Marketing Report: Analyzing M&S Marketing Strategies and Objectives

This report delves into the core aspects of marketing, focusing on the roles and responsibilities of the marketing function within an organization, using Marks & Spencer (M&S) as a case study. It examines the importance of marketing in understanding customer needs, planning, product development, p...Read More

Marketing Essentials

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
PART-1............................................................................................................................................3
Roles and responsibilities of marketing function..................................................................3
Roles and responsibilities of marketing in context to organisation.......................................4
PART-2............................................................................................................................................5
Applying marketing mix to different organisation to achieve business objectives...............5
Marketing plan for an organisation.....................................................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCE.................................................................................................................................13
INTRODUCTION

Marketing refers to making connection between with customers in order to promote and
sell commodities. Marketing is important for representing and growth of an organisation. It helps
in making reputation of the organization in the market. Marketing should be creative and unique
in order to attract customers. Marketing helps an organisation in better understanding the current
market trend and requirements of customers and provide products according to market trends so
that higher customer’s satisfaction will achieve. Conducting proper marketing research helps in
effectively analysing the future market trend and company is able to achieve competitive
advantage in market. While a marketing process includes four important elements which are
strategic marketing analysis, market- mix planning, market implementation and market control.
In this report, Marks & Spencer is chosen as the base company. The company is a leading British
multinational retailer store, founded by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in 1884. It’s
headquarter is in London, England. M&S deals with retailing of clothes, food and home products
(The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2021). In this report, different roles and
responsibilities of marketing function and the interrelationships between different departments of
organisation with marketing is discussed. Also, it includes marketing mix of organisation to
achieve the objectives with the evaluation of business plan.
PART-1
Roles and responsibilities of marketing function
Marketing function refers to the roles of the organisation which is used in identifying the
most potential product and helps in promoting in the market. They have different roles and
responsibilities in order to promote growth in the organisation (Abbate, 2017). Marketing
functions includes promoting, product plan, marketing research etc. in order to sell their product
and services. In context to M&S, marketing function in the organisation have various roles an
responsibility which are mentioned below-
 Analysis customer's need: This is the most important and step first to analyse the
customer taste and preferences. Various marketing research takes place in order to
understand the customer wants. This helps in making product designs based on the
informations given by the customers. In reference to the company, they can analyse the
market by putting up surveys form and contest in order to retrieve the informations from
the audience.

 Planning: Planning is also an important part of the organisation. Proper planning is
necessary in order to make objectives of the organisation in a given time period.
 Product development: Developing product according to customer need is important as
customer is the main highlighting factor. Information given by the audience is kept in
mind by making the product. A good product showcase the company as well as create
great impact on the profitability in the organization (Avila-Robinson and Wakabayashi
2018). Products developed by M&S are of good quality and durability which are popular
among the audience.
 Packaging and labelling: Appearance of a product is necessary to be creative as it
attracts customers. They are the pillars of the product and a perfect marketing tool in
making customers to buy them. In reference to the selected firm, they have launched
project called 'Project Thin Air' in which they are packaging food in small packets which
are less bulky. This strategy not only helps in saving the environment by minimum use of
plastics but also attracts customers.
 Promotion: Promoting of product plays a vital role in the organization. Promotion helps
in giving information about the product with an objective to increase the profitability of
the organization. Promotions can be done through various channels such as advertising,
social media, public relation and many more.
 Customer services: It is important for marketing manager to ensure about customer
satisfaction. They provide various customer services to make sure that they don't feel any
trouble related to their offerings provided by the organisation. Customers services
includes handling customer problems, consumer information and many more.
Roles and responsibility of marketing manager
In context of Marks & Spencer, its marketing manager perform various roles which helps
in the success of organisation. Various roles of marketing managers are discuss below:
 Creating an efficient marketing plan- Main role of a marketing manager is to create an
effective marketing plan so that all marketing activities are conduct effectively. Preparing
an effective plan provide direction to employees regarding what activity is conduct and in
which direction they needs to go for achievement of common goal. In context of Marks &
Spencer its marketing manager preform this role effectively and various strategies are
included in their plan for better achievement of goal.

