with more innovative features. It is famous
for its innovation. This is the major reason that company introduce few number of products as
they are providing more extreme and innovative features in it. The process of marketing mix
involves various aspects which are describes as under:
Products : The company has variety of products and services such as iPhone, iPod, Ios, Apple
watch, Mac book, Mac book pro, Imac, MacOS, Iwork, Apple TV, Ipod Nano, Ipod shuffle,
Ipod, Itunes, Ipod touch, Apple Music and Icloud. In this way the product of Apple has grown
vastly through wide range of products and services. The most popular product of Apple Inc. is its
iPhone which helps in generating high growth and market share for company as compared to
other products (Malhotra, Birks and Wills, 2013). It is the most essential component of
marketing mix because a product is a thing which is built or produce in order to satisfying
different needs and wants of customers. The company is mainly concern on introducing new and
advance technologies in their products just to make them stand out form other brands.
Price: The company has variety of innovative products that attract wide range of customers.
Apple Inc. is mainly sell their products on premium pricing. This is most effective pricing
strategy which is adopted by company to gaining attention of customers. Macbook, Ipad, iPhone
and Iwatch are involved in premium pricing.
Place : In this various distribution channel of apple are involved. Apple provide their products
through online and offline channels. As a well known brand company provide best and
satisfactory services to their customers through rendering products by various channels. The
major distribution channel of Apple are describes as under:
 Online retail from various sites
 Apple Website
 Apple Stores
 Corporate reseller Local electronics retail stores
Promotion: Apple Inc. use conventional and unconventional techniques to promote their
products and services at market place. The company mostly release new products at market place
, so there is not any substitutes available for the single product (Mummalaneni, 2014). The
products are promoted through various online websites with including social media.
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People: In this chief executive officers and various members who are working together in order
to achieving common goals and objectives. Most knowledgeable engineers are also helpful in
providing best services to their customers. For assisting their consumers various trainers and
services providers are available in the company.
Physical evidence: This term is concern about representing the existence of company at market
place. The logo of Apple has evolved through its original picture. The identity of company is
measured by its sign of Apple.
Process: The company is focused on organising workshops and seminars in order to providing
significant knowledge about the offered products of company, this helps in increasing brand
awareness and loyalty of customers.
Marketing mix of Samsung:
Product: It is the primary aspect of marketing mix, Samsung is having wide range of products
and services such as mobile phones, tablets, refrigerators, washing machines etc. Its smart
phones are its most valuable product which helps in increasing growth and revenue for company.
Price: The company is focused on using most appropriate strategies of pricing in order to
increasing their sales at market place (Ogunmokun and Tang, 2012). Samsung mainly use
skimming price strategy in which company set high price at the time of introducing new product
at market place and when the product become common, company reduce the price of that
particular product.
Place: Samsung distribute their products through different ways, the company is mainly works
on the concept of channel marketing, thus it is categories among three aspects such as modern
retail, distributors and sales and services.
Promotion: The company promote their products through various ways, as a well known
company Samsung is mainly believes in pulling the customers towards the offered services
through the process of advertising. They also use the strong tactics to push product to buyers
with the help of sales promotion.
People: People are the most important element of marketing mix. Samsung is a electronic
company, therefore it is essential for it to have effective and well technical staff members so as
to gain better outcomes in a certain time period (Opute, Dedoussis and Tzokas, 2011). For this,
it is emphasising on providing training sessions ton all employees.
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Process: While rendering a service, Samsung follow a direct method so as to deal with their
potential buyers in the best possible manner. Effective and innovative method of supplying
services can a key group of loyal clients towards a company.
Physical evidence: In this modern era, every has used mobile; it a useful in terms of additional
substitutes. The quality of Samsung phones more qualitative and value added that makes people
life easier. It is regularly upgrading its technology by generating new innovation in mobiles
phones in order to gain higher customer satisfaction level from competitive market.
