Marketing Essentials Report: Always and Marketing Strategies

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the marketing strategies employed by Always, a company operating in the FMCG sector. It begins with an introduction to the core concepts of marketing and highlights the key roles and responsibilities of the marketing function, including understanding customer needs, utilizing internal and external channels, tracking market trends, and establishing a strong brand identity. The report then explores the relationship between the marketing department and other organizational departments such as Research and Development, Production and Operations, Finance and Credit, and Human Resources. Furthermore, it compares the marketing mix to marketing planning to achieve business objectives, using Always and ASDA as examples. The report concludes with an evaluation of a basic marketing plan for the company, offering insights into how Always can enhance its marketing efforts. The report uses examples and comparisons to provide a complete overview of the marketing strategies used by the company.

MARKETING ESSSENTIALS

Contents
INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................3
LO 1......................................................................................................................................................3
P 1 Key roles and responsibilities of marketing function...................................................................3
P 2 Role and responsibilities of marketing relate to the wider organizational context.......................5
LO 2......................................................................................................................................................7
P 3 Compare the marketing mix to marketing planning to achieve the objectives of the business.....7
LO 3......................................................................................................................................................9
P 4 Produce and evaluate a basic plan of marketing for the company...............................................9
CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..................................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
It is mostly advertising, publicity and sales techniques are considered as aspects of marketing.
This is based on the belief that marketing begins after the product or service is designed,
produced and is ready for sales and delivery. Advertising, publicity and selling are all some
parts of marketing. Always is a brand that started its operations in market recently and due to
availability of capital and rise in sales through online platforms because of digitization
company was able to achieve success in less time. With the help of marketing they are
expanding their operations to different areas. Always deals in the line of FMCG
consumables. This report contains issues such as Key roles and responsibilities of marketing
function. Role and responsibilities of marketing which covers organization as a whole.
Comparison of marketing mix to marketing planning so that they can achieve the objectives
of the business. Evaluation and formulation of a basic plan of marketing for the company.
LO 1
P 1 Key roles and responsibilities of marketing function
Needs of customers-
It is important that companies such as Always work as per the needs of customers and
that can be possible when they will listen to them. This will help them to formulate a strategy
for marketing which helps them to work in right direction. It is the responsibility of
marketing department to make sure that they get feedback from customers so that they can
form the necessary changes.
Internal Channels-
Survey is done internally of the organization so that they can get the information
about the performance of team and target they have achieved. On the basis of that they will
be able to support their customers.
External Channels-
There are various external channels available to them such as social media platforms
which helps them to understand the requirements of their target audience and make that
possible into offering them as a finished product (Veličković and Đuričanin, 2020).
Track trends and monitor competition-

It is important that new companies such as Always have to focus on analyzing the
forces of market as that will help them to compare their position with their competitors. On
the basis of that they will be able to make changes in those areas in which they ae lacking and
that can help them to move ahead from their competition.
Work and Values of Brand-
Established brand helps to set its feelings of services and products in the minds of
customers. It is the marketing team that sets discussion for creating the logo of brand which
must be easy to remember and attach with the sentiments of people. Main motive behind
establishing a brand and logo is to pass on the values of company. It will be helpful to their
team if they have done in unified manner (Elrod and Fortenberry, 2018).
New Tools-
Management of company needs to keep updated knowledge in the area of marketing.
They have been researching for new tools and with the help of that they have been able to
find them in achieving success. Some of the tools for marketing are
Tools for managing products-
There are different set of tools involved such as monitoring and tracking project,
collecting feedback, it helps to assess the impression and behavior of customers. In order to
assess interaction on web Google Analytics is used.
Automated tools for marketing-
These platforms helps he companies to manage and control their strategy which is
required in the field of digital marketing. They can create contents through it add more pages,
promotion can be done with the help of email, also with the help of maintaining relationship
with customers they will be able to keep the flow maintained (Lanier and Lanier, 2017).
Tools for product information-
In the era of digitization, it is easy for company to collect, distribute and keep their
data safe. Apart from that it will help them to know on which of the platforms their products
are listed. This is done so that all the information attached to it must remain updated to it.
Also other information such as sales of products, its price etc. must be updated.
Coordinate with marketing partners-

