Comprehensive Analysis: Marketing Essentials Roles, Mix and Plan

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of marketing essentials, focusing on the roles and responsibilities of the marketing function, its relationship to the wider organizational context, and the application of the marketing mix. Using Marks & Spencer (M&S) as a case study, the report explores how marketing contributes to enhancing profit margins, increasing customer base, and providing business expansion opportunities. It examines the interrelationships between marketing and other functions like HRM, finance, and IT, highlighting their significance for overall business growth. The report also compares M&S and Tesco based on the 7Ps of the marketing mix, evaluating their strategies and competitive positioning. Finally, it proposes a marketing plan for M&S, incorporating effective strategies to achieve business objectives and attract new customers.

MARKETING ESSENTIALS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO1..................................................................................................................................................3
P1: Roles and responsibilities if marketing function...................................................................3
P2: Marketing relate to the wider organisation context...............................................................4
LO2..................................................................................................................................................6
P3: Different organisations apply the marketing mix..................................................................6
LO3..................................................................................................................................................9
P4: Marketing plan......................................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Marketing is very essential for each and every business within the market. without
marketing not business can achieve appropriate results in the market. Currently most companies
and businesses are taking lots of productive step towards making their marketing functions too
effective, because effectiveness within marketing functions is very necessary to gain huge profit
in this dynamic and modern world. This report discusses marketing functions of Marks and
Spencer (M&S). Marks and spencer is basically a leading British retail company, headquartered
in London, UK. This report has discussed the actual impact of marketing on a business. A
productive marketing plan also has been created within this report that can support to various
organisations and companies in gaining huge competitive advantages.
LO1
P1: Roles and responsibilities if marketing function
Marketing function is too essential to M&S, because currently with the support of
marketing function this company is gaining excellent profit margins within the UK’s retail
market (Thamaraiselvan, Arasu and Inbaraj, 2017). Some major roles and responsibilities of
marks and spencer has been discussed below;
Enhance profit margins
Marketing function plays an excellent role in enhancing profit margins of different
organisations. In this situation, top-level management at M&S should always take different steps
towards enhancing its profit margins. Basically, company’s marketing team should run some
productive marketing campaigns within the selected market places, so that it company will be
able to increase its sales ratio. When M&S’ sales ratio will be increased, then its profit margins
can be automatically enhanced. This is the main reason that this retail company always need to
try for enhancing its profit margins with the support of marketing function.
Increases customer base

There are marketing function plays very effective role in increasing customer base as
well. In this situation, M&S’ upper management also need to take actions towards increasing
customer base with the support of marketing function (Cavallone and et.al., 2018). Basically,
upper management of this retail company need to give order to its marketing department for
running different campaigns of marketing within various market places. It is very necessary to
this company for positively influencing customers within the market. When customers get
positively influenced through M&S’ marketing campaigns, then this can easily make very large
customer base within the UK’s retail industry.
Provides business expansion opportunity
Marketing is very beneficial in the terms of providing business expansion opportunity as
well. Currently M&S is successfully expanding its business operations within many new
countries with the help of its effective marketing function. Basically, marketing team of this
retail company always provides market research reports its upper management. After getting
reports of market research from marketing, upper management will be able to decide which new
market place is favourable to company and which is not. This is the main reason that, currently
M&S is gaining huge profit within different countries out the United Kingdom.
P2: Marketing relate to the wider organisation context
Responsibilities and roles of marketing are completely relating to the wider
organisational context (Spralls III and Wilson, 2016). Basically, a department of an organisation
can’t achieve its different targets without taking help from organisation’s other departments. In
this situation, marketing department of M&S also takes different support from company’s other
department for systematically running its various operations. On the other side, there are
department of company also depends on marketing department for smoothly running their
respective operations. Marketing function contributes in achieve many new targets of business,
in which many other functions of M&S also help to marketing function for achieving its targets
on time. That’s why an effective relationship between different marketing and other departments
of company has been discussed below;
Human resource management (HRM) and marketing

