Marketing Report: Analysis of Unilever's Marketing Strategies and Mix

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Unilever's marketing strategies, covering key aspects such as the key roles and responsibilities of the marketing function, including market research, financial planning, product development, market planning, brand value management, customer support, product distribution, promotion, and new business development. It delves into the interrelationships between the marketing department and other functional units like human resources, finance, production, and information technology, highlighting how these departments collaborate to achieve organizational objectives. The report also examines the marketing mix (7Ps) and provides a comparison of marketing strategies, culminating in the development of a marketing plan. The analysis incorporates practical tools and techniques for identifying internal and external business environment factors and developing effective strategic plans. The report provides insights into how Unilever manages brand value, customer engagement, and market penetration.

MARKETING
ESSENTIAL

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................1
Key Roles and Responsibilities of The Marketing Function.......................................................1
Interrelationships Between Marketing And Other Functional Units...........................................4
PRESENTATION........................................................................................................................6
LO2................................................................................................................................................15
Comparison on the Basis of Marketing Mix (7Ps)....................................................................15
LO 3...............................................................................................................................................19
Marketing Plan...........................................................................................................................19
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................21
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................22

INTRODUCTION
Marketing is the key function of any organization and it helps to increase the opportunity
of business to increase sales and profit margins effectively. Marketing helps to increase the
communication of the organization with its stakeholders and increase efficiency of products and
services which helps improve brand value and profitability in market to compete in market.
Marketing helps business to understand consumer behaviours to attain better marketing plan.
Businesses use marketing strategy to compete in market and achieve competitive advantage
effectively. This report discusses practical tools and techniques used to identify internal and
external business environment factors which influence efficiency of marketing plan. This helps
to formulate effective strategic plan with available resources. In addition, report highlights key
roles and responsibilities of marketing function of Unilever and interrelationship between
different marketing functions of company. Furthermore, it provides a brief study of marketing
mix of two organization which have common products and service to develop effective
marketing plan and increase the sales and profitability of the companies. In the end report
highlights the effective strategies which can be adopted after implementing effective analysis and
research and data to increase efficiency and customer base effectively.
LO 1
Key Roles and Responsibilities of The Marketing Function
Marketing is the process of evaluating, analysing and satisfying the needs and wants of
customers with resources available in business to generate effective profit margins and improve
the efficiency of customer relations (Holbrook, 2018). Unilever is consumer good business
organization which operates globally and also has needs to understand key roles and
responsibilities of their marketing function to reduce cost of operation and improve profit
margins effectively. Unilever uses marketing to analyse which product and services can satisfy
the needs and wants of customers effectively and improve customer base of the company
effectively. Consumer behaviour analysis of customer provides better opportunities Unilever in
product designing and production with effective innovations.
Market Research
Marketing department uses this process for analysing the opportunities and threats of
business organization in the market according the current resources and products. Market
1

research help Unilever to identify current and future needs and wants of customers to formulate
effective plan and increase sales of the company. Marketing department of Unilever is using
SWOT and Pestle analysis for identifying internal and external factors. Marketing department is
also using Porter's model to evaluate the competitive threat in market to interrelate all the
opportunities and gain better market share by making effective marketing plan.
Finance
Marketing department has the responsibility to ensure the cost of marketing activities and
budget formulation. Unilever is using marketing function to understand the cost and price
strategy of products and services to match needs and wants of customers to increase their sales
effectively (Natakusumah, Nursiana and Suryono, 2017). The role of marketing department of
Unilever is it provide effective understanding about financial position of company by evaluating
all the funding aspects and calculating the expected sales according to resources to achieve
objectives of the company effectively.
Product Development
Marketing department of Unilever is also responsible effectively understand all the
market research data and improve quality of products and services. This is helping company to
increase customer base (Kuntonbutr, 2019). Unilever is using Product diversification and
differentiation strategies which is helping them to retain customers to the company and
improving customer service engagement effectively. It is very essential for the business to
understand the needs and wants of the customers so that they can also improve the loyalty of and
customers base Unilever effectively and increase profitability.
Market Planning
Marketing department has a role to plan all the activities of marketing in the company
with the help of effective tools and techniques (Lancaster and Massingham, 2017). After market
research company has better vision to forecast and improve the decision-making process of
marketing. Marketing department of Unilever also has to identify all the available products in
the company and evaluate the demand of particular products and services which impact the
values of customers in market. With the help if effective planning it can be resolved and improve
company's market share.
Brand Value
2

