Marketing Analysis: Techniques, Constraints, and Research Report

This report provides an in-depth analysis of marketing techniques employed by two organizations, Marks and Spencer (M&S) and Oxfam, exploring their growth and survival strategies, including the application of the Ansoff Matrix and branding. It examines the constraints and limitations marketers face, such as the Sale of Goods Act and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. Furthermore, the report details how M&S utilizes marketing research, including qualitative, quantitative, primary, and secondary data, to develop its marketing plans, particularly for expansion into new markets like India. The report also discusses the importance of marketing planning and the use of SWOT analysis. The report is a valuable resource for students seeking to understand marketing principles and strategies, as it offers real-world examples and insights into the challenges and opportunities in the field.

Introduction To Marketing

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
P1 Describe how marketing techniques are used to market products in two organisations.......3
P2 Describe the constraints and limitations under which marketers operate, making use of
examples to explain your points. ................................................................................................5
P3 Describe how a selected organisation uses marketing research to contribute to the
development of its marketing plans............................................................................................6
P4 Use marketing research for marketing planning....................................................................7
P5 Explain how and why groups of customers are targeted for selected products.....................8
P6 Develop a Coherent marketing mix for a new product or service.........................................9
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Marketing is a management process in which company promotes and delivers its goods
and services to the customers in a specific area of market. In addition to this, it is a process of
meeting the necessities and wants of customers. In other words, it is a study or management in
which organisation makes healthy relations with customers along with satisfying their needs
through providing them products as per their needs. Chosen organisation for this assignment is
Marks and Spencer for private and Oxfam for not for profit. This report will be discuss about
marketing techniques that are used to market products in two organisations along with limitation
and constraints of marketing. At last, a coherent marketing mix for new product will be formed
in this report.
P1 Describe how marketing techniques are used to market products in two organisations
Marketing is a process which is used by organisations for meeting with the needs and
wants of customers. In today's competitive world each organisation faces rivalry in generating
profit because large number of competitors exist in the business world (Shaw, 2016). Due to
which several Marketing techniques are used by organisations for attracting customers and
increasing the sales.
Marks and Spencer and Oxfam both are performing their duties in different sectors i.e.
profit and Not-for-profit. They both wants to take growth in marketplace because of which
several growth and survival strategies are used by them for market their products and services.
These strategies are given as below:
Growth strategy – Each organisation wants to take growth and success in market due to
which several growth strategies such as market penetration, market expansion, product
expansion and acquisition adopted by them. These all strategies are comes under the Ansoff
Matrix which are mentioned beneath along with how these strategies are used by M&S and
Oxfam for market their products and services.
Market Penetration In it, both companies have to market present offerings in the
present market.
Market Development Under this, existing products are marketed by organisations in
new market.
Product Development New products are marketed by companies for present market.

Diversification In this strategy, companies have to marketing new products in
new market areas.
Application of Ansoff Matrix in both organisations
Particulars Marks and Spencer Oxfam
Market penetration Company is manufacturing quality
products and delivers them into
present market due to which they
have made its good strength in
through out the world. For
example- M&S is providing
products and services in market at
affordable prices so that customers
get attracted towards their
services.
Oxfam is also doing several
functions like they organise
campaigns and poster ads for
increasing their sales figures in
marketplace.
Market Development M&S performs its operations at
global level due to which they
regularly makes innovation in their
offerings for sustaining in market.
For ex. Company have introduces
Modern clothing products in
France which are selling by them
in UK market. Through it,
company have made strong
customer base in French market.
Organisation also perform its
duties at international level but
they does not focuses on
developing market share
whereas, they provides
services whether the market is
new or old.
Product development Marks and Spencer always makes
innovations in their offerings such
as they have introduces Indian
traditional dresses in UK market
due to which growth of firm is
Whereas, Oxfam is a
charitable organisation in
which their volunteers
performs their duties according

