Marketing Essentials: Roles and Responsibilities of Marketing Function

This report discusses the key roles and responsibilities of the marketing function in the context of Your Destinations, a newly established transportation organisation. It explains how marketing roles and responsibilities contribute to achieving business objectives and compares the marketing mix elements applied by Your Destinations and National Express. The report also includes the development of a clear marketing plan to help Your Destinations deal with market competitors.

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Introduction
For accomplishing business objectives, the organisation has to take help from different
business functions such as human resource management, finance, accounting, production, and
marketing. Out of these functions, marketing is most important because it helps the
organisation in selling as well as promoting its business so that it can accomplish
competitiveness over a market competitor. For the current business report, Your Destinations
has been selected as it is a newly established organisation and gives core attention to its
marketing activities. This organisation is a rapidly growing firm which operates its business
activities into Essex and London. For having better growth and development Your
Destination wants to expand its business in Aberdeen, Newcastle, and Manchester so that it
can easily compete with market leader namely National Express. This report will include the
discussion on different marketing roles and responsibilities that a manager has to perform.
Also, it will be explained that how marketing roles and responsibilities contribute to
achieving business objectives. Further, it will include the comparison between your
destination and National express to determine how different organisation applies marketing
mix elements. At last, there will be the development of a clear marketing plan which will
help your destination in dealing with market competitors.

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Part 1
LO1
P1 Explain the key roles and responsibilities of the marketing function.
Marketing can be referred to as a process of buying and selling goods or services, which
helps the organisation in accomplishing its objectives as well. In traditional time, business
people have focus only profit maximisation instead of the satisfaction level of customers. In
the present time, all business entities have become market-oriented which force them to focus
more on their marketing activities as well as practices. For controlling as well as managing
the marketing activities, your destination appoints marketing to manage who plays different
roles and responsibilities so that organisation can huge market growth and development
(Armstrong, Adam, Denize and Kotler, 2014). There are various important tasks which
should be completed by marketing managers such as product promotion, advertisement, and
fulfilment of all production requirements because production is the only function upon which
business success depends. Apart from this, the manager of the marketing section must be
accountable for the coordinating, controlling, organising and directing function. Your
destination is a transportation organisation which totally depends upon its management
function and marketing activities because they help the organisation in attracting a huge
number of customers and managing them in an appropriate manner. Moreover, there are
some other marketing roles and responsibilities which should be performed by the manager
of your destination, these are followed as under:
Market research: This is the first and most pivotal responsibility of any marketing manager.
For surviving in a competitive marketplace, the manager has to be well aware of the exact
customer needs and market trends. By having knowledge about customer needs organisation
can make changes in its current production function and produce products or services which
highly satisfy the customer needs (Arnett and Wittmann, 2014).

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Promotion and advertisement: It has become very much important for a marketing manager
to keep knowledge about different promotional and advertisement techniques so that it can
promote its business products in a cost-effective manner. Both promotion and advertisement
are essential activities for marketing managers as it helps the organization in competing with
market competitors and attracting a large number of customers.
Brand management: In the present time, only those companies are surviving in a
competitive marketplace that has strong brand equity or which manage its brand image in an
appropriate manner (Bai and Chang, 2015). For making your destination a successful
transportation organization it is important for its marketing manager to adopt those methods
through which he can manage as well as increase its brand equity in the marketplace.
Product development: On the basis of market research, the marketing manager has to
improve their production process so that they can produce a high-quality product in a cost-
effective manner. In simple words, the marketing manager is responsible for identifying the
market trends and implementing them in current product function so that organization can
provide high-quality products to the customer at lower prices. Also, this step of market
manager helps the organisation in accomplishing competitive advantage over market
competitors (Baker, 2014).
Internal communication: The most significant role of the marketing manager is to build
good relationship among all business sections so that they can communicate and cooperate
with each other, also they can help the organisation in leading at high business growth.
Hence, these are the major function which needs to be operated by the marketing manager of
your destination in order to increase the business growth as well as development.

