MARKETING PLAN OUTLINE

Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................2
The Challenge..................................................................................................................................2
Situation Analysis............................................................................................................................2
Company Analysis.......................................................................................................................2
Customer Analysis.......................................................................................................................2
Competitor Analysis....................................................................................................................2
Collaborators................................................................................................................................2
Climate.........................................................................................................................................2
Political Factors.......................................................................................................................2
Economic Factors.....................................................................................................................3
Social Factors...........................................................................................................................3
Technological Factors..............................................................................................................3
SWOT Analysis...........................................................................................................................3
Strengths..................................................................................................................................4
Weaknesses..............................................................................................................................4
Opportunities............................................................................................................................4
Threats......................................................................................................................................5
The SWOT Matrix...................................................................................................................5
Market Segmentation.......................................................................................................................5
Consumer Market Segmentation..................................................................................................6
Business Market Segmentation....................................................................................................7
Profiling the Segments.................................................................................................................7
Alternative Marketing Strategies.....................................................................................................7
Goals................................................................................................................................................7
Selected Marketing Strategy............................................................................................................8
Product.........................................................................................................................................8
Price.............................................................................................................................................8
Distribution (Place)......................................................................................................................8
Promotion.....................................................................................................................................8
Short & Long-Term Projections......................................................................................................9
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
Appendix..........................................................................................................................................9
Exhibits........................................................................................................................................9

Executive Summary
A high-level summary of the marketing plan.

The Challenge
Brief description of product to be marketed and associated goals, such as sales figures and
strategic goals.

Situation Analysis
Company Analysis

Goals
Focus
Culture
Strengths (see SWOT Analysis)
Weaknesses (see SWOT Analysis)
Market share

Customer Analysis

Number
Type
Value drivers
Decision process

Competitor Analysis

Market position
Strengths
Weaknesses
Market shares

Collaborators

Subsidiaries, joint ventures, and distributors, etc.

Climate
Macro-environmental PEST analysis :
Political Factors
Political factors include government regulations and legal issues and define both formal and
informal rules under which the firm must operate. Some examples include:
tax policy

employment laws
environmental regulations
trade restrictions and tariffs
political stability

Economic Factors
Economic factors affect the purchasing power of potential customers and the firm's cost of
capital. The following are examples of factors in the macroeconomy:
economic growth
interest rates
exchange rates
inflation rate
Social Factors
Social factors include the demographic and cultural aspects of the external macroenvironment.
These factors affect customer needs and the size of potential markets. Some social factors
include:
health consciousness
population growth rate
age distribution
career attitudes
emphasis on safety
Technological Factors
Technological factors can lower barriers to entry, reduce minimum efficient production levels,
and influence outsourcing decisions. Some technological factors include:
R&D activity
automation
technology incentives
rate of technological change

SWOT Analysis
A scan of the internal and external environment is an important part of the strategic planning
process. Environmental factors internal to the firm usually can be classified as strengths (S) or
weaknesses (W), and those external to the firm can be classified as opportunities (O) or threats
(T). Such an analysis of the strategic environment is referred to as a SWOT analysis.
The SWOT analysis provides information that is helpful in matching the firm's resources and
capabilities to the competitive environment in which it operates. As such, it is instrumental in
strategy formulation and selection. The following diagram shows how a SWOT analysis fits into
an environmental scan:
SWOT Analysis Framework

Strengths
A firm's strengths are its resources and capabilities that can be used as a basis for developing a
competitive advantage. Examples of such strengths include:
patents
strong brand names
good reputation among customers
cost advantages from proprietary know-how
exclusive access to high grade natural resources
favorable access to distribution networks
Weaknesses
The absence of certain strengths may be viewed as a weakness. For example, each of the
following may be considered weaknesses:
lack of patent protection
a weak brand name
poor reputation among customers
high cost structure
lack of access to the best natural resources
lack of access to key distribution channels
In some cases, a weakness may be the flip side of a strength. Take the case in which a firm has a
large amount of manufacturing capacity. While this capacity may be considered a strength that
competitors do not share, it also may be a considered a weakness if the large investment in
manufacturing capacity prevents the firm from reacting quickly to changes in the strategic
environment.
Opportunities
The external environmental analysis may reveal certain new opportunities for profit and growth.
Some examples of such opportunities include:
an unfulfilled customer need
arrival of new technologies