increased in market as compare to
its rivals (Sargeant and
MACQUILLIN, 2016).
to the needs of situations.
Diversification M&S can easily expand their
market share in new market along
with a new product or services
such as financial services, telecom
sectors can provide profitability to
them in future time.
While, Oxfam is a
multinational organisation and
having good presence
throughout the world.
Company can diversify their
services in medical sector such
as free medical treatment will
makes strengthen of firm in
market.
Survival strategies- These are those strategies or methods which are adopted by organisations
for surviving in marketplace. These are exploring alternative markets, cutting cost, focus on
retaining customers, provide outstanding customer services, concentrate on demand of customers
etc. these strategies can prove beneficial as through it, Multinational organisations like M&S can
easily achieve a strong sustainability in marketplace.
Branding – Brand is referred to a name, logo, slogan or service which is used by
organisations for attracting customers. For example- M&S is highly depends on branding as it
uses its long time experience in logo such as their logo defines company's name and establish
year under the name. Company have also made slogan which is Spend it Well that defines they
not only wants to sell the products but also serving the actual requirements of customers. Apart
from that, Oxfam does not focuses on earning profitability whereas, they focuses on fulfilling the
needs of needy people. They not attracts any individual towards their services but also they went
towards them and fulfils their actual requirements.
Relationship Marketing – It is a process of bringing buyers and sellers together along
with forming a strong bond called as relationship marketing. Oxfam use this strategy in which
they take all details and informations of their investors and maintain them effectively so that if
any kind of investment is required then these personal information can be used. Whereas, in
M&S loyalty cards and discounts are given to potential and existing customers so as to making
strong relationship with them.

P2 Describe the constraints and limitations under which marketers operate, making use of
examples to explain your points.
All business organisations performs their marketing duties to make good brand image of
firm in market but they have to face lots of limitation and constraints in marketing activity. Main
purpose of marketing activity is to fulfil the wants and desires of customers but several limitation
are framed by UK government so as to protecting the customers from unfair trading and illegal
practices. These legislations of marketing are given as below:
Sale of Goods Act, 1979 – This act can affect the marketing activities because it states
that organisation should sell the products as per the advertisements. For example M&S were
fined £10,000 due to misleading claims about a collection of Men's clothing (Mayer, Borges and
Simske, 2018).
Consumer protection from unfair trading regulations, 2008 – According to this act,
each customer have right to get fair treatment from the sellers. It defines that company can't
make lie with customers in terms of quality or pricing which are advertised by them in market if
they done it then they have to pay penalties or fine which is not beneficial for them and their
firm's brand image. This act is mostly prohibits the organisations and provide them
responsibilities to make effective pricing as per the market, information of the product on
backside etc. So that customers can chose or select the products as per their needs. There are also
some acts which are formed for protecting the consumer and seller from unfair trade practices
such as consumer credit act, 1974&2006, Distance Selling act, 2000 etc.
Data protection Act, 1998 – This act states that information of customers which is held
by business organisations should not be used in illegal practices if any organisation is used these
information in illegal practices then customers have right to file case on company. If company is
following this act then their managerial personnels have duty to make effective data base systems
at workplace so that important informations of company like shareholder details, employee's
information etc. can be protected in safe manner. Whereas, if they not make effective database
systems or necessary informations of company's employees are misusing then company have
duty to pay claim to their employees for using their personal informations in wrong manner.

