Marketing Planning and Consumer Ethics
Added on 2020-02-12
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Introduction:Marketing plan is considered as a complete manuscript or structure of the outline fora organization about advertisement and marketing effort of their product. The marketing planis described by marketing managers to fulfil specific marketing objectives with in a specifictimeframe. As opined by McDonald (2013), marketing plan is a part of an overall businessplan. It has been observed that proper marketing strategy is backbone of company business.Superdrug Stores Plc is popular health and beauty care product retailer in UK. This popularorganization founded by Ronald & peter Goldstein in 1964. Presently this organization hasmore than 786 stores for selling more than thousand types of health care and beauty careproducts. Apart from that Superdrug had started online sales from the year 2012. Thisorganization has collected the revenue of £1.75 billion in 2015 (Superdrug.com, 2016). It hasbeen found that besides the health and a beauty care product, this company has started to sellmedicines from 2011. Therefore, this report is based on the existing marketing condition ofSuperdrug. After that the learner has planned to provide suitable marketing plan forSuperdrug Advance Joint care 30S. Apart from that, the learner has planned to discuss aboutthe ethical issue usually faced by several companies regarding marketing planning andconsumer ethics.
Task1: 1.1 Review changing perspectives in marketing planning:According to Shani and Chalasani (2013), on early days the marketing strategy oforganizations was depending on the products. Marketing managers were trying to convincecustomers by their products. However, in twentieth century, the concept of marketing istotally changed. Now the aim of the organization is to design a new product based oncustomers’ requirement. Now the marketing process starts from the survey process and neverends. Now the focus of organizations is more customer centric rather than product centric.Now organizations try to earn profit along with customer satisfaction. As stated by Boone and Kurtz (2013), Superdrug is a popular health, beauty careproduct and medicine retailer in UK. Now their marketing concept is depending on fourpillars such as target market, customer requirements, integrated marketing strategy andprofitability. It has been found that Superdrug has connected two different concepts such asselling and marketing for implementing advance marketing strategy for high competitivemarket. Czinkota and Ronkainen (2013) argued that selling and marketing concept are totallydifferent such as selling concept focuses on the requirement of sellers but marketing focuseson the requirements of customers. Therefore Superdrug has implemented the marketingstrategy and understands the demand of products and then supplies the products to the sellers.Therefore, the demand and supply equation is one of the new key factor their marketingstrategy. On the other hand, their market competitor AVON has implemented differentmarketing strategy. The production operation of AVON is started after getting the marketsurvey reports. The product planning department gets a clear view about the requirement ofthe customers and designs the product as per customer requirement (Turnbull and Valla,2013). Before 1 to 2 months of product launching date, the organization has started the digitaladvertisements and social media advertisements to increase customer attraction towards thebeauty care products. Therefore, the organization has already generated demand in marketbefore product launch. After the product launch the marketing team collects feedback from
the customers and customize the product as well. Integrated sales and promotion alwayscreates market demand and the organization earns profit alongwith customer satisfaction. It has been noticed that Superdrug follows the one to one marketing strategy whereastheir market competitor follows relationship marketing strategy. Superdrug is depending onthe technology based marketing strategy. The marketing team has considered everycustomer’s requirement not group’s requirement (Nijssen and Frambach, 2013). On the otherhand AVON is trying to maintain a good relationship with their customers rather than justserving their products. The organization believes that mutual relation will increase success inbusiness than transactional. With the use of new technology company can easily identify the needs and demand ofits customer which help in increasing the sale of an organization. Further it can make use newtechnology for making new products.The perspectives regarding marketing have evolved over time. Technology is thebasic reason behind the occurred changes in marketing techniques and planning. Superdrugusually aimed at promotional activities with help of newspapers, posters, billboards and radiobroadcasts. As the technological developments took place, people shifted their focus overmultimedia platforms like televisions, computers and telephones. Hence, marketingtechniques like telecalling, televised advertisements, etc. started developing. Businessorganisations currently use internet as the prime medium for communicating products andservices to the potential customers. Marketing planning currently is focused on the platformsof marketing that are more accessible for customers. The strategies that enable clients andcompanies to communicate directly are focused nowadays.1.2 Evaluate an organisation's capability for planning its future marketingactivityThere are different functional areas in Superdrug Stores Plc depending on the nature oftheir health care and beauty care products. Apart from that, the nature of the business orproducts of all organizations are depending on different properties such as:Operation or production of organization
Accounting and financeMarketing activitiesDistribution of products and logistic serviceCorporate planningHuman resource managementMarket Research and product developmentInternal environment of any organization is depending on strength, weakness, opportunityand threat. Strength of Superdrug:Superdrug still holds their market position. They are holding second position in healthand beauty care product retailer segment in UK market. Their strong position in UK marketmakes them as a value-oriented beauty retailer in domestic market (Peck et al. 2013). Theyhave chosen exclusive brands and “A” category brands to attract customers. The shoppersalso get online facility to order their beauty care products and health care products. Highloyalty card membership attracts more customers towards the stores. Weakness of Superdrug:It has been noticed that there are low number of pharmacies in their retail stores. Asopined by Niffenegger (2013), there are lacks of focus on the product and spacedevelopment. The organization has maintained female centric products rather than malecentric products. As a result the male customers are not interested to visit stores. The storesare old fashioned and products are not displayed proper way.Opportunities of Superdrug:The organization has increased the number of pharmacists in their stores. This hasincreased the penetration in their stores. On the other hand the organization has determinedtheir boost margin and implemented strategy to improve their performance. The involvementof more pharmacists will increase the profit margin of their stores. Threats of Superdrug:
It has been noticed that negative consumer sentiment about new NHS laws regardingthe records of the patients have created threat for their medicine business. The organizationhas faced strong competition from AVON, Boots and Tesco. Almost same types marketingstrategy like discounts and offers creates almost no different from their competitors. According to the evaluated attributes of Superdrug, it is clear that current marketingplanning capability is quite strong. The future market activities are completely dependent onthe firm’s ability to analyse current market structure and demands of customers. The strengthof company lays in its focused target i.e. A class customers and brands. On the other hand, ithas been evaluated that Superdrug holds good analytical capabilities in planning futuremarket activities. Financial capabilities are strong and human resource is efficient indeveloping effective plans. However, operational plans are strong and brand power hashelped the company to maintain its customer share.Stenght and weakness of Superdrug in order to plan its future marketing acitivity is asfollows Superdrug still holds their market position. They are holding second position inhealth and beauty care product retailer segment in UK market. Their strong position in UKmarket makes them as a value-oriented beauty retailer in domestic market (Peck et al. 2013).They have chosen exclusive brands and “A” category brands to attract customers. Weakness there are lacks of focus on the product and space development. Theorganization has maintained female centric products rather than male centric products. As aresult the male customers are not interested to visit stores. The stores are old fashioned andproducts are not displayed proper way.1.3 Examine techniques for organisational auditing and for analysingexternal factors that affect marketing planningSuperdrug has maintained their basic marketing audit and marketing audit checklist.As stated by Morrison (2013), the checklist is designed to understand the current marketingsituation. Superdrug has developed the marketing audit checklist to understand internalmarketing environment and external marketing environment. After understanding situationthe organization has planned to develop current marketing plan.
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