McDonald's Marketing Essentials: Roles, Responsibilities, and Plan

This report provides an overview of marketing essentials, focusing on the roles and responsibilities of the marketing function within an organization, using McDonald's as a case study. It examines how marketing roles relate to the wider organizational context, including the relationship between marketing and production management, human resource management, and finance management. The report also analyzes how organizations apply the marketing mix to the marketing planning process, comparing McDonald's marketing mix with that of its competitor, Burger King. Furthermore, the report includes a marketing plan for a new product launch at McDonald's, detailing strategies for promotion, advertising, distribution, and costing. The analysis covers current and future trends in marketing, such as social media marketing, retargeting campaigns, and the importance of technological updates. The report concludes by emphasizing the significance of effective marketing management in achieving business objectives and maintaining a competitive edge in the market.

Marketing Essentials

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................3
TASK 1.................................................................................................................................................3
P1 Key roles and responsibilities of the marketing function...........................................................3
P2 How roles and responsibilities of marketing relate to the wider organisational context............5
TASK 2.................................................................................................................................................8
P3 Different ways in which organisations apply the marketing mix to the marketing planning
process to achieve business objectives............................................................................................8
TASK 3...............................................................................................................................................10
P4 Marketing plan for McDonald's................................................................................................10
CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Marketing is an activity, which is used by organisations for making good relationship with
their customers, by providing ample number of products and services, which can fulfil the needs the
of them. This all will lead the organisation to attain their goals and objectives, so that they can grow
and develop at market place. Along with this, marketing is a process which is made up by
functioning of different elements like, needs and requirement of customers, study of market,
exchanging of products and services, implementation of strategies for customers and competitors.
For completing this report, organisation which has been chosen is McDonald's, which is one of the
biggest fast food chain of the world. It is an American organisation which was founded in 1940 by
Richard and Maurice McDonald's (Baker and Magnini, 2016). In this report, a study will take place
on the major roles and responsibilities which marketing functions of them use to play, along with
relationship of it with another organisational operations. Also, a comparison will take place on
marketing mix of McDonald's with their competitor like Burger King. In the last of this report, a
marketing plan will get designed for new product which McDonald's is going to launch.
TASK 1
P1 Key roles and responsibilities of the marketing function.
Marketing : Marketing is a method which is used by organisations, so that they can provide
ample number of products and services produced by them for fulfilling the needs and requirements
of customers. For this, they use to implement several strategies for promotions, advertisements,
distribution, and costing of those products.
Concept of marketing : Marketing is a concept which is made up by assembling ample
number of operations and by implementing several number of strategies, so that different functions
of organisation get performed for fulfilling the needs of their customers and also help in increasing
profitability of them (Baker and Saren, 2016). This is made with combination of different
operations like, production (customers at market place use to prefer those products which are not
very much expensive and also easily available), product (products which are very much unique and
are able to fulfil needs of customers are very much popular among consumers), selling (products
which use to follow high promotional activities are very much popular among market place),
marketing (products which can fulfil the needs and requirements of customers are very famous),
societal marketing (products according to customer needs at specific market place are very much
popular).

Current and future trend : Study of trends are very much important for an organisation, as
this help them in gaining information about change in preference and behaviour of customers
towards some products. This will help organisation in attaining knowledge that what they have to
produce and also what changes they have to make in their products, so that they can fulfil the
changing needs of their customers. Along with this, by making study of trends, it become very
much easy for them to identify that which type of products will help them in attracting ample
number of customers (Boschetti and Massaron, 2015). The method of marketing which McDonald's
can use for promoting their products are market place is social media marketing. In this, they can
use Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp and other social media network for promoting and advertising
their products to customers. Another marketing approach which they can use is retargeting
campaigns in which they have to target segment of society for which they are producing products
and services. Also they can use text message and emails for promoting their products, as in this they
use to send emails and text to targeted customers, so that they can provide information about the
products and service offered to them along with some special offer. Along with this, technology is
very dynamic in nature and use to change with rapid speed. Therefore it become very much
important for them to keep updating their technologies, so that their performance get improved.
Along with this, it help them in attracting ample number of customers towards the products and
services offered by them.
Marketing process : There are ample number of factors which are associated with marketing
process and due to which organisations use marketing process in their functioning. The function
which marketing use to play in organisation is, it help in identifying different opportunities art
market place for them, also help in selecting targeted segment at market place, also help in
managing different efforts made by marketing, and lead to developing marketing mix (Brady,
2014). Different steps which are analysed by the use of marketing are as follow :-
 Analysis of opportunities within market : For an organisation, it is very much essential for
them to analyse different opportunities which market is offering them to grow and develop
their business. These can be needs and demands of customers, and also change in trends at
market place. McDonald's can analyse these factors for gaining information about the
opportunities which are available at market place and also which they can grab for their
growth and development. This all help them in increasing their sustainability at market place
for long term period by offering those products that can fulfil the need of their customers.
 Selection of targeted segment : As for an organisation, it is not very much easy for them to
to fulfil the needs of each and every segment of society, therefore, form them it is very much
important to select a special segment for which they are offering their products and services.

