HI5004 Marketing Management Report: Coles Group Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the marketing management strategies employed by Coles Group, a major Australian retailer. It begins by examining the context and environments in which Coles operates, including political, economic, social, and technological factors. The report then delves into Coles' marketing strategies, focusing on market segmentation, targeting, and positioning. It explores the company's integrated marketing channels and distribution systems, highlighting its efforts to capitalize on convenience through store redevelopment and product diversification. The analysis covers Coles' customer adoption process, pricing and distribution strategies, and integrated communication plans, including both mass market and personalized approaches through various channels like social media and traditional media. The report references relevant academic sources to support its findings and offers insights into Coles' approach to brand positioning, niche markets, and customer engagement. The assignment aims to provide a deep insight into marketing management and explore various aspects that need to be included in the marketing strategy of the concerned organization.

Marketing
Management of
Coles Group
NAME OF THE STUDENT
NAME OF THE UNIVERSITY

Analyse the context and environments in
which this organisation operates
•Political factor
•Economic factor
•Social factor
•Technological factor

Identifying Market Segments and
Targets
Segmentation-The marketing team of
the Coles Group has been trying to segment
the market of Australia according to the
different characteristic (Andreassen and
Streukens 2013)
Targeting-The second step that follows
after proper market segmentation is
developing the target group of people who
can be most influenced by the products and
services of the concerned company
Positioning-In order to have a significant
impact on the target group the concerned
company has been developing a range of
products

Integrated marketing channels
and distribution system
Coles Group has been trying to
capitalize on their convenience
strategy by redeveloping 100
supermarket outlets on last six months
to add more ready to eat and semi
prepared food items. The organisation
has been also including 75 new
products in their existing products
range for strengthening the idea of
ready to eat meals
(colesgroup.com.au, 2019).

Positioning of Coles Group

Identification of niche
market
•Coles is leading the market in terms of
private label brand penetration.
•Deeper product assortment: variable and
diverse product choice (López and Sicilia
2013).
•Coles have services like self-checkout
options to reduce rush.

Coles’ customer adoption
process
•Brand awareness through extensive promotion
and social media marketing.
•Product information sharing through existing
customers.
•Evaluation facilitated through personalized
and diverse product selection.
•Adoption to their products happen through
extensive market presence.

Pricing and distribution
•premium pricing products offered.
•Needs implementation of market
penetration pricing.
•Distribution through direct channel.
•Needs introduction of small offline
counters (Todor 2016).
•Efficient logistics decrease time
between supply and demand.

Integrated communication plan:
Coles
Mass market Mass customization individual
Two ways
communication Social media
marketing,
Content marketing,
Email marketing
Direct selling,
personalized
marketing, feedback
incorporation and
diverse terms and
conditions
One way communication Traditional marketing
media such as
television, radio and
print media
Mediums that are
designed on latest
buying trends and
buying behavior,
preferences of specific
social groups as well
as location

Social media communication
for Coles
•Coles can use Facebook for the promotion of
their services.
•Twitter can be used for relaying news about
the discounts and offers.
•Instagram provides the platform for
showcasing their facilities and services (.
•SEO integration ensures visibility.
•E-commerce enabled for ease of payment.

•Television and radio has much larger
penetration.
•They can provide both content and
visual impressions.
•Newspapers can be used to inform
about discounts and offers.
•Commercial advertisements create
loyal customer base (Toften and
Hammervoll 2013).
Traditional communication
for Coles

Andreassen, T.W. and Streukens, S., 2013. Online complaining: understanding the
adoption process and the role of individual and situational characteristics. Managing
Service Quality: An International Journal, 23(1), pp.4-24. DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09604521311287632
López, M. and Sicilia, M., 2013. How WOM marketing contributes to new product
adoption: testing competitive communication strategies. European Journal of
Marketing, 47(7), pp.1089-1114. DOI: 10.1108/03090561311324228
Todor, R.D., 2016. Blending traditional and digital marketing. Bulletin of the Transilvania
University of Brasov. Economic Sciences. Series V, 9(1), p.51. DOI:10.1111/jpim.12405.
Toften, K. and Hammervoll, T., 2013. Niche marketing research: status and
challenges. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 31(3), pp.272-285. DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02634501311324618
References