Marketing Essentials: Roles, Responsibilities, Plan & Case Analysis

This report provides an overview of marketing essentials, focusing on the roles and responsibilities of marketing functions within an organization, using 'Your Destination' as a case study. It details the responsibilities of marketing officers in expanding the business, emphasizing the importance of understanding customer needs and market trends. The report also compares how different organizations apply the marketing mix to achieve their business objectives, using 'Your Destination' and 'National Express' as examples. Furthermore, it includes the development of a basic, evidence-based marketing plan for 'Your Destination', outlining strategies and tactics to achieve the organization's objectives, highlighting the significance of marketing in achieving overall business goals.

MARKETING ESSENTIALS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................2
LO1.............................................................................................................................................3
P1, M1- ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE VARIOUS MARKETING FUNCTIONS.............3
P2, M2- ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF MARKETING IN WIDER ORGANIZATIONAL
CONTEXT................................................................................................................................5
L02..............................................................................................................................................8
P3, M3- COMPARISON OF WAYS BY WHICH MARKETING MIX CAN BE APPLIED BY THE
DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS TO ACHIEVE THE OVERALL BUSINESS OBJECTIVES.................8
LO3.......................................................................................................................................12
P4, M4- DEVELOPMENT OF BASIC AND EVIDENCE-BASED MARKETING PLAN....................12
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................19
REFERENCES.............................................................................................................................20
1

INTRODUCTION
The people misconceive marketing as advertising or promotion but it is far more than that
and covers various broader subjects inside it. There are various factors involved in the
marketing like understanding the market scenario to bring down the services and products
in the market by developing new markets. It is very important to understand the essentials
of marketing by seeing the intense competition in the industry so that the companies can
deal with different competitive companies offering a proposal which are quite different and
are not easy to oppose (Cohan, 2017).
The awareness of the marketing essentials according to the current situation of the world is
reflected in this assignment. A case study of an organization named “Your Destination”
providing nationwide transport facilities with its operation in London and Essex having the
aim of expanding their business across the world is depicted in this report. The roles and
responsibilities of marketing officers in expanding a business of an organization are
described by focusing the various marketing mix elements (Harmon, 2015). A basic
marketing plan is developed in this report along with the ways to achieve the objectives of
the organization. Various tactics of marketing which help an organization to achieve their
business goals are also defined.
2

LO1
P1, M1- ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE VARIOUS MARKETING
FUNCTIONS
MEMO
To: The Senior Manager
From: ABC (Marketing Manager)
Date: 22-04-2018
Re: Marketing officer roles and responsibilities
MARKETING OFFICERS ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The company “Your Destination” provides its successful operations in the London and Essex
from the last three years with a higher growth rate. So, the company wants to expand its
operations nationwide by expanding their business and opening new branches in
Manchester, Newcastle, Aberdeen and Glasgow etc. The key responsibilities and duties of a
marketing department are performed by the marketing officers who are recruited by the
company and which is the main purpose of this memo. The management of the operations
of the company and practical execution must be focused by the marketing officers of the
organization (Mishra and Modi, 2016). Marketing officers should possess excellent
communication and logical skills and must perform their task e efficiently and effectively.
The needs and wants of the customers should be understood by the marketing officer by
conducting various surveys or research. These surveys and research help them to analyse
the new market prospects for their company and will also help them to create niche
markets for their services and products. Marketing strategies of the company should be
developed by the marketing officer so that their business can be expanded in other
countries as well (Johnson, et al. 2017). A particular market should be targeted for the
3

promotion of various products and services with the goal of entering inside a market with a
market share and attain a competitive advantage which must be outlined in the business
strategy.
A customer need survey will be performed by the marketing officer to collect various
information related to the market and must share that information by ensuring that the
service which is provided to their customers is outstanding. The market trend should be
recognized by the marketing officer to analyse the new targeted markets by opening their
different branches in the Manchester, Newcastle, Aberdeen and Glasgow etc. Analysing the
use of logistics services by the customers and identifying the off-peak and peak demand
stages of the services must be done by the marketing officers which is their key role
(Gummesson, et al. 2014). There are various strategies that need to be developed before
entering a new market which must be analysed and forecasted by the marketing officers.
In managing the operations of the department the marketing officer’s role is to support the
marketing manager. In order to generate and spread awareness regarding the various
services that are provided to the customers, the role of the marketing officers is to attend
and organize the different events and activities of the marketing. A marketing plan should
be developed by the officers for advertising and promotional campaigns on different sources
like print media, electronic media in different cities to promote their services and introduce
new brands in the market (Jugenheimer, et al. 2015). They also need to contact various
stakeholders and vendors for promoting the activities of the company and making their
presence in the different parts of the country.
It is the responsibility of the marketing officers to monitor and evaluate the activities related
to the business expansion and make the necessary changes with the assistance of marketing
managers. The content required for publishing the marketing materials like videos,
advertisements and promos along with their distribution should be prepared and managed
by the marketing officers. The current marketing situation and the compatibility for the
expansion of business in the market must be analysed by the surveys and research. Another
important responsibility of the marketing officers is to collaborate with marketing managers
4

