ASDA Plc Marketing Report: Roles, Responsibilities, and Mix Comparison

This report offers a detailed analysis of ASDA Plc's marketing strategies, focusing on the roles and responsibilities of the marketing function within the organization and its interrelationships with other functional units. The report highlights the key elements of marketing, such as market research, product development, and communication, and discusses how these elements contribute to the overall success of ASDA. Furthermore, it compares the marketing mix of ASDA with its major competitor, Tesco, examining aspects like product mix, pricing, and distribution. The report emphasizes the importance of marketing in achieving organizational goals by setting objectives, coordinating with production, finance, and human resources, and gathering customer insights through research. It also explores the key concepts of production, product, selling, marketing, and societal marketing, providing a comprehensive overview of ASDA's marketing approach.

INTRODUCTION
Marketing is an essential business function that aids every company in determining what their customers want
from their products and services. Every company's marketing department is in charge of increasing revenue,
profit margins, and contributing to growth and profitability (Dibb and Simkin, 2013). The current report is
based on an analysis of ASDA Plc, a global retailer with headquarters in London, United Kingdom. ASDA's
management also places a strong emphasis on expanding the company's global marketing efforts. The
marketing function's numerous responsibilities and functions, as well as their interrelationship with the
organizational in a broader context, have been discussed in this report. Furthermore, the marketing mix of
ASDA and its major competitor in the retail sector, TESCO plc, has been compared. Marketing strategy.
LO1. The Roles and Responsibilities of the marketing and how it interrelates with other functional units
of an organisation.
 Roles and Responsibilities of the marketing
Another key step is marketing planning, which entails finding, assessing, and designing new products and
services to fulfil customer needs while also establishing a brand image and client loyalty. The marketing
department of Asda performs a variety of tasks, including market research, strategy management, sales support
system development, product development, finance teams, distribution systems, and human resource
management. Managers in organizations are primarily concerned with implementing various strategies that
will increase product and service sales and profitability. The key roles and responsibilities of Mark are listed
below.
 Market research: The marketing department's task is to conduct research in order to identify current and
future trends in order to analyze customer needs for products and services (Pike, 2015). This will assist
ASDA's managers in demonstrating the product and service management changes that are required.
Customers' attitudes toward organizations will be influenced by these changes in products and services.
 Finance: The marketing function, which is carried out by managers, is also responsible for the
organization and allocation of funds to carry out marketing activities. In Asda, marketing prepares and
sends a proposal to management outlining the funds needed to carry out the activities, as well as an
estimate of marketing's return on investment.
 Product development: In business, marketing is also critical in the creation of products and services.
Marketing in the B2C context tends to identify end user demands for products in order to make changes to
the organization's existing products (Joshi, 2012). Marketing will examine the needs of their retailers who
sell the products to end-users in a B2B setting. ASDA sells its products directly to customers and operates
its own stores in various countries. Marketing manager’s needs will identify customers’ in order to make
decisions about price, location, promotion, and customer service.
 Communication: Asda's marketing department is also responsible for identifying effective
communication channels through which the company can inform a large number of customers about its
new and existing products and services. In an organization, marketing is in charge of attracting customers
who want to buy products. Customers may believe, for example, that a company is dynamic and creative
because of its advertising message.
 Planning: Planin is the process of creating plans to suit the needs of customers. By forecasting demand for
its products and services, the marketing functional unit makes plans to analyze and meet customer needs
(Wirtz, 2012). They also intend to reduce the impact of substitute products on Asda's market sales.
Marketing managers are in charge of analyzing competitor policies in order to differentiate their products
from those of their customers.
 Promotion: In order to meet the sales target, the marketing function is also responsible for selecting
effective ways to promote products and services. ASDA managers to improve the popularity of their