P3 Describe how a selected organisation uses marketing research to contribute to the
development of its marketing plans
Marks and Spencer performs its functions globally but now management of company
wants to build its strong presence in India. For this, they have to conduct research through
different methods so that actual needs and wants of Indian customers can be identified
effectively. Main reason behind conducting this research is to identifying specific needs and
wants of customers so that through fulfilling them competitive edge can be gained in new
marketplace.
Qualitative – This is a market-based research which is used for collecting informations
that what people feel after using the offerings of M&S. This research mainly focuses on feeling
of customers regarding the offering rather than obtaining data in numerical form. This research
includes Open-End Questionnaire, Interviews, observations etc.
Quantitative – This is also a research method but in it, data is collected in numerical
form instead of feeling or experience. In this method, researcher used surveys, questionnaire for
collecting data of statistical form.
Primary – In this kind, Data is collected through consumers directly. For collecting this
kind of Data externally, M&S can use personal interview, test marketing, Surveys etc. whereas,
for internal, they can use company report, stock analysis etc.
Secondary – In it, data is gathered which has been used by anyone already. Further, Data
can also gathered in two parts such as internal or external. In internal, M&S can use company
reports, retail data whereas for collecting data externally they can use commercial data,
Government statistics etc.
Contribution of Primary in developing marketing plan – Primary data is those data
which is collected by M&S through personal interview, focus groups, questionnaires etc. With
the help of it, they will be able in knowing about actual requirements of customers. For e.g. UK's
weather is quite different from India due to which customer's needs are also different (ZHANG,
PITTS and KIM2017). In India, Demand of summer clothes are high so that they should deliver
summer clothes in UK market. Hence, it can be said that primary research is important for M&S
in developing their market plan.

Contribution of secondary in developing marketing plan – Secondary data is already
exists in the organisation. For e.g. statistical data of Indian clothing, stock analysis, Industry size
etc. all these will help the M&S in developing their plan effectively.
P4 Use marketing research for marketing planning
Marketing Planning is a statement which defines marketing strategy of company for
future time-frame. It includes overview of company, internal and external analysis which are
made by organisations for taking support in achievement of organisational goals.
SWOT analysis Of M&S
Strength Weaknesses
 Wide presence in Global market.
 Strong portfolio of offerings.
 Large distribution network
 Poor management of supply
distribution network
 Pricing strategies are not good as
compare to rivals.
Opportunity Threat
 Expansion in new segments
 Reshaping of Clothing segment.
 New policies of government
 Presence of competitors
Pest analysis – it is a tool which is used by organisations for analysing the macro-
environmental factors that are impacting the performance of organisation in positive or negative
manner. Analysis is given as below:
Political – This factor includes political stability, tax duties etc. which are related with
political aspect and can impact the overall performance of company. Free trade policy in Indian
market is beneficial for company's growth and sustainability. Whereas, government in India is
not stable that can impact the overall performance of firm negatively.
Economical – Conflict among the several players can provide beneficial outcomes in
expansion whereas, dependency on UK economy can restrict the M&S in expending their feet in
Indian market because company is highly focusing for satisfying the needs of UK customers
rather than customers of other market areas due to which company should consider these factors
so that any kind of difficulty not be faced by them during expansion.

Social – Traditional clothes are demanded widely which defines positive influence of
social aspect. Whereas, demand of Indian customer can change rapidly which may bring
difficulties in increasing sales and revenue (Johansen, 2016).
Technological – Indian customers are more advanced and preferred to purchase products
through digital platforms such as website or social media which can prove beneficial for M&S in
expansion. Whereas, China government have banned digital platforms for purchasing or selling
products that can impact negatively on overall growth and profitability of firm.
P5 Explain how and why groups of customers are targeted for selected products
OXFAM is providing various products to the customers but this section will focus on
three major products which are Gold Recycled Sari Earrings, Recycled Sari Orange Scarf and
Vibrant clutch bag. The company is targeting the groups of women for these products as these
are mostly used by the womens. Clutch bag is useful for carrying the things and Gold Recycled
Sari Earrings, Recycled Sari Orange Scarf are also developed specifically for the women as they
wears these for beauty purpose. The company is targeting the household women for the clutch
bag as they have to carry household things for the home. The company is focusing on women
who prefers to party for the product which is Gold Recycled Sari Earrings. Oxfam is focusing on
women based on their geographic for providing the Sari Orange Scarf .
M&S is a big firm who is providing a wide range of clothes to the customers. In this
section, the focus will be on three products which are formal Suits, Trousers and sports wear.
These products are specifically developed for the men and the company is targeting the men as
they have to wear formal suits in special occasions and events. The trousers are developed for
men as they prefer casual clothes in their daily life and sports wear are for the men who prefer to
play sports for their entertainment activities. The company is segmenting and targeting the men
based on their demographics such as Age, lifestyle, income level etc. Company is providing the
formal suits for different occasions which will be provided to the men having high class lifestyle
and income. Sports wear will be provided to men who prefer to take part in sports activities. And
the casual trousers will be provided to customers who prefers to enjoy with friends and family
for vacation purposes (Luiz and Kun-huang, 2015).
P6 Develop a Coherent marketing mix for a new product or service
Marketing Mix is a technique which is used by business organisations for presenting their
products and customers so that it can be meet with customer's requirements. Marks and Spencer

