Detailed Analysis of Marketing Strategies and Plans for ASOS Plc

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the marketing strategies employed by ASOS Plc, a British online fashion and cosmetic retailer. It begins with an introduction to marketing principles and the importance of customer-centric approaches. The report delves into the roles and responsibilities of marketers within ASOS Plc, including market planning, packaging, pricing, promotion, and transportation. It explores how marketing functions relate to the marketing environment and the organizational context, emphasizing the interrelationships between marketing and other functional units such as production, finance, and sales. The report also examines marketing strategies for B2B and B2C contexts. Furthermore, it includes a comparison of the marketing mix, different tactics used to achieve business objectives, and the development of a detailed and strategic marketing plan for ASOS Plc. The report concludes by highlighting key findings and recommendations for enhancing ASOS Plc's marketing performance.

Marketing
Essential

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Roles and responsibility of marketer......................................................................................1
Roles and responsibility of marketing in respect to marketing environment.........................3
Roles and responsibility are relates to organizational context...............................................3
Interrelationship between marketing and other functional units............................................4
Critically analysis and key evaluation of marketing function................................................4
TASK2.............................................................................................................................................5
Comparison of marketing mix for different organization......................................................5
Different tactics applied by organization to achieve business objectives.............................8
Development of basic marketing plan....................................................................................9
Produce a detailed marketing plan.......................................................................................12
Design a strategic marketing plan........................................................................................13
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
Marketing is the combination of different factor such as research, analysis,
manufacturing, promoting, selling and distributing that helps to decide the position of company.
It is essential for organization to focus on customer's needs and use marketing for the purpose of
running a business continuously. Marketing refers promotion of organization products and
services to the targeted customer through communication, supplies and exchange offers which
gives values to customers, client, partner and community at large scale. There are lots of strategy
which applies for marketing. For examples websites is first marketing strategy which uses to
approach new customers. Social media also second opportunity which utilizes for promotion of
product. Customer relationship is another strategy to achieve marketing objectives. To invites
brand ambassador in organization to commercialize products so that organization enables to gain
customers trust. It is most effective strategy of marketing. Marketing works on marketing
concepts which are appointed messages, brand values and positioning of brand in market.
Marketing mainly accesses on customers needs. The main aim of company is to achieve business
goals by selling the number of products. Therefore marketing is important that create interest of
people and sales products. For understanding the concept of marketing ASOS Plc has been taken
that is British online fashion and cosmetic retailer company. Headquarter of this company is
London. It is UK company which provides online product services to customers. ASOS plc
products are clothes, shoes, accessories and beauty product. Subsidiaries of ASOS is ASOS.com
limited where number of employees are 4,386. This report discusses role and responsibility of
marketer who accept the challenges and run effectively and interrelation of roles with
organizational context. In Part B report discusses marketing mix of chosen company and
marketing plan that helps to achieve organizational goals.
Roles and responsibility of marketer
Marketing is defined as science and art that helps to explore, create and deliver value in
order to satisfy the needs and wants of a targeted customer. It helps to identify the needs of
people and satisfy them by providing good quality of products and services. In other words, this
is a wide variety of flavours which are based on audience, dynamic market place, media platform
etc. that helps to achieve goals. Marketing plays vital role in market where marketing supports to
achieve organization objective through various functions. There are various function of
1

marketing such as market research, funding, product or services envelopment, communication,
distribution, strategies, advertisement, selling etc. thus marketing functions plays vital role in
business. In each organization have marketing department which plays several responsibilities to
promote product. For example marketing department organizes events like exhibition, seminars,
sales group meeting or customers welcome events, so they feel values for them. Marketing
department also organizes external events for customers and expectation of customer presence
successfully. Thus marketing department supports to covers large number of customer and
through such kind activities enables to retain customers with organization for long time.
Organization perform different types of roles and responsibility with the help of marketing that
helps to make higher profits. In ASOS Plc, marketing manager perform various roles and
responsibilities with organization that helps to achieve goals effectively. They analysis the
market and build strategy to introduce different types of products and services for the purpose of
capturing more market share. The roles and responsibility of marketer in ASOS Plc has been
defined as:
Market planning: This is used to achieve organizational goals and objectives with the
help of proper planning,which is prepared by marketers. It helps to set the goals and states how
can a company achieve their goals. In ASOS Plc, marketer plays a role of market planner in
which they chalks out market plan and expand business. For instance, ASOS Plc has 20% market
share of its products, and want to increase it by 30%. In this situation marketing manager
perform a responsibility by preparing a plan by setting level of production and promotion efforts.
It also shows who, when and how an organization can reach near by organizational goals.
Packaging and labelling: This main aim is to avoid breakage, destruction and damages of
goods in transport and storage. It facilitates lifting, handling and conveying the goods easily that
attracts people. Marketing manager of ASOS Plc play a role of good communicator who
understand customer's needs regarding packaging and also get information about packaging of
competitor company for the purpose of bringing new packaging. In such function, marketing
manager perform a responsibility as they design products and package in well manner with all
descriptions like expiry date, batch no., price and date of manufacturing that influence
customers. With the help of packaging and labelling organization the brand of company
increases and sale of such company also get improves.
2

