Marketing Essentials: A Comprehensive Guide to Marketing Principles and Practices

This comprehensive guide delves into the fundamental principles and practices of marketing, exploring its role within organizations, the elements of the marketing mix (7Ps), and the development and evaluation of effective marketing plans. Using real-world examples, this resource provides a practical understanding of how marketing strategies can be implemented to achieve business objectives. It also examines the interrelationship between marketing and other functional units within an organization, highlighting the importance of collaboration for success.

Marketing Essential
1

Table of Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................................3
LO1: Explain the role of marketing and how it interrelates with other functional units
of an organisation.........................................................................................................4
LO2: Compare ways in which organisations use elements of the marketing mix (7Ps)
to achieve overall business objectives.........................................................................9
LO3: Develop and evaluate a basic marketing plan...................................................13
Conclusion..................................................................................................................18
Reference List.............................................................................................................19
2

Introduction
For any business or firms, marketing develops as being the heart of the organization.
The foundation of the business lies in the form of having successful marketing.
Marketing serves as an umbrella covering Public Relations (PR), promotions,
advertising and sales (Baker and Saren, 2016). Marketing is based on the activities
of the suppliers and the buyers involving channels of distribution. Peter Drucker has
defined business as the institution revolving around two basic functions such as
innovation and marketing (Tomczak et al., 2018). The activities included in marketing
are anticipation, manufacturing of products, purchasing of raw materials, distribution
to the customers through retailers and finally gaining profit and increase in
productivity. This assignment briefs about the marketing activities that take place in
the Travel and tourism industry, Your Destination operating in UK. Your Destination
is an emerging business facing threats from National Express. Marketing activities
will help the company to meet the threats from National Express and develops its
position in the market. This assignment gives a detailed picture of the roles and
function of the marketing officer in the organization.
3

LO1: Explain the role of marketing and how it interrelates with other functional
units of an organisation
a) Explain the key duties and responsibilities for a Marketing Officer and a
proposed structure and operations of the marketing department. (P1) (M1)
Your Destination
Inter-office Memo
To: Senior Management, Your Destination
From: Marketing officer, Your Destination
Subject: Roles and responsibilities of marketing officer
Marketing activities revolves around certain specific functions like production of
goods and commodities, framing of marketing strategies, focusing on the distribution
of the products through retailers or directly to the customers serving as the end
consumers (Armstrong et al., 2015). Selling and buying concept between the seller
and the buyer, promotion about the products and the company, finally leads to
creation of awareness among the customers about the services. The final activity
includes earning revenues thus increasing the brand image and the market share
captivating a strong position in the market. The role of the marketing officer comes in
during the starting phase of the marketing activities and continues until the revenues
are earned leading to profit of the organization. The concept of developing marketing
plan evolved in the mid 19th century era, where new competitors created a threat for
the existing companies (Pike, 2015). Marketing officer needs to have apt and up-to
date knowledge of the current and future trends evolving in the market in line with
the requirements of the customers. Marketing activities are conducted to gain
customer satisfaction by identifying their needs and meeting their requirements. The
officer needs to research on the demands of the customers by communicating with
them either through survey, or conducting marketing research or even through
gathering feedbacks.
4

To gain an increase in the productivity, the officer ensures that efficient
communication develops between the suppliers and the buyers. An officer acts as
the pillar in conducting all the activities developing the position of the company and
also retaining the existing customers. Skilled employees hired solely do not meet the
demands of the company and that of the customers but the employees have to be
employed in the right department based on their expertise. An officer has to maintain
a track in monitoring and organising performance managements to cater to the
requirements of the company.
It is the duty of the officer of Your Destination to enhance customer relationship by
providing better quality services and catering to their needs. The marketing officer
oversees certain criteria like promotion of the brand image (Huang and Sarigöllü,
2014) of the company, planning strategy, taking care of external factors like the
7Ps, understanding the strength and weakness of the company by taking
advantage of the opportunities to meet the threats like National Express. Basically
the marketing officer will have to keep an intact record of the yearly revenues
earned by the company and develop ethical relationship in the organization. Your
Destination has been an emerging company in the travel and tourism sector, thereby
making the officer focus on the marketing mix and developing communication
with the public relations. To create awareness about the company, the officer needs
to ensure having proper kind of advertisement using web designing or advertising
tools. The officer has to conduct and supervise marketing campaign (Huang and
Sarigöllü, 2014), so as to understand the trends in the customers.
The marketing department of Your Destination needs have knowledge of the various
duties and tasks to be performed for creating awareness about the services offered
by the company. The travel company Your Destination just like other companies
consist of a firm structure, headed by the CEO of the company, then the President
and other departmental heads. The president of Your Destination Company is
entitled with the task of maintaining and controlling the various operations within and
outside the organization. The other departmental heads consists of the marketing
manager assisting the President to carry out the task smoothly. Then lies the market
researchers below the President to cater to the needs of the customers and the
employees of the organization as well. The PR agencies lies next to the researchers
5

