Arcadia Group: Marketing Roles, Responsibilities & Strategic Plan

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of marketing essentials, focusing on the roles and responsibilities within the marketing function, particularly in the context of Arcadia Group, a multinational retailing company. It details how the marketing function manages branding, produces promotional materials, handles internal communications, serves as a media liaison, conducts market research, and oversees external agencies. The report also examines the interrelationships between marketing and other functional units like finance, accounting, production, research and development, and customer service, emphasizing the importance of these connections for achieving organizational goals. Furthermore, it delves into the application of the marketing mix (4Ps and 7Ps) in the marketing planning process, illustrating how different organizations use these tools to meet business objectives. The report concludes with a discussion of strategic marketing plans and their tactical implementation to achieve overall marketing effectiveness.

Marketing Essentials
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Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Lo1...................................................................................................................................................4
P1 Explain the key roles and responsibilities of the marketing function........................................4
P2 Explain how roles and responsibilities of marketing relate to the wider organisational context.
.........................................................................................................................................................5
M1 Analyse the roles and responsibilities of marketing in the context of the marketing
environment.....................................................................................................................................7
M2 Analyse the significance of interrelationships between marketing and other functional units
of the organisation...........................................................................................................................9
D1 Critically analyse and evaluate the key elements of the marketing function and how they
interrelate with other functional units of an organisation..............................................................11
Lo 2................................................................................................................................................12
P3 Compare the ways in which different organisations apply the marketing mix to the marketing
planning process to achieve business objectives...........................................................................12
M3 Evaluate different tactics applied by organisations to demonstrate how business objectives
have been achieved........................................................................................................................13
Lo 3................................................................................................................................................14
P4 Produce and evaluate a basic marketing plan for an organisation............................................14
M4 Produce a detailed, coherent evidencebased marketing plan for an organisation...................15
D2 Design a strategic marketing plan that tactically applies the use of the 7Ps to achieve overall
marketing objectives......................................................................................................................17
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Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................18
References......................................................................................................................................19
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Introduction
This is the unit of Marketing Essentials; it is the transaction which satisfies someone's need. The
organisation is Arcadia Group which is a multinational retailing company in the UK; headquarter
is in London. The company owns the high street retailers in clothing which are Topman, Burton,
Evans, and others. This firm has more than 2500 outlets in the UK which are concessions in UK
department stores such as House of Fraser, Debenhams and also having several hundred
franchises in the other countries. The group was originated from the firm which was founded in
1903 by the 18-year-old Montague Burton. The tailoring company was initially started with the
men's clothing manufacturing, retailing operation, the company was moved on to mainstream
men's off peg casual's and also the formal wear line which was the twist in the fashion of
clothing. The Cross-Tailoring Company changed its name to the Burton by the time of First
World War was broke out in 1914. In 1998 the company was named Arcadia Group.
The unit discusses the roles of the marketing function, marketing mix strategy is explained. The
main elements of the marketing function are given, the relationship between the marketing and
other functions are discussed.
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Lo1
P1 Explain the key roles and responsibilities of the marketing function.
The department of the marketing plays the very important role in promoting the product of the
business. This team is the face of the company which produces the material which represents the
business. The roles of the marketing function are:
 Managing the brand: This shows the company; what the company, what the company stands
for, how the company acts. This in return defines what the business experience to their customers
when they interact with the company.
 Producing marketing and promotional materials: The department should create the material
which promotes the product and services. The business must keep up to date the product and
services.
 Producing internal communications: The employees of the company need to understand the
goals, values (Kozlenkova, et. al., 2015). The marketing department is responsible to
communicate with the employees through intranet or newsletter.
 Serving as media liaison: As the company is cited in the media then the marketing department
acts as the spokesperson for the company about how they need to respond the queries of media.
 Conducting market research:Research helps in finding the new customers and opportunities
for the business and is also to know how the service and product are perceived.
 Overseeing outside agencies and vendors: Marketing helps in selecting and managing the
vendor and the agencies who produce the materials of marketing which provide market support.