 Managing innovation process- Another important role of marketing manager is to
effectively manage the innovation process. This is because the market trends and
requirements of customers are rapidly changes and marketing manager is responsible for
effectively analysing their requirements and conduct innovation process so that
competitive advantage will achieve in market.
 Managing customers service- Marketing manager perform a role of effectively
managing customers service. This is because customers service helps in enhancing level
of their satisfaction and its very important for marketing manager to effectively manage
their customers service. In context of selected company its marketing manager implement
various methods of customer service so that their employees will effectively do their job
and provide best customer service.
Importance of marketing role in an organisation
Marketing play an essential role in the success of an organisation as it helps in achieving
higher customer’s satisfaction which generate higher revenue for company. In context of selected
company various importance of marketing roles for organisation are discuss below:
 Identifying customers- First most important role of marketing is to identify the
customers by analysing their needs and wants. This role help organisation in selecting the
best target market and also provide direction to company in successfully achieving it.
Better identification of customers help selected company in providing products and
services according to customers and achieve higher profit.
 Satisfying customers- Another important role of marketing is to satisfying the customers
most. For this conducting a proper marketing research helps company in analysing the
taste and preferences of customer’s. In context of selected company, marketing helps
them in analysing the requirements of customers and by providing products according to
their needs company achieve higher revenue.
Interrelationships among marketing and other department of an organisation
Marketing plays a key role in buying and selling of commodities in order to gain profit.
Marketing is the process of targeting customers by creating awareness about the product,
building trust and brand and information to the customers. The whole process of marketing of
product and services of an organisation is interlinked to other departments also such as
production department, finance department, human resource department and research and

development. In context to Marks and Spencer, roles and responsibilities of marketing with other
departments are explained below-
 Marketing and Production department: Marketing department helps in conducting of
planned research and development to satisfy the need of customer in both current and
future scenario. This department also helps in identifying the things that customer doesn't
like which helps in improving of product's quality (Burgess and Munn, 2017).
Furthermore, they also decide where should the product to be sold. In references to Marks
and Spencer, the marketing department helps in gathering in information bout taste and
preferences of the audience and fulfilling their needs (Caliskan, 2019).
 Marketing and finance department: Finance department is considered to be the
backbone of the company. Funds are necessary in every department and they make sure
that there is enough budget to meet the goals of promotion, research and distribution. In
context to the selected firm, marketing department make sure about the proper cash flow
and increasing of market share.
 Marketing and Human resource development: Marketing department works with
human resource department to make sure about the staff and their level. They hire
talented employees who can execute all the tacks. In context to the company, marketing
department helps human resource department in finding the right candidate for the
organisation by using various marketing strategy and in addition to this, they also helps in
motivating of the employees.
 Marketing and research and development: Both marketing department and research
and development department helps in producing products and services by using different
marketing tools. Requirement of customer are analysed by the marketing department to
give to the R&D department. In context to the company, R&D department gives all the
information to the marketing department in order to convey at the marketplace. Also, it
helps in improving performance and brand image of the organisation.
PART-2
Applying marketing mix to different organisation to achieve business objectives
The 7Ps are a set of marketing tools that is used to satisfying of customer in market and
helps in stand out from competitors. Theses 7Ps are controllable in nature but also depends upon

the internal and external environment of the organisation. Due to rapid changes in customer,
product, market and need, these 7 Ps helps organisation in maintaining the continuous track and
profitability (Chernev, 2018). The organisation uses 7 ps in identifying the strength and
weaknesses to compete in the market with other organisation. The 7ps are explained below in
context to Marks and Spencer-
Product: It refers to the products and services that company offers (Das, 2021). A product
should fulfil the satisfaction of the customer. It is importance for the organisation to make sure
that the product should met the expectations of the customers and also it can survive in the
market. H&M offers various products such as clothing for men, women, and children, bags,
jewellery, beauty products and many more. In order to increase their sales, they use strategies
such as cheap Monday, COS and many more in order to cater the market. Marks and Spencer is a
leading retail brand in the world which offers variety of products and services to their customers.
It includes products for all age groups for men, women and children. They offers clothings, foot
wears, bags, jewellery. Also offers home and furnitures with their accessories. Furthermore, they
sells gift items and flowers as well. M&S has been collaborating with sustainable suppliers to
produce environment friendly products. Also, recyclable materials are used in packaging of the
products. Many customers are attracted and increase their confidence to buy products from them.
Price: It is the amount of money which the customer pays in order to get product or
services. The product always represents a good value of money. H&M offers products which are
lower as compared to other organisation as the manufacturing and transportation costs low to
them (Fill and Turnbull, 2019). Products are of both low and high price in order to target all the
market segment. M&S follows competitive pricing strategy as customers has many options to
chose from and also also faces competition from online retailers (Eagle, 2019). Furthermore,
they also follows dynamic pricing strategy where they offers discounts on products in seasonal
and festive seasons.
Place:Place encompasses locations such as where is product manufactured, shown in ads,
distributed and sold in the market. The product should always reach to the target location to the
right people. H&M stores are located in major cities only and they offers products from
franchising companies due to regulatory rules. Their products are manufactured in those

