Marketing Report: Analysis of M&S and Beauty Giant's Strategies

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of marketing functions and strategies, focusing on Marks and Spencer (M&S) and the hypothetical Beauty Giant. The first part of the report explores the key roles and responsibilities of marketing within modern organizations, emphasizing the shift from profit-driven to customer-centric approaches, as well as the significance of the marketing concept and marketing processes. It details the key elements of marketing function such as research, strategy, planning, and tactics. The second part of the report delves into the application of the marketing mix (7 Ps) in marketing planning, comparing the approaches of M&S and Beauty Giant. The report concludes with the development of a strategic marketing plan for Beauty Giant's new product, 'Forever Young', offering practical insights into marketing plan creation and evaluation. The report highlights the importance of understanding customer needs, building a competitive environment, and developing effective distribution systems within a marketing context.

MARKETING

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1
PART 1 (LO 1)................................................................................................................. 1
P1. Key roles and responsibilities of marketing function..............................................1
P2. Roles and responsibilities of marketing in relation with organisation.....................2
PART 2 (LO 2 & 3)...........................................................................................................4
P3. Application of marketing mix to marketing planning process with comparison.......4
P4. Producing a basic marketing plan with evaluation.................................................7
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................... 12
REFERENCES...............................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
In modern business organizations, marketing plays the most significant role
which involves thorough and in-depth understanding of marketplace, customer needs
and demands, maintaining healthy public relations, making suitable strategies and
offering superior and high quality products and services to render high level of
satisfaction. In present era, firms have understood the importance of maintaining
customer relationship for which marketing department is trying to get an innovative
approach which decides the growth and success of business (Pahwa, 2018). In first part
of present study, Marks and Spencer (M&S) is the selected organisation with reference
to which there be will focus on the role of marketing in modern organisation with
assessing key elements of marketing function and their interrelation with other
functions. Further, in second part, as per the given scenario, a strategic marketing plan
for the new product of Beauty Giant i.e. ‘Forever Young’ will be provided with tactical
application of 7 Ps to attain the overall marketing objectives.
PART 1 (LO 1)
P1. Key roles and responsibilities of marketing function
Role of marketing in modern organisations
Marketing is an important function in all companies irrespective of the fact that
whether these are old or modern as without this, for businesses to run and survive is not
at all possible. However, for modern organisations like M&S, focus of marketing has
shifted from earning profits to satisfying and retaining customers.
The Marketing Concept
This is basically a business philosophy unlike of production, product and sales
concepts, scope of which is very limited. However, marketing concept is wider in nature,
main objective of which is to attain the organisational targets in the most effectual
manner so that competitive edge over other rivalry firms can be gained and highest
level of satisfaction can be given to the customers (Akbar, Omar and Wadood, 2017).
Major aim behind marketing concept is to be more effective than competitors with
respect to create and deliver the customer services with communicating value to them.
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This concept relies on the target market, needs of customers, profit to be earned as well
as integrated marketing.
Marketing Evolution Orientation
Earlier, focus of companies was on production and selling concept i.e. to produce
more so that maximum can be sold out with an aim to earn higher profits. However, in
the present era, due to increased competition, marketing orientation came into
existence, main aim of which is on keeping the customers satisfied rather just earning
higher profits to survive in the long run with sustainability. Marketing orientation is all
about satisfying the needs of customers and can be termed as a business model.
Business which is marketing oriented basically starts with identifying the needs of
customers and producing the same for them (Campbell, Martin and Fabos, 2018). It
involves monitoring the actions of competitors and predicting the effect of same on
preferences of customers so that accordingly, the strategies can be made. However, to
attain success through marketing orientation, it is crucial that all resources of firm reach
to the common set goal.
Marketing Processes
Marketing process can be referred as the procedure which starts from identifying
the needs and wants of customers and ends with fulfilling the same in a manner that
highest level of satisfaction can be provided to them. It consists of majorly four elements
where the first one is strategic marketing analysis in which firstly, the target market
segment is decided and then it is divided into even smaller groups that are known as
niches for which the products and services are to be produced.
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Figure 1: Marketing Mix Planning
Then comes the marketing mix planning which involves four elements i.e.
product, price, place and promotion wherein, decisions are taken on the basis of what is
to be produced, at what price, what will be the location to sell the product or service and
the promotional techniques to be used by company like advertising (Massingham,
2017). Further, in the next step of marketing implementation, the plan comes into action
by marketing department of organisation and under control, it is being checked that
whether the targets are achieved as per set standards or not and in case of any
deviations, corrective measures are taken.
Major roles and responsibilities of marketing in Marks and Spencer
Developing products as per society’s needs – Main role of marketing in modern
organisations is to first identify the needs and demands of customers and then
developing the products accordingly so that society’s quality of life can be improved
(Wood, 2018). Further, this will help company to boost sales, promote awareness
among the public as well as build high goodwill in market.
Building demand for products – Another role played by marketing department of
Marks and Spencer is to build the demand for their products through using different
promotional tactics like online advertising to create a positive perception of customers
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Marketing
Mix
Planning
Product
Price
Place
Promotion