Pricing of products: Pricing is the important function to organization which is perform by
marketers in order to fix price of products. It is affected by cost, rate of profit, policy of
government, price of competing etc. The marketer of ASOS Plc play a role of cost analyst in
which they perform their responsibility by fixing the prices of cosmetic items after analysing the
cost, expenses, rate of profit and price of competing items. The prices of products should not
appear too high and helpful to earn enough profits by selling the cosmetic goods.
Promotion: To inform the customers about particular products and services promotion is
consider as important function that attracts people for buying such products. Marketer of ASOS
Plc is playing a role of promoter who perform responsibility by promoting the cosmetic products.
Manager uses advertising through T.V., celebrity, personal selling, sales promotion and publicity
that helps to increase the sale of organization and profits.
Transportation: This means to sale the products at other place with the help of
transportation. It helps to increase sale of business organization by selling the products at another
place. In ASOS Plc marketer is playing a role of transporter as it get order from outsiders and
sell their product by using transporting functions. Their responsibility is to use private vehicle for
transporting the products according to customers that helps to maintain the trust of people.
Thus, marketer of ASOS Plc company plays different types of role and responsibility
within business industry that helps to increase the sale and raising more profits. These functions
are important in all sizes of company whose aim is to earn higher profits and expand business in
another place.
Another role of marketing are defined as:
Marketing role for B2B: It is used to get information from sales team where there is no
interaction with customers is required for sale the products. Marketer of ASOS Plc play an
important roles in success of B2B company. Their responsibility is to get information directly
from sale team that increases sale of business organization.
Marketing role for B2C: In this function marketer of ASOS Plc play a role by
communicating with customers, in which it get information from users for improving the
products. With the help of this function organization can sell products in high number and
maintain the profitability.
3

Roles and responsibility of marketing in respect to marketing environment
Marketing management is consider as planning and executing process within different
concept of marketing that helps to increase the productivity and profitability. The marketing
manager of ASOS Plc play different roles and responsibility for marketing environment as they
analysis market and fill the customer needs for the purpose of making business effective.
Manager of such organization recognise needs of target customers and provide products
accordingly that helps to achieve organizational objectives and opportunity in competitive
environment (Eagle and Dahl, 2015).
Roles and responsibility are relates to organizational context
Marketing is the connection between customers, brand, businesses and company products
that encourages people to buy products and fill needs. The manager of such organization perform
variety of roles and responsibility for the purpose of completing needs of people and make feel
them good. In ASOS Plc manager analysis current market and compare with other, then provides
better quality of cosmetic items as per women requirement. This is large size organization that
operates its business at 50 branches over the UK. The significance relation of between marketing
and other functional units are defined as:
Relationship between Marketing and Production functions: In order to satisfy customer
and meet their desire, industry should collaborate among marketing and production functions.
Both are closely related that enhance organization's performance. In ASOS Plc production
function play role of creating new products by managing the quality and quantity, arranges
delivery of products that helps to attracts customers. Yet role of marketing function is to satisfy
the customers by meeting with needs that helps to increase profits. Thus both functions are
interrelated as production introduce from new products and marketing function satisfy the
people's needs with the helps to marketing that helps to make more profits (Integration of
marketing with other functional units. 2016).
Relationship between Marketing and finance functions: As finance department and
marketing department are generally odd which perform different responsibility. But both are
interrelated with each other also that help to make more productive organization and enhance
value of existing organization. Such as Marketing function of ASOS Plc generate sales with the
help of finance department that analysis the cost, capital expenditure and provide strong financial
position to marketing department which increases profitability of company. Finance function
4