business and products among customers have utilized all newspaper ads, discounts, digital video
advertisements, celebrity endorsements, events, social media, and ecommerce.
 Selling: Marketing is also important in identifying potential customers to assist sales departments in
meeting their goals. Marketing managers conduct a variety of surveys to determine which customers are
loyal to their products and services.
 Distribution: Following the sharing of information, marketing managers must establish an effective
product distribution network that is easily accessible to customers. Marketing managers at Asda are also in
charge of product development and distribution across all of the company's countries. There are several
important marketing concepts that are divided into five categories:
 Production: This is typically determined by consumer perception, which determines that Asda
customers are drawn to specific products that are available in good quality and quantity in the
market at low prices. As a result, Asda's operational capability should be focused on increasing
production rates.
 Product: It was stated that consumers buy products that have good value for money, good quality,
and an innovative approach (Malhotra, Birks and Wills).
 Selling: This concept is based on the assumption that promotions influence customers' attitudes
toward products. Consumers are more likely to pay attention to Asda's products and services that
are aggressively promoted in the market.
 Marketing: This concept is primarily concerned with analyzing and meeting the needs of
customers. To stay competitive, Asda needs to improve the value of its products and services.
 Societal: This marketing concept primarily demonstrates their focus on target consumers' values,
perceptions, and needs. If Asda wants customers to pay more attention to their brand than their
competitors, they must meet their needs and offer their products at the lowest possible prices.
 How roles and responsibilities of marketing relate to the wider organizational context
Marketing is a crucial business unit that involves a wide range of tasks and duties that are connected with the
rest of the organization's functional divisions. The Marketing function at Asda is interlinked with the
company's other functional units and executes its duties with the goal of attaining the company's goals.
Important key roles related to the larger organizational context are listed below:
 Setting objectives: By partnering with other departments to ensure that everything is in sync, marketing
plays a key role in defining business objectives. When creating targets that must be completed within a
given time frame, Asda's marketing managers incorporate comments from all other departments.
 Production: It is vital for marketing to have a relationship with an organization's goods or purchasing
department in order to supply product information to them (2013Hair and et.al. 2015). Both ASDA
departments work together to introduce items that are profitable for the firm while also meeting the
needs of customers. To provide a marketing plan, the marketing functions require accurate descriptions
of the organization's products and services from the production department. Marketing executives at a
firm inform executives about client needs and changes in pricing, quality, and quantity. The purchasing
department will also notify the marketing department of the availability of raw materials or products to
suit client requirements.
 Finance: In this purpose of developing, researching, evaluating, and implementing significant marketing
strategies and plans in businesses, the marketing function necessitates a significant amount of financial
resources (Babin and Zikmund, 2015). Marketing's responsibilities are linked to finance because it
provides an overall estimate of budget requirements to the finance department, as well as data on
previous budget allocations and expenditures.
 Human resource management: According to the literature, the marketing department's operations must
be communicated to and considered by other Asda departments. For example, in order to hire qualified

