Marketing Planning Report: Apple's Strategic Marketing Plan

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of marketing planning, focusing on Apple's strategies and future activities. It begins with an introduction to marketing planning and its importance, followed by a review of changing perspectives in marketing, including technological, competitive, and political aspects. The report then evaluates Apple's capabilities for future marketing activities, analyzing its core competencies and both positive and negative aspects. Techniques for organizational auditing and external factor analysis, such as SWOT, PESTEL, and Porter's Five Forces, are examined. The report also explores techniques for new product development, including the Ansoff Matrix, and formulates a marketing plan for a product or service, justifying recommendations for pricing, distribution, and communication. Furthermore, it addresses barriers to marketing planning and how organizations can overcome them, concluding with a reflection on group work and the essential role of marketing planning in strategic planning.

MARKETING PLANNING
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................4
AC 1.1 In the form of a report, review the changing perspectives in marketing planning..........4
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................6
AC 1.2 Evaluate your chosen organization’s capability for planning its future marketing
activity..........................................................................................................................................6
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................8
AC 1.3 Examine the techniques for organisational auditing and for analysing external factors
that affect marketing planning.....................................................................................................8
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................10
3.3 Your company is interested in growing their business by developing products and markets.
As a result, they have asked you to examine techniques for new product development...........10
Task 5.............................................................................................................................................12
LO3 Be able to formulate a marketing plan for a product or service........................................12
3.1 write a marketing plan for a product or a service................................................................12
3.4 justify recommendations for pricing policy, distribution and communication mix.............13
3.5 Explain how factors affecting the effective implementation of the marketing plan have
been taken into account..............................................................................................................14
1.4 Carry out organisational auditing and analysis of external factors that affect marketing
planning in a given situation......................................................................................................15
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Task 6.............................................................................................................................................18
You need to reflect on your group work in task02 and task 05, and assess your learning that
you achieved in both. Also, state what contributions did you made to the group works...........18
TASK 7..........................................................................................................................................19
2.1 Assesses the main barriers to marketing planning...............................................................19
2.2 Examines how organisations may overcome barriers to marketing planning.....................20
TASK 8..........................................................................................................................................21
Report.........................................................................................................................................21
Task 9.............................................................................................................................................22
3.2 As you are nearly at the end of your work placement, senior management would like you
to explain why marketing planning is essential in the strategic planning process for an
organisation................................................................................................................................22
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................25
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................26
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INTRODUCTION
With the verification of various aspects information was gathered in relation with the importance
of marketing in the organisation with the effect of which the report is prepared in concentration
with marketing planning. Report will include information regarding Apple in which marketing
planning is required so as to sustain in the competitive market. To provide effective set of
information proper research will be done on the requirement of marketing planning in the
organisation. This report will include a marketing plan for Apple, SWOT analysis of the
marketing plan and organisation will be provided. Information regarding the all the ethical
aspects attached with the organisation will be presented in this report so as to provide appropriate
and effective set of information to the organisation. This will help the organisation in moving on
the verge of success and sustainability.
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TASK 1
AC 1.1 In the form of a report, review the changing perspectives in marketing
planning.
Marketing is a very broad terms which requires and is a very important aspect attached with the
organisation. Marketing planning provides blueprint to the organisation which gives an assurance
that the organisation will be able to attract sufficient number towards its products and services.
Market is unpredictable and fluctuating therefore, to ensure sustainability organisation has to
assure that it should plan all the aspects of marketing well in advance form. Marketing planning
reduces the risk of uncertainties and helps the organisation in providing the assurance that it will
attain competitive advantage in the market. Preparing for the change is one of the most important
factors attached with marketing planning (Gupta, et. al., 2016). Every organisation indulged in a
competitive market should remain prepared for the change. Requirements of the people present
in the market changes with time therefore to fulfil these requirements organisation also has to
bring some or the other changes and have to present the changes in the market which could be
done with the help of marketing planning. There are various changes in the perspective in
marketing planning which are:
Technological Aspects
Technological change is one of the factors which bring a hue change in the whole process of the
business and so in the marketing planning of the business. In present scenario frequent changes
could be seen in the technological aspects, these frequent changes affects the planning done by
the organisation in past. Therefore, organisations will have to assure that they should have N
plan for marketing so that they could sustain in the market and could attract more and more
people towards the products and services they are providing to the ultimate targets (Valentine, et.
al., 2011). For example marketing on internet sites is influencing people and is attracting
effective number of people towards the products and services, therefore, planning to do
marketing on internet will help the organisation to spread effective set of information in the
market.
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Marketing Aspects
Competition in the market is another aspect. In present time competition is increasing day by day
in the market. Therefore organisation will not only have focus on promoting the product. It will
have to do the marketing according to the strategies of competitors so that people could make
effective set of decision in relation with the product they should choose (Valentine, et. al., 2011).
