Marketing Essentials Report: Roles, Marketing Mix, and Plans

This report provides a comprehensive overview of marketing essentials, beginning with an introduction to the concept and its significance in promoting products and enhancing brand awareness. The main body delves into the roles and responsibilities of marketing functions, emphasizing customer needs, trend tracking, brand recognition, social media management, and innovation. It then explores the interconnection between marketing and other operational units, including finance, R&D, HR, operations, and IT. The report further evaluates the implementation of the marketing mix across different organizations, specifically Sainsbury's and Tesco, analyzing product, place, price, and promotion strategies. Finally, the report concludes with a discussion of Sainsbury's marketing plan, summarizing the strategies adopted to achieve its goals.

Marketing Essentials

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
P1 Roles and Responsibilities of Marketing Functions..............................................................3
P2 Interconnection between Marketing and other operational units of the organisation. ..........5
TASK 2 ...........................................................................................................................................7
P3 Evaluation of implementation of Marketing Mix across different organisations..................7
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................9
P4 Marketing Plan of the Organisation.......................................................................................9
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13
Books and Journals...................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Marketing is a tool used by the organisations for the promotion of their products and
enhancing its bareness among the potential customers in the external environment. Marketing is
a function performed by the marketing manager who devise effective strategies for the
attainment of the organisational objectives. This process considers a marketing mix which is
package of 4P's namely; product, price, place and promotion which is also known as traditional
marketing mix. But now a days, the marketing environment have developed a modern marketing
mix which has an additional of 3P's in traditional mix namely; process, physical evidence and
people. This report focuses on the key roles and responsibilities in the marketing department
which is performed by the marketing manager (Badaró, 2020). There are many functions
performed by the manager for enhancement of sales and revenues of the company. It also
considers the 7P's of marketing mix that helps in reaching the potential customers. Sainsbury the
second largest network of grocery chains in UK. The company was founded by John James
Sainsbury in 1869 with headquarter in London, UK. This report covers the marketing plan
adopted by the company in order to achieve their desired goals.
MAIN BODY
TASK 1
P1 Roles and Responsibilities of Marketing Functions.
Marketing is a function which can be performed effectively with the help of effective
team management and efficient strategic goals. It is related to persuading the customers for
immediate purchase. There are many functions performed by the manager of Sainsbury in order
to sustain their competitive edge at the global level. The function require an effective planning to
be implemented in order to meet the deadlines before time. The marketing function involves the
creation of awareness about the products of the Sainsbury in the global market. This motivates
the company to work for their customers and this will ultimately enhance their level of
motivation (Campbell, Martin and Fabos, 2018). The marketing function has the following roles
and responsibilities which are explained below: Listening to Customer Needs: The foremost function performed by the marketing
department is to listen to the customer needs and devise ways to fulfil those needs. For
this the company performs a market research which helps them in analysing the

consumer behaviour effectively. The marketing department of Sainsbury performs the
marketing function by collaborating the internal channels and external channels towards
the attainment of the goals of the company. The internal channels of Sainsbury try to
reach their customers by adopting the methods of survey for capturing the information
about the customer preferences which will help them in development of the products
accordingly (Zhang, Cheung and Law, 2018). The external channel of Sainsbury choose
to make use of the social network for the collection of information regarding the
customer's needs which will help them selling the products effectively. Track Trends and Monitor Competition: The marketing function also involves the study
of the current trends prevailing in the market which will help them in introducing
innovative products for their potential customers (Bojanic and Reid, 2017). The
marketing team of Sainsbury tries to track down the strategies of their competitors in
order to use them in devising effective strategies for improving their position in the
industry. Through identification and monitoring of their competitors, Sainsbury will be
able to identify their mistakes and will rectify them to enhance their market share. The
study of trend will help Sainsbury marketing team to acknowledge their capabilities for
developing the products with enhanced innovation.
 Brand Recognition: The another function of the marketing is to enhance the brand
recognition of the company in the competitive industry. Also, the marketing tries to
enhance the awareness of the product by offering them certain discounts and vouchers
which will persuade them to immediate purchase. This will enhance the sales and
revenues of the company and Sainsbury will be able to beat its competitors easily. The
image of the company can created or disseminated by the effective or wrong steps taken
by the marketing team. The marketing team of Sainsbury adopts the effective ways to
communicate their customers which will attract them and retain them for longer duration.
 Monitoring and Managing Social Media: Social media is an influential and effective
tool and if it is managed efficiently then it will enhance the customers base for a long run
for the company (Cluley, 2018). The marketing team of Sainsbury adopts the social
media platforms and channels which helps them in getting the customers information
about their preferences, current trends and their expectations from the brand. The

