Arden University MKT4001: Principles of Marketing Report - EV Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of marketing principles within the context of the electric vehicle (EV) market, specifically focusing on Vauxhall motors. The report begins with an introduction to marketing principles and their application, followed by an in-depth exploration of the marketing planning process, including market research, target market identification, positioning, competitive analysis, market strategy, budgeting, and metrics. The report then delves into environmental analysis, utilizing PESTLE analysis to examine the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors influencing the EV market. A detailed discussion of the 7 Ps of the marketing mix (product, place, price, promotion, physical evidence, people, and process) is presented in the context of the EV market. The report further differentiates between B2B and B2C market segmentation strategies for EVs, exploring characteristics for EV promotion. The report concludes with a marketing mix analysis for a chosen target market, providing a practical application of the marketing principles discussed.

Principles of Marketing

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
Discuss different elements of marketing planning process and its application to the electric
vehicles business....................................................................................................................1
Discuss environmental analysis of EV market and highlight micro environmental factors. .2
Discuss 7 P's of marketing mix in context of EV market.......................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
Differentiate between segmentation of B2B and B2C markets in context of electric vehicles
................................................................................................................................................5
Explain targeting for any one of the B2B or B2C market and it's characteristics for EV
promotion...............................................................................................................................6
Define positioning and requirement the method by which electric vehicle can position in the
consumer or business market..................................................................................................6
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................7
Conduct marketing mix analysis by briefly discussing 7 P's of marketing mix for chosen
target market of EV................................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
References......................................................................................................................................10
Books and Journals...............................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Marketing has become one of the most important business practices in the current organisations
in order to connect, interact and maintain long lasting relationship with customers. In order to
sustain and accomplish successful growth for the business organisations are required to have
outstanding in valuable marketing strategy that is build using principles of Marketing that are
often termed as marketing mix to flourish the business (Sozuer and et. al., 2020). The marketing
principles are integrated and interlinked to each other and help organisation to develop marketing
strategy in order to reach target audience effectively thereby accomplishing high profits. The
optimum utilisation of marketing principles by the marketers help them in recognising the need
and demand for the existing product and service and also provides the solution effectively and
meet customers by making them aware about benefits of product and services that company
offers. The present report is the study of principles of Marketing in context of Vauxhall motors
limited a leading and famous British car manufacturing company established in 1857 by
Alexander Wilson. The company has it’s headquarter at Chalton, Bedfordshire, UK. The report
discuss about marketing process with the help of environmental analysis, marketing planning and
marketing audits. Further report will highlight the concept of targeting segmentation and
positioning and at last the report will conduct marketing mix analysis.
MAIN BODY
TASK 1
Discuss different elements of marketing planning process and its application to the electric
vehicles business.
Marketing planning process is a systematic marketing approach for the development of goals,
strategy of marketing and implementation of tactics (Wu and Li, 2018). The adaption of
marketing planning process differs with the situation such as launch of a new product or firm or
repositioning of firm etc. The Seven essential components of marketing planning process are:
Market Research: Market Research is considered as backbone for effective marketing plan as it
helps Vauxhall motors limited to understand the consumers buying behaviour in electronic
vehicle industry, market size, current and potential trends, market dynamics and competition.
1

Target Market: it is very important for Vauxhall motors to identify the customer segment in
order to pursue targeting strategy. In Vauxhall motors target market is segmented on the basis of
demographics, behavioural and psychographic factors of the consumer.
Positioning: Positioning of a brand is an essential part of marketing as it helps organisation in
increasing the brand recognition to drive the value and quality for their products in the minds of
the customers. Vauxhall motors promote their unique attributes of luxury cars in order to
differentiate themselves from the competitors for example electric vehicle of Vauxhall motors
has 3 type of recharging system making it more technologically advanced and distinctive in
driving (Hollensen, 2018).
Competitive analysis: the competitive analysis helps an organisation to identify the strategies of
travel companies and the threat organisation possess due to competitors. A Vauxhall motor
utilizes various competitive analytical tools and understands the competitive advantage company
holds in order to develop strategy for accomplishment of goals.
Market strategy: market strategy of Vauxhall motors to which to communicate the consumer’s
discussion features of electric vehicle with completely electric and hybrid technology is to target
with the audience.
Budget: for the implementation of marketing activities it is very important to create a project
that will help an organisation to gain the profit by staying in the boundaries of project always
keep the budget high for marketing activities as it helps an organisation to creatively present
their new products in the market.
Metrics: The metrics allow an organisation to track the result in order to measure the
performance of an organisation with their desired outcome which is necessary for the
development (Capuder and et. al., 2020).
Discuss environmental analysis of EV market and highlight micro environmental factors
The external environmental analysis of Vauxhall motors will help organisation in understanding
the factors occurring within the market to develop the marketing strategy that provide
opportunity to firm in increasing their profits and also to drive innovation to satisfy consumers
needs (Hagman and Lindh, 2019). The pestle analysis of Vauxhall motors is conducted below:
Political factors: Vauxhall motors as a multinational brand therefore political stability is highly
important for the business Vauxhall motors in automotive industry in order to expand their car
manufacturing. This is opportunity for Vauxhall motors as there is a political stability in majority
2

