Mktg 496 Eastern Classic

Marketing Plan Final Paper

Basic Outline

Company name

(Following could be not available or recommended)

Street address

City, state, ZIP

Business phone

Website URL

Email address

Part 1 (Individual assignment)

 Industry History o Market and Industry Definition o Major Competitors and Descriptions o Competitor Strategies and niche

 Product History o Product features o What problem does product solve o Product Category Sales o Previous Performance Versus Competition History o Estimated Market Shares

 Company History o Start o Size o Major changes o Mission & Vision statement o Who is in charge today

Part 2 (Group work)

Current Product/Service problem to solve

 Problem Characteristics

 Problem effects on stakeholders

 Why is it important Product Characteristics

 Uniqueness, niche

 High/low cost

 Distribution channel of product/service SWOT Analysis

 Internal Factors o Strengths o Weaknesses

 External Factors o Opportunities

o Threats

Competitive Analysis Worksheet

For each factor listed in the first column, assess whether you think it’s a strength or a weakness

(S or W) for the business and for the top 3 competitors.

Then rank how important each factor is to your target customer on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = very

important; 5 = not very important). Use this information to explain your competitive advantages

and disadvantages.

FACTOR The

Business

Competitor

A

Competitor

B

Competitor

C

Importance

to Customer

Products

Price

Quality

Selection

Service

Reliability

Stability

Expertise

Company

Reputation

Location

Appearance

Sales Method

Credit

Policies

FACTOR The

Business

Competitor

A

Competitor

B

Competitor

C

Importance

to Customer

Advertising

Image

Group Members Contribution:

 Member 1 0-33%

 Member 2 0-33%

 Member 3 0-34% 100%

Part 3

Customer Analysis

 Total Market Size

 Target Market trends growth/shrinkage

 Market Potential and realistic future forecast

 Barriers to entry such as technology, qualified employees, high startup costs Demographic Market Segments:

 Age - History

 Gender

 Marital Status – Family Life Cycle

 Income – Social Status

 Education – Social Status

 Purchase behavior

 Communication Style

 Geographic

 Other Psychographic Consumer Behavior:

 Personal activities

 Group activities

 How time is spent

 How they think (decision process)

 Other Media and Communications used

 Traditional

 Nontraditional

 Social

 Search engines

Marketing Objectives and Goals

 Expected results o Within course time frame o Future

Strategic and Tactical Recommendations

 Strategy to accomplish goals o The tactics to meet the strategic goals

Secondary Research

 Review of published databases, journal articles, trade magazines, newspapers o Justify market and goals

Primary Research Results

 Personal interviews

 Focus group

 Survey data collection and analysis

Group Members Contribution:

 Member 1 0-33%

 Member 2 0-33%

 Member 3 0-34% 100%

Part 4 Strategic Plan

 “Big idea” Message

 Explanation and justification of message

 Consistent layout design and mandatory inclusions

 Examples of message and graphics Promotions

 Explanation and justification of promotions

 Examples of promotional tools Media

 Media Chart of all running Marketing Communications advertising and promotions Measurement

 How will we measure the success o Benchmark and success measurement

Part 5

Start Marketing Plan over from the beginning.

 Single voice

 Pictures & Graphs

 Real advertising and promotion samples ready to use

 Visually pleasing color and layout

Add to beginning:

Cover

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Add to end:

Elevator Speech

 30 second elevator speech of the problem, goal, and success. Conclusion

 Less than 1 page References

 APA format Appendices

 Not included in page count Final Presentation:

 Graphic and text based

 Can use voice and/or video

 Maximum length 3 minutes

Group Members Contribution:

 Member 1 0-33%

 Member 2 0-33%

 Member 3 0-34% 100%