Responsibilities and Roles of Marketing Function in Tesco

This report discusses the responsibilities and roles of the marketing function in Tesco, the largest retail organization in the UK. It also explores the interrelationships between different functions within the organization and compares the use of the 7Ps of marketing mix in Tesco and Walmart.

MARKETING ESSENTIALS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
LO1..................................................................................................................................................3
P1 Responsibilities and roles of the marketing function.............................................................3
P2 Responsibilities and roles of marketing relate to wider context of the organisation..............4
LO2..................................................................................................................................................5
P3 7Ps of marketing mix..............................................................................................................5
LO3................................................................................................................................................10
P4 Marketing plan......................................................................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Marketing is key function of a company, in which top-level management within every
company need to manage own various operations of the marketing effectively. Nowadays, there
is very higher competition within market places of every nation, and this competition is growing
continuously, so conducting functions of marketing in proper way is the most favourable way to
the company to gain achieving excellent results within market place. Nowadays, most businesses
as well as companies within across the world has fully depended on their marketing functions to
achieve many new customers within their respective sector or industry (Arab, 2018). This report
discusses the marketing function of Tesco. Currently Tesco is known as the biggest retail
organisation of the United Kingdom, which has the largest supply chain in its home country UK
as well. Key responsibilities and roles of marketing has been discussed in this report. There are
7Ps of marketing mix also has been used in this report to compare Tesco with another
organisation. A very productive marketing plan also has been created to Tesco in this report.
MAIN BODY
LO1
P1 Responsibilities and roles of the marketing function
Currently marketing function is very essential as well very productive to each business
including Tesco, and this is the main reason that upper management always tries to make it’s all
marketing operations very effective. There are some major roles and responsibilities of the
marketing function has been discussed below;
Listening needs and demands of customers
Currently there are many types of customers exists in market place, and these all
employees has different needs and demands due to having different background (Campo, Rosato
and Giagnacovo, 2020). In this situation, each company have to know these needs and demands
of customers for developing its different products and services accordingly. In the Tesco,
marketing department is main responsible body for listening different demands and needs of

customers in order to fulfil them accordingly. This role or responsibility of marketing enables to
customers for attracting many new customers towards own brand.
Track market trends and monitor the competition
This is another major responsibility or role of marketing team in Tesco. Basically, when
marketing team informs upper management of venture about the existing market trends and
competition, then the management can simply make strategies accordingly. For example;
recently team has informed to Tesco that, now people has fully focused on buying healthy food
products, in which this role of marketing team has helped to upper management for producing
only healthy food retail items.
These are major roles and responsibilities of marketing function, and without these roles
Tesco cannot gain effective profit margins and competitive advantage in the market.
P2 Responsibilities and roles of marketing relate to wider context of the organisation
There are roles and responsibilities of marketing completely relates with wider context of
organisation (Evans and Mason, 2018). Basically, currently many functional departments exist in
the Tesco’s business environment including marketing, and these all departments properly
coordinate with each other for achieving better outcomes. There is relationship between all
functions of Tesco is as follows;
Basically, a function within an organisation cannon achieve its decided target without
coordinating with other function. For example; when marketing functional department of
company requires some more effective employees or markers within its workplace, then it
directly coordinate with HR department, then HR department has started its practices for hiring
new employees or marketer for the department of marketing. On the other side, when marketing
department need to implement different digital technologies within area of its department, then
Tesco’s marketing manager directly communicate with IT manager for fulfilling its needs, then
IT department has taken steps towards implementing new digital technologies within marketing
team (Taiminen, 2016). Many times, IT department implements various machines and
technologies within the production department also for improving the quality of produced
products and services.

On the other side, when information technology department of Tesco require some new
effective employees its department, then it directly coordinate with human resource department,
then this HR department has started the process of hiring new employees for IT team for
improving the performance of this department in business environment of Tesco.
Significance of interrelationships between functions
There are all functional department completely interrelates with each other, and these can
support to Tesco for gaining very appropriate outcomes in market place. The biggest significance
of this interrelationship is that, improving overall productivity and performance organisation.
LO2
P3 7Ps of marketing mix
7Ps marketing mix technique is too important technique to different businesses and
ventures in this modern world, so currently top-level management of Tesco need to order its
department of marketing for using this marketing technique in own workplace (Ishigai, 2020).
Generally, strategy of 7Ps of marketing mix has indicated seven 7 key ways of promotion for a
company, called; place, product, people, price, physical evidence, promotion, and process. When
marketing department of a Tesco follow these all Ps within its daily operations, then it can be
able for gaining excellent competitive advantage within selected market segments. Ways of
using 7Ps of marketing mix technique in two different organisations has been mentioned below.
The first company is Tesco, second one is Walmart. Generally, Walmart is the largest
international retail organisation in across the world. Currently it has the largest supply chain in
global retail sector. Marketing functions of both organisations has been compared below by
using marketing mix strategy.
7Ps of
marketing mix
Walmart Tesco
Product Walmart basically provides all
range retail products within its
various of authorised stores and
supermarkets, like; groceries,
Tesco has also provided those all
services and products within market
place that has provided by Walmart.
For example; groceries, stationaries,