Brand value is the image of the company in the market which helps to increase customers
perception while making buying decision. Marketing Department Of Unilever has the effective
role to communicate the vision of customer market which increases the perceived value of the
company and thus increase the brand value. Brand Value also improves the customer loyalty by
gaining trust of customers (Ottman, 2017). Unilever is using quality of products and personal
discounts to their customers in order to improve brand value and capture better market.
Marketing department of the company also has the responsibility to analyse the factors which has
negative impact on the operation of Unilever.
Customer Support Service
Unilever is using digital tools and platform to gain better customer feedback and solve
them in less time. Marketing department also has the role listen to customer's complaints and
issues to resolve and develop new products and satisfy their needs. Unilever has established
different customer forums to resolve the issues (Ozuem, 2017). Marketing department has to
provide all the information and aware customers about all information about products and
services.
Distribution of Products
Distribution channel is the procedure through which products of business are provided to
customers. Business to business and business to customer are two distribution channel Unilever
is using in different market to increase sales and also reduce cost of distribution (Chernev, 2018).
Marketing department has role to identify different distribution channel which help to reduce
cost and per product and improves the prices and profit margins effectively.
Promotion
Marketing department is also responsible to promote the sales of products and services
which helps to increase productivity of the company. Marketing department has the duty to use
different platforms to penetrate in the market and increase the customer integration with different
products. Department of Unilever is using different market segments to target customers and
increase the sales effectively (Wirtz and Lovelock, 2016). With the help of high brand value
company is able to establish its base in new market and position its products ans services
effectively.
New business development
3

Marketing department is responsible to understand the opportunities and threats
according to strengths and weaknesses of business to expand in new market. Unilever is
investing in many business products regularly due to increasing demand of consumers in the
market which is also providing company with effective planning and analysing the potential of
the business in market to generate better profitability. Unilever is also investing in different
products to reduce increase the survivability in the market and also reduce the impact of changes
in customer preferences rapidly in the market.
Interrelationships Between Marketing And Other Functional Units
Marketing functions is very essential in the factors which help to understand the quality
of products and services (Pantano, Bassano and Priporas, 2018). There ere effective
interrelationships between all the departments of business with marketing to improve its
productivity and gain effective market share. Unilever has to analyse their interrelationship
between all the departments to increase improve communication between all the employees to
achieve objectives effectively. As marketing broader than selling and in consumer products
industry it is very essential to increase customer trends. Unilever has effective distribution
channel to provide their products directly and indirectly to customers depending on the market
diversification.
Human Resource Department
This department has the role to manage all the human resource of organization according
to their skills and knowledge to increase efficiency of businesses effectively. Human resource
department ensure the performance of all the employees and motivates them using different
techniques and policies. This department also provides locutions to problems which any
employee has and increase the retention power of the company by job satisfaction of every
employee. Human resource department of Unilever ensures remuneration policies, integration of
laws with company's policies to increase the efficiency of the business effectively. With the help
of human resource department marketing department can increase its potential to recruit effective
employees as per requirement of marketing department. This also helps to develop detailed job
description and reduce the inefficient candidates rapidly. Potential employees in the company
improve customer engagement activities and increase the sales of the company effectively. They
also help in improving organization's culture to healthy working environment.
Finance Department
4

Finance department is the fundamental unit of any business organization as it helps to
regulate and manage funds which is very important for business to operate in market effectively
(Pater and Cristea, 2018). Unilever has effective finance department which analyses the potential
threat and opportunities by financial planning of the company effectively. This department helps
to provide salary to all the employees and improve the efficiency of the company effectively.
Unilever is very effective in investing in new products and markets due to potential of
department to understand financial flow. Finance department is also responsible to formulate true
and fair financial reports which helps to satisfy stakeholder of Unilever effectively. Marketing is
also interrelated with finance as all the activities conducted by marketing department needs
financial resources. Marketing has to provide all the information to finance department and
receive funds and conduct marketing functions with low cost and high profitability. Marketing
department also has to coordinate with finance department to formulate prices of products
according to total cost incurred in final products. Due to high coordination between both the
department of Unilever it helps to lower the cost and increases the profit margins effectively.
Marketing department also ensure to innovate their techniques like social media marketing to
save cost effectively.
Production Department
Production department are the group of people who are responsible to ensure the
manufacturing process of products to meet market demand and increase productivity of business
organization effectively. This department also helps business to improve the quality of product
and services by adopting techniques which helps to set standards of products and consistency in
products to attar more customers in the company. Production department also ensure low cost
raw material from several distributors to reduce cost of final products. Unilever has its own
production units which help the company to formulate its prices according to market demand and
improve the product specification according to needs and wants to customers to increase
satisfaction (Hisrich and Ramadani, 2017). Marketing department is related with production as it
provider information in designing and improving products according to current needs and wants
of market customers. With the effective coordination of both departments Unilever is able to
increase the economies of scale with increased sales to fulfil all the demand of the customers.
Marketing department helps production department to innovate the products and quality of
5

products in order to satisfy customers effectively. Marketing sales the products which are
produced by production department and increase profitability of company.
Information Technology Department
Information technology is the systematic area of business which help to increase the
efficiency of all the activities. This department ensure all the activities which is related to
technology. Unilever is using technology to improve their efficiency and reduce the cost and
compete in market effectively. This is also very essential for the company to adopt new
technology which to increase the satisfaction level of customers effectively. Marketing
department is defendant on this department to improve digital marketing. IT department has the
responsibility to provide proper training to marketing team to use digital tool to increase their
efficiency and gain their objectives effectively (Turban, Strauss and Lai, 2016). This also helps
to increase customers engagement to sale. Information technology also helps marketing
department to improve marketing strategies and target customers separately according to their
needs and wants.
PRESENTATION
6

7

8

9

10