ensures that ASOS Plc is financially strong and using marketing function for the purpose of
selling the number of cosmetic products. Therefore, both functions are related and whose are
working for enhancing the business activities (Fifield, 2012).
Relationship between Marketing and Sale functions: Marketing and sale are closely
related as both are working for the purpose of improving profitability of company by capturing
more market share. In ASOS Plc, marketing manager perform their responsibility in market by
using different sources of marketing such as magazine, T.V., radio, you tube, free sample etc.
that helps sales department to achieve goals by reaching target. ASOS Plc is selling 50%
products out production and want to increase this sale. For increasing sale it communicates with
marketing department that make plans to promote the products, as resulting increase in sale of
business organization (Murphy, Laczniak and Harris, 2016).
Interrelationship between marketing and other functional units
From the above report it has analysed that without interrelation between marketing and
other functional units an organization can not perform business activities effectively. All
functions are related with ASOS Plc's marketing function such as research function helps to find
out the needs of customers and marketing department fill their expectation. Finance department
supports marketing function to promote cosmetic items that helps to increase sale of business
organization. Therefore, all functions are essential for business industry that helps to achieve
business objectives (Mullin, Hardy and Sutton, 2014). Marketing provides a framework to
organizational function where marketing department closely interlink with other department of
organization. For example marketing plays vital role in production department where marketer
provides information regarding customers needs and supports to launched new product in
existing market. Marketer enhances values of customers to meets customer demands. Marketing
department gives target to production department to manufactured product with time deadline.
Production department provides targeted product timely (Campbell, Martin and Fabos, 2018).
Marketing plays important roles establishes good relationship with customers by delivering
product timely along with good quality. Marketing department also closely interrelate with R&D
department where marketer takes feedback from customers in market. On the basis of positive
and negative feedback research and development department works on product quality and
services development and introduces modified product and services which enables to accomplish
5

customers expectation regarding product. Thus marketing plays with various departments in
organization.
Critically analysis and key evaluation of marketing function
From the above discussion it has been critically evaluated that marketing functions are
interrelated with functional units of company. All functions are interrelated such as finance
department of ASOS Plc marketing department require financial resources for implementing
plans, research and promoting the products, that is provided by finance department of business. It
gets target and uses different marketing resources for the purpose of meeting with sale
expectations. On the other hand, it analysis the market and communicates with production
department for introducing new products as per customer demand. It helps to influence
customers and increase sale of business organization by maintaining relations with other
functions of business industry. Through good relationship company enables to achieve
organizatio0n objectives. (Lusch. and Vargo, 2014).
TASK2
Comparison of marketing mix for different organization
A group of marketing variables which is combined and control by an organization for
desire response in target market. It can be consider as important marketing tool that comprises all
marketing elements which affects demand of products within organization. In ASOS Plc
manager focuses on such elements and make efforts to increase sale of business organization. Its
main objectives is to make correct business decision by performing all operational activities
within business industry. This is used by marketers to make essential decision regarding
execution of marketing plan successfully (Marketing Mix, 2018). The marketing mix of ASOS
Plc and L'OREAL company are defined as:
6

Illustration 1: Marketing Mix, 2018
Source: Marketing Mix, 2018
Nature of
difference
ASOS Plc L'OREAL
Product ASOS Plc is also top brand
company in which customer trust
more. This mainly focuses on
women cosmetic products such as
lip gloss, lipstick, eye liner, lotions,
body perfume, spray, nail polish,
facial pack, conditioner, shampoos,
hair and face care products of better
quality that attracts customers. Its
L'OREAL is consider as wide
portfolio of brand that follows
product strategy. It provides all
cosmetic products such as eye liner,
nail polish, eye shadow, cleanser, lip
gloss, body spray, conditioner, hair
care, shampoos, serum etc. that are
innovated on the basis of customers
and their preference. Its products are
7