blankets furniture, kids’ toys etc.
Top-level management of retail
business is very aggressive in
maintaining effective quality of
own different products, in which it
has considered various operations
management approaches (Alharbi,
2020). Nowadays, this business has
the many range of services and
products in the market place, and
customers like while buying them
in market as well.
furniture, clothes, beauty products
etc. are some key products of the
company which it has provided in
own various stores and supermarkets
within global retail sector. Top-level
management of Tesco never
compromise with the quality of own
services and products, so it has
ordered to existing production
department for maintaining very
excellent quality and standard of
different products.
Price Walmart is the large retail
company, and has succeeded in
widely expanding own business
operations within entire the world
because of own effective pricing
strategies. Generally, this company
has mostly used competitive-based
strategy of pricing within own
workplace, so strategy has helped
to company to offer its services and
products on something favourable
or cheaper rates to different
customers in the comparison of
own competitors. However, during
selling premium services and
products within market, Walmart’s
top-level management uses value-
based strategy of pricing to set rates
of own premium products
In current retail sector, there is very
higher competition, and top-level
management within Tesco
completely aware about this
competition factor, in which it has
believed in adhering various
principles of competitive based
strategy of pricing. Generally,
competitive strategy of pricing has
contributed in maintaining rates of its
products favourable than existing
market competitors (Muralidharan
and Sheehan, 2016). Sometimes,
upper management of Tesco has used
value-based strategy of pricing as
well, because this strategy has
enabled to Tesco for selling own
premium range products on very
appropriate prices in own various

according products’ present market
value.
segments of market.
Place Nowadays Walmart has served
within market places of lots of
countries, like; United Kingdom,
United States, Canada, Japan,
Netherlands, France, Ireland and
Germany etc. So, it has very large
customer base within the
international industry of retail.
Nowadays, it has over 11,496
stores and supermarkets within
different market places, so these
numbers of show that Walmart has
very succeeded in effectively
expanding own operations of
business in lots of market places
(Masito, 2020). Upper management
of this business completely focuses
on too highly expanding its
operations of business in lots of
new market segments or places.
Tesco has also served in many
market places with own 6800 stores
and supermarkets. Generally, Tesco
has an effective strategy of business
expansion, and that’s why it has too
succeeded for expanding its
operations in lots of new market
places within entire the world.
However, the retail sector of the UK
is key market place to Tesco,
because United Kingdom is
venture’s home country, and it leads
the existing retail industry of this
market place. After United Kingdom,
Tesco’s main market places are
Ireland, Netherlands, France,
Australia, New Zealand, etc.
Promotion Promotion is very important
function for the company, because
Walmart can’t be gained its overall
objectives of business without
properly promoting own brand
globally. Currently marketing team
of Walmart is the key responsible
team to monitor and control
different campaigns and operations
Nowadays, marketing team within
Tesco is too active for running its
various effective campaigns of
marketing within its selected places
of market to effectively promote own
business in market place. Due to
having the appropriate marketing
team, currently Tesco in attracting
lots of new people towards own

of marketing in Walmart. Currently
marketing team of company has
highly depended on the strategy of
digital marketing, because this
strategy has provided very excellent
results to various businesses and
organisations right now in market
place. However, the department of
marketing at Walmart has used
traditional marketing strategies as
well in order to effectively promote
own business at the wide scale
within market place.
brand within its home country UK.
Nowadays, Tesco’s marketing team
is highly used social media
marketing as well as strategy of
digital marketing within own
workplace, because these strategies
are most favourable marketing
tactics to Tesco for informing
thousands of customers about self-
developed services and products in
the market (Andocsová, Géci and
Kubelaková, 2017). The marketing
department mostly makes few
effective plans of marketing as well
for raising its market share within
retail sector of a country.
People Top-level management within the
Walmart fully knows that the
employees or people are very
valuable in workplace to an
organisation, so it always tries for
maintaining effective relations with
own various employees as well as
workers. Nowadays, it has a very
productive workforce of approx.
2.2 million talented and skilled
employees within entire the world,
and these all employees has day
and night putted own huge efforts
in order to achieve Walmart’s
overall objectives in market (Dibb,
The management at Tesco also
knows the value of employees and
people within its daily activities.
Nowadays, this retail company has
the large workforce of approx.
450,000 employees or workers, in
which existing HR department of
Tesco always adhere all contract and
employment laws in daily HRM
practices, because this step of HR
department can give huge
contribution for building effective
relationship with employees. On the
other hand, company has used matrix
of stakeholder analysis as well for

