An Analysis of Body Shop's Marketing Strategies and Plan

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of The Body Shop's marketing strategies, roles, and marketing mix. It begins by defining marketing and its importance in driving profitability, focusing on customer satisfaction and brand image. The report then explores the key roles and responsibilities of the marketing function, including customer satisfaction, budget management, and strategic planning, while also examining its interrelation with other departments like finance, sales, and production. The report delves into the marketing mix, comparing Body Shop's strategies with those of L'Occitane across product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence. Finally, the report presents a strategic marketing plan for a new product launch, including objectives, SWOT analysis, STP segmentation, marketing mix elements, budget, and monitoring processes. The conclusion summarizes the key findings, emphasizing the importance of marketing in achieving business goals and capturing market share.

Marketing Essentials

INTRODUCTION
Marketing is refers to the action of promoting and selling products for increasing
profitability. It is management of exchange relationships with customers by providing them
values. One of the primary purpose of marketing is to attract number of customers (Ahrens,
2011). It contributes in accelerative profitability of company. Current study is focused on Body
shop, is a retail company operate in UK for accomplishing higher success. It was established in
1976 by Dame Anita Roddick and has range of around 1000 products. Company offer cosmetics,
skin care and perfume to its customers to increase their profitability level. Report is going to
discussed about roles and responsibilities of marketing function and its interrelation with wider
organizational context. Along with this, marketing mix is also mentioned in this project help in
attaining set objectives. Marketing plan of company is discussed here that support business
organization in attaining success.
TASK 1
P1 Key roles and responsibilities of marketing function
Marketing play a crucial role in creating, keeping and raising customers satisfaction as it
provide values as per consumers taste and wants. This will aid in enhancing profitability. Along
with this, it is refers to the procedures to promoting as well as advertising company products in
market with the aim of spreading awareness. By this, firm can easily improve their brand image.
In this regards, there are some role of marketing functions along with marketing concept as it
assist business in attaining all the set goals and objectives:
Marketing concept: It is refers to philosophy that business organisation needs to analyse
customers needs or taste before providing them products and services. By this, organization can
satisfy customers needs and attain competitive reward from its competitor. In this regards, there
are some marketing concept like production, product, selling, marketing and societal marketing
concept (Bellenger, Bernhardt and Goldstucker, 2011). All these are crucial for marketing
department of Body Shop to follow in order to improve their overall performance at market
place. As it help in establishing its competitive and famous brand image. Customers satisfaction: It is one of the essential function of marketing section keep
customers happy and utmost priority. For providing them higher satisfaction, Body Shop
can analyse customers demand through surveys and promotion activities. By this,
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marketing manager can understand and provide them quality products as per customers
requirements (Bird, 2012). This will gain overall sales of company at market that support
in establishing its competitive image at market. Manage marketing budget: Marketing department is responsible for preparing a long
term budget so that they can easily execute their activities and also keep in mind all the
possible change. For this, marketing department analysis actual needs that is required by
company while promoting and advertising their products in market place.
 Define strategic marketing plan: It is crucial for company to develop an effective
marketing plan. For this marketing department play a crucial role in analysing necessary
action that are to be undertaken, evaluate company strength, determine target market and
so on. All these are may aid in making an appropriate strategic plans that support in
attaining set marketing goals and objectives in stipulated time frame.
P2 How roles and responsibilities of marketing relate to wider organizational context
In Body Shop, various departments are there who play a specific and significant role in
executing entire activities within the organization. Along with this, it also interrelated with
marketing functions through which Body Shop can easily attain their targets and improve their
performance as well. In this context, there are relation of marketing along with wider
organisational context:
Marketing with finance department: Proper analysis and management of fund is one of
the important activity that directly put their impact on overall profitability level. In this regards,
marketing department help finance team by providing them day to day requirement of fund for
operations (Brooks and Simkin, 2012). By this, finance department easily take effective decision
and at the same time also increase their profitability level.
Marketing with sales department: Selling products and services is one of the essential
activity for Body Shop as it assist in raising its profitability. In this, gathering information about
market trends and option available in market place. As they also evaluate the customers needs so
that they can not face any kind of difficulties at the time of finding the brand. Through this, firm
can increase their sales and also increase its customers base as well.
Marketing with production department: It is crucial for company to produce right
quality and quantity of products so that they can maintain continuity within their supply chain.
By this business organisation can easily save cost of the company by eliminating wastage. In this
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regards, marketing department undertake research to analyse external trends and at the same time
also communicate to production division (Cabrera and Williams, 2014). This will help in
improving the chances of delivering best quality products to its customers and also increase its
profitability as well.
TASK 2
P3 Marketing mix
Marketing mix is consider as an effective tool that help in attaining all the marketing
targets in stipulated time frame. One of the main purpose of using this type of tool is to spread
awareness of customers about its products. This will contributes in increasing profitability level
of Body Shop at market place.
Marketing mix of Body Shop and L'Occitane:
Basis Body Shop L'Occitane
Product Body Shop has its diversified
product portfolio which includes
skin type products like skin products
hair products, baby oil and many
more.
L'Occitane offer beauty and skin care
products for women. Its product line is
targets for upper middle class. Mainly,
it includes skincare, make-up, hair
products and many more to its
customers (Coombs, 2012).
Price Body Shop adopted a competitive
pricing policy which help them in
establishing their competitive image
at market place.
L'Occitane has premium pricing
strategy to serve their products. Along
with this company also offer
occasional seasonal discounts along
with festive offers to customers.
Place Body Shop has spread its products to
more than 3049 outlets in whole
world. Along with this, company has
strong distribution network to offer
their services in market place
(Cooper and et. al., 2014).
L'Occitane has around 3100 stores in
over the world through which
company offer their products in market
place. Presently company has good
online presence in market.
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Promotion Body Shop has adopted a societal
marketing concept and at the same
time also encourage usage of plant
based materials. Along with this,
company also promote their products
through fashion magazines and
social media platform.
L'Occitane focus on promoting their
products through social coverage. In
this company implement clever mobile
marketing strategy to promote its
products.
People Body Shop has skilled and talent
workforce who are able in offering
products to its customers. In this
company also provide adequate
training programs to make them able
to deal with customers better.
L'Occitane has skilled employees who
have knowledge about how to handle
customers and make them satisfied.
Process Body Shop ensure a reliable online
presence to offer their products
through online platform.
L'Occitane has strong online presence
by which they serve their quality
products to large number of customers
as per their requirements (Daniel,
2011).
Physical
evidence
Company includes effective
customers relationship management
that help them in retaining customers
(Friis, 2012).
Company includes attractive lay out
that invite more and more customers
towards its services. It CRM is also
effective through which firm easily
manage positive relation with
customers.
TASK 3
P4 Marketing plan
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STRATEGIC MARKETING PLAN
Executive summary
Bodyshop is launching its new product that is activated charcoal scrub for men. This
product is planned to be highly marketed and promoted so that it can reach huge audience. The
purpose of this product will be to benefit men with harsh skin (Jones, 2011). This product is
planned to be aggressively marketed using all possible sources.
Objective
 To launch and market new charcoal scrub for men in 2020 in order gain revenue of
£5000,000 in the period of one year.
SWOT
Strength Weakness
This product will have main element of
charcoal which is an organic product that
will have no side effects on the skin of
consumers.
Due to its element of charcoal, this product
is suitable for men and not for women which
restricts the target market (Langer and Heil,
2015).
Opportunity Threat
Bodyshop can launch different variants of
this products in different sizes, so that
suitability can be enhanced.
In a competitive environment, there is a high
threat that its competitors also launch the
same product from which market share will
be reduced.
STP
Segmentation – For the new product “activated charcoal scrub for men”, Bodyshop has
selected the segmentation criterion of demographics.
Targeting – From the demographic criterion, men with harsh skin are targeted as the
audience market for the product.
Positioning – The new product which is activated charcoal scrub for men will be
positioned in market by the use of brand endorsement in which celebrities will endorse this
product so that social men will be influenced to use the product (Kennedy and Parsons, 2014).
Marketing Mix