For example Competition for Apple Phones is increasing in the market therefore it will have to
do the marketing according to the competition so that more people could get attracted towards
the products of Apple.
Political Aspects
Political policies should be kept in mind by the organisation while doing marketing planning so
that plan should be formulated according to the changing requirements of political aspects. For
Example: it is necessary that Apple Phones should make changes in the marketing policies
according to the requirements of political parties coming into existence after every election
(Toledo, et. al., 2014).
There are few more marketing trend where marketing planning can be more effective and
efficient. One is digital marketing which includes social media, emails and many more things.
With the help of digital marketing company get more profit and aid to increase their productivity.
Where social media marketing is aid to attract large number of customers on social websites and
marketing their own products. With the help of all those activities marking planning is more
effective and efficient.
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TASK 2
AC 1.2 Evaluate your chosen organization’s capability for planning its future
marketing activity.
Apple is a well know brand in the market which makes it necessary that it should evaluate the
capability for planning its future marketing activities. Indulging in such type of activity will
provide direction to the organisation that where it stands, what are the requirements of the
markets that are to be fulfilled. This type of activity will help Apple to fulfil all the loops and
breaches that could affect the marketing planning of the organisation for future (Taghian, 2010).
Various Core competencies of Apple
 Apple focuses upon the quality of the product it is providing the market which helps in
attracting the people.
 People have varieties of options available as there is a chain of apple products that are
provided to the target people.
 Teamwork is focused upon by Apple as it believes that people working in a team could
produce more and could provide more quality to the product it is supplying in the market
(Salmani, et. al., 2014).
Positive aspects of Apple
 Products of apple are unique which helps in providing a unique identity to the products of
Apple
 Providing quality product is main focus of Apple which helps in building trust among the
people using the products of Apple or willing to use the product (Salmani, et. al., 2014).
 Online marketing and marketing on the television has helped Apple in increasing its sale
and it has a future planning to provide online stores which will guarantee fare price to the
customer. This marketing planning of Apple for future will help it in attracting more
customers and will help in increasing its sale in the market.
Negative aspects attached with Apple
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 Apple products cannot be afforded by everyone as its products are very expensive.
 There are many competitors of Apple available in the market which is affecting its sales
(Taghian, 2010).
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TASK 3
AC 1.3 Examine the techniques for organisational auditing and for analysing
external factors that affect marketing planning.
Various techniques are available which can help in auditing of Apple. These techniques could
also help in analysing the external factors that can affect or are affecting the marketing planning
of Apple. It is necessary that audit should be done on regular basis on Apple, this kind of activity
helps in managing all the aspects of the organisation and helps in removing the vulnerabilities.
Therefore, for auditing it is necessary that the organisation should apply certain set of
technologies which could help in bringing effective set of results as an outcome. Hence, various
techniques are:
SWOT Analysis: With the help of SWOT analysis organisation will be able to gather the
information regarding the areas of strengths it has, areas of weaknesses, opportunities and threat
that can affect the organisation in market (Toledo, et. al., 2014). SWOT analysis will provide a
blue print to the auditor which will help in bringing out the areas that need the focus of the
organisation or the areas which are required to be improved. An effective set of information
regarding the internal process of the company could be gained by the auditor with the help of
SWOT analysis.
PESTEL Analysis: PESTEL analysis stands for the analysis of political, economical, social,
technological, environmental and legal aspects attached with the organisation. These are the
external factors that could affect the processing of the organisation. Gaining information
regarding all these aspects will help the auditor in making effective set of decisions regarding the
policies and procedures of the company. Auditor of Apple will be able to bring out necessary
changes required in the organisation by examining these external factors (Valos, et. al., 2016).
Porter’s Five Forces: According the Michel Porter there are five external forces that can affect
the organisation. Auditor of Apple will have to analyse all the forces are somewhere all these
forces are related with the stakeholders of the company. Therefore, gaining information
regarding the external forces of the company auditor will be able to share effective set of
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information with the company and will be able to help the company in decision making aspects.
There are several other techniques also that could be used by the auditor for auditing purpose like
posting verification, extension verification, vouching verification, confirmation, physical
examination reconciliation and testing (Gupta, et. al., 2016).
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TASK 4
3.3 Your company is interested in growing their business by developing products
and markets. As a result, they have asked you to examine techniques for new
product development.
Growth is the necessity of any organisation. Every organisation should work on the factors that
could help it in growing in the market because growth will help the organisation to sustain in the
competitive market. Product development and market development are the two aspects that help
in the growth of organisations present in the market (Munir, et. al., 2011). With the help of
Ansoff Matrix a better understanding could be developed with the fact that why product
development and market development Apple could grow in the competitive market.
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