countries where cheap labours are there in order to reduce the costs. More than 1000 Marks and
Spencer stores are there in over 50 countries. Here, the store as physical evidence for the
company (Hoque, Hashim and Azmi, 2018). Products offering by them also acts as physical
evidence. M&S is in international brand which has more then 1000 stores in more then 50
countries as their distribution channel is strong. They have their own website where people can
order products which can be delivered at their homes and also offers international delivery.
Promotion: Promotion refers to the communication to the audience for promoting the
product and services offered by the organisation. It is designed in such a way that it gives reasons
why to buy from our organisation with highlighting the benefits of their offerings. Promotion can
be done through carious mediums such as advertisements, social media, personal selling and
many more (Hanzaee, Sadeghian and Jalalian, 2019). H&M create advertisement that unique and
can attract customers easily. They use digital marketing heavily in order to promote their
offerings. Various channels are used by the M&S to promote and create awareness about their
offering in order to increase their sales. They runs loyalty programs which add points to accounts
of customer for future purchases from their company.
Process: Process refers to the set of functions performed while delivering good and
services to the customers. It directly affects the cost of the company. So it is important for an
organisation to maintain the services properly in order to minimize the cost. Process includes
distribution system, sales system and many more. With reference to the company, their product
is depend upon the customer taste and preferences and feedback from customers results in
launching the right products. The M&S offers products which are environment friendly. It poses
people to recycle their clothes in order to conserve the environment.
Physical evidence: Physical evidence refers to what the customer see of the product and
services offered by the company. It includes packaging, layout, branding and many more. In
context to the company, they have visual exteriors grabs attention of the customers to showcase
about the discounted and sales items. More than 1000 Marks and Spencer stores are there in over
50 countries. Here, the store as physical evidence for the company (Hoque, Hashim and Azmi,
2018). Products offering by them also act as physical evidence.
People: People are responsible for carrying out all the activities and functions to run an
organisation. It includes people who are responsible for selling product and services,
representing customers and many more. It involves both direct and indirect persons to carry out

the work. It is important for an organisation to hire right employees and also able to target the
right market to in order to achieve the organisational goal. In reference to H&M, due to modern
work culture and employees working in rotation basis, this helps in making the best products.
People having special skills are hired in order to make unique and innovative products. As an
international brand, their work force carried out in large number. And M&S pays attention to
their every employee. They offers competitive payment policy to retain their employees as well
as employees can enjoy special discount when they purchase from the M&S stores. They also
run training and development programs for thei9r new employees.
Marketing plan for an organisation
Marketing plan is a document which includes the business strategy for the organisation to
implement in order to understand the business in the market. Marketing plan involves overview
about the business's current marketing position, business's target market and also customer
needs. It is an overall description of vision, mission and marketing objectives of the company.
Executive Summary: Marks and Spencer is a leading British multinational retailer
company which is founded by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in 1884. its headquarter is in
London, England. There offerings include a variety of product such as clothing, food products
and domestic commodities with their own brand name (Kotoua and Ilkan, 2017). Marketing plan
with context to Marks and Spencer is given below-
Mission: The mission statement of the company is “To make aspirational quality
accessible to all”.
Vision: The vision statement of the company is “To be the standard against which all
others are measured”.
Objectives:
 Launching of new offering in 10 months helps in increasing profitability by 10%
 Captures more areas by expansion of the businesses.
STP strategy: STP stands for segmentation, targeting and positioning. It is a three step
model which is used by organisation to develop their market mix and product positioning
according to the selected segment.
 Segmentation: Segmentation refers to the categorising the market into different
sub categories according to the requirements. In reference to M&S, segmentation
is basis on the occupation, income, age.