There are marketing department of M&S completely related with human resource
management of company. There are always has great relationship between these both
departments. For example; many times, marketing manager of company has required to hire
effective employees in its workplace for boosting its marketing operations. In this situation,
marketing manager contacts to HRM of this retail company for hiring some efficient employees
for the marketing department. There are HRM responsible to hire people according to marketing
department’s requirements. After selecting candidates, HR manager of company contacts to
marketing department for providing employees to them (Rubtcova and Pavenkov, 2018). These
all factors are fully showing the great relationship between marketing function HRM department
of company. In business expansion, marketing function plays very excellent role, this function
effectively promotes M&S’ products and services in that market segment where upper
management has chosen to business expand, in which HR function also contribute in providing
new workforce by its hiring practices in the new market place where company has recently
expanded its business operations.
Finance and marketing
There are marketing department of M&S has an effective relationship with finance
department of this company as well. Basically, marketing function of company has required
specific fund for systematically conducting and running its various marketing functions. In this
situation, marketing manager of company always contacts to the finance manager to arrange fund
for the marketing department. so that, there are finance department of company responsible to
arrange fund according to marketing department’s requirements. Finance department responsible
to analyse actual expenses of marketing team as well. After arranging whole required fund,
finance manager contacts to marketing department for providing appropriate fund to them.
IT (information technology) and marketing
Marketing department and IT department of M&S also has an effective relationship,
because both fully depends on each other for running their daily operations in effective manner
(Länsipuro, 2020). Currently marketing department of M&S highly uses digital marketing
strategy in various marketing functions. In this situation, many times marketing department of
company contacts to IT department for implement different technological gadgets and tools

within its workplace for easily running digital marketing campaigns. So that, there are IT
department takes different steps towards implement various technological tools and gadgets
within the department of marketing. At the end, marketing department of company always
enable to using different technological gadgets and tools within its daily marketing operations, in
which these factors are enough for showing great relationship between marketing and IT
department of M&S. In the business expansion process, the marketing team has required to start
its function in then new market place where M&S has entered, so that marketing team can
require technical support in new market place as well. In this situation, IT function plays very
excellent role in providing technical support to marketing function in the new market place as
well.
Significance of interrelationships between marketing and other functions
There are interrelationships between marketing and other functions always positively
affect to the all over growth of M&S, because currently with by maintaining excellent
relationship with other department of company, there are marketing team of company can easily
achieve its different targets, and finally these all factors increases the profit margins of this retail
company (Moorman and Day, 2016). That’s why interrelationships between different functions
are very essential to this company.
LO2
P3: Different organisations apply the marketing mix
Currently marketing mix strategy uses by different companies and businesses for gaining
huge competitive advantages within the market. This marketing mix strategy mainly discusses
7Ps of marketing which every should be considered. There are two key retail organisations of the
United Kingdom named Marks & Spencer and Tesco has been compared below on the basis of
marketing mix strategy.
7Ps of Marketing mix Marks and Spencer (M&S) Tesco
Product M&S mainly sells different
retail products, like;
groceries, daily use items,
Tesco also sells various retail
products as M&S. Currently
upper management of this

clothes, food etc. The main
objective of company is to
maintain excellent quality of
products to attract lots of
customers.
also has proper implemented
different approaches of
operations management for
providing quality products in
the market.
Price This retail company mainly
uses competitive based
pricing strategy for setting
prices of its different
products. Basically, this
pricing strategy helps in
providing prices to customers
something cheaper than
competitors.
Tesco’s upper management
believes in using value-based
pricing strategy. According to
this strategy, company
charges prices from customer
on the basis of products’
value.
Place Currently this company is
serving in many countries,
but the UK is key market
place to this company to
generate huge revenue.
Tesco is also serving many of
countries at the international
level (Youn and Jin, 2017).
On the other side, It the
leading retailer of the UK, it
means UK is key market
place for this company as
well.
Promotion Marketing team of Marks and
Spencer mostly runs digital
marketing campaigns for
effectively promoting its
products and services in this
modern era.
Tesco’s marketing team also
uses digital marketing
strategy but not as M&S,
because its team involves
some traditional marketing
tactics also in each marketing
campaign.
People Currently this company has
an effective workforce which
This company also has many
skilled and talented

always plays an excellent role
in all over growth of the
M&S.
employees who mostly put
their efforts in the daily
operations of Tesco.
Process Nowadays, M&S has an
effective distribution channel,
so its product distribution
process is very simpler.
Tesco also has successfully
maintained its supply or
distribution channels for
easily completely various
product distribution
processes.
Physical Evidence Employees of M&S has very
friendly nature, so when any
customer visits in its stores,
then existing staff and
employees properly
communicate with that
customer.
Staff and employees within
Tesco’s supermarkets has
trained for giving each and
every information about a
product to different
customers.
Evaluation
M&S and Tesco are giving very tough competition to each other in the UK’s retail
industry (Polec, 2019). Both companies have their own specialities and uniqueness, so that if
M&S wants to easily achieve its various business objectives, then it should develop some more
effective marketing strategies. While the objectives of both companies are similar – they both
want to continue offering customers good quality products at reasonable prices – they implement
the 7P’s very differently, but this is likely due to the difference in offering. The first key
difference is the Product, although they both sell a wide range of products, M&S tend to sell
their own products, especially when considering food, whereas Tesco sell a bland of their own
and branded products. This difference is the foundation of the rest of the P’s as M&S have more
flexibility around pricing for example, as they produce their own products, whereas Tesco must
pay a set price to the supplier and then make a profit on top. Both companies are market leading
in the UK and have objectives to increase their market share in the UK food and household