employees and increase enterprise sales, HR policies in businesses must be aligned with marketing
departments. In order to perform marketing activities, marketing departments must have access to
information about current and future human resource requirements. HR collaborated with marketing to
analyze the performance of current employees in order to meet their monetary and non-monetary needs.
 Research: It is critical for marketing to obtain information about customer requirements from the
organization's research department in order to develop successful marketing plans and strategies
(Wilson, 2014). The market research functional unit also identifies improvements that are needed in
marketing strategies in order to improve business functions. This aids marketing in the development of
more effective strategies for achieving organizational goals. As a result, these marketing functions are
linked to all other business functional units.
In ASDA, the marketing functional unit has a lot of interrelationships with other functional units. It
encompasses a variety of distinct business functions, including advertising, finance, and distribution, among
others. Interrelationships between marketing departments and other organizational functional units are
extremely important. This can be explained by the fact that marketing functions require the support of the
organization's other operational departments in order to function effectively. If a company needs to plan and
implement a marketing strategy, it will need the help of the financial department, human resources, sales
department, and production department (Hugos, 2018). It is critical for the organization's success that all
functional units work together to achieve the organization's objectives. The primary goal of the marketing
department is to increase Asda's profitability by increasing sales, which can be accomplished by involving all
of the company's departments at the same time. In a business, the finance department allocates a budget to the
marketing department for the planning and implementation of the marketing strategy. To meet product demand
and supply, the production functional unit will communicate with logistics or operations. Human resource
policies will be developed in accordance with market trends, sales, and targets. The marketing department also
provides this crucial information to HR in order to ensure that business operations are properly regulated. The
market department collaborates with research to gather information about customers' current and future needs.
As a result, all of Asda's functional units work together to achieve a successful marketing strategy for the
company.
Key elements of marketing function and interrelationship with other functional unit.
The marketing function encompasses a variety of important and diverse functions such as advertising,
distribution, and finance, among others. The following are the key elements of marketing functions:
 Research: In business, market research is critical because it aids in the gathering of valuable information
about all aspects of the business process. It provides logistics, finance, raw materials, resources, and
other business aspects that can only be obtained through research, in addition to marketing information.
 Strategy: After gathering data, it's time to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the various business
operations. Furthermore, the data was processed, which allowed for the creation of effective strategies
that led to the achievement of goals.
 Planning: The marketing department will carry out effective planning in order to implement the
strategies in business operations and achieve success.
 Tactics: The marketing function's fourth key role is tactics, which entails short-term plans that have been
implemented to attract target customers.
According to the above analysis, Asda's marketing function is intertwined with the organization's other
functional units. This can be demonstrated by the fact that the marketing function requires financial resources
to carry out its activities and plans. To do so, they'll need to work with the finance department to get the
marketing budget approved. They also work with the human resources department to find qualified marketing
candidates. As a result, marketing functions in Asda are intertwined with other departments.
LO2 Compare the marketing Mix of two different types of organizations in the marketing
planning process

The marketing mix is a critical tool for evaluating current performance and company strategies in order to meet
customer needs and desires (Badrinath, 2016). The marketing mix is a tool that allows customers to assess a
company's pricing policies, location, and other factors. On the other hand, it aids in evaluating and determining the
marketing mix of competitors. It aids the company in comparing itself to its competitors. Both Asda and Tesco are
competitors to each other. There is a comparison of companies in order to assess the differences and determine
which companies will implement a corrective action plan.
Framework TESCO ASDA
Product Mix Tesco offers a wide range of products and
services, including groceries, clothing,
electronics, and financial services, to meet
the needs and desires of its customers
(Lilly, 2014). Tesco's retail industry has
over 40,000 product lines (Marketing Mix
of TESCO, 2018). In addition, they offer a
wide range of brands, regional produce, and
international cuisine food in their retail
outlets.
Customers can get a variety of services and
products from Asda, including fresh food,
groceries, clothing, home, leisure, and
entertainment items (Marketing Mix of
ASDA, 2018). In comparison to Tesco, they
also provide the best fresh good services to
their customers.
Price Another form of marketing is price, which
is used to persuade customers to purchase a
product. In terms of price distribution.
Tesco tries to keep prices as low as possible
without sacrificing service quality. It
provides better services to customers and
introduces itself to the market. This strategy
aids in customer satisfaction and happiness
(Marketing Mix of TESCO, 2018).
In terms of product and service prices
(Marketing Mix of ASDA, 2018). They offer
lower pricing strategies in order to attract
customers. They guarantee their customers'
satisfaction 100 percent of the time. They are
also 10% less expensive than Tesco. In
comparison to a company that specializes in
price strategies. Prices at Asda must be
determined by customer preference.
Place The effective marketing mix that connects
people with the company is called place
mix. Its headquarters are located in
Chestnut, Hertfordshire, England. Its retail
stores are located all over the world,
making it easier for customers to visit the
Company's store (Malhotra, 2015). They
open their stores under various names, such
as Tesco Express, Tesco Extra, Tesco
Metro, and so on, in order to attract
customers. Which method does a company
use to attract customers.
Like a lot of other supermarkets. Asda also
sells goods and services all over the world
(Marketing Mix of ASDA, 2018). They make
an effort to communicate with customers and
gauge their level of satisfaction. Asda has
large supermarkets, supercenters, Asda
Living, and gasoline filling stations. They
also have banks, hair salons, and dry cleaners
on site. Asda has also opened larger stores in
order to attract more customers and improve
customer satisfaction.
Promotion The most effective and productive
marketing mix is promotion, which is
required for a company to introduce new
products and services. It aids in raising
customer awareness of the company's
services. The company's most significant
advantages are its low-cost products in
comparison to other retail outlets
(Marketing Mix of TESCO, 2018). Quality
maintenance is also a promotional tool.
Which of the following aids the company in
gaining customer attention and loyalty? The
company's promotional activities improved
To connect customers with the company, the
company uses promotional activities such as
television, newspaper, and social media as
part of its promotional mix (Marketing Mix
of ASDA, 2018). In order to introduce new
effective product marketing, Asda uses a
variety of promotional activities. This allows
the company to outperform the competition
in terms of product image.