There are many people involved in it such as designers, consultants, journalists,
publishers etc. which helps to promote their business. With their help and contribution made
by them Always will be able to overcome their objectives.
Innovate-
It is important for marketing team to present themselves always in unique and
different manner so that customer spends their time on watching the scheme or promotion.
This will help them setup a good impression of themselves. If they keep on using the same
and repeated techniques, then they will draw the customers away (Braciníková and
Matušínská, 2017).
Communication-
In order to achieve goals as per the vision set by business it is important to maintain
communication between members of team so that they can work together. Also with this they
will be able to maintain the ethical culture of business. If marketing department fails then all
the other departments will fail because they are mostly dependent on it. That is why company
makes sure to align the work of these departments with achievement of objectives.
P 2 Role and responsibilities of marketing relate to the wider organizational context
It is important for department of marketing to work with other departments so that they can
maintain smooth functioning of each other. Management team needs to assess that success of
company depends on coordination of departments.
Marketing with Research and Development-
Companies such as Always have to invest their time and efforts in R & D and
marketing because they are new. Team of R & D states that it is because of their analysis and
research that they provide the company and team of marketing potential sources for business.
Apart from that it is also discussed by the members of the team that the knowledge shared by
team of R & D has a lot of potential but that only happens when team of marketing provides
them viable data from the surveys they have been conducting which includes the behavior of
buyers, changes in market, opportunities to explore with the challenges that will be coming
into the path. Marketing team also focus on activities that are concerned with activities
related to commercial areas, it is R & D that tests everything and develop everything
provided by marketing. As per their interlinked factors go if R & D is not able to generate
any new leads then even marketing team will go in vain.

Marketing with Production and Operations-
This department involves dealing with skilled employees so that they can maintain
levels of production and keep their machinery in check. They do not put their focus on
promoting that product. As there is difference between production and marketing both of
them have different channels. For instance, department of production faces many backlash
from marketing team to keep introducing new attributes to products so that they can promote
the product with new features but production team is not able to do that due to lack of funds
or technical error. Apart from that team of production will maintain the same quality but
marketing team will keep on asking them to make something superior so that they can attract
consumers. These are the issues on which they have to cooperate (Blythe and Martin, 2019).
Marketing with Finance and Credit Department-
The aspect of finance involves different aspects such as forming budget and planning
things on the basis of that. This is done so that unnecessary wastage can be avoided and they
can allocate the funds in the right direction which helps to achieve them growth. It is kept in
mind by the management that planning must be done on the basis of duration of credit they
offer so that they can also reduce it. All the activities of marketing require a budget that needs
to be go through different areas and activities of promotion which costs more and for that
finance department has to set them up a flexible budget. Finance team states that prices set by
them for each area must cover everything up but marketing team states that in order to push
the product and extend its area it is necessary to allocate more funds to their team. It is
important that management of company comes to take a viable decision as per the analysis so
that both the departments can work in coordination and funds are allocated in right direction.
Marketing with HR department-
Marketing team of Always has to work in coordination with their HR team as they are
the ones who finds them the right talent in the area of sales and promotion of goods. Apart
from that it is HR department who fulfills their duties to train them so that they can work up
to their potential and can turn out to be beneficial for them. Both have to work in
coordination as marketing team promotes the need of recruitment and HR is the one who
trains them as per the vision of company. This is why if both do not comply with each other
then they won’t be able to manage the operations of business (Okumus and Cetin, 2018).