manager of the company plays a vital role in managing the social media channels. It also
advertises the company's products effectively to build a wider scope for reaching the
potential customers. This way is used by Sainsbury in enhancing their market image in
the external competitive environment.
 Searching New Tools to introduce Innovation: The another marketing function involves
the fusion of innovation in the working process and products operations of the company.
There are various types of marketing tools that helps the company in product operation
and promotions at global level. The product management tools depends on the products
designed by the research team of the company. The innovation will introduce various
customer retention techniques for the Sainsbury and they will able to build a competitive
base of loyal customers (Critchley, 2020).
Hence, these are the roles of the marketing function which are performed in order to
enhance the sales, revenues and future growth prospects of the company in the competitive
industry.
P2 Interconnection between Marketing and other operational units of the organisation.
Marketing is an essential tools for supporting the other operational units of the company.
The companies perform according to the needs of the customers and tries to fulfil their
expectations. The marketing can be collaborated to other functional units which will enhance the
performance ration of the company in comparison to its competitors. It is necessary for the
company to perform these functions effectively in order to sustain their level of productivity and
profitability. This relationship with the chosen organisation can be explained as follows: Marketing and Finance: The finance department is the backbone of the company. The
financial planning and budgets are prepared by the effective workforce of the company
in order to maximise their profits and minimise their wastage. The marketing team of
Sainsbury gets the budget from the finance department and they have to develop the
strategies accordingly (Jennings Jr, 2016). This will reduce the irrelevance expenses on
the marketing and promotions of the products of the Sainsbury. Also, the marketing
department performs the market study and informs the finance department in selecting
the feasible ways of investment in the current scenario. Marketing and R & D: The research and development department performs the research
on the customers preferences in the competitive market. They also study the current

trends prevailing in the market and submit the analysed evaluation to the marketing
department. The marketing department of the Sainsbury work effectively to understand
the report and then devise the strategies to target the audience. Sainsbury marketing team
is efficient due to which the company has gained second leading position in the industry.
Also, the marketing department provides assistance to R & D to perform their research
on an effective field (Lorne, Daram and Muley, 2018). The manager of Sainsbury
supports the R & D in order to carry out the development of effective strategies by the
marketing department. Marketing and HR: The human resource department is responsible for hiring effective
personnels for different operational units in order to achieve the objectives of the
organisation. The HR recruitment process has a wider scope which selects the effective
and feasible employees for the marketing department. The HRD of the Sainsbury recruits
the marketing professional who possess the knowledge of marketing concepts in
practical terms, current trends of the industry and the product development techniques.
Also, the marketing department provides the information to HR department about the
current vacant positions in their respective department and qualifications for various
vacant positions. According to that the HR department of Sainsbury hires the
professionals for the attainment of the objectives of the company. Marketing and Operations: The marketing department of the company also supports the
operational and manufacturing department of Sainsbury by managing their managerial
efficiencies which will implement the working process of the operation department. The
marketing department performs various managing functions which act as a guide for the
operational department in attainment of organisational objectives (Lockhart, 2016). It is
necessary for the operational department to manufacture the products which will help the
marketing professional in their further process of promotion.
 Marketing and IT: The marketing department devise the strategies which will help in
attainment of the goals of the company. The IT department of Sainsbury supports the
market professionals in reaching their targeted audience through digital ways. The
customers now a days are using the social media platforms at a large level. So, the IT
department manages the social media platforms of the company and support the
marketing professional regarding ways to use the marketing software effectively. The