of the market with UK and also there is the governmental support for the automotive industry in
terms of sustainability.
Economic factors: due to the economic recession in the UK and other countries has decreased
the sales of Vauxhall motors. There is the change in the spending of government which has
changed the Vauxhall motors method of payment for manufacturing. Rise in Inflation rate can be
the reason of increasing the profit of Vauxhall motors.
Social factors: Vauxhall motors is one of the well known and trusted brand social goals for the
high class society (Kwok, Tang and Yu, 2020). Effective marketing of Vauxhall motors using
the heritage of British has help the brand to reach UK customers and globally thereby reflecting
luxury, quality and standard in the cars. The Vauxhall motors is maintaining the social standards
of the people with luxurious and expensive products and effective customer service.
Technological factors: Technological factors as most impactful in the automobile industry
where Vauxhall motors is exclusively utilising cutting edge innovation in the design and models
of its cars. The company has expertise in the aluminium technology that provides sleek, shiny
lightweight cars. Vauxhall motors have also performance models within the car that have
intelligence system, laser sensing and other additional features to optimise efficiency.
Legal factors: Vauxhall motors highly comply with the trade laws and employment laws that are
regulated by the government of different countries for their successful business operations. The
company also has been registered for its patents and copyrights in order to avoid the threat of
fake products with a similar brand name. The company also has energy consumption regulations
for sustainable development.
Environmental factors: Vauxhall motors is focusing on expansion of recyclables resources and
also give importance to implement processes that ensures minimum wastage and low carbon
emission (Vidyastuti, 2018). Vauxhall motors has recently designed advanced diesel engine that
has major torque and power to reduce environmental harm. Hence the company is taking
environmental initiatives for promoting sustainable business.
Discuss 7 P's of marketing mix in context of EV market
Marketing mix is considered as the foundation of modern marketing strategies in order to
develop successful business marketing activities. The customer demands, market trends and
products fluctuating rapidly therefore it is very essential to consistently retrieval with the 7 Ps of
marketing to stay ahead of competitors.
3

Product: product are the physical entities the organisation offers to the consumers to satisfy their
needs and wants. It is very important to conduct detailed market research to understand the
market and consumer requirements the four developing the product (Dolnicar, S., Grün and
Leisch, 2018). Vauxhall motors produce the product that provides comfort; luxury and quality
drive to the consumers and meet their luxurious lifestyle desires.
Place: The place is the location that an organisation chooses for their product to be distributed or
allowed to be accessed. The place can be brick and motors, online store, warehouse etc. Vauxhall
motors has the nearby dealers for the product to be accessed by the consumers and also has the
website and retail showrooms for the consumers to visit and look for the products.
Price: the price of the product is the perceived value that customer is ready to pay in the
exchange of the products delivered by the organisation. Vauxhall motors has premium pricing
strategy as they operate in luxury car segment with the customer segment of high class income.
Promotion: Promotion of the product is very important to make the consumers aware about the
company’s offering and to interact with the consumers for long term relationship (Hung and
David, 2020). Vauxhall motors promotion strategy is valuable and mainly done using billboards.
The company also participate in auto expo to launch new car models.
Physical Evidence: The physical evidence is the proof of the existence of the company in real so
that consumer is not victim of cat fishing. Vauxhall motors is legitimate organisation as the
company has website and stores with the logos as the physical evidence and also has online
presence.
People: The people are the employees that are lifeblood for the organisation as they are reason
behind the successful organisation. In Vauxhall motors they are highly skilled and talented
employees and also the employees are trained and developed regularly to develop their goals and
objectives.
Process: The process is the way by which product is developed and delivered to the consumers.
The process must be well structured so that product is developed with quality and quantity. In
Vauxhall motors the process of delivery is through dealers and also through the stores. The
company also has process of creating customized cars as per the specification provided by
customer .
4