LO 2
P 3 Compare the marketing mix to marketing planning to achieve the objectives of the
business
Basis Always ASDA
Products Variety of products are offered by
company through which they
satisfy their consumers who
belong from different segments.
Products offered by them are
groceries and other snack items.
In order to classify it in the
simplest manner for their
consumers they have opened
different stores for different
varieties.
Most of the products offered by
company are similar but due to
being an old key player they
offer more varieties such as
groceries, chilled food, bakery
related items and other things
which are required in
household.
Place Always has just started up and
even then they have managed to
open up 3 stores in prime areas
with the availability of selling
through their online website.
Positive response is the reason
that their management is
promoting the brand and looking
for more places to expand their
operations.
Headquarters of company is
situated in Leeds in West
Yorkshire. Due to their success
they have been able to open up
many stores over UK. Most help
they got was from Wal-Mart by
merging with them as now their
stores are more spacious in
comparison with some of their
competitors (Larson and Draper,
2020).

Price Always implies discounted
pricing in their business so that
they attract and sell to more and
more people possible. Another
method is to work as per the
economies of scale so that they
can sell at less prices. Guarantee
is offered by them to break the
mindset of consumers which is
strict on that groceries will be
cheaper if bought in bulk. They
have made their model as per the
needs and benefits of customers.
Cheap and reasonable form of
pricing which tends to keep
their products at low rate is
implied so that they can
increase their footfall. This
helps them to generate more
revenue (Muralidharan and
Raval, 2018).
Promotion This activity is set as per the
prices they charge from
customers. Apart from this they
use other mediums in order to
promote their brand such as
traditional and online channels.
They still use the strategy of club
cards which is for their loyal
customers and through that they
can get discounts as per the
purchases they have made from
their stores.
Asda on the other hand is a bit
different as they use the strategy
of promotion in an aggressive
manner. They make sure to
attract their customers through
every advertisement made by
them. They advertise more
through online channels as they
believe most of the audience
have switched completely to
that. Only thing they use from
traditional advertisements is to
endorse celebrity for their brand
so that they can earn the trust of
people.
People Due to a startup they have only
around 500 employees to manage
their operations across UK. They
welcome diversity with an open
mindset as they believe that it will
help them to gain more
The company has more than
1,50,000 employees which is
more than Always to a high
extent as it is assessed over the
world. Although it is believed
that in the field of training they

accessibility in different markets
and any strategy made for that
market will be rightly done
because they will know their
background in a better way.
are better than Always and this
is what makes their customer
service better than them.
Process Process and working of Always is
to get better at every stage and
focus on those areas in which they
are lacking so that they can
improve their image.
They started in the line of retail
a lot earlier than their
competitors such as Always
which is why with the help of
their working procedures they
have been able to achieve
substantial and viable rate of
return on their investment.
Physical Evidence This aspect shows the existence of
companies across all the channels
they deal through and present
themselves. It includes aspects
such as different stores owned by
Always, logo of brand, colors etc.
are all the examples of their
physical evidence.
In order to measure their
strength many people measure it
as per the no of stores they have
with easily accessed location.
Different groups are there which
helps to determine evidential
aspects of company. They have
merchandises under their brand
name and coffee outlets. Among
them they are recognized mostly
by their chain of retail and the
products that are offered
through that.
SMART Objectives
Specific-
Objectives set by Always are specific so that flow of work can be maintained on the
basis of set outcome. Management of company has taken decisions as to when to initiate it.
Measurable-

Objectives are measured on the basis of time and resources it took. Objective of
company is to enhance their sales and in order to keep it effective they measure it constantly.
Achievable-
With the use of right strategies and action they will increase up their sales.
Realistic-
In order to achieve the goal management has made it realistic and practical so that
practices that are used can bring efficiency and it can be measured.
Timely-
Management makes all of these sure so that they never miss the deadline which they
have set up in the market.
LO 3
P 4 Produce and evaluate a basic plan of marketing for the company
Mission-
Mission of brand is to satisfy the needs of customers by introducing and offering the
specific product as per that.
Vision-
Management of Always has set their vision to target and open up more stores of brand
in order to increase their visibility.
Core Values-
The values of brand can be defined easily in three measures followed by them that is
form and develop strategies which are specifically as per the needs of customers. Care and
respond to their demands and on the basis of that try to make a difference.
Objectives-
 Increase the sales of the company by 15 per cent till next year.
 Increase the share of market for products that are newly launched in order to set the
base.