As, McDonald's is fast food chain, that's why the segment which is chosen by them for their
products and service is youth of society. As this is the group which love to consume fast
food at very huge amount. This will help them in making it easy to make strategies which
can attract customers from market place.
 Developing marketing mix : This is very much important for an organisation, as this help
them in getting knowledge that what is their current position in market as compared to their
competitors (Campbell, Martin and Fabos, 2018). The biggest competitors of McDonald's
are Subway and Burger king, as designing this marketing mix will help them in gaining
knowledge about the area where they are behind their competitors and also they are required
to make improvements. This will help them in taking them one step ahead to their
competitors.
 Management of marketing efforts : Managing marketing efforst are very much important for
an organisation like McDonald's, as this will help them in making the performance of
different elements effective, so that they can achieve benefits of them. The operations which
McDonald's use to play at market place are selling, producing, promotions and
advertisements. Therefore, it become very much necessary for them to make proper
management of these efforts.
Roles and responsibilities of marketing manager : There are ample number key roles and
responsibilities which marketing manager have to play like, executing plans, pricing, distribution of
products and services along with promotion of these. Some of major roles and responsibilities
which marketing manager of McDonald's use to play are :- Financing : As to complete any task, funds are the most needed resource for manager.
Therefore, it is very much important for marketing manager to explain their needs of fund
along with the work which they are going to perform. This will help them in getting
sufficient amount for performing their tasks and activities.
 Promotions : Along with finance, it is very much important for marketing manager of
McDonald's to communicate with promotional team, so that they can make appropriate
promotional strategy for promoting their products and services, which they are going to
offer to their customers (Cavusgil, and et. Al, 2014). Also, different promotional tools
which they can use are, advertisement, social media, discount offers, and other.
P2 How roles and responsibilities of marketing relate to the wider organisational context.
Marketing is an activity, which is used by organisations for exchanging their products and

services for some special cost, so that they can fulfil the needs of their customers and satisfy them.
The practices which took place under marketing are advertisement, promotions along with selling of
products and services to customers which need them. McDonald's is one of the biggest fast food
chain of the world, which use to perform their operations in different nations of the world. As they
use effective marketing strategies which help them in getting success in their operations, due to
which they are able to grow and develop their business. As it is not easy for organisation and for
their operations to perform their work individually, as each and every is interdependent to each
other. Relationship of marketing department with other in McDonald's are as beneath :-
1. Marketing and production management : For marketing department of an organisation, it
is very much important for them to make proper relationship with production management.
As this help them in getting knowledge that which products their organisation is producing
and also what are their specifications (Cleverley and Cleverley, 2017). This will help
marketing department to make plans and strategies by which they can easily promote and
sell these products and services. Also this help them in making strategies for targeted
customers, so that they can get easily attracted towards the products and service organisation
is going to offer them. McDonald's is one of the biggest fast food chain of the world and
they use to provide their products and services in different parts of the world. Therefore, for
their marketing manager it is very much important for them to make proper market study
and analyse market trend, so that they can explain their production department that what
new and unique they have to produce. This will help their production department to develop
products and service which have power to attract ample number of customers and also
increase their sales and revenue along with their profitability. This also help them in
increasing their market share at market place in which they are performing their functions.
2. Marketing and human resource management : For an organisation which use to deal with
direct end customers, the most important resource for them are their human resources. As
the number of workers in their work force is needed by them are more then organisations
which user to deal with mediators or perform business to business operations. Therefore, for
marketing manager of such organisations, it is very much important of make proper
communication with human resource management depart, so that they can manage their
work force which use to perform different tasks associated to them. Along with this, it help
them in detailing about the skills which they are needed in their employees so that proper
training and development can get provided to them (Hair Jr, and et. Al, 2015). This all help
marketing department in making a well skilled work force which have ability to work and
perform different tasks, so that goals and objectives of department can get achieved.

