Woolworths Ltd: An Integrated Marketing Communication Plan

This report presents a comprehensive integrated marketing communication (IMC) plan designed for Woolworths Ltd., a multinational supermarket corporation. The report begins with an overview of Woolworths, its market position, and its assumptions regarding market trends and potential competitors such as Tesco, Aldi, and Walmart. The core of the report focuses on developing a robust IMC plan, which includes a detailed analysis of the marketing mix (product, price, place, promotion), communication objectives (SMART goals), and budget costing. It outlines specific communication strategies, execution styles, and various appeals (personal and social) to engage the target audience. The report also provides draft communication materials, a media mix, and a media coverage schedule. Finally, it addresses campaign evaluation methods and concludes with a summary of the key findings and recommendations for Woolworths' IMC strategy.

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Integrated Marketing Communication
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Contents
Overview of organization................................................................................................................3
Assumptions.....................................................................................................................................3
Potential competitors.......................................................................................................................3
Marketing mix..................................................................................................................................3
Communication objectives...............................................................................................................3
Budget costing.................................................................................................................................4
Communication strategy..................................................................................................................5
Execution style.................................................................................................................................5
Appeals............................................................................................................................................5
Draft communication material.........................................................................................................5
Media mix........................................................................................................................................6
Media coverage and schedule..........................................................................................................6
Campaign evaluation.......................................................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

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Overview of organization
Developing a link to all the forms of communication and messages at one place can be
considered as the process of integrated marketing communication (IMC). In simple terms
integration of all the promotional mechanisms and tools, so that they work together in a harmony
is the process of IMC (Arnold & Boggs, 2015). Promotion is one of the integral elements of the
marketing mix strategy and also has its own communication tools. These communication tools
perform better if they are working together in a concord rather working in isolation. Integrated
marketing communication plan is a system that is required to be developed by the business firm
for promoting products and generating awareness in the targeted segments of the consumers.
IMC plan is developed and designed by the firm when the entity is expecting to launch a new
product or service and wants to create a hold in the market regions for the new product about to
be launched (Multimediamarketing 2015). The below executed is an integrated marketing
communication plan that has been developed for Woolworths Ltd. The business entity is a
multinational corporation in the sector of supermarkets. The business entity was incorporated on
5th December 1924 and its head office is located in Bella Vista, New South Wales, Australia, by
F.W. Woolworth. The business corporation is serving to an approx. 18 million consumers all
over the world.
Assumptions
For developing an effective integrated marketing communication some predictions are required
to be developed on the basis of market trends and business environment. These assumptions can
include some statistical data or market trends for the next 12 months or what will be the market
conditions in up-coming years. The below presented are the assumptions that have been made for
developing the IMC plan:
 On the basis of research, it has been predicted that the long intense drought was one of
the reasons for the rise in the prices of the products (Knowler 2016).
 The drop in the value of rand will lead to bringing an increase in the price of the imported
packaging and also a hike in the price of petrol and diesel can be considered as one of the
biggest assumptions that will be affecting the business environment.
 Some of the financial predictions are presented in the form of the below presented
diagram.

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Figure 1 Assumptions made for Woolworths
(Source: Assumptions made for Woolworths, 2018)
Potential competitors
Woolworths Ltd is one of the leading brand names in the Australian supermarket sector. Apart
from this multinational corporation, the Australian supermarket is having number of other brand
names that are the top leading organizations in the industry. Tesco, Aldi, Walmart are the top
rankers that are fighting for gaining the top position in the sector. These business corporations
are the top competing brands for Woolworths Ltd and also the biggest threats. On the basis of the
research it has been concluded that as Tesco is one of the market leaders among the sector, its
share price is clearly reflecting how the business corporation can stimulate the whole retail
grocery market. For the last 25 years, Tesco has gained a position of market leader in the UK
grocery sector. The business corporation owns an approx. the number of more than 3000 stores
in the UK and also shares 28% of the market region (Ivoryresearch 2018). Tesco is offering a
varied range of grocery services so as to make attainments of different requirements that
comprise of convenience outlets that are easily approachable, supermarket, superstores, and
hypermarkets (Anton 2010). For developing its brand heritage the business entity is making an
effective use of the slogan “Every Little helps” that is used as a marketing tool for
communicating with the customers. This is one of the significant factors of the IMC plan of the
Tesco. By making use of this slogan the brand has penetrated the minds of consumers and this is

