Marketing Essentials: Roles, Responsibilities & Tesco's Marketing Plan

This report provides a comprehensive overview of marketing essentials, focusing on the roles and responsibilities of the marketing function within an organization, particularly in the context of Tesco. It explores current and future trends in marketing, including relationship marketing and digital marketing, and examines how these trends are applied at Tesco. The report details the four P's of marketing (product, price, place, and promotion) and their importance in the marketing process. It further compares the application of the marketing mix by Tesco and Marks & Spencer to achieve their business objectives. The report also includes a basic marketing plan for Tesco, covering aspects such as mission and goals, environmental analysis, segmentation, targeting, and positioning, along with a monitoring plan for marketing strategies. Desklib offers this and many other solved assignments for students.

MARKETING ESSENTIALS

Table of Contents
Introduction.....................................................................................................................................3
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................4
P1 EXPLAIN THE KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MARKETING FUNCTION..............4
P2 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF MARKETING RELATE TO THE WIDER ORGANISATIONAL
CONTEXT SUCH AS SALES AND WAREHOUSE DEPARTMENTS....................................................6
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................9
P3 WAYS IN WHICH DIFFERENT ORGANISATIONS (TESCO’S AND MARKS & SPENCER) APPLY
THE MARKETING MIX TO THE MARKETING PLANNING PROCESS TO ACHIEVE BUSINESS
OBJECTIVES..................................................................................................................................9
Task 3.............................................................................................................................................12
P4: BASIC MARKETING PLAN FOR TESCO SUPERMARKET.........................................................12
CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................................19
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................20

Introduction
Marketing is the process of managing various activities of the firm to achieve a specific goal. It
includes analysis, planning and organising the functions of a company to satisfy the needs of
the customers. Marketing management requires coordination among product, price, place and
promotion and planning the functions of the company so that proper implementation of this
marketing mix can be ensured (Kotler, 2015).
The present assignment explains the current trends in the marketing processes and how Tesco
applies these marketing methodologies in the company functions to achieve profitability in the
business and satisfy the needs of the customers. The assignment also discusses various
marketing mix like Product, price, place, promotion, process and physical evidence. The report
also covers the marketing plan followed by Tesco which included the analysis of mission and
goals of the company, external and internal environment, segmenting, targeting and
positioning (Armstrong, et al. 2015).
Tesco has also developed a monitoring plan for the marketing strategies in which the market
share, cost-profitability and sales figures analysis is done and strategies are made based on
these inputs.

Task 1
P1 EXPLAIN THE KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MARKETING
FUNCTION
Marketing is a function of an organization through which an organization can increase the sales
and make the customer aware of the qualities and specification of a product. A good marketing
strategy helps Tesco to gain a competitive edge against the rivals and claim its marketplace.
With right marketing mixes the company can retain its existing customer base as well as attract
new customers in the business (Baker, 2014).
CURRENT AND FUTURE TRENDS IN MARKETING
With emerging new technologies and changes in the lifestyles several new trends of marketing
have been evolved which are discussed below:
Relationship marketing
The relationship marketing is a new concept in the marketing which focuses on making long-
term relationships with the customer which is in contrast with the traditional marketing
methods in which the primary focus was on selling the product. This relationship benefits the
company in long-term as making good relationships with the customer develops the feeling of
brand loyalty in the customers and it results in a continuous increase in the sales ( Christopher,
et al. 2013).
The relationship marketing also includes handling the queries and complaints of the customers
in a responsive way and providing servicing and replacement facilities. Handling the customer
queries also helps the organization to improve its systems and provide even better services to
the customers.
Digital Marketing

In last few years there is a great increase in the number of people using laptops and
smartphones in their leisure time. Increased online presence of the people makes necessary for
the companies to advertise their products on these mediums. In digital marketing, the search
engine like Google also plays a key role and the optimization of the websites is done to bring
the company name in the top of the search results (Chaffey, et al.2013).
Figure 1: Digital Marketing
[Source: https://mktgessentials.com/inbound-marketing-solutions/what-is-a-content-audit/]

