Marketing & Management: Strategic Analysis of Key Companies

This report provides a detailed analysis of marketing and management strategies, focusing on competitive positioning, SWOT analysis, and the marketing mix. It examines the competitive positioning strategies of McDonald's, highlighting their customer segmentation and adaptive product positioning. The report also analyzes McDonald's marketing objectives, emphasizing their SIPOC model and strategies for sustainable competitive advantage. Furthermore, it delves into Apple's market segmentation and marketing mix, discussing product features, pricing strategies, distribution, and promotional activities. The challenges faced by industrial marketing managers are also addressed, along with an examination of Sony's pricing strategy for the PS3. The report includes a SWOT analysis of IKEA, detailing their strategies for threat minimization and leveraging their strengths. Finally, a SWOT analysis of McDonald's is presented, outlining their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This document, contributed by a student, is available on Desklib, a platform offering study tools for students.

Running Head: MARKETING & MANAGEMENT
Topic: Marketing and Management

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Table of Contents
Marketing 1................................................................................................................................3
Question 2: Competitive Positioning Strategy of McDonalds...............................................3
Question 3: Marketing Objective analysis of McDonalds.....................................................3
Question 4: Market Segmentation and Marketing Mix of Apple...........................................3
Product................................................................................................................................3
Price....................................................................................................................................4
Place....................................................................................................................................4
Promotions..........................................................................................................................4
Question 6: issues facing industrial marketing managers......................................................4
Question 7: Pricing Strategy of Sony....................................................................................5
Marketing 2................................................................................................................................5
1. Definition of SWOT analysis.............................................................................................5
2. Difference between internal and external factors...............................................................6
3. IKEA strategies of threat minimisation..............................................................................6
4. How did IKEA use the information in their SWOT analysis to help their business grow?
................................................................................................................................................7
5. SWOT analysis of McDonalds...........................................................................................7
Reference List............................................................................................................................9

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Marketing 1
Question 2: Competitive Positioning Strategy of McDonalds
McDonalds identifies specific segments from its primary customer base and then
develops a customised product line for each customer segment. The marketing department of
the company is segregated based on the consumer segments. There is a director for managing
the Young Adults, a director for the African Americans, a director for the moms and so on.
The company uses an adaptive product positioning. According to the market and the
demand dynamics, the higher management involves in to periodic repositioning of their
products.
Question 3: Marketing Objective analysis of McDonalds
The company employs an efficient SIPOC model and thereby integrates the suppliers,
management as well as customers to improve the quality of products. The focused marketing
strategies of the company highlights nutrition, quality, taste, menu as well as other health
related advantages which helps McDonalds to develop sustainable competitive advantage.
There are innumerable fast food brands as well as local fast food chains that are giving head
on competition to the company. However, with 36000+ outlets all over the world, the
company is able to fight hard with other popular fast food chains like KFC, Dominos and so
on (Clayton, Leshner and Almond 2015). Besides, the company have focused primarily on
the target market comprising of the people aged between 15 to 40 years who favour eating
out with relatives and family. As analysed by Crawford (2015), McDonalds have been able to
attract younger generation more than any other brand in their core markets like USA and UK.
Question 4: Market Segmentation and Marketing Mix of Apple
Product

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The most loved part about Apple iPhones is their iOS operating system. The iPhone
hardware have maximum compatibility with the software and the OS compared to the
platforms like Windows and Android and this escalates their processing speed.
Price
iPhones are a premium mobile phone brand that has a skimming price. However,
Harrington, Ottenbacher and Fauser (2017), states that the competitive price of mobile of
other brands like Samsung are not able to affect the market of Apple because of the brand
loyalty of Apple among its customers.
Place
Apple provides excellent service back up to the iPhone customers in almost every
country. The iStores (Apple service centres) are available in almost all cities in premium
locations. The company also follows the CNF model whereby the iStores receive the product
directly from the customers at maximum discounted price. The company also have corporate
tie ups that helps them to enhance the speed of market acquisition.
Promotions
By means of their promotional strategy, Apple is targeting the ATL as well as BTL
sales segments. However, Chen and Ann (2016), states that since Apple is a premium brand
the presence of the brand is higher with the ATL segment compared to the BTL segment.
Question 6: issues facing industrial marketing managers
There are 5 major issues that the industrial marketing managers face. The main issue
is their inexperience that hinders them from implementing feasible marketing strategies in
dynamic market atmosphere. Secondly, they need to constantly develop and shuffle their