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P2 Explain how the roles and responsibilities of marketing relate to the wider
organisational context.
Marketing is an only business function which creates interrelationship among other business
functions such as production, research & development, finance and so on. Your destination
can accomplish its business objectives only if its marketing manager performs his roles and
responsibilities in the wider organisational context (Baker, 2014). In simple words, by
performing marketing roles and responsibilities manager can help other departments in
accomplishing their goals as well as objectives. The major roles of marketing manager of
your destination are followed as under:
(Figure 1: Roles of marketing manager)
(Source: Feng et al., 2015)
Identification of market potential: For surviving in a competitive marketplace, it is highly
essential for a marketing manager to identify current market trends as well as growth
opportunities which can lead their business to the high level of success and growth. In the
present time, all companies try to identify their market needs and potential so that they can

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satisfy their target customer in most effective and in a relevant systematic manner (Chen,
2014). The manager of marketing regarding your destination focus on those merging needs of
the market which attract customer most. By satisfying such needs Transportation Company
can easily achieve competitive advantage.
Creation of marketing plan: For fulfilling the business objectives, marketing manager of
your destination produce successful business plans which assist the organization in increasing
organisational profitability as well as productivity. While making a marketing plan, a
business manager has to keep in mind various important aspects such as targeting,
segmenting and positioning activities which leads the organisation towards business success.
In the present time, business entities invest huge amount on their marketing plan because it
helps them in analysing their current market position (Chen, 2014). Also, it provides strategic
direction to the company so that it can achieve its desired results in an appropriate manner.
Supervision of business activities: It is the huge responsibility of marketing manager to
supervise business activities so that they can improve the efficiency as well as the
effectiveness of the business enterprise. The process of supervision makes marketing
manager familiar with internal and external activities of your destination such as production,
procurement, and service delivery process.
Product launch: Before the product launch, marketing manager deeply analyse the positive
and negative sides of the product so that it can make sure that customer will not get harmed.
After getting passed from different tests, business services reach to final customers.
Hence, these are some most important roles and responsibilities of marketing manager which
coordinates with other business departments like production, finance etc. so that desired
business goals can be accomplished in an appropriate manner (Correia and Mårdh, 2013).
The functions which are coordinated by the marketing manager are followed as under:

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Finance Department: Without taking any help of finance section, the marketing manager
can never build a successful business plan because for operating planned activities it needs
enough capital. While making a marketing plan, manager consults with finance team so that
he can allocate financial resource in an appropriate manner. This helps your destination in
creating coordination among business functions and also helps in creating effective marketing
budget that fulfils all the planning requirements.
Production Department: The most effective function of the manager in respect of marketing
is to research and identify current market trends. After collecting market information, he has
to consult with production manager so that they can make changes in the production process
if required. With mutual understanding, marketing and production can make necessary
changes in a product which will help the organisation in increasing its profitability as well as
productivity.
Research and Development Department: This section is responsible for researching new
needs of the customer and developing quality products which can bring an organisation to
reach and earn a high level of profits and success. The R&D section deeply analyses that
information which is collected by marketing section for better growth of business entity
(Cummings and Worley, 2014). The coordination among marketing and R&D section helps
your destination in accomplishing its desired goals as well as objectives.
M1 Analyse the roles and responsibilities of marketing in the context of the marketing
environment.
The globalisation is a major reason that is increasing competition in all business industries
like transportation, manufacturing and so on. The increasing market competition influences a
huge impact on your destination and its profit margins. In this type of situation, it becomes
important for a marketing manager to perform their roles and responsibilities in an
appropriate manner so that the organisation can accomplish its desired results without any

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problem. For surviving in the marketing environment, it is essential for a marketing manager
to analyse the market trends and customer needs on a continuous basis so that he can provide
better satisfaction to business customers (Feng, Morgan and Rego, 2015).
There are different marketing roles such as management of the business brand, promotion,
advertisement and market research which are performed by a marketing manager so that
organisation can accomplish competitiveness over market contenders.
M2 Analyse the significance of interrelationships between marketing and other
functional units of an organisation.
Marketing is considered as that business function which coordinates with other functional
units of your destination so that desired business goals and objectives can be achieved in a
proper manner. Some most important functional units of your destination are production,
research & development, production etc. The marketing section coordinates with other
functional units so that they can operate business activities in most effective manner. For
instance, while making marketing budget business manager has to coordinate with the
finance manager so that financial resources can be allocated in an appropriate manner
(Germann, Ebbes and Grewal, 2015). Apart from this, the marketing section collects about
new customer needs and market trends so that production section can produce products or
services as per customer preferences. All these practices influence positive impact on
business growth and also help your destination in achieving its predetermined goal as well as
objectives.
D1 Critically analyse and evaluate the key elements of the marketing function and how
they interrelate with other functional units of an organisation
As per the observation of Baker (2014), marketing is that essential function of business
enterprise which helps it in promoting business products and services so that maximum
number of the customer will get attracted towards it. There are two major components of