 Increase the rate of customers who are satisfied by the service provided by the
company.
SWOT Analysis-
Strength-
 Strategies such as discounted pricing has helped them to get easy success.
 Due to less area of dealings they have managed to form and develop the fastest supply
chain because of their dealing and network with suppliers.
 At a very short amount of time goodwill achieved by brand is high with high level of
satisfaction guaranteed to their customers. (Muralidharan and Raval, 2017).
Weakness-
 Due to dynamic measures and not planning strategically which is why they are facing
difficulties in order to expand their operations.
 There have been some negative reviews about their services which is affecting the
image of company.
Opportunities-
 In order to improve they need to explore more options so that they can find a way to
leave their competition behind. (Baack, Czarnecka and Baack, 2018).
 They can look forward to enter all markets in a timely manner that are emerging as
they will help them in achieving quick growth.
Threats-
 After the decision of Brexit and unpredictable pandemic it has been difficult for
business to grow because the condition of economy is worse than expected.
 Every other brand dealing in the same sector is working on bringing something new in
market so that they can move ahead at the time of pandemic.
STP-
Segmentation-

Products that are offered by Always are segmented on the basis of their behaviour as
for the rich audience they have kept their section different and for average ones they offer
different goods.
Targeting-
There is no specific age group to target as they target all people because they deal in
everything which comes in handy to all people.
Positioning-
Aggressive strategies such as social media marketing, hiring influencers, celebrities is
done in order to promote their brand and increase their sales.
Evaluation and Control-
KPI-
This tool makes sure that every work that is being done by department of company
can be tracked down so that they have all the information which will help them to know in
which area the change is required. This way they will be able to work with those measures
that helps them to improve their performance. For different areas they can use different
indicators so that details that are taken out is accurate and helps them to focus on bringing
change that is better. If they are evaluated rightly with the right tools then it can be ensured
that company will be able to achieve growth in market and improve their productivity (Roy
and Gretzel, 2020).
Benchmarking-
This aspect makes sure to compare the business of company and compare them with
their competitors on the basis of different factors which makes them qualified such as
products and their qualities offered by each other. This will give them insight and reasons on
why they are better than the other one. With the implementation of right strategy, control and
knowledge they can work on to leaving them behind. All they need to is make the right
changes in their dealings and working patters so that they are able to beat their competition
and survive easily in market (Akbar, Omar and Wadood, 2017).
Budget-
Activities Budget ($) Actual ($)

Market research 60 40
Recruitment 160 160
Rent 150 200
Social media advertising 40 30
Total 410 430
Marketing Management
This aspect helps the business to make sure that they select the right markets and build
relationship that helps them to generate profits. There are different aspects that are part of it which
needs to be undertaken such as segmentation of customers, targeting to people, proposition of value,
management and relationship of customers, relationship with partners and at the top and most
important to be loyal.
Marketing Department-
Section of markets has many departments in order to maintain its activities smoothly so that
they can work and promote their products. Different departments are set as per the nature of
organization such as functional, geographical or structure set as per the digital marketing needs.
CONCLUSION
From the above studies it can be concluded that Always needs to be sure about their
planning and formulation of strategy and on the basis of that they need to expand their
business in other markets. Competition has increased for company as many key players have
achieved growth and gathered up resources in order to move ahead. It is due to their goodwill
and discounted pricing strategy that they are still on the top position among all. They need to
analyze the impact of threats such as covid-19 and Brexit so that they can work on making
the changes which helps them to recover their losses. It will be helpful if they plan for
marketing aspects and then enroll in activities of promotion so that they can cover more
people.

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