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considered as the point of scale of communication. Introduction of Cluboard 1995 as a
sophisticated too that enabled Tesco in learning significant information about the customers and
this improved the marketing strategy of the firm. The below presented is the positioning map:
Figure 1 Positioning Map
(Source: By Authors, 2018)

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Marketing mix
Products: After furnishing various reports it has been concluded that Woolworths is ranked as
one of the leading Australian retailer (Mbaskool 2018). The business entity is offering all types
of grocery products. This list comprises of vegetables, meat, fruits and other packaged products.
The business corporation is making diversification in the products range by selling magazines,
stationery items and DVD’s etc. Moreover, the business entity is also offering a wide range of
options in terms of local produce, international cuisine in various brands (Beach, 2014). The
business entity is required to present the products in the outlets and stores in an attractive and
presentable manner so that the customers get easily attracted towards it.
Price: Price is the value that is paid by the consumer for consuming the product or services of
the entity. Woolworth's pricing strategies are varied in nature as the entity is having the wide
range of products and the prices of products differ in terms of quality, quantity and other related
factors. But the firm has developed a pricing range that is easily affordable by all the income
group level consumers. Moreover, the prices of the products should be developed after
considering the expenses incurred in the campaign. This may bring an increase in the price range
as compared to the desired one.
Place: On the basis of the current analysis it has been noted that the business entity is operating
through 1000 store outlets in Australia of which 950+ are the supermarkets and the other are
convenience stores. In Victoria and Melbourne, the business enterprise is operating through
Safeway stores. The organization also has a strong online presence (Blakeman, 2014). For
instance, the entity has recently developed a mobile application for service the consumers online
that will create a greater level of satisfaction for the users. The locations of the outlets play a
significant role in the IMC plan as they are the platforms that are used for making the products
available. The place of distribution should be easily accessible for the targeted audience.
Promotion: This segment of marketing mix has also been considered as a topic of keen
significance for Woolworths Ltd. The business entity is constantly innovating in this segment for
generating awareness about the products and services. For instance, the enterprise is offering
various types of loyalty schemes and discounts on making the purchase of the products.
Moreover, the business entity continuously organizes various marketing and promotional
campaigns for promoting the products and services (Jensen, 2013). Extensive deals and offers
are provided to the customers on bulk purchase, gift cards and cash back offers are provided by
the firm.
Communication objectives
Communication objectives are considered as the goals for the messages that are required to be
communicated to the audience in an effective manner. There are varied ranges of approaches that
can be used by the business firm for developing the communication objectives for the campaign
(Kasper & Kellerman, 2014). In the same manner, Woolworths is required to establish several

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communication objectives for the integrated marketing communication plan and the same is
presented below by making use of SMART approach:
 Specific: Motivating the employees for the betterment of efficiency, the effectiveness of
the delivery of services and thus increasing productivity by 25%.
 Measurable: Bringing an increase in the customer base 15% more as compared to last
year by stimulating the consumers and thus developing a will to purchase the products.
 Achievable: Getting the workforce moving in a correct and same direction so as to attain
fruitful outcomes.
 Relevant: Establishment of strong bonds with the clients and the audience so as to
increase the demand, sale and customer loyalty. Loyal customer base brings a hike in the
brand equity and goodwill that will also increase the profitability of the firm.
 Time bound: Increasing the rate of brand awareness as compared to the current one
within 3 months from the date of marketing campaign.
Budget costing
Budget is the presentation of all the expenses that will be incurred throughout the course of
communication plan (Lawrie, 2014). On the basis of the given scenario, an amount of $100000
has been offered as a budget for developing and designing the IMC plan. The below
demonstrated is the estimated budget for Woolworths Ltd:
Online Media Marketing Column1
Social media
 — Google: $6,000
 — Linkedin $2,000
 — Twitter $2,500
 — Facebook $2,000
 — YouTube $2,000
Total $14,500
Direct Marketing
 Internet Marketing $25,000
 Telemarketing $10,000
Total $35,000
Direct mailing: $2,500
SEO marketing : $3,000
Total $5,500
Advertisments on
 TV channels $15,000