marketing professionals of Sainsbury puts effective efforts towards the implementation
of marketing software towards enhancement potential customer base.
Hence, these are the interrelations of marketing department with other operational units
across the company (Lovelock, Wirtz and Hemzo, 2020). This will help the company in making
potential use of the energy, efficiency and knowledge of the workforce towards the attainment of
objectives. The marketing functions helps and support every operational unit of the company in
achieving their business objectives.
TASK 2
P3 Evaluation of implementation of Marketing Mix across different organisations.
Marketing mix is a combination of different forms of P's which designs a pathway for the
company to reach their targeted customers. Marketing mix is essential for the marketing planning
and also used for the purpose of selling and promoting the products. The implementation of
marketing mix in Sainsbury and TESCO is explained below:
BASIS SAINSBURY TESCO
Product Sainsbury is a chain of
supermarkets which offers
wide range of products to meet
their expectations at global
level. The company has its
own label products of more
than 20%. The range of
products also include the
organic products which is an
innovative range for the young
generation.
TESCO offers a wide variety
of products which has a range
in clothing, food and many
more (MK, 2017). The
company focuses on leaving
its footprint in every sector to
ensure growth and success.
The company serves the
customers with a wide range of
products as they are operating
in a diversified environment.
Place Sainsbury operates its supply
chain thorough different
regional centres. The company
also offers online shopping to
its customers with efficient
TESCO have both online and
offline stores for offering their
products worldwide. The
company's headquarter is in
England and it have expanded

services. their operations at a global
level.
Price Sainsbury has adopted
competitive pricing policy
which will be beneficial for the
customers and the working
environment of the company
(Panigrahi, 2017). It offers
quality products with attractive
prices to its customer to
enhance their customer base.
The company believes in
providing the customers value
for money.
TESCO adopts the
affordability pricing as their
objective is to achieve the
economies of scale. The
company tries to make their
price range low so that every
segment of customer can
purchase it. The pricing
strategy of the company also
maintains a leading position in
the industry for the future
growth prospects.
Promotion Sainsbury has adopted the
strategies of campaigns in
newspaper and TV which will
promote their product at global
level. The company have
adopted the marketing
strategies of BRL and ATL.
TESCO has the advantage of
low pricing strategy as this
will attract large number of
customers across the external
environment. This advantage
ensures a continuous growth in
sales and revenue of the
company (Pantano, Bassano
and Priporas, 2018).
Physical evidence Sainsbury has different layout
designs for innovating the
physical appearance of their
products offerings. The
company has also made certain
changes in the delivery process
and the pricing strategy which
TESCO maintains the hygiene
standards which attracts the
customers most. The company
didn't spend much on the
physical appearance of the
product. TESCO aims at
building the competitive

will attract the large base of
the customers towards their
brand.
advantage through quality
products.
Process Sainsbury has innovated its
operations online. This has
attracted the customers to do
online shopping which is a
convenient way of Click &
collect.
TESCO aims at improving
their billing services which
will make customers happy
from their brand. This will
enhance their customer
retention ratio.
People Sainsbury has a good
combination of effective
professional which are
sensitive towards the consumer
behaviour. The company
prioritizes the customers first
which enhance their customer
base in the competitive
industry (Pförtsch and
Sponholz, 2019).
TESCO applies various
strategies to enhance the
efficiency and productivity of
their customers. TESCO
implemented Save as you Earn
strategy and have also
developed the colleague
provident card which will
motivate them for high
performance.
TASK 3
P4 Marketing Plan of the Organisation.
Marketing plan is process performed by the marketing manager which involves the ways
of promotional techniques to be used to attract the potential customers. The plan considers the
promotional techniques, budget of the plan, objective of the plan and the monitoring of the plan.
The objective of the plan is designed after considering the mission and vision statements of the
organisations. The monitoring and control is performed on a regular basis to ensure the
successful achievement of the objectives. The marketing plan provides a prior information to the
company regarding their customer base and ways to enhance it effectively.
Objective of the Company

