Roles and Responsibilities of Marketing Functions in Unilever

This report discusses the roles and responsibilities of marketing functions in Unilever, including understanding customer needs, product development, branding, reputation and growth, promotions, and pricing.

MARKETING ESSENTIALS

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................3
LO 1............................................................................................................................................................3
P 1 Roles and responsibilities of marketing functions.............................................................................3
P 2 Roles and responsibilities of marketing functions with other functions.............................................6
LO 2............................................................................................................................................................8
P 3 Marketing mix analysis.....................................................................................................................8
LO 3..........................................................................................................................................................11
P 4 Marketing plan................................................................................................................................11
CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................17

INTRODUCTION
Marketing essential is a basic need for any organization because they help the company
to promote their products and services worldwide. This can help the organization to get a
competitive advantage and make future plans accordingly which is going to be very beneficial
for business. Without having an effective marketing function the organization will not be able to
achieve their objectives on time and the market share of the business will fall. Unilever is a
public limited company which is having its headquarters in London, United Kingdom. There are
more than 155,000 employees working in the organization and the products which the company
is dealing are beauty & personal care, cleaning products and food & refreshments. This report
would consist of roles and responsibilities of marketing functioning in business, marketing mix
of the organization with comparison of Tesco and a marketing plan for the company to get a
competitive advantage globally.
LO 1
P 1 Roles and responsibilities of marketing functions
The roles and responsibilities of marketing functions are different from all the other
departments in the organization. The further report discusses the roles and responsibilities which
the marketing functions have in Unilever.
Roles
 Needs and demands of the customers
It is very essential for the marketing functions of Unilever to understand the customers and
the needs and demands of them so that they can be fulfilled by the company. Marketing team has
to make the production team alert and the research and development team understand the
demand of the customers so that the company can get in changes in the organization accordingly
which is a very important factor (Suh, 2016). This will help Unilever to get a better workforce

and have better competitive advantage in the market. The products packaging has been more
innovated so that it can attract the customers and increase profit margins.
 Development of products
The need of customers keep changing with the trends and it is very important for the
company to get in those changes as well so that they can maintain their market share. Designs of
products have to be changed and the products also have to be innovated so that they can match
the standards and expectations of the customers. Unilever takes care of that factor and makes the
company have a better functioning for them. The products of Unilever have been moulded
according to the customers due to the help of the marketing functions.
 Branding
Major role for branding of a company in the market is done by the marketing department by
using the right technique which will help the company to get a better market share. This requires
a lot of experience in this functioning so that the right measures can be taken for a company like
Unilever. The company wants to provide the customers with a sustainable living which is
making the company have a global recognition.
 Reputations and growth of organization
Productivity of the company is brilliant therefore the organization is being able to meet all
the needs and expectations of the company for the company’s competitive advantage. There are
more than 400 brands which are owned by Unilever and is still expanding themselves in other
departments. Unilever has a strong customer base for themselves which is a very important
factor and marketing functions help the company to meet the expectations of the customers from
time to time.
 Promotions
Marketing functions of Unilever use the best promotional methods for their products in the
market which are cost friendly and can attract a lot of customers in the company. The company
will get a lot of customers in the company and make the organization have a competitive

advantage (Muller, 2019). Unilever is promoting them on online, television and radio’s which is
going to make the company have a competitive advantage.
 Pricing
Marketing function decide the price of the products which are coming in the market
according to the customers. It is on the GDP or the kind of target the product is set for then the
marketing functions decide what they are supposed to be doing. The quality of the services and
product is high which is why the company is pricing the products accordingly so that the
company can make profitability.
Responsibilities
 Setting marketing strategy
There has to be a setting of strategy which the marketing function must follow so that there is
clarity of functioning of the organization. For an organization like Unilever there has to be a
planned structure for them so that they can get a competitive advantage in the market and the
customers are loyal to the organization (Olson, K., 2016). There is a good marketing strategy
which the organization is having for them which is making Unilever achieve their objectives and
goals so quickly.
 Communication
Marketing functions must make sure in Unilever that everyone is aware of the changes which
the marketing team has asked which can make the productivity of the company increase and
satisfaction of the customers can be higher. Unilever is having loyal customers in the
organization because the organization is making changes accordingly to the trends in the market
which is making the company have a strong market share. The objectives can also be met faster
with the help of better communication in Unilever and since there are expanding measures which
are being taken then the company will have to have better functioning.
 Seminars and events
There are a lot of seminars, campaigning, events, etc which are being hosted by Unilever so
that they can make the customers be more aware of the changes in the organization. There has to