AN OVERVIEW OF TESCO
Tesco is a global grocery and merchandising retailer having headquarters in the UK. The
company has worldwide operations with over 2000 stores in various countries. The company is
operating in all the major economies of Europe, Asia and North America. The mission of the
company is to provide an excellent value to the customers and gain the trust and loyalty of the
customer for a lifetime.
KEY ROLES OF MARKETING AT TESCO
The marketing department at Tesco manages all the function of the marketing in a professional
way so that it may help in increasing the sales and overall profitability. Following are the key
roles of the marketing department at Tesco.
 Identifying the target market based on the customer preference, current market trends,
demographics etc.
 Managing the brand image of the company in a way which reflects the mission and
vision of the goal of the company.
 Identifying the competitive environment and studying the strategies of the competitors,
and based on these results design the strategies of the company.
 To develop right promotion materials for the products of the company and increasing
the brand awareness of Tesco in various markets.
 Handling the online activities related to marking, such as promoting the brand on social
media platforms, designing ads and banners, managing the web content.
 Conducting surveys and customer feedback so that the company can plan its strategy
based on the reviews from the end users.

P2 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF MARKETING RELATE TO THE WIDER
ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT SUCH AS SALES AND WAREHOUSE
DEPARTMENTS
THE FOUR P’s OF MARKETING
These four marketing mix product, price, place and promotion must be balanced properly to
position a product in the market.
Product
The product can be a tangible item or intangible like services. The marketing department must
carefully analyse the unique aspects of the product before deciding a market plan. The product
mix includes the entire range of products that the company offers. A wider variety of products
offers the customers the facility of getting all the required products at a single place (Tapp and
Spotswood, 2013.).
Price
After understanding the product offering the pricing decisions can be taken. The pricing must
be done after analysing the price offered by the competitors any wrong decision regarding the
pricing can seriously impact the profit margin and the brand position of the company. Strategies
like dynamic prices may be used which includes offering discounts at special occasions like
festivals.
Place
The right placement strategy will help the company to decide the right channel for the product
delivery. The geographic area of the place where the selling is to be done must be analysed to
target the right set of customers. The location of the store must at the prime locations of the
city to provide convenience to the customers.
Promotion

The promotion activities include the advertising, offers and discount strategies and public
relations. The promotion activities ensure that the proper communication of the product is
done to the end user. The promotion of a product increases the brand awareness of the
company and results in an increase in the sales.
AN OVERVIEW OF MARKETING PROCESSES AT TESCO
The marketing process is carried out at Tesco to increase the brand awareness of the company.
The following steps are included in the marketing processes.
Analysis
The analysis process requires grasping the need of the customer and preparing the right
product according to the requirement of the customers. This process requires a research into
the customer choices and making the final product which satisfies the need of the customer.
Strategic planning
The planning process is based on the current marketplace of the company and the position of
the competitors in the business. This also includes analyzing the internal strengths and the
weakness of the company and the external factors like economic situations, legislation and the
recent technological advancements in the manufacturing of the products (Hill, et al.2014).
Marketing mix
The marketing mix includes the four factors product, price place and promotion. Based on these
four factors the marketing department plans the right strategy which can increase the overall
profit of the company. The product specifications have to be decided based on the customer
preferences.
ROLE OF MARKETING IN B2B AND B2C TRANSACTIONS

There is a difference when a company sells its product to another company (B2B), and when a
company sells its product to a customer (B2C). When dealing with the business selling it
requires logic, while the customer buys with emotions (Swani, et al. 2014).
To deal with these two types of buyers the marketing department has to make the right
strategy for product development and promotion. In the B2B transactions the main focus is on
the product specifications and in B2C transactions the main focus is on the benefits provided by
the product.
Figure 2: TESCO
[Source: https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2017/03/tesco-to-ups-focus-on-no-low-
alcohol-wine/]