 Targeting: Targeting means to cater the market or individual for a specific
content. M&S target the audience of age group 35 to 55 years both men and
women.
 Positioning: Positioning refers to the positive position of the company in the
market. In context to M&S, products of M&S are positioned in an adequate form.
SWOT Analysis: SWOT analysis is a techniques for finding strength, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats of an organisation. In context to M&S, SWOT analysis is mentioned
below-
Strength Weaknesses
 They have strong e-commerce
infrastructure.
 Limited market share as the
competitors are more in the market.
Opportunities Threats
 Company can launch their new
segments. In Asia, traditional and
ethnic wear are widely popular and
wore by people. M&S can come up
with this idea.
 M&S faces many competitors such as
ASDA, Tesco and many more
companies offers discounted prices
which is a threat.
MARKETING BUDGET
PARTICULARS Ist Year IInd Year IIIrd Year IVth Year Vth Year
Initial amount 3000 6300 12200 14160 19970
Investment 9300 10500 23830 31630 13550
TOTAL 11300 16800 36030 45790 33520
MARKETING OUTLAY
Promotion 4746 1459 4593 1875 1211
Sales publicity 1365 800 2452 1492 1050

Direct selling 2235 1900 4651 1000 4434
TOTAL 8146 4159 11896 4467 6405
Monitoring and controlling: Marks and Spencer monitors the performance of their
employees in an efficient manner in order to achieve its organisational objectives. Management
monitors activities in order for smooth functioning of the organisation (Sharma, Ahuja and
Alavi, 2018). It is analysed that a structured marketing plan helps in understanding the strategies
and implementing the changes in the organisation.
Tactical action plan-
Tactic Action steps Resources required Deadline Person
responsible
 Effectively
conduct market
research for
analysing
customer’s
requirement.
 Preparing a plan
for producing these
types of goods and
services.
 Clearly
communicating the
plan related to new
launching.
 Effectively
producing goods
and provide it to
customers.
 Analysis the
satisfaction level of
 Raw material
related to cloths,
foods items.
 Effective and
efficient human
resource.
 Sufficient amount
of funds.
Try to
achieve this
objective
within 3
months after
implement
the plan into
action.
CEO of
company
and all
departments
managers
are
responsible.

customers and
profit generated
from it.
Effectiveness of marketing plan
The effectiveness of marketing plan is depended upon the number of factors such as the
performance of the business, execution of marketing plan. The marketing plan of Marks and
Spencer shows that how will they execute all the activities which they are planned for future
development as well as increasing their profitability. By conducting the market research, they
will identify the needs and demands of the customers. In order to fulfil the needs of customers,
they will produce products and promote in the market and then analyse the satisfaction level of
the customers by the offering of new product. The organisation will try to achieve this objective
within three months of implementation. This plan makes sure that all the activities are done
systematically in order to achieve the goals and objective of Marks and Spencer. This plan not
only assists in coordinating the activities but also balanced the resources in relation to the market
as well as future opportunities. Along with this, it also minimizes the risk of failure.
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that marketing play a vital role in an
organisation in promoting and selling of goods and services in order to gain profit. The key roles
and responsibilities of marketing function is discussed and how marketing department is
connected to other departments such as production department, finance department, human
resource department and research and development department. It is also includes how different
organisations apply marketing mix to achieve business objectives. Furthermore, marketing plan
of Marks and Spencer is also evaluated in order to understand its vision, mission and objectives.

REFERENCE
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Accelerating Growth in Strategic Accounts. Kogan Page Publishers.
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personality traits. Journal of Relationship Marketing, 18(3), pp.196-215.
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Das, S., 2021. Search engine optimization and marketing: A recipe for success in digital
marketing. CRC Press.
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Fill, C. and Turnbull, S., 2019. Marketing Communications: Touchpoints, Sharing and
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purchase Islamic banking products. Journal of Islamic Marketing.
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Online source
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Marks-and-Spencer-PLC