helping the company develop its bond with many external organizations assisting in
the growth of the company.
Figure 1: Organizational Structure of Travel and Tourism Sector
(Source: Created by Learner)
The PR agencies actually help in creating awareness about the company through
non-paid advertising. The company may offer discounts or brochures to attract new
customers and increase the reputation of the brand. Finally the employees are
organized in the structure assisting the managers and the departments to achieve
the organizational goals through their efforts. Employees are the core departmental
bodies forming the base of the company. Your Destination employs skilled labour to
meet the demands of the customers by producing better quality services.
b) Explain how the roles and responsibilities will contribute to the wider
organisational objectives. (P2) (M2)
Your Destination
Inter-office Memo
6
TourismBoardChiefExecutiveandSeniorManagementTeamBusinessSupportProductDevelopmentCorporateDevelopmentHRFinance

To: Senior Management, Your Destination
From: Marketing officer, Your Destination
Subject: Roles and responsibilities of marketing officer
In the context of wider organizational objectives, marketing functions are inter-related
with production, purchasing, finance departments. The objectives of Your Destination
are to provide better quality and timely services to the customers. To meet the
objectives, the organization needs to inter-relate with other departs to increase work
efficiency and productivity. Some of the functions are discussed below:
Finance function:
The finance department works in close relation with the marketing department. The
marketing officer involves in activities like analysing the demands of the customers,
conducting product survey, reviewing the sales volume for the given price. The
marketing department is also entrusted with the duty of expanding the business and
fixing the price of the products, thus having financial implications. The finance
department analyses the pricing strategies along with the marketing department.
Purchasing function:
The market share of the company is dependent on the purchasing behaviour of the
customers. If there is no interest for the customers to buy the product, marketing
activities of the company will fail (Brown, 2013). Both the functions are inter-related
since if the customers are well aware with the brand and the services they will be
interested in purchasing the commodities
Production functions:
If the customers are not satisfied with the quality of the products or the services, then
it results in the failure of the marketing activities. Goods and services are produced
and created based on the current demands, trends of the consumers. The marketing
department through the market research (Malhotra et al., 2013) offers the production
department necessary information related to this. Market research enables to
understand the requirements from the feedbacks collected in the survey.
Human Resource Department:
7

The human resource department helps in the marketing activities by hiring skilled
labours for the benefit of the organization. When the objectives of the organizations
are framed, then the HR department hires candidates matching the skills required.
The workforce planning and the performance of the employees are catered and
maintained by the human resource department. Promotion abut the company is
conducted by the HR department.
Research and Development:
Before launching the product in the market, The R&D department makes a research
on the pricing strategy of the products and the services. The department conducts
research activities to analyse the trends in the market and the requirements of the
markets. Thus R&D and marketing department are closely related. Marketing
activities cannot be performed without having a research or prior knowledge about
the requirements of the buyers.
Basically all the departments are inter-related with each other in achieving the
objectives of the organization from overall perspective. Finance department sets the
budget and purchases the raw materials accordingly. The raw materials purchased
will influence the quality of the products to be manufactured. The marketing function
will create awareness among the potential customers regarding the services offered
which will directly affect the purchasing behaviour of the customers.
8

LO2: Compare ways in which organisations use elements of the marketing mix
(7Ps) to achieve overall business objectives
Using the 7Ps compare Your Destination approach to applying the marketing
mix to that of National Express in achieving the business objectives. (P3) (M3)
Marketing mix enables one to understand the external factors contributing in the
development of an organization (Khan, 2014). In order to attain the organizational
objectives, different tactics are applied by the companies in the form of the marketing
mix (Akroush, 2011). The core objectives of the both the companies are to provide
transportation facilities to the customers worldwide. The standards of the services
and the demands of the customers must be taken into care by both the organization.
A distinction between the marketing mix of the two companies is discussed below:
7Ps of Marketing Mix Your Destination National Express
Product The company offers
transportation facilities to
various kinds of
customers. This company
is a newly emerging
company providing
services to the private and
personals customers
(Mishra, 2016).
The company is newly
developing its services in
the UK market.
National Express is an
existing organization with
a standard of providing
good services in the form
of rail, coach and bus
services. The services are
offered to professionals
and to individuals.
In terms of product, the
company has attained the
maturity stage.
Place Your Destination offers
services to customers in
Essex and London. The
Company is trying to
develop its boundaries
beyond the two countries.
National Express contrarily
has been operating in
many countries United
Kingdom, North
America, Middle East
and North Africa, thereby
having revenue of about
9