products are tested internationally
that helps to maintain trust among
people.
properly tested by international
standard without harming any animals
in the process.
Price ASOS Plc always brings changes
and innovation in their products by
applying economy pricing strategy.
It maintain good quality of products
and reasonable prices of cosmetics
that connects customers for long
term. Moreover, some times it
adopts competitor pricing strategy
after analysing the market.
This is leading global cosmetic
branded company that distributes its
products in retail channel and make
available to the mass market. It is
adopting premium pricing strategy
and people are also ready to pay
premium prices for its products
because it owns reliability and quality
of products.
Place It is operating its business operation
in 50 branches over UK that
become easy for customers to buy
products from anywhere. Its
products are available in salons,
online, pharmaceutical, retail
outlets, cosmetic stores, own brand
boutiques and commercial websites.
It has vast distribution network for
reaching strong market presence. In
present it provides its products in 130
countries in 5 continents. The
products are available at all stores,
medicine store, salons, retail outlets
etc. that become easy for customer to
buy such branded products.
Promotion The management of ASOS Plc uses
different promotional strategy such
as T.V., print media, digital media,
magazine etc. that affects customers
for the purpose of using products
and maintain trust among people
(Foxall, 2014).
This is international brand that
promotes its products by using a
slogan “Because we're Worth It ” that
influence customers. It uses attractive
models for promoting the products
like brand ambassadors such as
Jennifer Lopez, Naomi Watts, Cheryl
etc. over the world.
People There are different types of people
are working who perform marketing
It has approximately 86000
employees who are providing
8

activities such as individual,
customer contact, distributors,
marketing people, customer support
and manufacturing person etc. all
are working together for the purpose
of running their business effectively
and maintain productivity.
different types of services like
producing qualitative products,
distributors who distributes products,
marketers who uses marketing to
increase sales, customer services,
online query, maintenance, finance
etc. they manage all functions.
Process Management of ASOS Plc adopts
uniformity of offering, service
delivery and service consumption
process that make easy business
operations (Jones, Suoranta and
Rowley, 2013).
It has adopted different process such
as customer focus, IT supported
process, research and development,
design features and transporting
process for the purpose of reaching
easy near by customers and make feel
them happy.
Physical evidence ASOS Plc is offering products
online as well as offline that helps
to save time and cost of people. It
is well known brand that create
good image in front of customers
and make profits (Kingsnorth,
2019).
It has wider area in which it offers
variety of products with high level of
packaging, labelling and branding
products that attracts people
encourage them for buy its cosmetic
items.
Different tactics applied by organization to achieve business objectives
An organization that is of different culture should apply different tactics for the purpose
of achieving business objectives. Tactics are the laws which is used by organization to
accomplish goals in fixed period. ASOS Plc utilize 7P's in marketing planning process that helps
to achieve organizational objectives. On the other hand it uses market segmentation tactics such
as behavioural market that attracts customer by providing satisfactions. By using such tactics
organization can get information about future plans and how it can be achieved. Such as
management of ASOS Plc uses different laws that attracts customers and provides satisfaction
9

that leads to achieve organizational objectives (Kerin and Hartley, 2015). organization usages
social media tactic to cover large number of customer's through online services where company
provides their products from online media and meets customers from their demand. Organization
also started to take customers feedback through their own software. On the basis of feedbacks
company to do changes in their products and their services so that customer's gets values of their
money. Thus, company applies such kind strategy to alleviates economical scale of company and
organization enables to build good relationship with customers. Through digital tactic's
organization takes competitive advantage in businesses market. Beside of beauty products
ASOS Plc keeps another products like accessories, shoes and clothes so that customers purchases
another products rather to looking for another company. Organization also updates own software
where customers can purchase products on affordable prices rather to waste time to coming and
going.. Through software company enables to retail their products remote and rural area where
retailing quit difficult. Such kind software makes relief customers, and they easily can buy
products. Organization enhances purchasing power of customers. In this software ASOS Plc
provides facilities to customers where customer's can give feedback regarding product quality
and product services (Hair and et.al., 2015). Through these feedbacks company enables to
establish good relationship-with customers and enhances value of customers. Such kind
techniques apply by organization to enhance brand values in business market, so that ASOS Plc
approaches business objectives.
Development of basic marketing plan
Marketing plan is defined as overall structure of business activities which is defined by
mangers to accomplish the future goals. Marketing plan is a type documentation or blueprint
which highlights the marketing efforts and advertising for the next year. Marketing plan express
organization activities which involves to achieving marketing goals within fix period. Marketing
plan is a theme of overall business plan. In this plan includes various objectives which supports
to meets organizational objectives. For example market research which collects, organizes and
documentation of presently purchasing products and services along with product will sell. In this
plan highlights targeted market, product, competition, organization vision and mission,
marketing strategy, cost, positioning and branding and budget etc (Baker and Magnini, 2016).
These all points utilize to focus on marketing strategy. Thus marketing plan helps to achieve
organization objectives. This plans is helpful for organization as well as employees who works
10