2017). On the other hand, the
management has tried for
maintaining proper relationship
with its different stakeholders as
well.
maintaining very well relationship
with own various stakeholders.
Process Nowadays, Walmart has the biggest
distribution channel in entire the
world, so it has no requirement to
put own huge efforts in order to
deliver its various services and
products to people or customers on
time. There are logistics department
and distribution officers of this
business has always used such
methods of transportation within
own workplace that can provide too
productive outcomes in market. For
example; Walmart has used cargos
to deliver its retail items to own
various authorised supermarkets
and stores in whole the world.
The management of Tesco is too
aggressive for delivering its various
retail services and products to its
customers in market on time, and
that’s why company has a very
effective supply chain in own home
country the United Kingdom.
Nowadays, customers of Tesco have
no need for waiting to a product in
the supermarkets or stores of
company, because the logistics
department of Tesco has time to time
filled it’s all authorised supermarkets
and stores with various retail
products to deliver them customers
on time.
Physical
evidence
Walmart has a very effective
workforce, in which when
customers visits this company’s
supermarkets and stores, then
present staff or employees within a
store has always interacted with
them in very appropriate manner.
Generally, top-level management at
Walmart has successfully improved
skills of communication of own
Tesco’s employees or staff has also
effectively interacted with various
customers when they visited Tesco’s
authorised stores or supermarkets
(Lewin-Jones, 2019). Generally,
customers mostly have quires about a
service or a product, so present staff
and employees are helping customers
through sharing each information
about a product with customers.

staff or employees in workplace, so
these employees mostly give every
information regarding to a product
or service during interacting with
customers in store.
Evaluation
According to the implementation of 7Ps of marketing, Tesco and Walmart both retail
organisations are taking huge of benefits from strategy marketing mix. Marketing departments
and marketers in these both organisations are putting huge efforts in order to improve their brand
value in global retail sector.
LO3
P4 Marketing plan
In existing competitive market environment, upper management of an organisation or
business has highly required to order their marketing department to create or formulate an
effective plan of marketing, because it is too important to gain very appropriate competitive
advantage within selected market segments (Sahoo, 2020). In this situation, an effective
marketing plan has been created below to Tesco, so marketing team of this business have to
follow this plan within its daily business operations.
Marketing Plan
Aim: The Tesco is aiming to rise its market share in the UK’s retail sector with 14%.
SMART Objectives
 Offer quality services and products for putting positive impression on various
customers.
 Adopt modern marketing tactics and techniques for gaining many new customers or
people towards brand.
 Run different informative advertisements to positively impact customers’ stages of

decision-making.
 Maintains effective relations with customers by marketing to make them loyal
customers.
STP Model
STP model is generally a marketing strategy which currently used by many businesses
and companies in market. This STP term always indicates three prime stages of marketing that
has been mentioned below to Tesco.
Segmentation
Segmentation is the beginning stage within the STP strategy, in which top-level of
company need to order own marketing team to divide whole large market into the small or
mini market segments (Wilson, 2018). It can be divided the whole market into mini segments
on the basis of their geographic and demographic background.
Targeting
This is another key stage under model of STP, so this stage generally influences to
various companies to target their customers for raising own sales ratio in selected segments. In
this situation, marketing team at Tesco can be targeted its customer on the basis of their
attitude, religion, interest and hobby etc.
Positioning
Positioning is final stage in the strategy, in which the marketing department of
company need for putting its excellent efforts to build effective relations with various new
customers as well as people in market segments. On the other hand, top-level management
have to be focused on improving operations of its department of logistics as well in order to
timely deliver its various services and products to customers.
Marketing Analysis
Marketing analysis is too mandatory activity to a business while employing a plan of
marketing in daily operations, so a very appropriate market analysis model named; PEST
analysis framework has been implemented below in order to analyse the existing market
situations of Tesco.
PEST Analysis
PEST framework is helpful as well as useful to a business in identifying major external
factors of own business environment (Wood, Coe and Wrigley, 2016). Basically, tool informs