20.71% from the
operations in UK.
Positioning is created to
provide easy access to the
customers.
Price The pricing strategy is
framed based on
psychological and
penetration pricing. The
company in order to attract
several customers offers
discounts, brochures to
customers
National Express forms
the pricing strategy based
on the income of the
different types of
customers. The company
uses economical based
pricing strategy for
offering bus services to
the customers. National
Express mainly uses
premium pricing
strategy to provide coach
services to the
customers. For rail and
other bus services, the
price scheming strategy
is followed.
Promotion Your Destination being
new in the market
approaches direct
communication with the
customers. Your
Destination has used the
medium of advertising
through celebrity
endorsement and
advertising in social media
for attracting new
National Express uses the
social media for creating
and promoting the brand
in the UK market and
globally. National Express
has developed its own
official page in the web to
promote about its brand
and the services offered.
10

customers (Stokes, 2011).
Physical Evidence The offices and the bus
services act as the
physical evidence for this
company. Being new in
the market, the company
has not created any kind
of websites or online portal
so that customers can
easily track information
and details of the
company.
National Express on the
other hand uses tangible
services as the form of
physical evidence. The
website of the company,
the buses, coaches and
even companies situated
in many parts of the
worlds are types of
physical evidence.
People Your Destination employs
various skilled workforce
to maintain the
departmental duties like
the technological
departments, the
production team, the
promotion team, and many
other departments
efficiently contributing in
an increase in the
services.
The personnel appointed
for facing the customers
and providing support are
skilled and efficient. The
company maintains a
strength of about more
than 44,000 employees
Process Your Destination gives
access to the information
to the customers with the
availability of offices in
many countries
National Express with an
experience of three years
has developed online
channels for the
customers to interact with
the members of the
company in relation to any
information or queries.
11

Table 2: 7Ps of Marketing Mix comparing Your Destination and National
Express
(Source: Created by Learner)
According to the analysis made on the 7Ps of the marketing mix, it is observed that
Your Destination has developed many new strategies to offer better quality services.
To expand its boundaries beyond Essex and London, Your Destination has applied
strategies used by National Express. Promotional tools like social media platform
have been opted to promote about the services and create awareness among the
potential customers.
12

LO3: Develop and evaluate a basic marketing plan
Produce a basic marketing plan for the nationwide expansion. (P4) (M4)
Marketing objectives and goals:
Vision:
Your Destination will aim to offer quality service to the customers and develop the
impression of having value for money. The standards of the services have to be high
in quality maintaining courtesy.
Objectives:
 To maximize the revenue by 10% within a span 1 year
 To enhance and modify the ratings of the company in the market
 To make the customers aware of the various products and services offered by
the company
Target Market
Your Destination will mainly aim to target the business class and the families residing
in any parts of the country. The segmentation will be based on the customers mostly
preferring to travel and opting for new and luxurious travels. Business classes mainly
prefer to travel to different parts of the country in coaches and avail luxurious
transport facilities.
Consumer Analysis
Since the target market are the business classes and the families having medium
range of income, sometimes they cannot afford to purchase or avail such facilities.
Some of the expectations are to:
 Reduce the pricing strategy
 To inter-connect facilities across many countries
Marketing mix
13

Marketing mix actually helps to analyse the external factors that will contribute in the
introduction of the new services and products. Your Destination can re-position itself
with the help of the marketing mix.
Product: Your Destination will aim to better the quality of the services provided to
the customers. Feedbacks and market research will help to cater to the needs of the
customers and improve the services both for personal and professional uses. As UK
being developed country, business classes are greater in number; thereby Your
Destination should aim to provide services for the elite people and the business
classes too.
Price: Your Destination will focus on penetrating pricing scheme to provide services
to various kinds of customers.
Place: Your Destination will aim to go beyond the demographics of UK and connect
to many other countries including North Africa, Middle East, thereby expanding its
business globally.
Promotion: Your Destination will use the social media platform like Facebook,
YouTube to create awareness about the brand and will open an official portal where
customers can access to the information of the company.
People: The Company will aim at hiring more staffs skilled in technological field as
customers’ needs assistance while accessing information online.
Physical Evidence: The company can develop form of receipts like transaction bills
in online payment acting as physical evidence.
Process: The Company interacts with the customers in both direct and indirect
approaches. Directly, the company appoint sales person to collect feedback from the
customers and organizes surveys. Indirectly, the Company interacts with the
customers by opening official site and portals in social media like Facebook and
YouTube.
Distribution Channel
Your Destination has aimed to provide services to the customers through both online
and offline medium. Through online portals, customers can access to the
14