The agencies and vendor such as print vendors, ad agencies, web developers etc.
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P2 Explain how roles and responsibilities of marketing relate to the wider organisational
context.
The roles and responsibilities of the marketing with the context of organisation:
 Finance: It is the very important role which plays in any business. Finance is the nerve center for
any business and money is the lifeblood. Main functions of the finance by which the business
have the benefits: support service to the business, low cost and the effective control of the
environment (Gitman, et. al., 2015). Every business needs the finance, it is required to start any
business, gain the assets, manufacturing the products, running the business and also for
advertising.
 Accounting:Accounting helps the external and internal stakeholders for making the better
decisions of the business. The accounting of the business works on the management accounting
which runs the business smoothly and also helps in achieving the goals of the business easily.
 Production:the department of the market makes the idea for satisfying the need of the customers
then they discuss with the production team for making the best product which satisfies the need
of the consumer, after that the department of production creates the product which fulfills the
need of the customer.
 Research and development:The team of the research and development and marketing survey
about the need and what the customer wants. The team of research and development surveys the
wants of the customers and the team of marketing creates the idea to satisfy the need of the
customer. After that they discuss with the research department will the idea can be enacted, if the
idea is as per the customers then the production team start producing the product for the
customers.
 Customer’s service: Most of the business has the only focus on the customer service; the
customers give both complaints and compliments about the service. The service department of
the customer of the company gives the feedback to the marketing department then the marketing
department takes the immediate actions on the feedback.
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M1 Analyse the roles and responsibilities of marketing in the context of the marketing
environment.
Marketing management is the process of planning of the different concepts of the marketing. The
concept of the marketing involves promotion, pricing, sales and distribution which compliments
to the customers.
The main roles of the marketing in the context of the marketing environment are:
 Market strategies: The first role of marketing is to make the strategies of marketing and also to
make a plan for the business. Managers of the business are needs to identify the needs of the
customers and must provide the product and services according to the need (Menon, et. al.,
2015). Marketing strategies are the balanced out between the objective of the organisation and
opportunity of the market.
 Marketing information system: MIS helps in providing the information about the factors such
as planning, product, the implication of the strategies of marketing. MIS represents information
about the real-time basis that helps the network of distribution to work properly and effectively.
 Monitoring of the marketing environment:The process of marketing identifies the new
developments in the environment of marketing, the developments helps in providing the
constructive response is forthe development of the product and services of the organisation. New
developments are changing in market traits, external and internal change of the market etc.
 Marketing research: Research of marketing includes the particular knowledge of the price,
product, and customers for communicating the best service and product of the company in the
target market (Babin, and Zikmund, 2015).
 Market segment: the business requires the perfect segment of the market which is provided by
the marketing. Manager of the marketing business identify the consumers on the big platform
and then promote the services and goods of the business among them.
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M2 Analyse the significance of interrelationships between marketing and other functional
units of the organisation
There are many functions of marketing such as finance, advertising, distribution system etc. all
the activity comes under the process of marketing. Key elements of the marketing functions are:
 Research: This is the most important function of the marketing, business is impossible to run
without the research of the market. Research helps in finding the important information about the
factors which are concerned the process of business.
 Strategy: when the information is collected then the strength and weakness are identified in the
business. The data helps in making the strategy for the business for achieving the organisation
objectives. The strategies help the business to compete in the strong market.
 Planning: The next step of marketing planning after completing the research and strategy
process is planning (Leigh, and Blakely, 2016). The department of marketing includes financial
planning, distribution, communication and other factors of the business.
 Tactics:These are the short term plans which are made and implemented to attract the customers.
The tactics are for the limited period of time such as buy one get one free offer; which promote
the product. It helps the business to increase the sale.
The marketing functions are linked to the other units of the function of the business as finance
department connects with the marketing department. The function of the marketing requires the
economic resources for implementation of planning, evaluation, and research of the strategy
among the business, which is provided by the finance department of the company. Secondly,
business needs a human resource from the HR department, logistic from distribution network and
economic help from the finance department. The policies of HR department are linked with the
marketing department to increase the sale. Hence, the marketing department is linked with other
functional units of the business.