wants to introduce traditional clothes in Indian market due to which they have decided to
conduct marketing mix so that they will be able in supplying right product with right price at
right place. 4 Ps of this model are given as below:
Product – It referred to the offering which is offered by organisations to their customers
in order to satisfying their needs and wants. For example- Traditional clothes are the chosen
products which is decided by M&S for offering in Indian market. The product will be launched
in the theme of Indian culture because Indian culture become more popular nowadays across the
world so that this method will be prove beneficial in appealing the customers for purchasing
product.
Price – It is an amount which is paid by customers for fulfilling their needs. In order to
selling traditional clothes, management of M&S have decided to economic pricing method
because middle income class individuals are higher in Indian market than rich class individuals.
Place – In it, company have to chose a place in which product will be sold and
convenient for customer to access. India is developing nation due to which management have
decided to selling their products via offline and online (Leung, Xue and Bai, 2015).
Promotion – It can be defined as the method of communication by which marketer
provide information to the customers about the product. It comprises several channels such as
personal selling, word of mouth, advertisements in newspaper or magazines etc. For promoting
traditional clothing products, Marks and Spencer have decided to use advertisement methods
such as social media marketing, news paper advertisements etc. so that large area of market can
be covered through a single advertisement.
CONCLUSION
It has been concluded from the above report that company have to implement effective
marketing strategy so that customer get satisfied and sales will be increased. Market research is
also important for organisations because it enables them in satisfying the requirements of
customers through providing products accordingly. In addition, it is also concluded that
marketing mix is also beneficial because it guides the managers of organisation in choosing
pricing strategies or promotional tools for attracting customers.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Leung, X.Y., Xue, L. and Bai, B., 2015. Internet marketing research in hospitality and tourism: a
review and journal preferences. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality
Management. 27(7). pp.1556-1572.
Luiz, M. and Kun-huang, H. eds., 2015. Quantitative modelling in marketing and management.
World Scientific.
Johansen, H.P., 2016. Relational political marketing in party-centred democracies: Because we
deserve it. Routledge.
ZHANG, J. J., PITTS, B. G. and KIM, E., 2017. Introduction: sport marketing in a globalized
marketplace. In Contemporary Sport Marketing (pp. 15-34). Routledge.
Mayer, J., Borges, P.V. and Simske, S.J., 2018. Introduction. In Fundamentals and Applications
of Hardcopy Communication (pp. 1-5). Springer, Cham.
Sargeant, A. and MACQUILLIN, I., 2016. Marketing for nonprofit organisations. In The
Marketing Book (pp. 555-576). Routledge.
Shaw, S., 2016. Airline marketing and management. Routledge.
Van Den Berg, L. and Braun, E., 2017. Sports and city marketing in European cities. Routledge.
Online
M&S fined for misleading claims, 2005. [Online].Available
Through<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/4216740.stm >
4 Ps of Marketing. 2018.[Online].Available Through<https://www.mbaskool.com/business-
concepts/marketing-and-strategy-terms/6778-4-ps-of-marketing.html >