for analysing the budget and observe the marketing expenses of the organization (Tuten,
and Solomon, 2017). The marketing principles and techniques must be known by the
marketing officers along with the report preparation of the budget, resources and
techniques required for the business expansion.
PROPOSED MARKETING STRUCTURE
There are two types of marketing involved in the marketing structure namely traditional
marketing and digital marketing. The digital marketing comprises of social media and search
engine optimization. The people of the UK are more focused toward the social media
technology as it helps in creating awareness about the market of the UK. Whenever the user
searches the details of transport companies over the websites, the search engine
optimization or SEO helps to give preferences to the sites. Public relations and offline
advertising can be done with the help of traditional marketing which helps an organization
to meet their potential clients and customers, make the customers aware about the
products and services of the company by the distribution of leaflets and pamphlets of the
company, surveys and face to face interactions (Lee, et al. 2015).
P2, M2- ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF MARKETING IN WIDER
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
5

The responsibility for understanding the current marketing trend is very important, as the
responsibilities and roles of the organizational objectives are broad which helps to attain the
business objectives of the company. The organization must be well aware of the customer
needs for fulfilling their requirements and achieving the objectives of the organization.
Financial aids for the budget preparation and resources required must the analysed in the
report for expanding the business in the different parts of the country and achieving the
proposed objectives of the organization (Kumar and Shah, 2013).
Efficient funding can be made for the business by the marketing tactics of the marketing
officers. For creating the awareness among the people related to the company and services
in the market various campaigns and events are organized by the marketing officers. The
errands are collaborating with the other functions of the company by the marketing officers
in order to contribute to the objectives of the organizations. Various services are developed
by the creative team with the help of the market research done by the marketing officers for
satisfying the needs of the customers as well as incrementing the organization sales which in
turn fulfils the organization's objectives (Law and Cobanoglu, 2014).
The marketing functions of the company are directly interrelated with the other functioning
departments of the organizations like finance department, human resources, sales
department etc. The objectives of the organization can be easily achieved by the combined
efforts of all the departments of a company. The different work is performed by the
different department like the role of the finance department is to analyse the budget and
make investments, marketing department take care of the requirements of the customers,
creating different specific services for the customers is done by the creative department
whereas managing the human resources and employees of the company is done by the
human resource department. Thus, there is a great significance of all the functional units of
an organization in achieving the business objectives.
The proposed structure by the marketing officer should be vertical so that the
communication to the employees could be done vertically which helps in better
relationships among the employees and good working environment of the company. The
6

marketing initiatives must be managed by the by the marketing team by defining and
managing the brand through various campaigns. All the materials required for the purpose
of marketing and promotions are created by the marketing department along with the
content creation for the website and applications of the company. One of the important
functions of the marketing team is to manage and monitor the digital and print media. The
targeted markets, as well as the perception of the customers regarding the products and
services of the company, are defined by the customer and the market research.
Thus, the different roles of marketing along with its interrelation with the other functional
units of the company are explained.
7

L02
P3, M3- COMPARISON OF WAYS BY WHICH MARKETING MIX CAN BE
APPLIED BY THE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS TO ACHIEVE THE OVERALL
BUSINESS OBJECTIVES
The placing of the right products at the right place, at the right time with the right price and
right promotion can be referred as “Marketing Mix”. Marketing mix can also be explained by
the different techniques and actions that are performed collectively to promote a company
product or brand in the potential market (Malhotra, et al. 2013). There are 7p's of marketing
mix which can be applied to attain the organizational objectives which are the place, price,
products, physical evidence, people, process and promotion.
Marketing mix can be applied to the two organizations "Your Destination" and "National
Express" in the following ways by which the organizational goals can be achieved-
7P’s YOUR DESTINATION NATIONAL EXPRESS
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE Your Destination is one of
the new organizations in the
market and wants to expand
their business by developing
proper infrastructure for the
customers for a safe, hassle-
free and comfortable travel.
The company should have a
well-built interior, properly
furnished with good
appearance.
The ticket counters and
booking offices of the
National Express are
designed well with proper
space and elegant interior
designs. The seating facilities
of the transport are very
comfortable, especially of
the luxury buses (Jin, et al.
2015). They ensure and
promises safe, timely and
comfortable journey for their
customers.
8