goods markets. In addition to this, both M&S and Tesco pride themselves on their staff and the
customer service customers receive; they both also have similar objectives of being number 1 for
customer service.
The key difference between the two companies is with Promotion, where their Marketing
strategies differ greatly, this is due to the disparity in their organisational objectives. While
M&S wants to focus on offering promotions to their loyal staff to meet their objective of being
number 1 for customer service, Tesco are more focused on their objective to increase market
share and therefore promote their products to all potential and returning customers.
7Ps of marketing mix strategy is very beneficial in the terms of achieving business
objectives. Basically, it provides a productive framework to a company for making its busines
operations more effective for attracting large number of new customers. In this situation, with the
support of 7Ps of marketing mix strategy M&S also can easily achieve its business objectives on
time.
LO3
P4: Marketing plan
M&S’ marketing team should properly consider this marketing plan, because this plan
has involved some effective marketing strategies which will definitely support to this company
for gaining huge profit.
Marketing Plan
Aim: Top-level management at M&S is aiming for enhancing its market share by 12% within
the retail industry of UK by 2025.
Objectives: Attract large number of customers towards own brand by providing quality
products and services to them.
STP Model
Segmentation: The marketing team of M&S need to divide its whole large-sized business into
small segments of market for properly understanding various demands and wants of

customers.
Targeting: After segmentation, marketing team should target its various customers on the
basis of their age, attitude, interest, income group etc.
Positioning: In positionings stage of model marketing team of M&S need to use proper
distribution channels for easily delivering its various products and services to different
customers.
Marketing Strategies
The marketing team of this company should use 7Ps of marketing mix strategy to gain
effective competitive advantages within the market.
Market Analysis
For analysing market of M&S there are two key models has used below called PEST
analysis and SWOT analysis.
PEST Analysis
Political Factors: These factors highly affect to company, because M&S has always required
to fulfil different governmental formalities.
 Brexit: Brexit has opened new growth opportunities to this business.
 Instability of UK Government: This factor negatively affects to the business operations
of M&S.
Economic Factors: The UK’s economic factors are positively affecting to this company.
 Increased GDP: Increased GDP will be increased the sales ratio of M&S as well,
because increased GDP increases the income of customers.
 Low interest rates: Low interest rate influence M&S for more expanding its business
operations.
Social Factors: This country’s social factors are very favourable to M&S.
 Lowering levels of unemployment: This factor also contributes in increasing sales ratio
of company, because when most people has employment, then they always get
motivated to buy something.
 Increased age distribution: This factor motivates to company for developing new
varieties of products and services.
Technological Factors: Technological factors contributes in improving productivity and
performance of company.

 Increase demand for online shopping: This factor impacts the decision making of upper
management of M&S for taking decision towards systematically run e-commerce as
well.
 Improved digital facilities for delivery and inventory process: With the support to this
factor, M&S enable to increase its levels of customer service.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths: Currently company has an effective workforce of many skilled employees
(Elsehrawy, Seleem and HassanKassem, 2017).
Weaknesses: The upper management’s decision-making many times negatively affect
company’s business operations.
Opportunities: The company can gain large customer base through digital marketing strategy.
Threats: High market competition is main threat to this company.
Budget
Top-level management of M&S should pass appropriate budget for its marketing team
to enable this team for running all marketing functions in effective manner. For implementing
this plan, there are marketing team has required the amount of £250,000, so top-level
management provide this fund to marketing team.
KPI (Key Performance Indicator)
The marketing manager should use the KPI tool for always maintaining an effective
within this marketing plan. Some relevant data of this plan has been mentioned below;
 2% growth of by market share till January 2021
 0.5% growth of revenue till January 2021
 Enhance range of product by 15 items by December 2020
Evaluation
This marketing plan can effectively support to M&S in the terms of increasing its market
share by 12% within the UK’s retail industry. The marketing manager need to consider all
strategies of marketing plan to take huge advantages through this plan.

CONCLUSION
It can be concluded that nowadays, there are huge competition within the UK’s retail
industry, so upper management of mark and spencer should be developed some productive
marketing strategies to gain effective results. There is marketing function plays very excellent
role to this retail company in achieving great profit margins. At the end, an effective marketing
plan has been created above in this report which can support to M&S for gaining huge
competitive advantage.

REFERENCES
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