informations relating to the Company and avail for pre-booking facility. Customers
can even visit the office to avail the services. Thus, the products and the services are
distributed through direct or indirect channels.
Action Plan
Month Activity Deadline Person
Responsible
January- February Develop a vision for
the Company and
provides clarity in the
objectives by framing
it with a motive of
attaining within a
span of 1 year
30th March Concerned
Destination
Marketing officer
March- May To hire and recruit
skilled labours and
make them familiar
with the
organizational
behaviour and train
them accordingly
29th May Marketing officer
June-July To open up an
official portal through
web designing
20th July Marketing officer
August- September To gather feedbacks
and reviews attached
to the official site and
work on them step by
step, improving the
quality
29thth September Marketing officer
October-November To promote about
the brand and
interacts with the
customers. This will
be conducted to
aware the customers
26th November Marketing officer
15

and encourage them
to avail the services.
December To measure the
revenue and the
fulfilment of the
objectives
30ST December Marketing officer
Table 3: Action Plan for the marketing campaign of Your Destination
(Source: Created by learner)
Budget Expenses
Elements Budget
Campaign cost 42,000
Online web portal 12,000
Social media promotion 15,000
Total Estimated Cost 69,000
Table 4: Budget Expenses of the Marketing Plan
(Source: Created by learner)
Campaign cost Online web portal Social media
promotion Total Estimated
Cost
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
Budget
Budget
Figure 5: Graph Presentation of Budget used in the campaign
(Source: created by learner)
16

17

Success Criteria
Thus from the above shown budget table, it is clearly evident that Your Destination
was able to achieve at least 8% of an increase in the revenue within 1 year of span.
Even the company through online portal and social media promotion was successful
in expanding the business in many other countries like National Express.
Evaluation
Your Destination, with the help of the marketing plan will be able to analyse the
requirements of the customers and target segmentation can be attained easily. The
marketing plan will promote about the brand and the services effectively. In future,
the company will aim to increase the revenue double the current rate and use other
mediums of promotion like celebrity endorsement, official sites in Facebook. The
company will work upon the idea of having online booking facility for the customers.
18

Conclusion
This assignment has shed light on various marketing activities conducted by Your
Destination to expand its business. Marketing mix helps to identify the external
factors and develops the business by increasing its productivity. Marketing activities
are conducted to increase the revenue and market share. Your Destination being a
newly developed transport company has taken many measures to enhance its
position with the help of marketing plan. This assignment focused on the various
departments of an organization and the inter-relationships between each
department.
19

Reference List
Akroush, M.N., 2011. The 7Ps Classification of the Services Marketing Mix
Revisited: An Empirical Assessment of their Generalisability, Applicability and Effect
on Performance Evidence from Jordan’s Services Organisations. Jordan Journal of
Business Administration, 153(3141), pp.1-32.
Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M. and Brennan, R., 2015. Marketing: an
introduction. Pearson Education.
Baker, M.J. and Saren, M. eds., 2016. Marketing theory: a student text. Sage.
Baker, M.J., 2016. What is marketing?. In The Marketing Book(pp. 25-42).
Routledge.
Brown, S., 2013. Postmodern marketing?. European Journal of Marketing.
Hanssens, D.M., Pauwels, K.H., Srinivasan, S., Vanhuele, M. and Yildirim, G., 2014.
Consumer attitude metrics for guiding marketing mix decisions. Marketing Science,
33(4), pp.534-550.
Huang, R. and Sarigöllü, E., 2014. How brand awareness relates to market outcome,
brand equity, and the marketing mix. In Fashion Branding and Consumer
Behaviors (pp. 113-132). Springer, New York, NY.
Khan, M.T., 2014. The concept of'marketing mix'and its elements (a conceptual
review paper). International journal of information, business and management, 6(2),
p.95.
Kotabe, M. and Helsen, K., 2014. Global marketing management.
Malhotra, N.K., 2015. Essentials of marketing research: A hands-on orientation.
Essex: Pearson.
Malhotra, N.K., Birks, D.F. and Wills, P., 2013. Essentials of marketing research.
Pearson.
20

Mishra, A., 2016. Describing Marketing.
Pike, S., 2015. Destination Marketing: Essentials. Routledge.
Stokes, R., 2011. eMarketing: The essential guide to digital marketing. Quirk
eMarketing.
Tomczak, T., Reinecke, S. and Kuss, A., 2018. Introduction. In Strategic
Marketing (pp. 1-18). Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden.
Wertime, K. and Fenwick, I., 2011. DigiMarketing: The essential guide to new media
and digital marketing. John Wiley & Sons
21