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marketing which are product development and market research. On the basis of conducted
research, marketing team collects informative data regarding market trends and customer
needs which should be implemented in production function for the better product or service
development. In the present time, customer likes to shift to those companies which cooperate
with latest market trends. The best feature of above-mentioned components is that they
interrelate with each other. For example, market research helps R&D team in determining the
market requirements so that necessary changes can be made in the production process and
organisation can produce high-quality business products or services for its target customers.
Part 2
LO2
P3 Compare the ways in which different organisation apply the marketing mix to the
marketing planning process to achieve business objectives.
The marketing mix is that business concept which helps the business entity in achieving its
desired results in an appropriate manner. There are seven marketing mix elements which are
applied by both the destinations such as your destination and National express but in some
different ways.
Marketing mix
elements
Your destination National Express
Product Your destination is a newly
established company which provide
transportation services in limited
areas like London and Essex but for
having future growth it needs to
expand its business. This
organisation delivers high-quality
On the other side, National
Express is a well-known
transportation company which
operates its business in more than
1000 location. On every
transportation service, it provides
20 to 25% discount which helps

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transportation services along with
basic facilities so that it can attract
a maximum number of people.
it in attracting a huge number of
customers.
Price As it is a newly established
organisation so it starts its
transportation services from 200
Euro which is economically
affordable by all people (Baker,
2014).
On the other side, National
express is a well-established
company so it provides its
services at very high prices
because its customer is loyal to it.
Place In the present time, your destination
is providing its services in Essex
and London. But having better
growth and development it will
start providing its services in
Glasgow, Newcastle, and
Manchester because there is a huge
demand for transportation services.
The national express provides its
services at higher prices which
can be afforded by rich people so
it provides its services only in
urban areas.
Promotion The promotion activity helps the
organisation in making customer
aware of its services. Your
destination is taking help of social
media platforms so that it can reach
to a maximum number of people
which investing huge investment.
National Express on the other
side takes help of TV
advertisement so that it can
attract local people (Boone and
Kurtz, 2013).
People Your destination is developing so The national express does not

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well because it keeps its employees
satisfied by providing financial and
non-financial rewards.
focus on its employee satisfaction
because it considers business
profit more important.
Process There are several processes which
are operated by your destination for
effective utilisation of resources
and improving the business systems
(Chen, 2014).
On the other side, national
express focuses on profit
maximisation instead of business
processes.
Physical evidence The biggest physical evidence of
your destination is its satisfied
customer base.
Huge market expansion and
increased market share is
strongest physical evidence of
National express.
M3 Evaluate different tactics applied by organisations to demonstrate how business
objectives can be achieved
The most important tactics of the marketing mix are product, price, promotion, place,
physical evidence, process, and people. By focusing on these components, your destination
can lead to a high level of success and growth. The product elements help the organisation in
determining which kind of services customer wants and how they can satisfy their needs.
Apart from this, product's price and promotion activities help the organisation in attracting a
huge number of customers which mainly increases business profitability as well as
productivity.
Moreover, by focusing more on people and process elements business enterprise can
strengthen its position within the competitive marketplace (Germann, Ebbes and Grewal,
2015). The physical evidence of organisation makes it different from other industry rivalries.

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Hence, it can be said that marketing mix elements help your destination in accomplishing its
desired results.
LO3
P4 Produce and evaluate a basic marketing plan for an organisation. (M4, D2)
In the present time, ‘Your destination' wants to build a successful marketing plan which will
help it in expanding its business in other regions as well. Different components of the
complete marketing plan are followed as under:
Executive summary: The marketing plan can be referred to as blueprint of an organisation
which provides right direction to the organisation so it can achieve its desired goals in a
proper manner. Current marketing plan would be a focus on your destination for its market
expansion.
Company Overview: Your destination has recently completed its 3 years of success. This
organisation is specialised in providing transportation services (Westwood, 2013). But for
surviving in a competitive marketplace it wants to expand its business in Manchester,
Glasgow and another area for which it needs to design to marketing plan which will include
the situation analysis, STP analysis, marketing mix elements, and marketing budget.
Situation analysis: Before making a business plan, it is important for your destination to
analyse both internal as well as an external business environment which can be determined by
below mentioned analytical tools (Wrenn and Mansfield, 2014).
PEST analysis: This business tool helps in analysing the external factors which are
mentioned below:
Political factors: The changing taxation policies, legal rules, and regulation come under this
section. Before expanding business in new areas your destination needs to identify the
political stability of those areas.