be transparency in the organization and outside as well so that the trust bond of the company
with the customers can be maintained (Freytag, 2019). Unilever never fails in making the
customers aware of the changes which they have got in the company so that the loyalty of them
can be maintained.
 Market research
Marketing functions helps in identifying the needs and demands of the customers with the
change in time so that the company can get changes in the organization accordingly. The
strengths and weaknesses of the competitors can also be researched by the marketing functions
and be used to get more customers in the company which is going to be very beneficial. It is very
important for the company to take decision accordingly for the future growth of the company in
the market.
P 2 Roles and responsibilities of marketing functions with other functions
All the departments of the organization are dependent on one another which is why there
has to be a strong relationship between all the departments (Hyde and Reeve, 2018). There is a
lot of experience which Unilever is having in the industry which is why the decisions which are
being taken in the organization are taken after consulting all the functions of the organization. It
is very important to take everyone’s opinion in the decisions so that the productivity of the
organization and the reputation in the market does not get affected. Over years the company has
gained a high respect and standard for themselves which the organization does not want to risk at
any cost.
 Marketing and human resource
There have to be right hired employees in the organization so that there is a better
functioning and productivity of the organization. Human resource has to make sure that there is a
strong workforce in Unilever because the demand of customers is high which has to be fulfilled
by the organization. There has to be motivation which needs to be given to the employees of the
company by marketing and human resource so that the company can have high profit margins.
There is a lot of transparency which is visible in Unilever which is visible between the human

resource and marketing department and that can be a great competitive advantage for the
company. The internal environment of the company has to be maintained so that there is a
positivity which is visible on the outside and the satisfaction of the customers is more. The
quality of products and productivity of the organization can not be compromised.
 Marketing and research and development
Over time Unilever has got a lot of changes in the organization which has made the company
have such a large market share in the present. Marketing team of Unilever is very strong which
understands the customers directly without a third party being involved which is making the
innovations in the organization take place accordingly (Bracker, Lin and Pursley, 2018). There is
a lot of dependency which is visible between research and marketing departments of the
organization. Employees are also included in the decision making of the products so that the
outcome of the organization is been better which will make the company have a larger market
share. There are a lot of technological changes taken place and both the departments took
measures accordingly after consulting each other so that the company could maintain their
reputation in the market and did not have to face any negative impact of it.
 Marketing and finance
Marketing can not take place without having a financial backup and that factor can only be
completed by the finance department of the company. There are budgets which set by the finance
department so that there is a control on the revenue of the company which is why the marketing
team has to have transparency with the finance department so that they can get themselves
financially stable for the ideas they have to get more customers in the company. There has to be
a plan and a clear idea with the marketing and the finance department of the organization so that
there is a better functioning and that is a very essential factor. This will help the organization to
have better functioning for them and they will be able to achieve their objectives faster.
 Marketing and production
The marketing team is one of those teams in Unilever which is directly associated with the
customers of the company which is why they can understand the needs and demands for the
product of company (Frizzo-Barker and et.al., 2016). The marketing team has to keep updating

the production department so that they can function accordingly and the demands of the
customers can be met from time to time. The products of Unilever are being supplied worldwide
and understand such a large number of customers are a difficult task for the marketing team but
that needs to be fulfilled on time. There are a lot of chances that the customers shift from one
company to the other if there is no one time met of the demands. That is what is taken care of by
the marketing team to take research of the customers and provide it to the production department
which will help the company to have a powerful workforce and direction to function in.
Negative impact of interrelationship
It is very important for Unilever to make all the functions work together so that they can
get a competitive advantage which is going to help the company to grow. If this is not present
then the company will not be able to achieve their objectives and the reputation of the
organization will fall in the market (Caine and Mill, 2016). It is after a great struggle the
company has gained this market share and because of the internal factors the company will not
lose their competitive advantage they have in the market.
Significance of interrelationship
It is due to interrelationship that the objectives of the company and the functioning of the
organization can be better and effective for a long run in the market. This will help the company
to get a competitive advantage and the company will be able to have a better place for
themselves in the customers. The loyal of the customers will increase because the company will
be able to get the changes in Unilever accordingly which increases the satisfaction level.
LO 2
P 3 Marketing mix analysis
It is very essential for Aviva to analysis their market mix so that they can make the future
decisions accordingly which are going to be very helpful for a long run in market. The further
report is consisting of the marketing mix of P&G and Aviva which are great competitors in the
market of each other (Pollock and Edwards, 2019). Evaluating this analysis will help the

