BMP6006: Critical Review of M&S Marketing Journal Article

This report provides a critical review of a trade journal article focusing on Marks & Spencer (M&S) and its marketing strategies. The review examines how M&S has embedded and applied the marketing process, including social media marketing, TV advertising, and sponsorship, within the context of the article. It evaluates these practices in relation to contemporary marketing trends, emphasizing the role of digital marketing and the use of online platforms. The report also analyzes the application of key traditional and digital marketing theories, comparing and contrasting different approaches. Furthermore, the report explores relevant omni-channel marketing theories and models, such as the use of social media marketing, and offers recommendations based on the analysis, focusing on enhancing customer engagement and expanding the business in a competitive marketplace. The report covers various aspects of M&S's marketing, including its emphasis on digital platforms, promotional campaigns, and customer loyalty programs.

Mark and Spencer
Journal Article
Critical Review
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Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Critically review the marketing process and evaluate its role in contemporary marketing practice
.........................................................................................................................................................3
Role of marketing in contemporary business market..................................................................4
Critically analyse and apply key traditional and digital marketing theories...................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9
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Introduction
Marketing define as the activity conducted by the company in order to promote their goods
and services so that they can attract large number of customers towards their business entity. It
includes selling, advertising, promoting and delivering goods to their customers so they can
influence them to buy their offerings. In the current business environment, online marketing
plays very essential role in order to promote goods and services through online platform (Batzer,
2019). In the present report, Marks & Spencer is chosen as the base organisation which is a
British multinational retailer founded in the year 1884. Company mainly deals in food and home
products, clothing and many other products. In this report it has going to be discussed that how
Marks & Spencer apply marketing process in their trade journal article. Along with this, it also
includes the current marketing practices of M&S apart from online channel marketing models
and theories. In addition to this, several recommendations are going to be provided which is
based on the analysis and review.
Critically review the marketing process and evaluate its role in contemporary
marketing practice
Marketing refers to the activity where different types of strategies, policies and tactics are
developed by the company in order to attract their customers in an effective manner. It defines as
an effective measure with the help of which company can enhance their customer base by
promoting their goods and services to their customers. In this context, it is examined that the
essential practices which are adopted by the management team of Marks & Spencer includes TV
advertisement, social media marketing, ad campaigns, sponsorship and many more. Some of the
most important approaches are going to be discussed as follows:
Social media marketing:
It is considered as one of the most essential element which aid in connecting and influencing
customers towards the company which as a result increases the brand image, maximise sales of
the company at competitive market. With the help of social media, large number of individuals
can involve with the company and can develop long term effective relationship with the
company (Pizarro Milian and Davidson, 2018). Company promote their advertisements on
various social media platforms so they can grab attention of large number of people towards the
organisation. They offer their new collections to the people so they can get influence by them.
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Some of the most essential social media platforms which can be adopted by the management
team of Marks & Spencer which includes Facebook, Snapchat, You Tube, Instagram, Pinterest &
many more. In addition to this, marketing team of Marks & Spencer effectively develop an ad
campaign which is posted by them on various social media platform so they can enhance their
customers base. This will assist them in enhancing their global presence across the world and
gain competitive advantages at the marketplace.
Sponsorship with Britain’s Got Talent:
Another most essential method for promoting goods and services at the marketplace, with
the help of this managers can enable reaching out with their audience in an effective and indirect
manner (Quinlan and et. al., 2019). Large number of business entities adopted this method, in
order to grab attention of large number of people so they can enhance their sales and profitability
of the company. In this context, it is examined that Marks and Spencer entered in a sponsorship
with Britain’s Got Talent for grabbing attention of large number of customers regarding their
food products so they can promote their it in an effective manner.
TV Adverts:
It refers to one of the most effective method or approach adopted by the companies where
they promote their goods and services by develop a promotional video which is telecast by them
at television. When companies develop new and attractive products and services they promote it
with the help of different channels where TV advertisement is very common and help in
grabbing attention of large number of customers. In this context, top management as well as
marketing team of the company run advertisement campaign on television which is prepared by
them in order to promote their offerings and services in an attractive manner. In reference to the
present organisation, M&S is an organisation where managers of the company choose TV
advertisement so they can attract large number of customers towards them.
