Final Project

Write a comprehensive marketing plan

for a brand you wish to launch
 The topic / product
• It may be any new product or service

• It will be marketed - sold, leased, licensed - to

external customers
– As distinct from being used only internally by the
developer's company

• The marketing plan will be your original work

• Feel free to come up with your own idea

– Note, it’s a first-come-first-served basis
Marketing Plan

Guidelines
 A marketing plan is a written document
that details the necessary actions
to achieve specified marketing objectives
 What is a marketing plan
• Forces marketers to look internally in order to fully
understand the results of past marketing decisions

• Forces them to look externally in order to fully

understand the market in which they operate

• Sets future goals and provides direction for future

marketing efforts that everyone within the company
should understand and support

• Is key in obtaining funding to pursue new initiatives

 Why a marketing plan
• Needed as part of the yearly planning
process within the marketing functional area
• Required for a specialized strategy to
introduce something new
– New product planning, entering new markets, or
trying a new strategy to fix an existing problem

• Is a component within an overall business

plan, such as a new business proposal to the
financial community
 How to write a marketing plan
1. Executive summary
2. Situation analysis
3. Marketing strategies
4. Financials, budgets
& forecasts
5. Controls
6. Additional considerations
 1.0 Executive summary
• Provide reader with necessary information to fully
understand the purpose of the plan
– Offer a brief explanation for why this plan was produced

• Suggest what may be done with info within plan

• Add a mission statement that considers:
– Why the company is in the business?
– What does this company want to be known for?
– What markets served and why they are served?
– What products/services does the company offer?

• Keep in mind the company history, resources and

competencies, conditions under which it operates
 2.0 Situation analysis
2.1 Market summary
2.1.1 Market demographics
2.1.2 Market needs
2.1.3 Market trends
2.1.4 Market growth
2.2 SWOT analysis
2.3 Competition
2.4 Services
2.5 Keys to success
2.6 Critical issues
2.7 Channels
2.8 Macro-environment
 3.0 Marketing strategies
3.1 Mission
3.2 Marketing objectives
3.3 Financial objectives
3.4 Target marketing
3.5 Positioning
3.6 Strategy
3.7 Marketing mix
3.7.1 Services and service marketing
3.7.2 Pricing
3.7.3 Promotion
3.7.4 Service
3.7.5 Channels of distribution
3.8 Marketing research
4.0 Financials, budgets & forecasts
4.1 Break-even analysis

4.2 Sales forecast

4.3 Expense forecast

4.4 Linking sales and expenses to strategy

4.5 Contribution margin

 5.0 Controls
5.1 Implementation milestones
• This part is the area that will ultimately sell the plan to those who
have the power to give final approval
– Marketing budget: presents financial implications of the plan
– Performance analysis: presents expected results of the plan
including its financial impact
– Implementation schedule: shows timelines and identify those
responsible for performing tasks

5.2 Marketing organization

• The implementing team and their credentials

5.3 Contingency planning

 6.0 Additional considerations
• This section prepares the reader for potential
situations that may affect the plan

• Discuss company factors that may affect the plan

– Loss of funding sources, production issues etc.,

• Discuss outside factors that may affect the plan

– Legal & technological issues, supply chain problems etc.,

• Discuss problems that may exist with the research

information on which assumptions are being made
This might help…
 Guidelines
Capabilities Analysis
• What core competencies does your company bring to
bear on this product in the market it addresses?
• In which value discipline does it excel?
• Describe the ideal market these capabilities address
Industry Analysis
• Use Porter’s industry forces model, identify industries
your company is competing in with this product
• Evaluate your company’s strengths and
vulnerabilities in that industry
• Profile your company's top direct competitors and
indirect competitors
 Guidelines
Value Proposition
• What’s the value proposition for your product?
• How a typical customer would benefit from product

Market Segmentation
• Scan and evaluate the potential market segments

Demand Analysis / Forecast

• Build a simple model to forecast demand for your
company’s product in those segments
• Include factors that drive demand
• State assumptions behind projected market share?
 Guidelines
Plan Validation Strategy (Market Research)
• While formulating marketing strategy, you
would make a number of implicit assumptions
about market's attitude and expected behavior
• What are these assumptions, and how would
you test them through market research?
• Consider secondary research, survey research,
user studies, and any other relevant primary
and secondary data.
• Carry out your research by conducting
interviews with experts or customer
representatives
• Integrate findings into your marketing plan
 Guidelines
Marketing Strategy
• What generic strategy (Porter’s generic strategies)
would you apply to your product? Why?

Product Strategy
• How can you create competitive differentiation from
current competitors and potential entrants

Pricing Strategy
• Formulate a pricing strategy for your company’s
product
• What market entry price and price path would this
strategy suggest? Why?
 Guidelines
Promotional Strategy
• Who is the key buying influences affecting purchasing
decisions in your target market?
• What are the key messages you will communicate
about your product?
• What communication mix will you use?
Partnering Strategy
• What gaps or competitive weaknesses do you have
that might be offset by an alliance with a partner?
• What are the characteristics of companies you would
seek out as partners?
 Guidelines
Appendices
• The appendices should contain copies of the
original source material you used in building
your market plan

• As well as any additional tables, charts, etc.,

that you choose not to include in the body of
the market plan

• The appendices should be numbered, with a

list of appendices in front
 Remember…
• The intent of this project is not just to learn
developing a usable marketing plan

• It’s a chance for you to get first-hand experience

collecting info, collating data and executing
some form and level of marketing research

• Importantly, to give you a chance to practice

applying the marketing tools you learned during
the course
 Milestones
1. Product choice / Research Design

2. Situation analysis / Research Execution

3. Marketing strategy / Research Tabulation

4. Financials, budgets and forecasts / Research Findings

5. Implementation controls

6. Additional considerations
Get set. Go. Good luck!