The objective of the Sainsbury is to provide value added products to their customers with a
guaranteed quality to satisfy them. Also, the aim is to fulfil the expectations of the customers
regarding the products of their brand (Thapa, 2017).
Mission of the Company
The mission of the Sainsbury is “ To become the customers first choice regarding the food
products and to offer distinctive products to the customers at the competitive prices.”
Vision of the Company
The vision of Sainsbury is “ To become the most trusted food retailer which will help them in
harnessing the talent of their workforce towards the attainment of long term objectives.”
STP Approach of the Company
STP approach of the company analysis is used to target the customers for the sale of the products
(Piñeiro-Otero and Martínez-Rolán, 2016). This strategy is opted by the company to simplify the
operations effectively. Sainsbury can opt this strategy to enhance their customer base and to
study the external environment of business. This strategy has 3 steps namely; segmentation,
targeting and positioning. These steps are explained below: Segmentation: It is a way used by the company for segmenting the targeted customers
into small groups. This will make easy for the company to target them on the basis of
their preferences. Sainsbury can use this in order to divide the customers on the basis of
their age group which will make easier for them to develop the products accordingly. Targeting: This is the second step of this approach which involves the targeting of the
segmented group. The company target the group with the help of effective strategies of
marketing. Sainsbury adopts the effective pricing strategies to attract the customers like
premium pricing strategy. Positioning: This is the last step of the STP approach. This involves adoption of ways for
positioning the products in the minds of the customers. Sainsbury targets the social
networking of the customers to position their products and enhance their growth
prospects.
SWOT Analysis of Sainsbury

The SWOT analysis is a widely used techniques to evaluate the current strength and
opportunities for the company which can be used towards the attainment of goals of the
company. The Swot analysis of the company is mentioned below:
STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES
 The Sainsbury provides services of
wholesaler and retailer to customer
which has enhanced its wider scope of
operations (Raval, 2018).
 The company offers the Nectar loyalty
card scheme to enhance the loyal
customer base.
 The operating cost for managing the
wider operations is the weak point of
the company.
 Due to wider operations the company
has hired large number of workforce
which has reduced their overall
margins.
OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
 The company can expand its operations
in the villages which will help them in
sustaining competitive edge.
 The company has threat of competitors
like RESCO, ASDA and many more
(Truong, 2017).
Marketing budget
Particulars 1st year 2nd year 3rd year 4th year
Investment 11000 20000 6500 5000
Initial money 11000 7000 5500 5000
Total 22000 27000 12000 10000
Marketing
outlay
15000 2000 3000 5000
Sales
publicity
2200 1000 1000 1000
Direct selling 4800 3500 1000 1000
Promotion 5000 1500 5000 2000
Total 27000 8000 10000 9000

Monitoring and Controlling: This is the last stage of marketing plan. This involves monitoring
the performance of the plan and remove the deviations in the processing of the plan. The control
measures must be taken to ensure that the plan is carried out successfully (Sandilands and
Strachan, 2020). Sainsbury can use various monitoring and controlling techniques in order to
accomplish the goals of the organisation.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that the marketing function plays a significant
role in achieving the growth opportunities of the organisation. The report also provides a brief
knowledge of the responsibilities of a marketing team to carry out the tasks efficiently. The firm
can use marketing as a core function to maintain a strong customer base which will enhance their
position in the industry. There are many strategies adopted by the marketing team for achieving
the goals of the company. Furthermore, for ensuring continuous growth the development of an
effective marketing plan will be fruitful for the organisation.

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