companies to have a better idea of the market and their own organization and there will be a
better direction which can be provided to the organization to function within.
7P’s of
Marketing
Greater Anglia Aviva
Product The unique feature which the product
of Greater Anglia is that they have a
greenest ways to travel and make the
customers have a very good
experience with their company. There
are a lot of improvements which are
visible in this company over years
which is why they are having a high
demand for customers because of the
service they are providing.
To stand out in the market the
company will have to have a unique
feature to the name and design of the
company so that they can stand out
in the market with the competitor
which is a very important factor for
the company. The company has
worked upon their products quality
and brand name and to get more
customers it was very essential for
Aviva to do that.
Price There are a lot of variations which are
visible in the price because the
company has expanded themselves in
a lot of products (Brown, 2017). The
pricing are affordable which is a great
technique of the company to get loyal
customers in the company. The
experience and the price of that
experience do match which is why the
company is so famous in the
competitors in market.
The initial strategy for pricing which
was used by Aviva was value pricing
strategy but later the company
shifted to competitive pricing so that
they can penetrate as much as the
competitors had in the market. The
competitors increased therefore the
company had to change so that they
could increase their profit margins.
Place Over years the company has made
great contacts in the market which is
making the company be easily
available for the customers. There are
a lot of local agents which the
There are right channels which are
being used by Aviva so that they can
have a high demand of the customers
and the company will be able to have
a better preference for customers in

company has which are making the
company reach out. Companies like
Amazon, EBay, Etc are also helping
the company to be present globally
which is a great advantage for the
organization for a long run in the
market.
the company. The company is
having a great outlets and online as
well so that the customers can reach
and the company can have high
profit margins for themselves.
Promotions Promotional strategies which are
being used by Greater Anglia are
having the latest technological use and
having a strong impact on the
audience. The demands of the
company increase therefore the
productivity of the company has to
improve which is a very essential
factor. There are discounts, offers, etc
used by Greater Anglia to attract more
customers in the company.
Aviva is using the attracting
customer strategy which is
promoting themselves with the help
of celebrities and the company is
also associated with a lot of NGO’s
which are helping each other to get
promoted and help to reach the
objectives in the market (Weisbord,
Horton and Urice, 2018).
People The workforce of Greater Anglia are
regularly trained and developed so that
they can match the expectations of the
company and there is no compromise
on the quality of product and services.
There are experienced employees
which are hired in the company so that
there is a better functioning and
maintained internal factor.
There is a sense of loyalty which is
observed in the employees of Aviva
but they are not so developed and
that company is not being able to
match up the expectations of the
customers from time to time. It is
very important to utilize the
employees of the company properly.
Physical
Evidence
Greater Anglia is recognised for its
goodwill and the targeted customer’s
segmentation of the company is also
up to the mark. Unilever is expanded
There is a lot of improvement and
strategies which have to be changed
in Aviva so that they can grow and
give a competition to the other

themselves in a lot of products which
is making the company have a large
market share and customer base in the
market which is giving the company a
competitive advantage.
companies in the market. The
company is not being able to reach
out to a large scale of customers and
the demands which the customers
are having is not being met by the
company which is a great
disadvantage for Aviva for a long
run in market.
Process The supply chain which Greater
Anglia has developed over years for
themselves is very strong and they
have also gotten online so that they
can have huge brand recognition
(Moharkar, 2017). This will get the
loyalty of the customers and the
organization will be able to have a
better functioning for themselves
which is a very important factor for
the company.
Aviva is available online as well but
still they are not being able to
capture the attention of the
customers because they are not being
able to reach out to the customers on
time and there is a higher investment
which is required by the organization
so that there can be a better
functioning of Aviva in the market.
Aviva has an upper hand on their competitors in the market which can be observed in the
marketing mix. There are right strategies which are being used by the organization which is
making the company get a great advantage in the market.
LO 3
P 4 Marketing plan
Executive Summary
There are a lot of changes which are coming in Unilever over time so that they can
capture the market more. The company would be launching bags and purses for women so that

they can expand themselves in the market which is a very essential factor. This will help the
company to get more profit margins in the market and the company will be able to get a larger
customer base for themselves.
Objectives
 To increase the market share of Unilever by 20& by the end of year 2023. To enhance consumer experience by 35% in the upcoming 11 months. To increase the sales of the new product of Unilever by 30% till the end of the year 2022. To increase the profitability by 20% by the end of year 2023.
Segmentation, targeting and positioning
 Segmentation
There are four segments in this which are demographic, psycho graphic, geographic and
behavioural. There focus on the new product is on the women of the society so that the company
can have higher sales in the market which is a very important factor. There is a lifestyle which
has to be matched by the organization so that the standards can be met and the product can
become popular.
 Targeting
The company will be targeting for the premium customers so that they can get a high profit
margin which is going to be good (Pearson, 2017). The quality of the product is not going to be
compromised and the trends of the customers are also going to be followed so that there is a
better functioning of the new product in the market.
 Positioning
The company will have to position themselves higher than the competitors so that they can
have a better market share for themselves. Unilever has a lot of experience in expanding into
new products which is going to be very useful for the company. The customer needs and
demands will be met from time to time which is a very essential factor and Unilever is very
particular about the needs of the customers which are going to be a great advantage for the
company.