PRODUCT The need of the customer
service must be kept in mind
by the transport service
especially of the trams and
trucks for the industrial level
transportation facilities along
with the several Volvo AC
and NON AC buses
Different types of
transportation services are
offered by the National
Express to their passengers
like NON AC buses, AC Volvo
buses, semi-luxurious buses,
cars etc. The products and
services of the company are
made by keeping the
customer requirements in
mind.
PLACE The channel of distribution
of the company needs to be
enhanced. Online booking
services and ticket counters
must be established by the
company to make their
presence across the nation.
The company has wide
distribution channel due to
which it has established an
incredible position around
the world. Online and offline
booking services are the
channels provided to the
customers which are they
can book their tickets.
PRICING The pricing of the products
and services must be kept
low and reasonable for
providing better services and
excel in the market. To
attract the customer's
various discounts and offers
must be given.
National Express has such a
pricing strategy that is easily
affordable by the customers
of the company. Class of
travel, loading factors,
competitors pricing and
profit margins are the factors
that must be included while
making the pricing strategy.
PROMOTION The company needs to
promote their services in
National Express is one of
the recognised companies
9

various ways for expanding
their business nationwide
through online websites,
mobile app services, calling,
audios, videos and print
media (Kumar and Shah,
2013). This will help them to
create awareness among the
customers.
and is the market leaders
which have their own
websites with all the
information and services that
are launched recently by the
company, They don't lay
much emphasis on the
promotional strategies.
Various discounts are offered
by the company with
different tour packages for
the different places of UK.
PROCESS There are different
procedures that need to be
formed by the company in
order to deliver the quality
services to the company. The
services should be made
based on the customer
requirements with the aim of
expanding in the areas like
Aberdeen, Manchester,
Newcastle, Glasgow etc.
National Express provides
quality services and provides
reservation facilities for the
initial online and offline
bookings. Every minute
detail is provided on the
website like how to book a
seat, from where to buy and
how to pay the amount
which ultimately enhances
the customer level of
satisfaction.
PEOPLE The company need to
manage all the employees of
the organization since they
are the centre of the
company by providing them
various better facilities like
periodic training for
People are the most
important people in case of
the National Express as they
are the face of the company
so better services are
provided to them. the
company employees are
10

increasing their skills, timely
salary credits, bonuses and
must make sure about the
dependability of employees
of the organization.
trained and motivated with
different facilities and
benefits in order to ensure
their reliability which highly
affects their degree of
responsiveness.
11

LO3
P4, M4- DEVELOPMENT OF BASIC AND EVIDENCE-BASED MARKETING PLAN
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Business expansion plan of company named "Your Destination” has been concentrated in
this report which is providing its transportation facilities nationwide. The company is
growing successfully that is why wanted to expand their business to their other nations.
Your Destination is successfully operating its services in the London and Essex. It has been
decided by the senior manager that the company wants to expand their business in the new
Nations like Manchester, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Newcastle etc. In order to build a detailed
evidence-based marketing plan for the company, internal environment factors of the
company have been analysed with the help of SWOT analysis, value chain analysis, portfolio
analysis as well as financial analysis. The external environment factors of the organization
have also been analysed with the help of PESTLE analysis. Various other factors also have
been recognised as the target, positioning and the segmentation are also done. The
marketing plan involves the various tactics of business, budget planning and control etc.
INTRODUCTION
The list of activities that are been documented to summarise the determinations of
marketing and advertising for the upcoming year are mentioned in the marketing plan. The
marketing plan includes the overall business plan which is required to be executed for the
purpose of expanding the business in the new places (Harmon, 2015). After the successful
operation of the company in London and Essex, the objective of the company is to expand
their business which should be accomplished by the members of the organization. The
various activities that will be performed by the company are described in details in the
marketing plan in order to expand successfully. With the help of produced marketing plan,
Your Destination will be able to successfully expand their business in Manchester, Glasgow,
Aberdeen and Newcastle etc.
COMPANY OVERVIEW
12

“Your Destination” is one of the transportation companies. There are various facilities that
are provided by the company from the personal private hire to industrial level
transportation facilities along with some other specialised services. It has been three years
since the company is providing its successful operations in the Essex and London. The
company is attaining high-level growth in the market due to which the plan of business
expansion has been made by the senior management of the company and open new
branches in the Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle and Aberdeen etc. Competing with the
market leaders of the transportation business is the main goal of the company.
INTERNAL ANALYSIS
SWOT ANALYSIS
Figure 1: SWOT Analysis
[Source: https://visual.ly/community/infographic/other/swot-analysis]
13