TASK 2
Differentiate between segmentation of B2B and B2C markets in context of electric vehicles
Segmentation of B2C markets
Segmentation of Customer is breaking of large market into small segments of audience on the
basis of characteristics such as income, age, location, lifestyle and much more (Coffey and
Thornley, 2020). In B2C markets of EV the customer segmentation is on the basis of
demographics which means customer age of 25 to 50 having moderate income and total number
of people in family there working type in order to identify the type of they vehicle require for
commuting.
 In Vauxhall motors psychographic segmentation is done for the customers that are
concerned for environment and prefer that there travelling has minimal harm and impact
over environment. To consumers that has strong values and ethics before the satisfaction of
their needs.
 Vauxhall also has a behavioural segmentation where the company target the segment of
customers that prefer comfort and is in their own vehicles for quality and luxurious lifestyle
thereby holding high value for quality over the price.
 In Vauxhall customer segmentation is also the basis of geographical location as the target
audience of UK and nearby areas.
Segmentation of B2B markets
In B2B markets the segmentation is on the basis of limited factors such as size, status, industry,
location and much more.
Industry: Vauxhall motors target the battery manufacturing industry that it manufactures efficient
it and durable batteries required to inbuilt batteries into the cars
Location: Vauxhall location to target for battery manufacturer is UK and nearby European
countries to reduce high cost and tax on imports (Ali and et. al., 2019).
Size: Vauxhall segment the market on the basis of size by approaching small and medium-sized
enterprises those who offers reasonable prices and good quality products and machineries for the
manufacturing of cars.
Status: Vauxhall has segmented the businesses as per their status which includes entrepreneurs in
partnership business as they provide durable batteries.
5

Explain targeting for any one of the B2B or B2C market and it's characteristics for EV
promotion
Targeting is one of the marketing strategies that divides large market into small segments so that
organisation can focus on particular segment of customers within the large audience. The
segmentation is done on the unique characteristics of a customer such as demographic,
psychographic, behavioural and geographical (Hooley and et. al., 2020)). Targeting is highly
important part of marketing as it helps company to directly interact with potential customer’s
increases the chances of converting high quality leads and also make the brand differentiable
from the competitors. In B2C market the EV generally segment the market on the basis of
physiographic and behavioural characteristics in which Vauxhall is generally focused on upper
middle class and upper class income consumer segment because electric vehicles are expensive.
The target market for the promotion of electric vehicle is generally the people with luxurious
lifestyle and those who understand the functioning of electric vehicles. Vauxhall has a tagline of
"different for different models" which means company provide different models according to the
budget of consumer there by targeting different segments on the basis of income. The consumer's
concerned with environment and are willing to purchase electric vehicle are the target segment
for Vauxhall as electric vehicle provide eco friendly travelling and sustainability compared to
traditional fuel vehicles.
Define positioning and requirement the method by which electric vehicle can position in the
consumer or business market.
Positioning is a concept that refers to placing benefits of the products and services in the
minds of consumers by distinguishing the product and service of company with the competitors.
The company uses best possible marketing principal as per the characteristics of the product and
services in order to position the brand and its product in the market among the target consumers.
The electric vehicle of Vauxhall is positioned using the strategy of British heritage for the
customers through this Vauxhall are distinguishing its cars and other range of vehicles among the
British consumers by British heritage. The company's positioning strategy is multi segment
positioning that means companies products and services are manufactured for the all types of
customer segment present in the market. Through the benefits and characteristics of electric
vehicle company e positioning its product a monk consumers that are attracted and concerned
towards environment and are more likely to spend on sustainable products that are environmental
6

friendly. By this company e trying to create difference in the market and customers living style
by offering them eco friendly vehicles in order to add value proposition to the customers. The
positioning strategy of Vauxhall is highly beneficial for capturing large market segment in order
to achieve effective and efficient marketing process.
TASK 3
Conduct marketing mix analysis by briefly discussing 7 P's of marketing mix for chosen target
market of EV
Elements Electric cars/ hybrid cars
Product Vauxhall has main product segment passenger cars and electric and light
commercial cars companies also entered into manufacturing of sports car. The
current vehicle products of Vauxhall includes family cars, vans SUVs, trucks,
buses, high-performance cars for current youth (Cibrian Bravo, 2021). Other
services of Vauxhall include maintenance of company's fleet and purchase
consulting. The product portfolio of company includes all range of vehicles in
hybrid and electric car segment. Corsa is a complete electric vehicle is famous
and best selling product of the company.
Place The distribution of products of Vauxhall brand is majorly sold in UK as
company has 383 retailers in UK. The high proportion of vehicles approx 80%
manufactured by Vauxhall in England unit is sold in Europe in the brand name
of Opel. The distribution strategy of Vauxhall motors that is Opel helps the
company in reaching to the different countries approximately 50. The company
also provides the financial service at its retail stores.
Price The company has low value pricing strategy to minimise the prices of vehicles
for gaining loyal customers. By re- evaluating the operations company has
reduced the price to provide advantage of low tax as per the UK ecological
laws. The prices of Vauxhall vehicles are completely dependent on target
customers and also they provide the benefit of customised cars to their
customers which deploy pricing features for its products. The company also has
promotional prices during off season and special occasions.
Promotion For the promotion Vauxhall products the company has promotional and
7

