Marketing Plan

Marketing Plan Report Rubric The rubric provides a detailed expectation for each section provided in Marketing Plan Report Outline. Please structure your report according to the details provided.

Levels of Achievement

Criteria Inadequate/Missing Serious Errors Needs Improvement Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations

Formatting Weight 5.00%

0 % 60 % Failed to follow formatting requirements. Serious problems with organization of the presentation. Unclear or no organizational cues, disorganized presentation.

70 % Limited formatting errors. Problems with the clarity of the discussion. Confusing organization of discussion. Failure to employ headers and subheads to organize discussion. Limited or no use of other organization cues (e.g. bullets, indentation). Unclear transitions and sequencing

85 % Followed basic APA formatting and organizational guidelines.

100 % Exceptionally well organized, logical progression organized under meaningful headings. Excellent use of other organizational cues such as bullets and indentation to enhance clarity and readability. Attractive, professional layout and design; "publishable" format in APA style.

Spelling and Grammar Weight 5.00%

0 % 60 % Substantial errors with spelling, grammar. Clearly failed to proof read prior to submission.

70 % Limited errors with spelling, grammar. Probable cause is failure to employ electronic checking resources, carefully proof.

85 % Minimal errors with spelling, grammar, punctuation.

100 % No discernible errors with spelling. Exceptional grammatical clarity.

Executive Summary Weight 5.00%

0 % 60 % Executive summary is vague and does not communicate the contents of the report.

70 % The executive summary provides an overview of the entire report, but is not well structured.

85 % The executive summary provides a details about the market, opportunity, marketing objectives, product, pricing, distribution, and promotions.

100 % The executive summary does an outstanding of job communicating the report. The executive summary clearly outlines the details pertaining to details about the market, opportunity, marketing objectives, product, pricing, distribution, and promotions. It is extremely well-structured.

Company Description and Business Mission Weight 5.00%

0 % 60 % Very unstructured and confusing description about the company and its mission.

70 % The company description and business mission section provides some details, but lacks clarity.

85 % The section provides the details about the company, which includes its primary market, products/services that it offers, and the business mission somewhat clearly.

100 % The section clearly explains the company details including its products/services. The business mission is also clearly provided.

Levels of Achievement

Criteria Inadequate/Missing Serious Errors Needs Improvement Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations

Marketing Objectives Weight 5.00%

0 % 60 % Vague or unclear marketing objectives.

70 % Weak discussion of marketing objectives.Detailed discussion of the objectives is provided, however, they are not realistic.

85 % Well articulated discussion of the marketing objectives. However, it is not aligned with the business mission.

100 % Discussion of clear, specific marketing objectives that are aligned with the business mission.

Situation Analysis - Industry Analysis Weight 5.00%

0 % 60 % Provides a superficial discussion about the current industry trends (technology,and trends) and customer profile.

70 % The industry trends and customer profile are discussed, but some important details about the industry and customer preferences are missing.

85 % Detailed discussion of the industry trends and customer profile, but does not provide the evidentiary citations.

100 % Outstanding discussion of the industry trends and customer profile. Insights, over and above the ones mentioned in the secondary sources is provided. Supporting citations for the industry trends are provided.

Situation Analysis - Analysis of Current and Potential Competitors Weight 5.00%

0 % 60 % The discussion of current and potential competitors and competitive advantage of the product, service, or idea is missing, deficient, or is not relevant for the target segment. Strengths and weaknesses of important competitors are not mentioned or not accurate and relevant.

70 % The competitive advantage of the product, service, or idea is explained but lacks clarity or is not very realistic. The competitive advantage is not very relevant for the target segment. Some strengths and weaknesses of important competitors are mentioned.

85 % The competitive advantage of the product, service, or idea is well explained, somewhat realistic, and relates to the characteristics of the target segment. Strengths and weaknesses of important competitors and their positioning are integrated.

100 % The competitive advantage of the product, service, or idea is very well explained, is realistic, and relates strongly to the characteristics of the target segment. The strengths, weaknesses, and positioning of important competitors are integrated in the analysis.

Situational Analysis - SWOT Weight 10.00%

0 % 60 % SWOT analysis is superficial. No depth in the analysis.

70 % Internal and external factors are discussed, but many of them are not important, not relevant, inconsistent, and difficult to understand. Sources for external factors are incomplete.

85 % Internal and external factors are discussed, but few are not important or relevant. Some of the external factors are very general and/or missing an indication for the source.

100 % Important and relevant internal (strengths and weaknesses) and external (opportunities and threats) factors of the company are shown in the SWOT analysis. External factors are based on additional evidence, described in sufficient detail, and the sources are indicated with citations.