Task 2
P3 WAYS IN WHICH DIFFERENT ORGANISATIONS (TESCO’S AND MARKS &
SPENCER) APPLY THE MARKETING MIX TO THE MARKETING PLANNING
PROCESS TO ACHIEVE BUSINESS OBJECTIVES
Tesco and Marks & Spencer both the companies are major retail companies in the UK and
operate on a global level. The factors of marketing mix such as product, price and place have a
great importance in the policy-making of the company. The marketing department analyses
these elements of marketing mix and decides a plan to apply the principles of the marketing
mix in the planning of the company so that the long-term business goals of the company can be
achieved (Yasanallah and Bidram, 2012).
Marketing
Mix
TESCO MARKS AND SPENCERS
Product Tesco has a wide range of products at its
stores all over the world to cater the need of
the customers from various segments of the
market. The product range of Tesco includes
Food products, beverages and bakery
products. Home appliances and electrical
products, sports and leisure products.
The product range of marks and spencer
includes fashion and beauty products,
apparels including women’s and kid’s
wear. Bags and accessories for women
including handbags, jewellery sunglasses
etc. The company also offers home
furniture and lighting accessories.
Price Tesco has a policy of providing goods at
lowest prices. The company has developed
strong supply chain management systems to
maintain the low prices of its products. The
company follows the strategy of competitive
For all its product portfolios Marks and
Spencer follow the dynamic pricing
strategy, during off-seasons the company
offers bigger discounts in the purchases
which attract the new potential

pricing and have started a programme ‘Brand
Guarantee’ in which the company gives the
guarantee of lowest prices in the market
(Londhe, 2014).
customers and also helps the company
clearing its old stock. In addition to this,
the customers also get the products in
lower price ranges.
Place Tesco has located its stores at prime
locations and ensures that the stores can be
accessed easily at the public places. The
company has around 7000 stores in 11
countries and serves at all the big commercial
cities of the world. The company has stores
called ‘Tesco Express’ to serve at the smaller
locations.
Marks and Spencer have its operations in
around 50 countries and is extending its
operations in other countries also like
Turkey, France and Hungry. The company
gives facilities like online purchasing and
home delivery. The products can also be
purchased in local currency while doing
online transactions.
Promotion The company puts an adequate focus on the
promotional activities at its various stores.
Discount offer hoardings and digital display
boards are placed at major locations of the
city. The company also uses routine
promotional offers like ‘buy one get one’ to
target the potential customers. The company
has also started special discount cards called
‘Tesco Club card’
Along with traditional methods like
newspaper and TV ads, hoardings and
banners, the company has started
marketing its product online with the
help of social networking sites and
YouTube ads. The company also does
promotions through its website and users
can get latest fashion trends and tips on
this website.
People Tesco has around 480,000 employees
working in its stores all over the world. The
company follows a strong recruitment and
selection process to choose its employees
and designs adequate training and placement
programmes for its employees. The
employees are trained to be supportive to
the customers.
The company has started rewards and
bonus programmes for motivating and
retaining its employees. The company
also ensures the safety of the employees
at the workplace and also provides health
insurance and pension facilities for its
employees (Satit, et al.2012).

Process Tesco management always ensures that
customers are satisfied by the company
processes in its stores. The company provides
quick billing services to avoid the long ques.
The company is also providing its wide
product range online and dedicated apps are
developed for facilitating online purchase of
the products. The special staffs have been
appointed to handle customer grievances.
All marks and Spencer stores are properly
organised and have separate sections for
clothing, furniture and fashion
accessories. The company follows an easy
return policy and the alterations in the
clothes are provided free of cost. The
company also ensures adequate parking
space for the vehicles of the customers.
Physical
evidence
All the Tesco stores are properly cleaned and
managed. The products are categorized
carefully according to their use so that
customers can navigate easily around the
stores and can locate the required product in
minimum time. The website of Tesco is
designed in such a manner so that customers
can find the required product easily through
various sections (Khan, 2014).
The physical evidence is the environment
in which the services are delivered and
the customer interaction is done. The
Marks and Spencer stores are located
mainly in the suburban areas and the
company maintains the ambience of the
store according to the location.