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 Print Media $5,000
Total $20,000
Sponsoring Events
 Charity Campaigns $15,000
 Sports events $10,000
Total $25,000
Communication strategy
Communication has been considered as an integral part while developing the communication
plan for any of the business entity as it bridges the gap between the audience and the business
organization (McQuail & Windahl, 2015). The below mentioned are some f the most significant
communication strategies that can be adopted by Woolworths for developing the IMC plan:
 A workforce of Woolworths Ltd should direct the focus on solving the issues and queries
of the consumers rather than focusing just on the consumers.
 Fair and appropriate guidance on quality basis should be offered by the leader in the
organization so as to motivate the employees.
 Contemporary means of advertisements should be adopted by the business firm for
attracting and attaining new segments of consumers.
 Direct marketing can be considered as an effective medium or a strategy through which
the entity can establish the newly launched products and services.
Execution style
Woolworths Ltd can make adoption of a simple and effective execution style for executing the
IMC plan in-front of the audience (Zillmann, 2013). The below presented is a five-step process
that can be followed by the business corporation as an execution-style for IMC plan:
 An analysis should be developed for the current position of the business firm.
 Development of a tagline should be done, that should be able to describe the overall
business or the product that is promoted through the IMC plan.
 The target audience should be selected so as to make the efforts in a correct direction.
 Mediums and platforms should be selected for developing effective communication
between the audience and the organization.
 Defining objectives should be done precisely and correctly so as they are easy to
understand by the workforce.
Appeals
There is the wide range of options and strategies that can be adopted by a business firm for
catching the attention of the consumers and these are commonly are known as appeals. The

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below described are some of the options that can be used by Woolworths for attaining the
consumer’s attention:
Personal appeal: Under this approach, the business entity will have to develop a personal
contact with the consumer. For instance, while selling a baby skin care product the entity will
have to focus on the importance of taking care of the skin of infants is. In this approach, there is
a personal appeal towards the mothers.
Social appeal: In this segment, the business entity will have to develop connections with the
consumers by making use of social grounds (Middleton 2016). For instance, the business entity
can promote the products by sharing a percentage of profit earned on a specific product as a
charity. This will connect the audience socially with the products.
Draft communication material
The below mentioned are some of the core components that will be used as a communication
material in the developed IMC plan for Woolworths Ltd:
 Campaign name should be developed through which the plan will be recognized in front
of the audience in the market regions.
 A theme of the message and the campaign should be decided, on which segment, the
social aspect, and target audience should be made focused.
 Adoption of creative strategy is another significant element or communication material
that can be used by the firm. For instance, Woolworths can make use of cognitive
strategy through which the business corporation will be able to highlight and outline the
advertisement that will affect the trust and knowledge of the audience.
Media mix
There are various forms of media mix strategies that can be adopted by the business firm for
enhancing the quality of the IMC plan:
Social media: One of the biggest platform that can be used by Woolworths for promoting the
products and communicating with the target market. This mechanism is one of the fastest means
of communicating and advertising.
Digital media: This is a contemporary means of advertising the products and services and under
this, the entity makes use of tools and mechanisms such as blogs, cell phone applications, email
etc (Marsh 2009).
Print media: One of the cheapest forms of communication under which pamphlets, business
magazines, newspapers, billboards etc. are utilized by the business enterprise.

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Media coverage and schedule
The below presented is the Gantt chart of Woolworths Ltd:
Main activities/ stages Week1 Week12 Week3 Week4 Week5 Week4 Week 6
Communication
Objectives
ü
Preparing campaign
plan
Submitting Theoretical
framework
Approval on the
submitted framework
Objective 1
Objective 2
Objective 3
Promotional mix
Implementation of
Strategies
Evaluation of the
strategy
Alterations (if any)
Campaign evaluation
Evaluating means determining the task and identifying whether it is meeting the set objectives or
not (Bdc 2018). Evaluation of IMC plan will enable Woolworths Ltd with an opportunity for
making adjustments in the established goals and strategies of the campaign. For instance, the
entity can formally or informally ask the stakeholders for the feedbacks, reactions, and
recommendations for improvement. Direct improvements can also be done in the communication
processes wherever required.
Conclusion
In the limelight of the above-executed analysis, it has been analyzed that an integrated
communication plan is one of the integral tools for Woolworths Ltd and the same can be used for
promoting the products and services in Australia.

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