TASK 3
P 4 Evaluate and produce plan of marketing
The marketing plan demands to be lots of operation to make the Apple Inc. project
successful which actually contribute in context of fulfil the goals and targets of the enterprises.
There is the process of planning which is given below :-
Executive summery :- In this initial phase the organisation build their plan, mission,
goals, objectives and vision for the Apple Inc. The abbreviation refers to gathering of data and
subject matter in relation of various consumers and markets.
Company overview :- The Apple is leading company which provides the technological
products and services and enhance their innovations (Judge and Robbins, 2015).
Current situation :- It is the organisation and one of the most leading company which
offer the telecommunication and technological products in their broad wide range of the
geographical area. They produce the products as per keep in the mind of the consumer
preferences and which lead to the increase in sales. That help to raise either sales which assist in
e set of the goodwills and also attain there wide around of the profit and advantages.
Strategies :- The Apple Inc. is use different policies which assist to prepare their
estimated budget and cost of every functions and activities. This essential to create better plans
after doing the market environment research sure to this will male the business more develop and
improve. They also set their good brand image and goodwill in the entire place of the market.
Target :- There is the main target of the organisation which offer the product of quality
and services as according too their references and demands by creating brand image. They have
to make their accurate targets of the organisation that also revolve in around the behaviours and
trends.
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SWOT analysis of the Apple Inc.
Strengths  The innovative products is own of the major key strengths over the
years which has been their own innovative product line. The Apple
also presented and hit their products that the main strengths. Initialler
in came up with the Mac Book, iPod, iPhone, iWatch, iPod and many
more that almost corneal the desires (Koontz, 2010).
 Design and technology is one of the best part it keep their brand
equity and design as well by using great technology. They usually go
with elegant design of products which exquisite schemes and go
through good performance.
Weaknesses  The company is leading since 1980's their market share and consumer
expectations going higher. The people always expect font hem
something good and they have to maintain them at all levels which is
quite challenging.
 It has wide dependence other their few products which is almost
about the 7-8 in their basic portfolio. Their dependency is very high
which lead to loss along with the 10% by common demands from the
apple.
Opportunities  The apple should also expand themselves in terms of the products so
thy can also increase their dependence other products. They have to
launch new products which might be fixed cap of apple q=which
supposed to be launched very soon by 2020.
 In the growing market the company is equally improvisation by
increasing their GDP of various developing countries there fore, it will
lead to raise the consumption of some of premium brands. The
organisation need to grew later on the base of market (Ebert and
Griffin, 2015).
Threats  The Mac Books is best in various ways but is on tin the market there's
other companies too such as Dell, Sony, Lenevo and many more,
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Which increasing the composition in the market they launch in
various good models involving their Aklienware model. Mac Books is
still facing various tuff composition over them.
 The market presentation in smartphones the market of apples is
penetration as the other products of smartphones. The android is the
sharing 47.5% in the market therefore the I phone has 42%. Android
is used by almost the all companies.
CONCLUSION
From the above mentioned report, it has been summarised that marketing plays a
vital role in growth and success of any business organisation. It helps managers to promote or
expand their products and services in target market in order to make higher sales and
profitability. The report states that there are different roles and responsibilities of marketing
functions. They are liable for accomplishment of business goals and objectives in a certain time
period. Financing, market research, marketing information system, transporting etc. are the
important marketing functions. Beside this, marketing department of Apple in interlinked with its
other functional units, such as- finance, human resource, production, customer services,
information technology. If all departments of the firm will be worked together then a firm can
easily attain a large group of customers from competitive marketplace. Marketing mix is also
described of two different organisations, i.e. Apple and Samsung. There are 7 elements of
marketing mix, i.e. product, price, place, promotion, physical evidence, processes and people. It
dictates to implement right product at right place on an average prices in order to gain high
competitive advantages. A basic marketing plan is developed for analysing future market growth
and development. It is also assistive in examining those factors that will be affect company's
performance.
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