companies about four prime external factors, in which these factors has been discussed below;
Political Factors: Political factors highly influences to Tesco in global market place, like;
governments of all countries have imposed the taxation duty on this company where it
operates.
Economic Factors: There are economic factors also influences to Tesco in both ways,
positively and negatively, like; nowadays the UK’s system of economy is negatively
influencing Tesco, because his economic situations of this country are very poor right now due
to corona pandemic.
Social Factors: These factors are too appropriate to Tesco in many of market places, because
customers mostly like to buy quality items in market place, and Tesco already has provided
quality products to different customers.
Technological Factors: These technological factors have affected to Tesco to continuously
raise its productivity as well as performance within market place.
Budget
Upper management of Tesco need to pass an appropriate budget to its marketing
department to proper implement this marketing plan in different selected market segments.
Monitoring and Controlling
Excellent controlling and monitoring marketing plan’s various practices is very
important to company in order to gain positive outcomes from existing plan, so top-level
management and department of marketing need to properly control and monitor this plan of
marketing.
Key performance indicator (KPI)
Tesco’s upper management should order to its manager of marketing department for
using key performance indicator tool to check present performance of this plan of marketing
after the implementation (Parvatiyar, Donthu and Gruen, 2018). It is really mandatory task to
Tesco to ensure that, there are all marketing plan’s operations are running effectively.
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded that upper management at Tesco always need to adopt and use both
marketing strategies (modern and traditional) for achieving effective results in selected market
segments. However, nowadays modern marketing strategies are too appropriate to Tesco,

because these strategies can be enabled to company in to attract lots of new customers in current
highly competitive market. The marketing team of Tesco need to use different productive
strategies of marketing that has been included above in market plan, because these strategies will
be able to positively influence the all stages of customers’ decision-making journey. At the end,
company can simply increase its market share in international retail sector.

REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Alharbi, M. A., 2020, March. The Changing Dynamics of Relationship Marketing in the Era of
Digitalization. In 2020 7th International Conference on Computing for Sustainable
Global Development. (INDIACom) (pp. 286-291). IEEE.
Andocsová, A., Géci, A. and Kubelaková, A., 2017. The Impact of Online Marketing of Selected
Retail Stores on Consumer's Behaviour of the Young Generation. In Proceeding from
the conference: Marketing Identity, Trnava, Slovakia: University of st. Cyril and
Methodius in Trnava. (pp. 116-125).
Arab, N., 2018. Relationship between dimensions of Brand Equity and 4Ps of Marketing Mix-
Place, Product, Promotion, & Price: Coca Cola-Consumer Based Qualitative Survey.
Campo, R., Rosato, P. and Giagnacovo, D., 2020. Less Salt, Same Taste: Food Marketing
Strategies via Healthier Products. Sustainability. 12(9). p.3916.
Dibb, S., 2017. Changing times for social marketing segmentation. In Segmentation in social
marketing. (pp. 41-59). Springer, Singapore.
Evans, B. and Mason, R., 2018. The lean supply chain: managing the challenge at Tesco. Kogan
Page Publishers.
Ishigai, P. A., 2020. Standardization and adaptation in multinational corporations: applied
study on Samsung’s marketing mix strategy (Doctoral dissertation).
Lewin-Jones, J., 2019. Discourses of ‘internationalisation’: a multimodal critical discourse
analysis of university marketing webpages. Research in Post-Compulsory
Education. 24(2-3). pp.208-230.
Masito, R. A., 2020. PENGARUH DIGITAL MARKETING DAN CUSTOMER
RELATIONSHIP MARKETING TERHADAP LOYALITAS KONSUMEN PADA
PRODUK AIR MINUM CHEERS (STUDI PT. ATLANTIC BIRURAYA). Jurnal
Pendidikan Tata Niaga. (JPTN), 9(2).
Muralidharan, S. and Sheehan, K., 2016. “Tax” and “fee” message frames as inhibitors of plastic
bag usage among shoppers: a social marketing application of the theory of planned
behavior. Social Marketing Quarterly. 22(3). pp.200-217.
Parvatiyar, A., Donthu, N. and Gruen, T.W., 2018. Value of outsourcing sales and marketing by
CPG companies in the age of retail disruptions. Handbook of advances in marketing in
an era of disruptions: essays in Honour of Jagdish N. Sheth. 256.
Sahoo, B., 2020. Marketing Management.

Taiminen, H., 2016. One gets what one orders: Utilisation of digital marketing tools. The
Marketing Review. 16(4). pp.389-404.
Wilson, A., 2018. Marketing Research. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Wood, S., Coe, N. M. and Wrigley, N., 2016. Multi-scalar localization and capability
transference: exploring embeddedness in the Asian retail expansion of Tesco. Regional
Studies. 50(3). pp.475-495.