The SWOT analysis of the Your Destination has been explained below-
STRENGTHS
The major strength of the organization is the passion and the commitment level of the
employees along with their top management. With the help of skills, knowledge and
capabilities the managing directors of the company have successfully operated their
business in London and Essex. The needs and demands of the customers have always been
focused consistently by the company and they are always committed to adding worth to
their stakeholders (Bull, et al. 2016).
WEAKNESSES
The company sometimes lack funding for purchasing the resources required for expansion
and diversity while reaching the new markets. The capability to cope with the wider market
is also lacked sometimes by the organization.
OPPORTUNITIES
There is a great opportunity for the organization to expand themselves in the immense
markets like Aberdeen, Glass glow, Newcastle and Manchester etc. Various banks of the UK
can also provide financial aid to the organization.
THREATS
One of the biggest threats to the company is National Express which is the market leader in
the transportation sector. There are some other threats like the hike in petrol rates,
increased inflation rates and some other means of transportation. The intensity of the direct
and the indirect competitors is also growing rapidly with the time (Sammut Bonnici and‐
Galea, 2015)
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
The financial performance of the company is quite remarkable after their successful
operations of the business in the London and Essex and the company will continue to grow
in the near future. The revenues generated by the company after three years of operation
can be utilized to expand their business nationwide.
14

VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS
This analysis is performed to analyse the areas of improvements that are required in the
business which will add value to the overall amenities of the company. The various functions
of the company must be in proper coordination and interrelated with the efforts of the
organization. Direct selling methods are the main focus of the company for their business
expansion (Mudambi and Puck, 2016).
PRODUCT PORTFOLIO ANALYSIS
The people who want transportation service for their personal use they must be provided
AC and NON AC cars and minibuses. To provide an international level of transportation
facilities trucks, trams and heavy vehicles should be introduced.
EXTERNAL ANALYSIS
PESTLE ANALYSIS
Figure 2: PESTLE Analysis
[Source: https://blog.4pbusinessdevelopment.co.uk/how-to-apply-pestle-analysis-to-
your-strategic-planning]
15

The PESTLE analysis of the organization is explained below-
POLITICAL
The financial and funding methods of the country must be taken into consideration by the
company for the business expansion. Government policies affect the transportation services
of the company like CO2 emissions reduction and biofuel usage, therefore, the vehicle acts
must be well thought and the company also needs political support to expand the business.
ECONOMICAL
Various economic factors like prices of fuel, costs, inflation rates and taxation must be
considered while business expansion which can lead to profit or loss for the company. Cost
of transportation must be controlled for maximum profits (Anton, 2015).
SOCIAL
Quality services at affordable prices must be provided to the travellers. Moreover, the
company get various employees with the help of open-minded people of the UK. The
benefits of pensions and insurance should also be provided to the employees of the
organisation.
TECHNOLOGICAL
Due to advanced technology, the transportation services are fully secured and consists of
various facilities with lower CO2 emissions. The technology advancement has brought
features like the live status of buses, real-time waiting for information, online booking and
cancellation etc. which must be utilized by the Your Destination for business expansion
(Kauškale and Gipele , 2017).
ENVIRONMENTAL
The environment must be secured by the company by contributing an optimal level to the
transportation by the utilization of latest technology buses with lesser CO2 emissions while
maintaining the energy consumption.
LEGAL
16

Various legal policies affect the company. So, the company need it strictly adhere to the
rules, regulations and laws of the government.
SEGMENTATION, POSITIONING AND TARGET
An industry that requires the logistic facilities and the people who use to get transferred to
different places is the targeted market of Your Destination. The positioning of the company
is done in a manner to compete with the market leaders of transportation. Hiring private
sector vehicle and industrial business is the segmentation of company (Tanner and
Raymond, 2015).
TACTICS AND ACTIONS
Promoting the company through channels like digital and print media is the action plan and
the tactic of the organization is to promote and advertise the company services and
products to create awareness in the people regarding Your Destination.
BUDGET
110,000 EUROS is the estimated budget of the Your Destination.
FUNCTION AMOUNT (IN EUROS)
Physical resources 12,000
Human resources 23,000
Market research 32,000
Implementation 16,000
Promotional activities 27,000
TOTAL 110,000
TIME SCHEDULING AND MONITORING
TASK 1st year 2nd year 3rd year 4th year 5th year 6th year
Observatio
n and
To
understan
Technician
s, technical
Buses,
license
Promotion
al activities
Executing
and
Customer
review and
17

evaluation d the
needs of
the
travellers
market
research
should be
reviewed
experts
and other
human
resources
must be
organised.
and
other
physical
resource
s must
be
arrange
d and
allocate
d
must be
conducted
to create
awareness
among the
people
implementin
g the
business
along with
the
operations.
improvisatio
n of
services.
18

CONCLUSION
Thus, marketing plays an important role in the organization along with the interrelation with
other functional units. Your Destination is the transport company whose planning of
expanding the business nationwide and competing with National Express market leaders is
depicted in this assignment. A memo has been produced by the Marketing Officer for the
senior management. Different roles and responsibilities along with the objectives of the
company are discussed. Lastly, a detailed evidence-based plan has been developed for the
organization to expand their business successfully in the different markets by analysing the
internal and external factors of the organization.
19

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