the company's brand image in the market,
resulting in increased goodwill and
stability. Another promotional activity of
the company is its global supermarket
chain. It provides a productive working
process.
Physical evidence Physical evidence refers to a new target that
will increase market growth. When it comes
to physical evidence, it's a no-brainer. Other
customer service companies ensured that
the proper channel of product and services
was maintained in order to save customers
time and inconvenience. Tesco also
provides customers with additional services
such as online shopping.
Customer experience and satisfaction are the
best physical evidence of the company
(Marketing Mix of ASDA, 2018). Stores,
logos, websites, and brochures are all
examples of Asda physical evidence.
People Tesco's great sales assistants are fantastic
and are in charge of generating sales
revenue (Marketing Mix of TESCO, 2018).
The company also targets customers of all
types of customer levels. It aids in
obtaining the most cost-effective prices in
order to attract customers.
In total, Asda employs 160,000 people.
Workers have on-the-job and off-the-job
opportunities at the company. In order to
keep employees focused, the company offers
higher wages and additional working
incentives.
Process Process for making customers happy and
satisfied with the services provided by the
company. Customers can make payments
both offline and online with ease.
Processing is the activity by which a
company achieves its goal (Marketing Mix of
ASDA, 2018). Asda, for example, receives
products from suppliers in order to maintain
store availability.
With the help of effective marketing and strategic tools, the Asda Company achieves their goal and target (Mishra,
2016). In order to meet the company's objectives and targets, the company has improved its quality and business
plan. Adopt top-notch management, employee performance, and technological strategies, among other things.
LO 3 Develop and evaluate a basic marketing plan to meet marketing goals and objectives
Marketing plans are a process and set of tools for achieving a company's objectives and goals (Mishra,
2016). To meet the objectives, the company must create an effective market plan in order to develop new
products and services. Marketing plans are an effective approach and goal for capturing the attention of
customers and markets. There is a marketing plan in place to meet the needs of the customer.
Business objectives: The first step in developing a marketing strategy. In order to create an effective plan,
a company must set plan objectives and goals that will help them focus on their customers. Asda goals
and objectives in terms of achieving company goals and targets are included in this first step of the
marketing plan. The company would not be able to meet its targets if it did not set goals and objectives.
Business goals must be aligned with the company's plans and accomplishments. Effective business
objectives can provide the company with more opportunities.
7P's: In order to create effective 7P's elements, a company must use resources to create effective 7P's
tools and techniques (Philip, 2014). Price, Product, Promotion, Physical Evidence, People, and Processes
are all factors that must be considered by the company. It assists the company in achieving effective and

