Creating a Unified Marketing Platform

Nathan George, M.S., J.D.

Based on a Presentation by Dr. Kevin Lance Jones

The Marketing Plan

• Central instrument for directing and coordinating the marketing effort

• How do you coordinate your marketing efforts?– Plan ahead?– Shoot from the hip?

The Marketing Plan

• Marketing planning procedures and content vary considerably among companies

• Vary in length from under 5 pages to 50 pages

• Some organizations take it very seriously while others see them as a rough guide to action

The Marketing Plan

• Marketing must be approached as both an “art” and a “science” – constant tension between the formulated side of marketing and the creative side

• Operates at a strategic level and a tactical level

• Sometimes referred to as a “Battle Plan”

Preparing for Battle

“In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans

are useless but planning is indispensable.”

- President Dwight Eisenhower

Preparing for Battle

• The most frequently cited shortcomings of current marketing plans, according to marketing executives are:

– Lack of Realism– Insufficient Competitive

Analysis– Short-run focus

Contents of a Marketing Plan

Contents of your Battle Plan

• Executive Summary & Table of Contents

oOpen with a brief summary of the main goals and recommendations

oExecutive summary helps senior management to understand major points fast

oTable of contents that outlines the rest of the plan and all the supporting rationale and operational detail should follow the executive summary

Contents of your Battle Plan

• Situational AnalysisoPresents relevant background data

on sales, costs, the market, competitors, and the various forces in the macro-environment

oHow is the market defined, how big is it, and how fast is it growing? What are the relevant trends affecting the market? What is the product offering and what are the critical issues facing the company?

oPertinent historical information can be included to provide context

oCarry out a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis

Contents of your Battle Plan• Marketing Strategy

oHere the product manager defines the mission, marketing and financial objectives. They also define groups and needs that the product intends to satisfy.

o The manager then establishes the product’s competitive positioning, which is the “game plan” to do the plan’s objectives. This is done with inputs from other areas, like purchasing, sales, manufacturing, finance and human resources, so that the firm can provide proper support for implementation.

o The marketing strategy should be specific about the branding strategy and customer strategy that will be employed.

Contents of your Battle Plan

• Financial ProjectionsoFinancial projections include a sales

forecast, an expense forecast, and a break-even analysis.

oOn the revenue side, the projections show the forecasted sales volume by month and product category.

oOn the expense side, the projections show the expected costs of marketing, broken down into finer categories.

oThe break-even analysis shows how many units must be sold monthly to offset the monthly fixed costs and average per-unit variable costs.

Contents of your Battle Plan

• Implementation ControlsoTells how to monitor and

adjust the plan as it is implemented

oInternal and external measures that assess progress and suggest possible changes

oSome organizations include contingency plans – outlining steps management would take in response to specific environmental developments

Contents of your Battle Plan

See handout for a complete Marketing Plan Outline with notes as well as a Sample

Marketing Plan.

Barriers to Marketing

Source: Robert A. SevierThinking Outside the Box

Barriers to Marketing

• Lack of Motivation to Change

– If stakeholders do not feel the need to respond to threats or emerging opportunities, it is unlikely that there will be enough consensus for marketing.

Barriers to Marketing

• No Management Commitment

– If the president does not support marketing vocally and demonstrate this support with adequate staffing and budgets, it will fail.

Barriers to Marketing

• Belief that Strategic Problems Can be Solved Tactically

– All the promotion in the world won’t save a flawed or outdated management or operations style.

Barriers to Marketing

• Failure of Managers from Different Departments to Work Together

– If the chief financial officer, marketing, human resources, and front line managers are not willing to share goals and resources, then the marketing effort will be seriously impaired.

Barriers to Marketing

• Reluctance to See the Situation Realistically

– Marketing decisions must be founded on reliable information. A legitimate environmental audit, assessment of needs, being a “learning organization,” and perception and positioning studies must be undertaken.

Barriers to Marketing

• An Inconsistent Definition of Marketing Among Key Players

– From the outset, planners and the company staff must use a common definition of marketing. This can and should be defined by executive management.

Barriers to Marketing

• A Confusion Between Stakeholders and Customers

– Stakeholders – staff, administrators, shareholders and others – are people who work for and/or support the company.

– Customers are the people who pay the bills.

– Keep them both happy – not just one.

Evaluating the Plan

Source: Tim Berry and Doug WilsonOn Target: The Book on Marketing Plans

Evaluating the Marketing Plan

• Questions to ask:

– Is the plan simple?•Is it easy to understand and act on?

•Does it communicate its content easily and practically?

Evaluating the Marketing Plan

• Questions to ask:– Is the plan specific?

•Are its objectives concrete and measurable?

•Does it include specific actions and activities, each with specific dates of completion, specific persons responsible, and specific budgets?

Evaluating the Marketing Plan

• Questions to ask:– Is the plan realistic?

•Are the goals, expense budgets, and milestone dates realistic?

•Has a frank and honest self-critique been conducted to raise possible concerns and objectives?

Evaluating the Marketing Plan

• Questions to ask:

– Is the plan complete?•Does it include all the necessary elements?

Tips & Helpful Hints

Tips and Helpful Hints

• Keep in mind the aspects of holistic marketing:

– Relationship Marketing– Integrated Marketing– Internal Marketing– Social Responsibility Marketing

Tips and Helpful Hints

• Once it’s written, don’t set it on the shelf to collect dust:

– Keep it in action – re-evaluate the plan every 1-2 months.

– Make appropriate adjustments.– Learn from trial and error.

Tips and Helpful Hints

• Adjustments to the plan can be due to new PR strategies, crisis management, big events and changes, and more.

Conclusion

“It pays to plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when

Noah built the arc.”

- Denis Waitley

Sources

• Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller: Marketing Management, 12th edition

• Tim Berry and Doug Wilson: On Target: The Book on Marketing Plans

• Robert A. Sevier: Thinking Outside the Box