Therefore, for marketing manager of McDonald's it is very much important to make proper
communication with human resource management. This will help them in managing proper
number of employees in their work force with proper skill set, so that they can accomplish
their work and task in effective manner.
3. Marketing and finance management : For an organisation, it is very much important for
them to manage and provide proper funds to their different operations, so that they can
perform their tasks in effective manner. As marketing is one of the most important operation
of an organisation, where they use to perform different tasks, so that they can attract ample
number of customers towards them and sell their products and services to them. For
performing these tasks, a huge amount of funds are required by them, so that work and
activities get performed in very effective manner (Hugos, 2018). McDonald's is one of the
biggest fast food chain of the world, and their marketing manager use to perform ample
number of tasks for providing proper information about the products and services offered by
them to their customers. For performing these tasks and activities, huge amount of funds are
required by marketing manager of them and by their team. Therefore, it is important for
them to communicate with finance management and detail about their requirements to them.
This will help them in getting proper funds which is essential for them for completing their
tasks in effective manner.
4. Marketing and Research & development management : For in increasing the sustainability
level of an organisation, it is very much important for them to have research and
development department, which have work to implement some thing innovative in working
working of different functions. Also they use to make research over new products which
they can produce and provide to their customers, for fulfilling their needs and demands.
Also, McDonald's is one of the biggest fast food organisation of the world which use to
provide their products and services in different parts of world (Lane, 2015). Therefore, it is
very much important for them to make proper research and develop new products, so that
they can attract ample number of customers towards them. For this, marketing manager have
to communicate and detail about the requirements and change that took place among
customers. This will help research and development department to get knowledge that what
and which product they have to develop for their customers.

TASK 2
P3 Different ways in which organisations apply the marketing mix to the marketing planning
process to achieve business objectives.
Marketing mix is a tool which help an organisation in identifying their current position at
market place in comparison to their competitors. This help them in making their strategies which
they can use for improving their position at place by making some required changes in their
functioning. McDonald's is one of the biggest fast food organisation of the world, and they use to
provide their products and services in different parts of the world. The main competitors of
McDonald's are Subway and Burger king, as they both use to provide their products and services to
very huge level. Beneath is the marketing mix of McDonald's and Burger King, which help
McDonald's in identifying their current market position in comparison with Burger King :-
Basic McDonald's Burger King
Product McDonald's has started their
business by providing burgers
and chips only, but then after
they increase range of products
offered by them as per they get
demands from customers
(Malhotra, 2015).
Burger King has started their
business by hamburgers, French
fires and milk shake, but they
change their products according
to demands of their customers.
Place McDonald's use to provide their
products and services at
different part of world and also
use to provide free home
delivery of their products. Also
McDonald's use to open their
outlets at locations which are
very good for their business.
Burger King is one of the most
famous fast food chain of the
world, and they have their
outlets in about each and every
nation of the world. This help
them in getting a strong grip in
market place with their physical
outlets.
Price The pricing strategies used by
McDonald's is low and
moderate pricing for their
products. This help them in
keeping the price of their low
Where as, pricing strategies of
Burger King say that, the price
of products and services must
be that much that no one have
doubts on quality of their

and moderate, so that they can
attract most number of
customers.
products and services.
Promotion Different promotional strategies
are used by McDonald's for
promoting products and
services offered by them to
their customers. For this they
use newspapers, social media,
magazines and internet, so that
their sales get increased
(Marketing Mix of McDonald's,
2017).
Burger King uses different
promotional tools for promoting
their products and services in
market place. For this they use
tools which are very much
popular among population of
that nation (Pappas, 2017).
People Service provided by
McDonald's to their customers
is some how slower as
compared to Burger king.
Behind this they use to say that,
they use to make focus on
quality of products rather then
speed of service.
Where as service of Burger
King is very much faster and
also they use to provide wide
range of products to their
customers.
Process There are ample number of
activities McDonald's use to
perform, so that they can
complete their process of
providing products and services
to their customers (Pike, 2016).
Where as, Burger King is now
very much successful, therefore
they use to maintain the taste,
culture and customer
satisfaction by their products.
Physical Evidence McDonald's have very
attractive interiors which help
them in proving a good
atmosphere to their customers
to come and enjoy meal at their.
Where as, Burger King have
their set theme which they use
to implement for interior of
their outlets. This help their
customers in getting luxury
feeling.

TASK 3
P4 Marketing plan for McDonald's.
McDonald's is the biggest food chain of UK that has attained global acclaim from it's clients
and customers of diverse communities. This brand of food has started its business several years ago.
It has prepared different food items and products to make customers satisfied. This is a market
leader in fast food restaurant. This brand has maintained market diversification with different types
of food items and this brand has attained a huge brand name and popularity among customers.
McDonalds spends about 1 billion on its employees. It provides trainings and career development
sessions for its employees. When any company wants to launch new products then they target the
customers for achieving success of the company. There was a case when this brand decided to
launch a product naming “ Mc SAW”. This product consists of a spicy sandwich that is layered with
American cheese and hot sausage patty. This product attracts customers of different age groups.
Objectives and aims of launching a new product- The main objective of McDonald is to launch this
product in the menu (Pike, 2015). The company ensures that this product must be attractive, healthy
and tasty for the customers. This product will be made in such a way that it will attract health
conscious people. This product will help in increasing the profitability and productivity of the
company. This helps in growing and enhancing business of McDonald in different regions. The
managers of McDonald should make SMART objectives for this product. This will help the
organisation to capture market and increase it's customers base. The SMART objectives stands for
specific, measurable, achievable, reasonable and time. These objectives are set in order to measure
success of the objective.
Marketing mix for Mc Saw-
Marketing mix is a foundation model. This is defined as set of marketing tool that is
used by an organisation for making objectives in the target market. The main objective of
McDonalds is to make this new product profitable. The marketing mix is used in the organisations
to know areas towards which a company has to focus for enhancing growth and development. It is
essential for the organisation to evaluate sales of the organisation. Marketing mix is studied by
organisations so that they will grab information about different factors like product, price, place,
promotion and product. The marketing mix of McDonald's new product is described below-
Product : A product is defined as physical item that is lunched in the organisation for
increasing customer satisfaction. McDonald is launching an attractive product Mc Saw .
This product is made specially for health conscious people. It must attract more number of
customers.
Price : Price is the amount which is offered for the product. The organisation has fixed a low

price for attracting customers and achieving the target market. McDonald should use bundle
pricing strategy in its organisation for deciding about the price of Mc Saw.
Place : The right place is essential for selling of products. It is important for the company to
decide a good place where this product must be sold to make profits. McDonald's want to
launch this product in UK.
Promotion : Promotion is defined as increasing awareness of the product or service of the
company. There are different ways of promoting products and services. Some of the ways
of promotion are T.V., newspapers, magazines, etc. There are wide variety of marketing mix
which McDonald's uses for the promotion the new product, Mc Saw.
Tactics : This is a promotional tool that which is used to promote the products of the
organisation and make the customer aware about that.
Direct Mail : It is also a promotional tool which is used by companies for promoting their
products and services (Puddle, 2015). In this, they use to send mails to individuals, which contain
the information about product and service.
Handwritten Notes : This promotional tool will help organisation to make positive
relationship with customers. This help McDonald's to gain the attention of the customers for buying
the product Mc SAW .
McDonald's can also use other promotional tools like, social media and discount coupons for
gaining the attention of the customers towards their new launching product Mc SAW.
SWOT analysis for McDonald's for its new product
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats
McDonald's is largest
brand of fast food in
the world. It is a
renowned brand that
has fast food chain
worldwide.
This product targets
only younger
generations.
Managers can further
bring in new flavours
which will promote
growth.
Threat of competitors
like Burger King is
always there.
They have strong
financial position,
which help them to
make experiments
with their products.
Not able to get prime
locations for their
restaurants.
Producing healthy
foods with low fats
and carbohydrates can
attract more customers
.
Increase in
consciousness for
health is leading to
decrease in sale of
McDonald's.
Wide range of product New products are not Joint ventures with It has a tough

with unique taste in all
over the world.
getting popular as their
old ones are.
super markets at
different will also help
them to increase in
profit.
competition from
Yum! Brand and
Burger King.
It is expected to be
highly preferred in UK
due to food loving
people.
Price of this product
may be comparatively
high.
It is made up of
organic raw materials
hence can be
consumed by health
conscious people.
It can get replaced
whenever a better
product will be
launched.
Marketing Evaluation : Marketing evaluation is a process where present scenario of market
is analysed. This includes evaluation of success of new products. The company ensures that product
will get positive response by customers (Purvis, 2015). The present market conditions of UK is
appropriate for a product launch with new innovation and this is preferred by younger generation
people.
Customer response : There are a number of people n UK who are foodie. According to the
analysis this product will get positive response from customers of UK. The new product Mc Saw
that will be launched in UK for increasing customer base of McDonald's in UK .
Return on Investment : Return on investment is defined as monetary funds that are received
in return for products launched. In present scenario, higher returns will be received on Mc SAW. It
is an attractive food product.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it has been concluded that, marketing is a process which is used by
organisations, for performing different functions of them, so that they can sell their products and
services to ample number of customers. Along with this, marketing management is one of the most
important process for an organisation and they have interdependent on different operations
performed by them. Also marketing mix will help them in analysing their current position in
comparison with their competitors. Along with this, it has been concluded that it is very much
important for organisation to make marketing plan before launching new product.