efficient marketing plans in order to achieve the target goals. The marketing mix assists a company in
developing effective planning and new ideas in order to meet the needs and desires of customers. Product:
The company can concentrate on developing innovative products for its customers in order to persuade
them to make a purchase.
Price: The product's price should be lower so that people can buy it without worrying about their budget.
As a result, the company can employ a penetration pricing strategy.
Distribution: In order to distribute the company's products and services, the company has a number of
retail locations where customers can easily purchase them. This company also sells its products on the
Internet.
Communication: It is critical for a company to use social networking sites to communicate its product
offers and discounts. Companies can use Facebook to share information about new products.
Promotion: Businesses can use social networking sites to promote their products and services, allowing
them to reach a larger audience. Additionally, customers can place advertisements on television to
increase sales.
Place: They can sell products online, but the store should be in a convenient location for customers.
Physical evidence: The store environment should be appealing in order to keep customers in the store for
longer periods of time.
People: The firm's employees are all highly skilled, which aids in the delivery of innovative products.
Process: Customers should be able to get their products on time if a systematic process is followed.
Target Market: The target market is the most effective and important tool in a marketing strategy because
it allows you to target potential customers and their needs and desires. This aids in the acquisition of the
most effective tools and techniques. The target market assists in focusing on the most important aspects of
the business. By doing so, they will be able to easily achieve their goals and objectives. Customers in
Asda's target market are from the lower, middle, and upper income brackets. Customers are attracted to
their stores because of the high quality and variety of products available. In order to attract customers'
attention to the products, the company must use marketing strategies to attract customers to the product
and services. Target market assists businesses in identifying and attracting customers (Pike, 2015). On the
other hand, a marketing strategy must consider the actual needs and desires of customers in terms of the
company. After that, determine the customers' needs and desires. As a result, the company develops
marketing strategies.
SWOT
Strength
 Asda company has highly skilled employees
 They make quality products and services
Weakness
 Less use of advance technology
 High price of products and services
Opportunities Threats

 Use of advance technology is the opportunity
 To make innovate products and services
 Large number of competitors
 Lack of availability in raw material
Tactics:
When it comes to marketing the company's products and services, it can use effective marketing strategies
like sending promotional offers via email. It can also post advertisements on Facebook and Twitter.
Monitoring and controlling: It is the final stage of the marketing plan, during which the company puts
all of its plans and strategies into action in order to reach the target market's customers. Asda ensures that
the plan is implemented according to the needs in order to achieve good results. During this phase, the
company reviews the plan to ensure that it is functioning properly. This aids in achieving the company's
target customers and objectives. The monitoring process should be aligned with the marketing strategy. If
necessary, this process aids in the implementation of corrective actions within the organization. As a
result, the work is more effective and the full target is achieved (Stern and Porr, 2017). Asda needs to
analyze some steps in order to get the best effective results, such as situational analysis, market
intelligence, assessment, research and reality check, test, expansion, and refinement, in order to ensure an
effective marketing plan. All of these major tools aid in the creation of more relevant information for
marketing plans. This aids in achieving the company's objectives with effective results (Stern and Porr,
2017). The overall process of developing effective business strategies to achieve overall task revenue for
the organization is known as strategic marketing planning. In order to implement the 7 p's in marketing
strategies, a company must develop a strategic marketing plan that includes business objectives,
marketing priorities, marketing goals, marketing strategy, and key actions. These are the strategic
marketing plans through which a company can easily obtain the most effective marketing action in order
to attract customers.
CONCLUSION
In this report, it is determined that marketing plays a significant role in ASDA's business operations
success. Managers devise marketing strategies to promote a positive public perception of a brand's
products and services. Within the retail industry and organizations, it tends to create healthy competition.
It is also recognized that marketing functions are inextricably linked to the other functional units in an
organization because they are responsible for the smooth regulation of business operations and the
achievement of organizational goals. According to the marketing plan, the company should focus on
providing new products and services to customers of appropriate quality at low prices in order to meet
their needs. Customers in Asda's target market are from the lower, middle, and upper income brackets.

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