regarding offerings. However, for the same, to expand their labour force is also
required.
Creating a competitive environment – One of the main responsibilities of
marketing function in modern organisations is to create a healthy environment of
competition which will render positive outcomes to business instead of negative results.
Main benefit which firms gain through creating a competitive environment by marketing
efforts is of lower product prices (Vivekananth, 2015).
Developing product distribution systems – Marketing in modern organisations like
M&S also has an important responsibility to develop the product distribution systems
with an aim to provide increased access to large number of customers to reach at
company’s offerings that will ultimately enhance the market share of business.
Conveying changes in societal behaviour – Apart from all, one of the main
considerations of marketing in modern organisations is also on conveying messages
that would change the behaviour in society in a positive way along with providing their
product’s information like in respect with anti-smoking through giving advertisements
(Massingham, 2017).
P2. Roles and responsibilities of marketing in relation with organisation
Towards organisation, marketing has a lot of roles and responsibilities which it
has to fulfil to maintain sustainability in business. Likewise, in Marks and Spencer,
marketing function has several roles and responsibilities that are leading the
organisation to growth and success in market with gaining a competitive edge over
others. There are some key elements of marketing function in M&S which play a vital
role in leading the business to earn higher profits if applied correctly.
Key elements of marketing function
Research: In Marks and Spencer, a significant role is played by market research
which is considered to be the most vital element as without having the same, to run
business is not possible as operations are based on this only. In case if research made
on target market will not be appropriate, this may lead operations to go waste
(Campbell, Martin and Fabos, 2018). Thus, with effective market research, company
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gains valuable information with respect to the factors associated with business process
like raw materials, finance, logistics, etc. and accordingly runs operations.
Strategy: Next key element of marketing function is the strategy as after
gathering complete information about market through in-depth research, Marks and
Spencer comes to know about the strengths and weaknesses of business operations
and based on same, marketing strategy is framed and implemented. These strategies
prove to be highly helpful in providing the guidance and support to firm for competing
with rivalry firms successfully along with building realistic possibilities and outcomes that
business can gain (Stern and Porr, 2017).
Planning: Planning serves as the foremost key element in marketing function as
based on same, all further steps are taken. After making an effective market research
and framing the strategies properly, M&S then needs to do marketing planning which
includes financial planning, way to communicate to audience, forecasting of sales
figures and other factors of business (Grimmer, 2018). For planning, marketing
department of M&S sets a specific timeline to attain success through achieving
organisational goals.
Tactics: It is the fourth key element of marketing function in M&S which can be
referred as short term plans that are mainly used by marketing department to attract a
large customer base. Tactics like different offers and schemes related to products such
as discounts help in providing promotional boost for a limited period of time (Bauer,
2018). Although, it is for a short duration but highly needed in a business to increase
profits.
Interrelation of marketing with other functions in modern organisations
There is direct relationship in between the marketing and other functions of
organisation whether they are old or modern. In Marks and Spencer too, all
organisational functions are in relation with each other and without cooperation of
anyone among them, the whole process can get hampered. It can be understood by
taking an example of finance department with marketing. Whenever marketing
department researches the market and tells about the needs and demands of
customers that M&S is supposed to offer, finance unit is one which gives total budget
within which the operations have to be run. Further, the resources required for
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marketing practices like implementation of marketing strategies, planning, research and
evaluation need sufficient funds which is given by the finance department only (Akbar,
Omar and Wadood, 2017). Similarly, in Marks and Spencer, marketing department
needs to coordinate with production unit so that they can be made aware with quality
and features needed in products and services which is provided to them through a
marketing plan.
Likewise, there is direct relation in between marketing and HR department of
organisation as to conduct all marketing activities, adequate workforce is needed,
providing of which is the responsibility of HR division. Apart from that, HR policies of
M&S are always in link with the marketing department as their main objectives are to
increase the sales, satisfy all stakeholders and enhance the goodwill of business in
market. In this way, all other departments like research and development and
information technology are also interrelated with marketing unit of M&S. However, it can
be critically evaluated that in case if coordination and relation between all departments
in M&S is not healthy, this may lead business to suffer losses (Pappas, 2017).
Therefore, company must ensure that there is positive interrelationship in between all
departments of the organisation.
PART 2 (LO 2 & 3)
P3. Application of marketing mix to marketing planning process with comparison
In marketing planning of an organisation, the extended marketing mix plays a
crucial role in order to make it successful in terms of attaining set targets of business.
Likewise, in Beauty Giant also, marketing mix plays an essential role to make the
planning process a success. As per the given case, Beauty Giant is a company dealing
in cosmetics with having approximately 50 branches across the world. Majorly, they are
specialised in selling men and women toiletries and have earned a good name in the
market. However, by own, they are not selling any product. The way company has
applied marketing mix in its marketing planning will be discussed below in comparison
with that of Marks and Spencer which is a British multinational organisation operating in
retail sector of UK and dealing in a large range of products like clothing, food items and
luxury home stuff (Muralidharan and Raval, 2017). With applying marketing mix,
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organisations come to know about their issues in marketing planning and take
measures accordingly. Thus, marketing mix of both the organisations is given as below:
Figure 2: The Marketing Mix (7 Ps)
Elements Marks and Spencer Beauty Giant
Product Products offered by this company
are known for their first class
quality, large variety and
reliability. The reward of same
which company is gaining is in
the form of loyal customers.
It is the firm that serves
customers with high quality
cosmetics like herbal face
creams in terms of ingredients
used that do not create any side
effect on skin if used and provide
the best results (Kwon and et.al.,
2017).
Price They charge medium to high
prices depending on the quality
of products as well as segment to
which they are offering the same.
However, most of the offerings
Company is using penetration
pricing method due to having so
many competitors in market like
Body Shop, Maybelline,
Charlotte Tilbury, etc. Through
7
7 Ps of
Marketing
Product
Price
Place
PromotionPeople
Process
Physical
Evidence