Levels of Achievement

Criteria Inadequate/Missing Serious Errors Needs Improvement Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations

Marketing Plan - Description of the Market Opportunity Weight 10.00%

0 % 60 % Vague discussion of the market opportunity. The need, market potential and product concept are not clearly discussed.

70 % Weak discussion of the market opportunity. Lacks the clarity and /or misses the need, market potential and product concept.

85 % Sufficient detail regarding the market opportunity. Discusses the need, market potential, and product concept (covers the core customer value, actual product and augmented product).However some parts lack precision or are not realistic.

100 % Excellent detail regarding the market opportunity. Clearly outlines the need, market potential, and product concept including the core customer value, actual product and augmented product.

Marketing Plan - Product Strategy Weight 10.00%

0 % 60 % The product strategy is vague and incomplete. One or more portions about the product strategy is missing. There is no discussion of competitive positioning.

70 % The product strategy comprises of the elements of the product strategy. However, it lacks clarity and is not realistic.

85 % The product strategy is well explained. All elements of the product strategy including the objectives for the product, features/benefits, product quality strategy, product service strategy and competitive positioning are provided. However, the objectives for the product does not align with the business mission.

100 % The product strategy is very well done. The discussion pertaining to the objectives for the product, features/benefits, product quality strategy, product service strategy and competitive positioning is excellent. The objectives for the product align with the business mission.

Marketing Plan - Pricing Strategy Weight 10.00%

0 % 60 % The pricing strategy is poorly described and confusing. Elements of the basic price strategy are missing. Competitor issues are not mentioned.

70 % The pricing strategy is described but lacks clarity. Information related to the pricing strategy is provided, but remains incomplete, inconsistent, or lacks transparency and justification.

85 % The pricing strategy is sufficiently described and includes information about the basic price strategy and its justification. Also, provides details on competitor issues. However, the discussion is not very realistic.

100 % The pricing strategy is detailed, well described, and includes important information and justification about the pricing strategy. The competitor issues are clearly highlighted. The pricing strategy is realistic.

Marketing Plan - Distribution Strategy Weight 10.00%

0 % 60 % The distribution strategy is poorly described and confusing. Elements of the channels used to distribute the product and

70 % The distribution strategy is described but lacks clarity. Information related to the distribution strategy is provided, but remains

85 % The distribution strategy is sufficiently described and includes information about the channels through which the product/service will be

100 % The distribution strategy is detailed, well described, and includes important information and justification about the channel member selection. The competitor issues are clearly

Levels of Achievement

Criteria Inadequate/Missing Serious Errors Needs Improvement Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations

competitor issues are not mentioned.

incomplete, inconsistent, or lacks transparency and justification.

distributed. Addresses the competitor issues. Details about channel partnerships are provided, but are not realistic.

highlighted. Details about channel partnerships and relationships is also provided.

Marketing Plan - Marketing Communications and Promotional Strategy Weight 10.00%

0 % 60 % The promotional strategy is poorly described and confusing. Elements of the promotional strategy including the promotional objectives and use of various tools are missing.

70 % The promotional strategy is described but lacks clarity. Information related to the promotional strategy is provided, but remains incomplete, inconsistent, or lacks transparency and justification.

85 % The promotional strategy is sufficiently explained. The promotional objectives and the various tools for marketing communication are provided. However, the promotional objectives and promotional tools are not consistent with each other.

100 % The promotional strategy is very well explained. The promotional objectives and the various tools for marketing communication are provided. The promotional objectives and promotional tools consistent with each other.

Financial Projections Weight 0.00% (Extra Credit)

0 % 60 % Some components from the financial projection are shown but others are missing. Costs for promotional activities are incomplete, highly unrealistic, and/or not based on external information.

70 % Some components from the financial projection are shown but others are missing. Costs for promotional activities are incomplete, highly unrealistic, and/or not based on external information.

85 % Revenues, costs, and expected profits are projected for the next five years of operation. The budget for all marketing activities is shown. Some costs for specific promotional activities are missing or highly unrealistic. Additional tools such as break even analysis are not used or contain mistakes.

100 % Revenues, costs, and expected profits are projected for the next five years of operation. The budget for all marketing activities is shown. Marketing costs for advertising, sales promotion, sales force, event marketing, social media, or any other form of promotional activities are shown in detail for all promotional activities explained in the marketing mix section of the plan. Marketing costs are realistic and based on external information. If possible, break even analysis or similar tools are used.

References and Citations Weight 5.00%

0 % 60 % Use of references and citations is deficient.

70 % References to evidence important characteristics of the industry or the target market are used, but the citations in the body of the report are not provided.

85 % Important characteristics of the industry and the target market are evidenced with references of moderate quality and cited in the document.

100 % Important characteristics of the industry and the target segment are evidenced with high quality references and cited in the document.