SWOT
 Strengths
The major strength of the company is that they have a collective portfolio of very
successful brands which gives a competitive leverage to the company. Additionally, there
product mix is also very wide thus attracting all the consumer sectors. This helps the company in
exercising economies of scale thus placing their products at a comparatively cheaper rate and
that took on a global level.
 Weaknesses
The major weakness is that the products of Unilever brand can be easily copied by other
competing brands. This limits the growth of the company. Additionally, the company is
completely dependent on its retailers for the success and the diversification of the company is
also very limited.
 Opportunities
Some of the critical opportunities that the company can explore are the business
diversification opportunities where company can explore various new product lines and
industries (Gürel and Tat, 2017). The innovation in the products is also a very profitable
opportunity that Unilever can adopt. Additionally, market development will also help in
expanding the existing market of Unilever that is spread worldwide.
 Threats
The rivalry of the competitors is the major threat that Unilever is facing as the market share
of the company is regularly declining. Also, easy product imitation is a major cause of concern
for the company.
Pestle Analysis
It is a strategic tool which is used to analyse and supervise the macro environmental factors.
Unilever apply pestle analysis to evaluate its external environment. It includes several factors
which are described below:

 Political factors:
Political stability in the UK from few years can give positive impact on Unilever’s operations,
profitability and productivity as well because they will not have to change policies while trading
their products to other countries. Brexit can give negative impact on retail industries due to lead
changes in policies, trade laws etc.
 Economic factors:
Unilever can generate high revenue by improving demand of products. The reason behind is
that recently UK’s government announces to decline corporate tax from 19% to 18% in 2020. It
will automatically lead high profitability for organization in consumer market because they don’t
have to pay high tax (PESTLE Analysis of Unilever, 2017).
 Socio-cultural factors:
UK’s public is highly updated for emerging technology i.e. E-commerce, engine and prefer
online shopping which can give golden opportunity for organization to enhance its market share,
profitability and productivity of the products in the market. Unilever can give its own online
stores and sells its product by digital channel in term to cover whole merging market and can
keep its customer attractive towards organization services.
 Technological factors:
Emerging technologies i.e. RFID and Self-checkout counters are the new technology. So
organization can enhance their operational performance and efficiency by using these
technologies. Even organization can decline cost of staff by using these technologies as result
can get high profitability for long run in the market.
 Legal factors:
UK’s government has implemented several laws like labour law and health safety law. So,
organisation can comply with these laws which can help keep workforces motivated and satisfied
that definitely can lead profitability within company.
 Environmental factors:

Due to rising government and customer concerns for the environmental issues in the UK
adopted environmentally friendly sustainable operation procedures by Unilever which can be
costly for the organization when it is legally mandated by the government.
Key performance indicator
There are a lot of strategies which are going to be changed in the organization so that the
new product in the market can be launched and that can capture the market effectively. The
improvement is being done so that there is no pressure on the employees and the best
performance can be taken out of them and task will be distributed better. There has to be a fair
treatment which is required.
Monitoring and Evaluation
It is very important that after the changes in the company are made and the expansion of
the company is a selection which is going to affect the productivity of the company resulting in
decrease but if everything goes by plain then the company will be able to capture the market. It is
very important to monitor and evaluate the changes which are coming up so that the management
can mould the changes more so that they can be accepted by the employees of the company and
the company will be able to achieve their objectives faster (Ruback and Yudkoff, 2017). The
leaders and managers must know how to control the employees of the company and that will get
the changes in the company effectively.
Budget
Particulars Amount
Labour £850
Production £600
Marketing £550
Direct Materials £600
Other costs £400
Total £3,000
Investment technique

Venture capitalist is going to be adopted by Unilever with this project, in this the
investors invest which have a high potential to grow in the market. There is a lot of competition
for Unilever in the market which is why better methods will have to be used by Unilever so that
they can have a better functioning for themselves.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that there is a need for businesses to have a
strategic plan so that there is a direction in which the organization can function. There is a high
experience of Unilever which is why the company can expand themselves in other products and
the company has a huge customer base which will support the new products as well. There is no
compromise on the quality and the productivity in the organization which is a great advantage
for the company.

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https://pestleanalysis.com/pestle-analysis-of-unilever/.