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D1 Critically analyse and evaluate the key elements of the marketing function and how
they interrelate with other functional units of an organisation.
Different elements of marketing function such as finance, advertising, distribution system etc. all
this activity comes in the process of the marketing function. Key elements of the marketing
functions are:
 Research: Research is important to function in marketing, it is impossible for them to run the
business without doing the research in the market. Research is the element which helps in finding
the information which is important for the business is about the factors which are concerned the
process of business.
 Strategy: As the information is collected other things are identified which is the strength and
weakness of the business. These are the data which helps in making the strategy of the business
for achieving the objectives of the business. These are the strategies which help the business to
compete in the competitive market.
 Planning: The third step of marketing planning after completing the research and strategy
process is planning. The department of marketing includes financial planning, distribution,
communication and other factors of the business.
 Tactics: These are the plans which are a short term which is made and implemented to attract the
customers towards their product. The tactics plans are for the limited period of time such as the
offers like buy one get one free; which promote the product in the target customers. It helps the
business to increase the sale and also the market share.
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Lo 2
P3 Compare the ways in which different organisations apply the marketing mix to the
marketing planning process to achieve business objectives
The marketing mix strategy is applied in the procedure plan of the marketing which helps in
achieving the goals of the business. Different methods are used by the organisation for applying
the marketing mix strategy in the business (Huang, and Sarigöllü, 2014). The marketing mix
strategy is based on the products, services of the business, demographics of the market and the
size of business and market. These are the tool that helps the marketers to understand about the
product. Marketing mix has 4 P's which are price, product, promotion, and place. The approach
was extended to the 7 P's which are price, product, promotion, place, people, process and
physical evidence.
Arcadia Group was the small company with minimum employees but the efforts of focusing on
the customers help the business to make its impression in the national market in the starting
years. This was because of the marketing mix strategy; many organisations spend the money on
the process of the marketing, research, and development, promotion but didn't get a response
such as Arcadia Group. The main reason Arcadia Group is to understand the customer through
marketing essentials tool and build the business strategy with the approach of the customer
satisfaction. The marketing mix approach focuses on the place of selling the product, product
dimension, the structure of price, promotional activities of the company.
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M3 Evaluate different tactics applied by organisations to demonstrate how business
objectives have been achieved.
Many organisations apply the tactics to achieve their business objectives (Nagle, et. al., 2016).
The small business such as Arcadia Group applies the marketing mix of 7 Ps in the process of a
market plan to achieve their objectives.The much different organisation applies the marketing
process to achieve their goals. The process follows:
 Firstly they defined the market for the organisation which is the target market.
 Next, they created the segment of the market.
 Evaluations are done of different segments for the specific criteria.
 The process of the segments is constructed.
 The segment attractiveness is evaluated.
 Then the target customers are selected.
 The strategy of the organisation is made and implemented in the organisation.
 The process of evaluation and feedback are done of the segmentation.
The Arcadia Group applied the extended process of the marketing mix for achieving the goals of
the business.
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Lo 3
P4 Produce and evaluate a basic marketing plan for an organisation
The basic market plan for the Arcadia Group can be developed as:
The company needs to understand the customers, as the small company, Arcadia Group needs to
do the research the market and understand the objectives of the business product and service.
Sometimes the question occurs what the main feature in the product or company; for this, the
product need to fulfill the needs of the customers to sustain in the market.
The second important thing in the process of marketing planning is to identify the customers
whom the business has to sell the products. The business must look out their customers and plan
according to them. The business should need to identify their competitor; it will help the
business to learn about the trend of market, pros, and cons of the market. Research and strategies
are need according to the market to stay in the strong market; the budget has to be proposed for
the activities of the marketing and also has to create the objectives and goals by using the
specific timeline (Kotler, 2015). By using the marketing plan the business of Arcadia Group is
running smoothly, the target of the business is to grow internationally; the company also needs
the digital channels to promote the business.
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