Product Bodyshop is a large scale company which is palnning to launch a new
product which is activated charcoal scrub for men.
Place For this new product, Bodyshop will use its existing distribution
channel by which this product will be sold to distributors and then by
distributors will be sold to retailers and end users (Ionitã, 2012).
Website of Bodyshop and other online sites will also be used to sell
this product.
Price Bodyshop has decided to use price skimming strategy for this product.
By this strategy, Bodyshop can make use of their aggressive
marketing campaigns and then as the time passes by, price will be
slowly reduced.
Promotion Various promotion technique such as celebrity brand endorsements,
social media marketing, campus marketing advertisements and
billboards will be used.
Process Marketing process is the intangible asset for Bodyshop’s new product
which will help them in raising revenue.
People Employees will be the key people for this new product.
Physical evidence Deep dark black and white font packaging will be the physical
evidence for the new product of Bodyshop.
Budget
PARTICULARS Amount
Opening Capital
Start-Up Capital 6000
Investment 10000
Total 16000
Marketing Outlay:
Marketing 7000
Publicity 7000
Total 14000
Closing Capital 2000
Monitoring and Controlling
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Bodyshop will monitor the monthly revenue generated by the new product “activated
charcoal scrub for men” by which they can observe that when they need to lower down the price
of their [product so that high revenue can be maintained (Hsu, 2011). Besides monitoring, sales
and marketing activities will be controlled by Bodyshop by using management information
system technique.
CONCLUSION
As per above mentioned study it has been summarised that, marketing is considered as an
important activity as it help in exchanging relationship with customers by offering them best
quality services according to customers needs and wants. In this regards, it also help marketing
manager in developing overall business performance more competitive and famous by
effectively execute their functions. Furthermore, marketing roles are also connected with
different department of company thorough which firm can attain their set targets. In addition of
this, marketing mix and plan is also beneficial for company in attaining their marketing targets in
stipulated period of time. By which firm can capture larger market share from its competitors.
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REFERENCES
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