R/508/0486 Unit 2 Marketing Essentials Report: Role, Mix, and Plan

This report provides a comprehensive overview of marketing essentials, focusing on the role of marketing within an organization and its interrelation with other functional units. It delves into the 7Ps marketing mix (product, price, place, promotion, people, physical evidence, and process) and how organizations utilize these elements to achieve their business objectives. The report also includes an analysis of a basic marketing plan, outlining its key components such as goals, current marketing position, timelines, KPIs, and target market information. The document covers the key elements of a successful marketing function, including tactics, planning, and research, emphasizing the importance of market research in making informed commercial decisions. Furthermore, the report also highlights the interdependencies between the marketing unit and other departments like finance, research and development, sales, and human resources, showing how they work together to achieve organizational goals. Finally, the report offers insights into market segmentation and the process of developing a marketing plan, making it a valuable resource for students studying marketing principles.

UNIT 2
MARKETING ESSENTIALS
R/508/0486
TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LO 1 Explain the role of marketing and how it interrelates with other functional units of an
organisation......................................................................................................................................3
Introduction to Organization ...........................................................................................................4
Operations Management Principles.................................................................................................4
LO 2 Compare ways in which organisations use elements of the marketing mix (7Ps) to achieve
overall business objectives...............................................................................................................6
Continuous Improvement ................................................................................................................6
Kaizen..............................................................................................................................................6
Continuous Improvement in an Operational Context......................................................................7
LO 3 Develop and evaluate a basic marketing plan........................................................................8
Project Life Cycle (PLC) and Project Management........................................................................8
Project Life Cycle (PLC) to a Given Context..................................................................................8
TABLES ...........................................................................................................................................
Table 1 Manpower Requirements....................................................................................................9
Table 2 Materials and Equipment Requirements ..........................................................................10
CHARTS……………………………………………………………………………………………
Chart 1 Gantt Chart Phase 1………………………………………………………………………
11
Chart 2 Gantt Chart Phase 2………………………………………………………………………
11
Chart 3 Gantt Chart Phase 3………………………………………………………………………
12
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................14
REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY...............................................................................................15

INTRODUCTION
LO1: EXPLAIN THE ROLE OF MARKETING AND HOW IT INTERRELATES WITH
OTHER FUNCTIONAL UNITS OF AN ORGANISATION
MARKETING
Marketing is the defined as a business function which involves activities of exploring, creating
and delivering value to satisfy a target market’s needs for the purpose of making profit off it.
Through marketing, the unfulfilled needs and desires of target markets are identified and also the
profit potential; and through marketing, all the products and services of an organisation is
promoted to its target market (Phillip Kotler, 2012). Marketing is an activity which helps widen
the market base of a business, product or service; it also help in managing all customer demands
such that their needs and wants are met. Through marketing, an organisation can sustain
competition and also stay ahead of competitors; it also help it to adapt the right price to its
products and services. Marketing also aid business sustenance, growth, expansion and also build
reputation for an organisation.
MARKETING FUNCTION AND HOW IT INTERRELATES WITH OTHER
FUNCTIONAL UNITS OF AN ORGANISATION
Marketing function is one which help in identifying a product or service which is as needed in
market and therefore promote it to the market such that profit is made on it. Every functional unit
of an organisation are related; marketing is not an exception as the marketing unit of an
organisation relates with every other unit or department of the organisation – finance, research
and development, sales, human resources, IT, operations, customer service, administration and
supply chain or distribution. Marketing and sales for instance work together to ensure an
organisation is able to achieve targets that relates to penetrating new markets and also increasing
the organisation’s sales. The marketing unit needs the human resources unit to help in staff
hiring, training and support on the continuous improvement on the job for marketing department
staffs.

The finance unit communicates marketing unit on the return on investment they are making
based on the amount of money the marketing team is spending on their activities; and also on the
target for the year of the organisation – all these will help the marketing team know how to
strategise their activities (Neil Robertson, 2017). Also, the marketing unit and the research and
development unit of an organisation are no doubt interdependent because important innovation
activities from the research and development unit when communicated to the marketing unit will
make it more effective in its activities. This maybe the outcomes that lead to technology
advancement for an organisation and if well utilised by the marketing team can lead to more
leads and therefore more profit (Robert W.R and Orville C.W, Pg. 233, 1987).
From the key element of marketing function that makes this functional unit a success in an
organisation are tactics or strategies used, the planning to implement the marketing, and the
research which is vital to marketing activities. Market Research is the systematic, objective
collection and analysis of data about a particular target market, competition, and/or environment.
Market research uses scientifically-led studies to collect necessary market information, enabling
entrepreneurs to make the right commercial decisions. The tactics are the plans which are to be
implemented and the way it is done so as to attract target customers; the research activities is
seen as the most important because a successful market research will provide marketing staffs
the relevant information to plan, and strategise their activities.
The tactics and strategy is about making use of information gotten from market research
activities in aiding internal workplace operations such that the organisation is able to compete in
a healthy way with strong brands and therefore be successful in the market environment.
INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIZATION
LO2: COMPARE WAYS IN WHICH ORGANISATIONS USE ELEMENTS OF THE
MARKETING MIX (7PS) TO ACHIEVE OVERALL BUSINESS OBJECTIVES
MARKETING MIX
In marketing activities, 4ps which use to be the commonly used marketing mix and it stands for
product, price, place and promotion. It was later extended to 7ps; and the 7Ps marketing mix can

be used in aiding the achievement of business goals and objectives – it stands for product, price,
place, promotion, people, physical evidence and process. The product or services must be one
which customers’ needs and should always meet their needs and satisfy them; the price must be
one which is affordable by customers, give them value for their money and competitive such that
it offers the best offer for customers. The place must be one whereby the products and services of
an organisation can be accessed easily by customers and it should also make product or service
delivery timely.
The promotion which is all about advertising and promotion of the products or services of the
organisation through sales activities and through different social media platforms – it must be
done consistently at the right time such it help influence sales and increase profit (Brian Tracy,
2004). The people are vital in the marketing mix and those involved are marketing staffs and
other department staffs, employees etc. and they all need to possess the right marketing skills.
Customers can also be involved through referrals. The physical environment here are those
tangible and visible resources and infrastructure of a business or organisation which it make use
in service delivery and production activities. The process is the standard procedure and system
through which services and/or products are delivered to customers such that they are satisfied
and their expectations are met (Stevie Langford, 2019).
Business organisations, small, medium and large make use of the marketing mix in different
ways to ensure the achievement of the business goals and objectives; the organisation …………
with have been able to make use of the 7ps marketing mix to aid the achievement of different
business objectives while other organisations such as ………… also make use of this marketing
mix in addition to the utilisation of market segmentation which they do by firstly identifying and
defining well a target market, create market segment for it, then different criteria are used in
evaluate the different market segments after which segment process is constructed and this is
taken further by assessing the process for its attractiveness and the target markets are chosen and
this is used in implementing the strategies of the organisation. Once they do this, they evaluate
the segmentation and also seek for feedback which is to be used to improve the process.
LO3: DEVELOP AND EVALUATE A BASIC MARKETING PLAN
MARKETING PLAN

A marketing plan is part of a business plan and it is a document which shows the advertising and
marketing strategy of an organisation for the coming year, quarter or month. It is a document that
is to include in it the goals of an organisation’s marketing and advertising activities; a well
described current marketing position of the organisation; a timeline that shows when tasks as
shown in the plan is to be completed; the key performance indicators (KPIs) that is to be
monitored when implementing the plan; and a detailed information on the target market and
needs of customers of the organisation (Sara McGuire, 2020).
CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY