McVitie's Marketing: Mix, Plan, and Departmental Interrelation

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of McVitie's marketing strategies, focusing on the roles and responsibilities of its marketing functions within the organizational context. It examines the interrelation between the marketing department and other key departments such as finance, production, and human resources. Furthermore, the report delves into McVitie's marketing mix, comparing it with that of Burton's Biscuit Company to highlight strategic differences in product, price, place, and promotion. A basic marketing plan is developed, outlining key elements such as market information management, distribution, selling, pricing, product planning, and promotion, to achieve organizational objectives. The report concludes with a summary of the findings and provides references for further research.

Marketing
Essentials

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1. Elaborate roles and responsibilities of marketing functions in organizational context.......1
P2. Interrelation of marketing with other department.................................................................4
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
P3. Elaborate marketing mix of organization by comparing with other organization................5
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................8
P4. Prepare a basic marketing plan in organisational context.....................................................8
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
Marketing includes all activities taken by business to promote its sales and purchase in
marketplace (Astuti, Silalahi and Wijaya, 2015). It consists of various functions which help
company to provide information about their project and services to customers. Through
marketing large number of audience can be aware about different offering of company.
Marketing consist of advertising, selling and delivering products to customers. It is a study of
management to target potential customers and stimulate them to purchase company project and
services. Marketing function work with the motive to increase sales of company by making
customers satisfied with products and services offered by company. Marketing helps in
understanding customers needs and wants as well as it helps in identifying marketplace
requirement in which products and service will be deliver. For this report chosen company is
McVitie's. This is British organisation dealing in snacks food and this company is owned by
United Biscuits. McVitie's company is founded in 1830 by Robert McVitie. Headquarters of this
organisation is situated in United Kingdom. This assignment contains a study of various roles
and responsibilities of marketing and its function. Interrelationship between marketing
department and other department of organisation is evaluated. This report includes comparison
of marketing mix with other organisation. Also, marketing plan has been develop to reach
required objective of organisation.
TASK 1
P1. Elaborate roles and responsibilities of marketing functions in organizational context.
Marketing is refer as all those activities which helps company in creating product,
communicating its features, informing audience in market and distribution of products to
customers to satisfy needs and wants of consumers (Baines, Fill and Page, 2013). In simple
words, marketing includes all those functions which leads to promotion of products and increase
sales and purchase of products as compare to rival companies. Marketing function of an
organisation basically starts from identifying needs of the customers and ends with satisfying
them. This function helps an organisation to establish itself in the marketplace. Marketing
function encourages a company to identify source potential of the products and promote them.
McVitie's Marketing functions includes the following:
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 Market information management: It is role of marketing function to manage the
information collected from market and customers. This is the most important function of
marketing under which company tries to analyse marketing condition prevailing in the
environment. It analyses company's internal strengths and weaknesses in order to take
necessary action to improve overall efficiency. McVitie's analyses and collects marketing
information so that they produce the product accordingly can capture a good share in the
market.
 Distribution: Distribution is one of the major responsibility of marketing function. This
function of marketing involves storing and transportation of goods and services to final
destination. The transportation functions delivery of product from the productions place
to locations for final sale. Whereas storing involves warehouse in which the products are
stored. McVitie's biscuits are available in any retail, grocery or supermarket store.
Extensive distribution channel is adopted. With the help of wholesaler and retailers
McVitie's biscuits are available. Being non-perishable in nature biscuits can be easily
distributed. It uses traditional platforms to distribute its products that are: offering small
size packs for corporate canteens, availability on e-grocery platforms and tie-up with e-
commerce platforms like Amazon and other.
 Selling: Every company work with motive of selling its products in market in order to
gain profits. McVitie's marketing function conducts all its activities with aim of
increasing its sales in market and have competitive advantages over other rival
companies. This function of marketing focus on increasing sale in market are by
different tool and techniques. By this function McVitie's company can improve its
market share and earn profits.
 Pricing: This function of marketing is responsible for setting price of product
manufactured by company. This is the function of marketing that defines sales of
product in marketplace (Blythe and Martin 2019). The prices of product comprise of
government policy, prices of competitive products, cost of production and others.
McVitie's prices are basically at a level that consumers can easily afford. Its marketing
philosophy emphasizes on catering the needs of the consumers. Furthermore, it
constantly works on product design that provide nutrition and taste to consumers.
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 Product planning: This function of marketing is responsible for taking various decision
related to planing of product. In product planning managers needs to set standard of
products and design of products. Standardization determines quantity, quality, weight,
colour etc. of a product (Clow and James, 2013). In planning of product prices and
specific features of product. Grading is process of deciding prices of the specified
product. The higher quality of goods and services produced attract higher prices. For
McVitie's standardization helps in achieving consistency and uniformity in output of
products. Standardization plays a very important in pricing product because on the basis
of quality prices are set.
 Promotion and financing: Promotion means informing the prospective consumers about
the products launched by an organisation (Cabrera and Williams, 2014). Promotion by
company can be done through: personal selling, advertising, publicity and sales
promotion. Financing refer to the amount used under promotion of products. Under
McVitie's the company promotes itself using co-branding strategy which includes: school
fest, public gathering and college events. Furthermore, it advertises itself in two different
marketing campaign using media like television and newspapers. McVitie's company
promotion required large amount of finance in creating awareness about its products or
promotion of products.
P2. Interrelation of marketing with other department
There are various functions of McVitie's company performed by different departments of
company. Marketing department of company needs to work closely with other because activities
of marketing is interrelated with other functions and department of organisation. Major
department of McVitie's in finance, human resource and production. Interrelation of these
department with marketing is mention below.
Marketing with finance department
Each and every function of organisation needs finance to follow its activities. Finance
department of McVitie's works to provide sufficient working capital as well as finance amount to
all other department which help them in effective functioning. Marketing department needs to
conduct various activities for improving sales and purchase of products and services of company
(Ehret, Kashyap and Wirtz, 2013). McVitie's marketing department conduct a research to
analyses market situation and understand needs and wants of customers. To conduct an effective
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research, marketing department needs capital and finance. Marketing team of McVitie's company
will conduct research about trends about finance and accounting in marketing. It is responsivity
of market department to analyse market environment and find out different methods to improve
efficiency of finance team marketing team will identify tools and technology used by
competitors company in their finance department. Marketing team will communicate all these
information in organisation to improve performance of McVitie's finance department. Marketing
department activities such as advertisement and promotion of products of McVitie's, spend lots
of money and finance department will evaluate profit in organisation from marketing activities in
numerical value. This will help in determining contribution of marketing activities in overall
profits of organisation
Marketing with production department
Marketing department is responsible for carrying out its activities which leads to clear
idea of product requirement in marketing (Pike, 2015). By having accurate information about
market and customer requirement, McVitie's can manufacture products according to requirement
of market and customers. Production department of company manufacture high quality products
according to requirement analyses by marketing department. This department forecast the
numbers of product will be required in market and number of products to be manufacture by
company, that is forecast of demand and supply in market. Production department will be
responsible for creation of products and marketing department will check quality and control
product level. Marketing department will set quality and quantity of products to be manufactured
by production department. It is responsivity of marketing team to sale all products manufactured
by organisation and maintain positive customer relationship.
Marketing with human resource department
Major role and responsibility of human resource department of McVitie's is find and hire
employees in organisation, provide training to employees, maintain positive working
environment in organisation and solving all issue within employees of organisation. So
marketing department and human resource department needs to work closely with each other for
effectively functioning of organisation (Brady, 2014). Marketing team will share each and every
detail about requirement in marketing department. This department will have to coordinate with
human resource department and mention them about requirement in candidates to fulfil vacant
position. Marketing department helps human resource department in advertising vacancy and
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promotion of all activities conducted by human resource team. Now it is responsibility of human
resource team of McVitie's to recruit and select candidates with high qualification and ability to
perform task of vacant position and select best employees from pool of candidates for marketing
team. This department will train employees of marketing and sales team to improve effectiveness
and efficiency of team members. Training will help in building strong marketing team which
leads to earn high profits.
TASK 2
P3. Elaborate marketing mix of organization by comparing with other organization.
Marketing mix is refer as those factors which can be controlled by company and it helps
in influencing customers to purchase products of McVitie's company. It is a set of tools that
firms can use to increase its sales and achieve target market share. Marketing mix consist of
Products, price, place, promotion, people, physical evidence, process (Fırat, 2013). Comparison
between marketing mix strategy of McVitie's and is mention below.
Basis McVitie's Burton's biscuit company
Product McVitie's is a snack food brand
owned by United Biscuits of UK.
This organisation deal in snack
products and it produce best selling
biscuits in UK. Products line of
McVitie's consist of biscuits, cakes
and other snacks. McVitie's
organisation manufacture chocolate
digestives, hobnobs, rick tea, Jaffa
cakes etc. some of McVitie's
products are Digestives, fig roll,
Ginger Nuts, penguin, lemon cake,
mini rolls, fruit cake, cheddars,
cracker crisps
This company is a British biscuit
manufacturer. Products of Burton's
biscuit company are Fish 'n' chips
snacks. Jammie Dodgers, Lyons
Biscuits, Maryland Cookies,
Wagon Wheels etc. This
organisation is formed by merger
of Burton's Gold Medal Biscuits
and Horizon Biscuits company.
Price Price of McVitie's depends upon Burton's biscuit company price
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the cost of production of products.
There are various raw material used
in final manufacturing of McVitie's
products. Price is the value in
money company take in exchange
of value served in products. Cost of
products refers to amount of money
used by company in manufacturing
of products (Lane, 2016). McVitie's
products prices depends upon cost,
with motive to earn profits over
cost of products.
depends upon the price of it rival
company. This organisation set
price of their products after
evaluating and analysing prices of
competitor products. This will
help company is setting right price
to get comparative advantage over
companies. Setting price of
product higher than competitors
may result in loss of market share
of company.
Place McVitie's company serve its
products across world. This
organisation is best biscuit selling
company in UK and distributing its
services all around the world.
McVitie's is distributing its
products through a proper supply
chain method and transporting its
products by different logistics in
worldwide. Distribute channel of
McVitie's company is start from
manufacturers to wholesaler to
retailers to consumers of products.
This organisation is operating in
UK and is number second in
making biscuits. Burton's Biscuit
company manufacture products
and distribute is around the world.
This organisation deal with 12
branches worldwide. Products
manufactured by company is
directly supply to these branches
and then to end customers through
different mediums (Mueller and
et.al., 2015.).
Promotion McVitie's is using both traditional
and modern ways to promote its
products. Promotion mix of this
company includes advertising ,
sales promotions, digital marketing.
This company is more focusing on
Public relationship, sponsorships,
personal selling and direct
marketing of products to promote
and create awareness about
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For advertising McVitie's is using
print media, newspapers, T.V
promotions, radio and internet
marketing as well. These methods
of promotion helps McVitie's to
reach worldwide audience and
inform customers about product.
products. Field team of Burton's
Biscuit company is majorly
responsible for building customer
relation and promotion of products
to increase sales of company.
People This organisation is finding and
hiring candidates with high
qualification, ability to perform
difficult task (Nicholls and et.al.,
2013). Employees of McVitie's
have proper knowledge and share
creative and innovative ideas which
help in success of organisation.
More than 7000 employees are
working in McVitie's company.
Employees of this organisation
work in effective and efficient way
to achieve target of organisation.
Burton's Biscuit company
employees are loyal towards
company and work with their best
ability to achieve goal and
objective of organisation. This
company provide proper training
to their employees which help
them in development of their skills
and knowledge to perform a task.
This company has over 2200
employees currently.
Physical evidence Physical evidence of organisation
includes its physical environment,
ambience, layout,product design,
corporate identity. McVitie's
physical evidence is its packaging
and design of products. This
organisation offer products with
excellent packaging and creative
design of products. This helps in
attracting customer as well as
Physical evidence of Burton's
Biscuit company is its corporate
identity and ownership of 12
branches around world. Physical
evidence of this company includes
experience of customer get from
receiving value from its products
(Nirschl and Steinberg, 2018).
Physical evidence in marketing of
this company comprises of
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keeping products fresh and damage
free. High brand image of
McVitie's company can be consider
as its physical evidences.
comfort of customer from
products of Burton's Biscuit
company.
Process This is refer as a systems and
processes used by organisation for
effective execution of services
(Pappas, 2017). Processes are
important to convert input into final
output of products. McVitie's
process includes employees,
management of organisation.
Organisation use systematic
process for developing its products.
Process of McVitie's effectively
and efficiently convert its raw
material into finished goods.
Process of Burton's Biscuits
organisation includes uniformity
in offering of products, effective
services in marketplace regarding
supply of its products. This
organisation is using high quality
techniques and technology to for
developing its products as well as
distribution of its products in
market area.
From the above comparison its could be concluded that McVitie's company and Burton's
biscuits organisation can are using different strategies in promoting and marketing of its products
with common motive of increase in their sales in market and increase profitability of company.
TASK 3
P4. Prepare a basic marketing plan in organisational context.
Marketing plan for organisation can be refer as a framework that help in developing and
creating strategies for organisation. It consist of overall business plan which contribute in making
new plan in organisation. Marketing plan is a solid marketing strategy which is a foundation of a
well written plan for market. In order to launch new product in market McVitie's company have
to develop marketing plan. This will help company to successfully launch new product.
Step 1. Objective
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Market plan is develop with some motive and object to fulfil it. Objective can be refers as
aim to achieve set target by effective and efficient performance of company (Ramaseshan, Ishak
and Rabbanee, 2013). In marketing plan objective is to make best possible utilization of all the
human and physical resources of pre determined objective. It helps in establishing effective co-
ordination among a marketing activities and decision of business. McVitie's is planning to
launch new product in market which helps in increasing market share and sales. Objective of
organisation is developed after evaluating internal and external factors of company. It is very
important that marketing objective should match with overall objective of company. To develop
an effective objective company should always develop object which is specific, measurable,
achievable, realistic and time bounded. For this marketing plan objective of McVitie's company
is
 To introduce new fruit drinks in different countries in order to increase sales by 35% next
one year
Step 2. Situation
Market situation analysis includes all the factors that help in understanding marketing
environment. Situational analysis is refers to set to methods used by organisation to examine
internal and external factors of company. Both internal and external factors effect business in
various ways and impact on overall performance of company. For launching any new product it
is important to careful analyse and evaluate market situation. To evaluate market situation
McVitie's can use SWOT analysis. SWOT stand for strengths, weakness, opportunity and threat
of organisation (Piñeiro-Otero and Martínez-Rolán, 2016). Strength and weaknesses of company
will help in understanding internal environment conditions of McVitie's. For external factor
opportunity and threat factors can by analyses.
 Strength – McVitie's company has wide offering of product around world for very long
time which help in building trust form customer on products of McVitie's. This company
offers best selling products in market and has dedicated and professional employees
working.
 Weakness – This organisation is based on private ownership so sometime organisation
have to face problems with the change in policies. McVitie's has low exploitation of
internet and digital media for marketing products.
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 Opportunity – There is huge potential in emerging market which can help in increase
sales and grow in other countries also. McVitie's can focus on expanding business and
increase usage of online market. Company can use new and creative marking stategies
which help in improving market share.
 Threat - McVitie's have threat form strict rules and regulations set by government which
affect business functions. This organisation have to deal with high competition in this
industry. Rival company using new and innovative technology can be consider as threat
for McVitie's.
Step 3. Strategy
It is refer as all actions designed to achieve objective of organisation. Strategies are
master plan, programme develop to full fill motive of plan. In order to develop a successful plan
it is very essential to create effective strategies according to plan and strategies must have
potential to achieve set target and objective (Simkin and Dibb, 2013). Success of business and its
goals depends upon strategies developed in marketing plan. These strategies provide a
framework of outlines about what task to be done and which is the best method to achieve set
goals. McVitie's is using Segmentation, targeting and positioning strategy to understand and
analyse best potential customers to target for new launch product.
 Segmentation – It is refer as a method of dividing marketplace into small parts.
Segmentation of market area and customers helps in identifying which area or types of
customers to be target for new product of McVitie's. Market segmentation of McVitie's
'fruit drinks' is a practice of dividing market into approachable group of people who have
most potential to increase sales of company. For this purpose McVitie's is dividing
market into geographic, demographic, psycho-graphic and behavioural bases. This will
help McVitie's new 'fruit drinks' product to evaluate best customers on bases of their age
group, location, personality traits, usage, purchase decision etc.
 Targeting – Evaluating potential of each and every segment and selecting best segment
for company product can be consist of targeting customers. Targeting strategy basically
consist of selection of potential customer of McVitie's new launched product which helps
business in improving market share as well as selling of products. By targeting customers
of 'fruit juice' McVitie's can have specific audience to target and this leads to improve
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