have premium prices which
company offers for specific upper
class of consumers (Marks &
Spencer Marketing Mix (4Ps)
Strategy, 2018).
this pricing method, firm is
dealing with its competitors well
by setting competitive prices
which means according to what
other rivalry firms are offering.
Place More than 600 stores of M&S are
there in the UK with having a
strong presence internationally.
With having so many stores,
company is enjoying a large
customer base as products are
easily available to them.
There are 50 branches of
company all over the UK where it
operates and grabbing the
customer base. All stores of firm
are nearby to the areas of target
customers and this is the reason
that even with 50 outlets, they
have captured a large customer
base (Hill and Raphaely, 2018).
Promotion Company is active on all
marketing mediums like on
television, internet and social
media, fashion magazines as
well as offering products through
online shopping portals like
Amazon.com and its own
website.
Company is using promotional
tools like advertising through
digital media and online along
with magazine ads which is
helping the business to make
customers aware with its
products and services at large
and thus, boosting the overall
sales.
People The overall employee strength of
M&S is 83000 on which company
pays special attention as to retain
them for longer run, it is following
a competitive payment policy
(Pahwa, 2018). Also,
organisation is offering rewards
and pension benefits to
For Beauty Giant, employees are
the most important assets to
whom they give high
consideration with providing
healthy and safe working
conditions. Along with that,
company has the provision to
provide effective training to
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employees based on their
performance and duration they
served to increase their loyalty,
morale and thus, efficiency in
work.
employees time to time so that
they can effectually deal with the
customers and make them
satisfy (Montecchi and Nobbs,
2018).
Process Advanced techniques are being
used by M&S to provide
customer convenience like self-
checkout counter and e-
commerce website for online
purchase. Further, customers
can also claim reward points on
their big purchase through a
special sparks card which firm
offers as a part of their loyalty
program.
Organisation is using highly
advanced and the latest
techniques in their process so
that with minimum cost, highest
level of profits through increased
productivity can be gained.
Further, it is helping the firm to
improve customer service part.
Physical
Evidence
The stores of organisation are
well organised and beautiful
numbering more than 1000
across world. A wide range of
products is being offered by
company and it has its own
website which is maintained by
talented employees so that
customers at large can be
grabbed (Wood, 2018).
The physical evidence in Beauty
Giant has been developed by
highly skilled and knowledgeable
employees as they are capable
enough to attract customers at
large as well as successful in
making them convinced to buy
the products offered.
P4. Producing a basic marketing plan with evaluation
Executive summary
Marketing plan is prepared for the new launch of Beauty Giant which is going to
introduce its new product i.e. ‘Forever Young’ for the first time in market that will be
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targeting the people over age of 30 years. Company is having an ambitious plan for this
product as it aspires to become the market leader and ultimate choice for customers.
Company overview
Beauty Giant is having 50 stores all cross UK till now that are offering quality
products and thus, grabbing a large customer base with high goodwill. In order to
increase the scope of business and capture more markets, firm has decided to launch
its new product for a new segment i.e. ‘Forever Young’.
Market analysis (PESTLE)
An external analysis is important in terms of examining the market’s viability and
operate in it as a leader. It also assists in obtaining several contending benefits and is
assistive in sustainable growth of the firm (Vivekananth, 2015). Below is the external
analysis of the firm, Beauty Giant that is launching a new anti-ageing product for people
above 30 years:
Figure 3: PESTLE Analysis Political factors – This state those regulatory norms, within which, company like
Beauty Giant are enforced to operate. This mainly indicates the governmental
norms that refers the binding force for the cited firm. It is for instance, in regard to
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Political
Factors
Economic
Factors
Social Factors
Technological
Factors
Legal Factors
Environmental
Factors