Role of marketing in contemporary business market
According to the changing business environment it has been said that the concept of
marketing has also been changed. Along with this it is said that current marketing process are
quite, which includes use of advance technology and internet in order to attract large number of
customers towards their business entity. In reference to Marks & Spencer, it is said that top
management authorities as well as marketing department come with new, unique and innovative
ideas so they can influence large number of customers towards their organisation in a well-
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defined way. It has been identified that M&S is a multinational company, operates its business
function in North America, Europe as well as UK where they contribute to the economic system
of the business organisation.
Marks & Spencer have renovated their marketing strategies & emphasizing towards their
offering. In addition to this, they have invested huge amount of funds in digital platform in order
to attract large number of customers (Ducange, Pecori and Mezzina, 2018). The prime decisions
have been taken by the management team of the company to carry out their festive campaign to
grab the competitive marketplace. Company have stepped back from the Black Friday
advertising which incline to decrease the sale of the business organisation. In such cases
organisation needs to emphasis on conducting the market research and come out with attractive
measures which will assist in controlling all the marketing activities in such a manner that
company will gain competitive advantages. The corporation have selected there marketing
strategy successful which they align with advertisement & promotional campaign along with
digital as well as store marketing.
With the help of different marketing strategies, company will be able to attract large number
of customers towards their organisation when they promote their offerings through social media.
This is the method which increases the customer base and help in expanding the business at
competitive marketplace (Sinha and Sheth, 2018). It has also been said that M&S is continuously
promoting their seasons sales by proving heavy discounts to the loyal customers in order to
retain them for a longer period of time. Apart from this, company also adopts some loyalty
programs where customers get various benefits while shopping with the customers on a regular
basis. company promote their offering with the help of television which is one of the most
popular method of communication. consider as the most popular way of communicating with the
people as to beneficial to aware about the product to the larger audience.
Critically analyse and apply key traditional and digital marketing theories
Every business organisation need different sort of marketing strategies so that they can
effectively promote their goods and services at the competitive marketplace. By each passing
year it has been analysed that there is some sort of modifications in the marketing techniques
which are quite different from traditional approaches. Some of the traditional as well as digital
approaches are going to be discussed as follows:
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Traditional Marketing: In this context, it is a sort of marketing which is used from past few
years and still create favourable results in an effective manner. in this method, management team
of an organisation adopt billboards, pamphlets, newspaper, TV advertisements and many more.
Managers of Marks & Spencer adopt different types of traditional marketing approaches which
assist them in gaining profitability and positive response from the customers at the competitive
marketplace. Some of the most essential traditional marketing approaches are going to be
discussed as follows: Newspaper: It refers to the most effective method of traditional approach for attracting
large number of customers towards the business organisation so that they can beat the
competition level in an appropriate manner. Managers of Marks & Spencer adopt
newspaper technique in order to promote their products and services at the competitive
marketplace, so they can attract large number of customers towards their business entity.
Along with this, managers of the company provide paper pamphlets to their customers as
a promotional tool so they can grab their attention and influence them in order to buy the
products and services offered by them.
 TV advertisement: Apart from promoting goods and services it has also been said that
with the help of effective and attractive television advertisement. In this context
management team of Marks & Spencer decides to prepare a small video in order to
promote their products and grab attention of large number of customers. This is one of
the most beneficial as well as common method of promoting goods at the competitive
marketplace so that every individual get influence to buy the offerings of the company.
Digital Marketing: It refers to a sort of marketing in which managers of the company uses
internet as well as different online based marketing technology with the help of which thy can
promote their goods and services at the competitive marketplace. For gaining customers
attraction, it has been recommended to the management team of Marks & Spencer that they must
take benefits to the digital tools which will provide effective advertisement options to the
business organisation. Along with this, it has also been identified that by using effective
technology, managers of M&S can effectively perform their business functions, track their
advertisements in an effective and appropriate manner. This as a result aid them in increasing
their customer base across the whole wide world. Due to high competition level at the business
environment, it has also been said that company need to move towards hi-tech approaches which
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enhance their overall results in a positive manner (Deepak and Jeyakumar, 2019). It has also
been recommended to the management team of company to effective use digital advertisement
techniques so they can promote their designs according to the real world requirements and needs.