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marketing strategies in the face of changing marketing needs. This is because the preferences
of the customers are changing with time.
Thirdly, many marketing managers lack the necessary skills to interpret the market report
data. Without this interpretive knowledge it becomes difficult for them to understand which
marketing strategy they need to pursue. Shuffling around too many marketing strategies can
significantly impact the ROI of the companies. Fourthly there is a lack of communication
among the various marketing teams because of which collection, organisation, interpretation,
as well as communication of their campaign data becomes problematic. Lastly, putting in
marketing strategies without comprehensive knowledge about the outcomes of the previously
implemented strategies can be highly discouraging. A marketing strategy might seem to be
working well for the company with the traffic and the lead count going up. However,
problem arises when the customer count does not budge.
Question 7: Pricing Strategy of Sony
PS 3 by Sony is a product with premium price, ranged between $725 and $905. In
comparison the price of Xbox is supposed be between $501 and $525. However, it is the
combined price of the components of the console that is the reason for the high price of the
gaming console of Sony. The Sony box contains a blue ray drive capable of supporting the
Blue Ray DVD format. This inclusion is alone responsible for a price variation by $200 to
$300. Besides, the device is one among the few in the market with XDR memory based on
the RAMBUS design. The distribution and advertising cost of the Sony products are also
high because of which the market price is impacted.
Marketing 2
1. Definition of SWOT analysis

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SWOT analysis can be identified as a study undertaken for evaluation of the internal
business environment of any organisation identifying the internal strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities as well as threats.
2. Difference between internal and external factors.
Medium of Comparison Internal Market Factors
(Micro)
External Market Factors
(Macro)
Meaning Internal market factors
refers to the nearby
environment, under which
the company operates
External environment
consists of the general
business environment of the
industry that can affect all
companies under the same
business domain.
Elements COSMIC factors including
competitors, the company
itself, intermediaries, market
as well as customers
PESTLE factors including
population, economic,
technological, legal,
environmental as well as
socio-cultural factors
Kind of Elements Specific General
Controlling Capability High Low
Influence Direct Distant
3. IKEA strategies of threat minimisation
Introduction of innovative product designs can mitigate the issue of market slow
down for the first time buyers. As stated by Vahlne and Jonsson (2017), in order to counter

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the new entrants in the market, the company have to make their product prices competitive.
Lastly, IKEA can counter recession by encouraging imports of high priced commodities from
market where the production cost is low and Discourage Borrowings if Inflation is ruling
high.
4. How did IKEA use the information in their SWOT analysis to help their business
grow?
A SWOT analysis helps the organisation to understand their current market position
(Leiber, Stensaker and Harvey 2018). The future marketing strategies of IKEA will depend
on the outcomes of the SWOT analysis.
5. SWOT analysis of McDonalds
Strengths
 Second biggest restaurant network
 There are 37241 franchises in the market
 The market power over the suppliers and the competitors is very high
Weaknesses

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 Saturation in the US markets will make it problematic for the company to open
branches in the prime locations
 The dividend growth of the company is slowing down
Opportunities
 There is huge market potential for McDonalds in the Chinese market which can
become the biggest market for the company outside US.
 There is ample opportunity for menu innovation based on the localised preferences
Threats
 Strong competition from the peers like Subway and Burger King
 Substitute product roll outs

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Reference List
Chen, C.M. and Ann, B.Y., 2016. Efficiencies vs. importance-performance analysis for the
leading smartphone brands of Apple, Samsung and HTC. Total Quality Management &
Business Excellence, 27(3-4), pp.227-249.
Clayton, R.B., Leshner, G. and Almond, A., 2015. The extended iSelf: The impact of iPhone
separation on cognition, emotion, and physiology. Journal of Computer-Mediated
Communication, 20(2), pp.119-135.
Crawford, A., 2015. McDonald's: A Case Study in Glocalization. Journal of Global Business
Issues, 9(1), p.11.
Harrington, R.J., Ottenbacher, M.C. and Fauser, S., 2017. QSR brand value: Marketing mix
dimensions among McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, Subway and Starbucks. International
Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(1), pp.551-570.
Leiber, T., Stensaker, B. and Harvey, L.C., 2018. Bridging theory and practice of impact
evaluation of quality management in higher education institutions: a SWOT analysis.
European Journal of Higher Education, 8(3), pp.351-365.
Vahlne, J.E. and Jonsson, A., 2017. Ambidexterity as a dynamic capability in the
globalization of the multinational business enterprise (MBE): Case studies of AB Volvo and
IKEA. International Business Review, 26(1), pp.57-70.