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Economic factors: For having better growth, the organisation needs to analyse the income
level of people so that it can provide its services on affordable prices.
Technological factors: With the help of advanced business technologies like social media
and other digital platforms organisation can attract a huge number of customers (Paley,
2017).
Social factors: Consideration of social needs and cultural values helps organisation in
leading a high level of success.
SWOT analysis: This business analysis tool provides information about the internal
environment of the organisation.
Strengths Weaknesses
 Satisfied customers
 Growing market shares
 The strong brand image in UK market
 Poor access to financial resources
 Lack of human resources
Opportunities Threats
 Market expansion
 Technological advancement
 Increased market competition
 Changing political factors
On the basis of PEST and SWOT analysis, the organisation has determined that there is
intense competition in the market for which it needs to develop new market objectives and set
segmentation, targeting and positioning strategies (Lamb and Crompton, 2017).
Marketing objectives: The major objectives of your destination are followed as under:
 To expand business activities into new locations
 To increase market share by 2% within 2 years
 To provide better customer satisfaction
STP analysis: With the help of this business analysis tool your destination can set successful
segmentation, positioning and targeting strategies which are followed as under:

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Segmentation Targeting Positioning
For segmenting the market,
your destination would take
help of demographic and
geographic factors because it
helps the organisation in
segmenting the market in an
appropriate manner. Your
destination will select
travellers as well as business
people of United Kingdom.
For better growth, it is
important for your
destination to target only
those people who can
provide a huge profit to an
organisation such as
travellers, business people
and so on.
For attracting targeted
customers, your destination
will take help of different
promotional and
advertisement tools such as
Twitter, Facebook and TV
ads.
Marketing tactics: There are seven most important market mix elements which are applied
by your destination for having better growth, these are followed as under:

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(Figure 2: Marketing mix elements)
(Source: Marketingmix.com, 2015)
Product: The most important product of your destination will be its high-quality
transportation services across the nation along with basic facilities.
Price: The price range of your destination will start from 200 Euro so that people with all
backgrounds can afford its services.
Place: For having better growth and competing with market competitors, the organisation
will provide nationwide transportation services.
Promotion: For attracting a larger number of people, the organisation will take help of social
media platforms which are cost effective also.
People: The major focus on the organisation will be on its employees because without human
resources it cannot perform its business functions.
Process: The activities and practices of the organisation will be operated in a systematic
manner so that the organisation can accomplish its desired goals.

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Physical evidence: The high satisfied employees and customer will work as physical
evidence for your destination.
Marketing budget and control: For executing the above-mentioned marketing plan, it is
highly essential for your destination to set market budget. Without the help of enough
financial resources, your destination can never accomplish its desired marketing goals (Lamb
and Crompton, 2017). For the successful execution of marketing, plan organisation has
decided to set a marketing budget of 100000 Euro. For controlling the budget, the
organisation will take help of cost-benefit analysis as well as rating scales which will help in
increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the marketing plan.
Conclusion: Thus, it has been concluded that with the help of effective planning and
procedures, your destination can build a successful marketing plan and also can accomplish
its desired goals in an appropriate manner. The situation analysis and STP analysis are major
business tools which contribute to the success of a marketing plan.

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Conclusion
By summering above mentioned discussion, it has been concluded that marketing is a most
vital function of the business enterprise as it helps entity in promoting as well as advertising
its business image in the competitive marketplace. There are different marketing roles and
responsibilities like market research, brand management, promotion, advertisement, product
development and so on. By fulfilling these roles marketing manage can contribute a lot in
accomplishing business objectives as marketing corporate with all business functions for
better organisational growth. The marketing mix is a most important concept which should be
followed by your destination for accomplishing competitive advantage in the marketplace.
National Express is the biggest market competitor of your destination but with the use of
marketing mix elements in an effective manner, your destination can increase its customer
line as well as market shares. Apart from this, a business enterprise can take help of a
coherent marketing plan for achieving its marketing objectives in most effective as well as in
a systematic manner.

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