International Marketing Plan Proposal: Coles Supermarkets Australia

This report outlines an international marketing plan proposal for Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd, focusing on expansion into the Hong Kong market. It details the company's profile, business goals, and target customers, emphasizing a focus on upper-middle-class consumers through promotional offers and loyalty programs. The report evaluates various marketing approaches, including management, legal, economic, functional, and product/commodity, before advocating for social media, e-commerce, branding, sustainability, and quality as key marketing options. Proposed international marketing objectives include global, adaptation, and customized strategies, supported by a communications and stakeholder plan to ensure clear job expectations and effective external relations. Cross-cultural communication strategies are suggested to bridge cultural barriers with Hong Kong, highlighting the importance of market research to understand legal structures and consumer demands. The report concludes by emphasizing the necessity of adapting to Hong Kong's trade policies and consumer preferences for successful international expansion.

Coles Supermarkets
Australia Pty Ltd
International Marketing Plan Proposal

Company Profile
 Industry: Retail, Supermarket,
Consumer Services
 Type: Subsidiary Industry
 Key People: John Durkan (Managing
Director), Curtis Stone (Ambassador)
 Headquarters: Hawthorn East Victoria,
Australia
 Revenue: A$33.00 billion
 Total Assets: A$22.1 billion
 Employees: 100,000+
 Parent: Coles Group

Business Goals and Direction
 Reduce the prices of products and
services offered.
 Improve quality of products by
maintaining relevant standards.
 Expansion into the Hong Kong
business market.
 Generate higher revenue and brand
awareness amongst consumers.

Products/Service focus for
Business Expansion
 Products for the business expansion
in Hong Kong would include
groceries, liquor, packaged food,
beverages, clothing and others
 Online shopping services need to be
introduced.
 E-commerce needs to be enhanced
to be at par with competitive rivals.

Target Customers
 Coles targets the upper-middle class
consumers of the society.
 Special programs to attract potential
customers would include
promotional offers, advertisements
and more.
 Loyalty cards programs would be
implemented for target customers.

Evaluation of Marketing
Approaches
 Management Approach: This emphasizes on the roles
of leadership and decision-making.
 Legal Approach: This deals with the legalities of
transfer of ownership, merger and acquisition issues.
 Economic Approach: This approach focuses on the
balance between existing demand and price of
products supplied.
 Functional Approach: This includes all marketing
activities like advertisements, promotional offers, etc.
 Product/Commodity Approach: This governs the flow
of commodities from original producers to the end
customers.

Best Marketing Option
 Social media: This is one of the most powerful
methods to market the organization’s products and
services.
 E-commerce: Developing online shopping facilities
would improve the e-commerce of the Company.
 Branding: Creation of brand awareness is one of the
most useful means for organizational development.
 Sustainability: Implementing sustainability initiatives
would play an important role in marketing processes.
 Quality: Regular check on the quality of products
offered is important to maintain growth.

Proposed new International
Marketing Objectives
 Global Strategy: As a global marketing
strategy, the organization needs to create a
significant lead in the specific industry.
 Adaptation Strategy: In order to adapt to the
new international market, the Company
needs to adhere to all legalities, standards
and trade policies of Hong Kong.
 Customized Strategy: A customized strategy
would be inclusive of consumer demands and
trade policies of the international market.

Communications and
Stakeholder Plan
 Conduct regular meetings with the staff
members of the organization in order to
clarify particular job expectations and
performance.
 Conduct regular meetings with external
suppliers to avoid unnecessary lags.
 Conduct regular discussion with
governmental or non-governmental
authorities related with the business
market for clearance of business.

Cross-Cultural
Communication
 In order to establish strong foundations
for trade and business with Hong Kong,
more awareness regarding their culture
and traditions need to be imbibed.
 Organizing cultural and promotional
events would reduce the cross-cultural
barriers between the two countries.
 Appropriate language for
communication needs to be developed.

Market Research
 Market Research is extremely essential
for the Company’s venture into
international business market. The
particular legal structures of Hong Kong
need to be understood for carrying out
business. The particular demands,
requirements and shopping trends of the
customers also affect the operational
processes of the organization in the
international business market.

ANY QUESTIONS????