advertising strategy and also 360 degree marketing for its brand promotion.
Company highly invest in TV commercial and paid media advertising such as
print media, newspaper for its advertisement (Doležalová, 2020). In order to
create buzz in market and among the target consumers Vauxhall use
promotional strategy of press release to launch new products and also
participate in automobile shows for the display of its vehicles. The company's
promotional activities are environmental friendly and promote sustainable and
eco friendly vehicles consumer's are looking for electric cars that are no harm to
environment.
Physical
evidence
Along with the actual benefits of the products Vauxhall also provides the
additional features for the extra ordinary service and experience to the
customers. The company’s retail stores in UK are the physical evidence that are
extremely well structured and provide good service after the sales as well.
People The company believes and values its human resource as the most vital part of
the organisation. Vauxhall employees place major role in manufacturing of its
products as without these talented employees company cannot succeed in the
market. Vauxhall employees are its competitive advantage.
Process Vauxhall is the leading automobile company of UK that has highly automated
functional and operational processes all the activities that leads to
manufacturing of electric vehicle that helps Vauxhall in accomplishment of
producing a product with low cost and also saves time (Riviezzo, Garofano and
Napolitano, 2021).
CONCLUSION
From the above information it is understood that in the digital business environment it is very
important for the organisation to indulge them in influential digital marketing strategy using
8

different social media channels by using principles of Marketing so that organisations can
promote their products with proper marketing. It is very important to analyse the external
environmental factors prior to the development of marketing strategy because they can affect the
marketing strategies of company. It is concluded from above report that to gain competitive
advantage it is very important for organisation to understand the current market Trend and
consumer demands for sustainable development of product.
9

References
Books and Journals
Ali, A and et. al., 2019. Customer motivations for sustainable consumption: Investigating the
drivers of purchase behavior for a green‐luxury car. Business Strategy and the
Environment. 28(5). pp.833-846.
Capuder, T and et. al., 2020. Review of challenges and assessment of electric vehicles
integration policy goals: Integrated risk analysis approach. International Journal of
Electrical Power & Energy Systems. 119. p.105894.
Cibrian Bravo, S.K., 2021. Marketing mix of used electric vehicles in Ontario, Canada (Master's
thesis, University of Waterloo).
Coffey, D. and Thornley, C., 2020. Britain’s Car Industry: Policies, Positioning, and
Perspectives. In New Frontiers of the Automobile Industry (pp. 137-161). Palgrave
Macmillan, Cham.
Doležalová, R., 2020. What is My Car Worth? Hedonic Price Analysis of the German Used Car
Market.
Dolnicar, S., Grün, B. and Leisch, F., 2018. Market segmentation analysis: Understanding it,
doing it, and making it useful (p. 324). Springer Nature.
Hagman, O. and Lindh, J., 2019. How autonomous cars can affect the car industry-Implications
for user experience and competition (Master's thesis).
Hollensen, S., 2018. Marketing management. Pearson UK.
Hooley, G and et. al., 2020. Marketing strategy and competitive positioning. Pearson UK.
Hung, K. and David, K.T., 2020. Luxury brand consumption in emerging economies: Review
and implications. Research handbook on luxury branding.
Kwok, L., Tang, Y. and Yu, B., 2020. The 7 Ps marketing mix of home-sharing services: Mining
travelers’ online reviews on Airbnb. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 90.
p.102616.
Riviezzo, A., Garofano, A. and Napolitano, M.R., 2021. Corporate Heritage Marketing: Using
the Past as a Strategic Asset. Routledge.
Sozuer, S and et. al., 2020. The past, present, and future of marketing strategy. Marketing
Letters. 31(2). pp.163-174.
Vidyastuti, H.A., 2018. Analysis of Services Marketing Mix and Competitive Advantage and Its
Effect on Customer Loyalty (Survey on Customer Go-Jek in Bandung). KnE Social
Sciences.
Wu, Y.L. and Li, E.Y., 2018. Marketing mix, customer value, and customer loyalty in social
commerce: A stimulus-organism-response perspective. Internet Research.
10