With the help of AR and VR techniques organisation can let themselves to custom projecting
pictures with their mobile camera in order to alter their current atmosphere. For instance, AR is
an animated filter within Snapchat & Instagram. Some of the approaches comes under digital
marketing techniques includes:
 Social media or online advertisement: With the assistance of online advertising Marks &
Spencer can effectively promote their products and services at the marketplace by using
social media. Whereas, it will assist business organisation in order to modify the reality
of their clients. Apart from this, there are various sort of innovative trade shows where
business entity can effectively promote their offerings and increase their customers base
at the competitive marketplace. brand with the help of social media. According to a
survey it is examined that around 5.13 billion people access internet services and almost
half of the total population spend their most of the time using smart phones. This assist
business organisation in order to make effective promotions with the help of social
media. In order to attract customers some of the effective methods are going to
recommended which includes popup banners, Facebook, ads in mobile games,
animations, short video about the offerings, interactive advertising and many more. This
will aid in attracting large people available at the market.
 Direct Mail or messages to their customers: In the current competitive or advanced
business environment, it has been said that management team of an organisation adopt
different sort of techniques with the help of which they can easily attract new customers
and retain their existing loyal consumers for a longer period of time. Management team
of Marks & Spencer, send direct mail to their customers whenever they launch new
product at the competitive marketplace. Along with this, they interact with their
customers with the help of digital technology so they can easily assess their requirements
and produce products as per their needs. This will assist them in retaining their loyal
customers for a longer period of time. Along with this, company will be able to beat the
level of competition arise at the marketplace.
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With the assistance of above discussion, it has been said that in order to grab attention
and maintain the position of the company at the competitive marketplace it is required by the
management team to adopt both traditional as well as digital marketing approaches as per the
needs and requirements of current market situation. Along with this, managers need to adopt Hi-
Tech advertisement methods so they can beat the level of completion at the market. Furthermore,
also adopt online methods as well as TV advertisements and newspaper method so they can
enhance their goodwill and market share at global level (De Mooij, 2019).
CONCLUSION
According to the above stated report, it has been concluded that the management team of the
company need to adopt attractive marketing strategies so that they can sell, promote, buy goods
and services. By adopting unique and new marketing strategies for promoting goods and services
to their customers, company will be able to grab attention of large number of customers at the
competitive marketplace. It has also been identified that by using different sort of hi- tech
advertisement approaches, business organisation can beat the competition level and grab
attention of large number of customers. Apart from this, with the aid of Omni channel methods
business organisation can conduct all the marketing functions and activities in an effective
manner. This will aid them in performing all the business functions effectively and enhance their
overall profit margin in an appropriate manner.
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References
Books & Journals
Batzer, E., 2019. Marketing strategies and distribution channels for foreign companies in Japan.
Routledge.
Ducange, P., Pecori, R. and Mezzina, P., 2018. A glimpse on big data analytics in the framework
of marketing strategies. Soft Computing, 22(1), pp.325-342.
Sinha, M. and Sheth, J., 2018. Growing the pie in emerging markets: Marketing strategies for
increasing the ratio of non-users to users. Journal of Business Research, 86, pp.217-224.
Pizarro Milian, R. and Davidson, C., 2018. Symbolic resources and marketing strategies in
Ontario higher education: A comparative analysis. Journal of Further and Higher
Education, 42(2), pp.143-157.
Quinlan, C., and et. al., 2019. Business research methods. South Western Cengage.
Chaffey, D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F., 2019. Digital marketing. Pearson UK.
Kardash, A. and Khomenko, S., 2019. Marketing distribution techniques in digital medium.
Deepak, R.K.A. and Jeyakumar, S., 2019. Marketing management. Educreation Publishing.
De Mooij, M., 2019. Consumer behavior and culture: Consequences for global marketing and
advertising. SAGE Publications Limited.
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