loosening of regulations
removal of international trade barriers

Threats
Changes in the external environmental also may present threats to the firm. Some examples of
such threats include:
shifts in consumer tastes away from the firm's products
emergence of substitute products
new regulations
increased trade barriers
The SWOT Matrix
A firm should not necessarily pursue the more lucrative opportunities. Rather, it may have a
better chance at developing a competitive advantage by identifying a fit between the firm's
strengths and upcoming opportunities. In some cases, the firm can overcome a weakness in order
to prepare itself to pursue a compelling opportunity.
To develop strategies that take into account the SWOT profile, a matrix of these factors can be
constructed. The SWOT matrix is shown below:
SWOT Matrix

S-O strategies pursue opportunities that are a good fit to the companies strengths.
W-O strategies overcome weaknesses to pursue opportunities.
S-T strategies identify ways that the firm can use its strengths to reduce its vulnerability to external
threats.
W-T strategies establish a defensive plan to prevent the firm's weaknesses from making it highly
susceptible to external threats.

Market Segmentation
Present a description of the market segmentation as follows:
Segment 1
Description

Percent of sales
What they want
How they use product
Support requirements
How to reach them
Price sensitivity
Segment 2
Description
Percent of sales
What they want
How they use product
Support requirements
How to reach them
Price sensitivity
Segment 3

Market segmentation is the division of a market into different homogeneous groups of

consumers. Rather than offer the same marketing mix to vastly different customers, market
segmentation makes it possible for firms to tailor the marketing mix for specific target markets,
thus better satisfying customer needs. Not all elements of the marketing mix are necessarily
changed from one segment to the next. For example, in some cases only the promotional
campaigns would differ.
A market segment should be:

measurable
accessible by communication and distribution channels
different in its response to a marketing mix
durable (not changing too quickly)
substantial enough to be profitable

A market can be segmented by various bases, and industrial markets are segmented somewhat
differently from consumer markets, as described below.

Consumer Market Segmentation

A basis for segmentation is a factor that varies among groups within a market, but that is
consistent within groups. One can identify four primary bases on which to segment a consumer
market:

Geographic segmentation is based on regional variables such as region, climate,

population density, and population growth rate.

Demographic segmentation is based on variables such as age, gender, ethnicity,

education, occupation, income, and family status.
Psychographic segmentation is based on variables such as values, attitudes, and
lifestyle.
Behavioral segmentation is based on variables such as usage rate and patterns, price
sensitivity, brand loyalty, and benefits sought.

The optimal bases on which to segment the market depend on the particular situation and are
determined by marketing research, market trends, and managerial judgment.

Business Market Segmentation

While many of the consumer market segmentation bases can be applied to businesses and
organizations, the different nature of business markets often leads to segmentation on the
following bases:

Geographic segmentation - based on regional variables such as customer concentration,

regional industrial growth rate, and international macroeconomic factors.
Customer type - based on factors such as the size of the organization, its industry,
position in the value chain, etc.
Buyer behavoir - based on factors such as loyalty to suppliers, usage patterns, and order
size.

Profiling the Segments

The identified market segments are summarized by profiles, often given a descriptive name.
From these profiles, the attractiveness of each segment can be evaluated and a target market
segment selected.

Alternative Marketing Strategies

List and discuss the alternatives that were considered before arriving at the recommended
strategy. Alternatives might include discontinuing a product, re-branding, positioning as a
premium or value product, etc.

Goals
What do we want to achieve? The goal statement(s) should be challenging and yet, attainable. Is
it important to increase the number of departments served? Which departments? Do you intend
to provide more training programs? Sample goal statements might read:
Establish relationship with Legal and Regulatory Departments in first quarter.
Reduce staff time spent on call-in, ad hoc requests for help with Internet searching

Selected Marketing Strategy

Discuss why the strategy was selected, then the marketing mix decisions (4 P's) of product, price,
place (distribution), and promotion.

Product
The product decisions should consider the product's advantages and how they will be leveraged.
Product decisions should include:

Brand name
Quality
Scope of product line
Warranty
Packaging

Price
Discuss pricing strategy, expected volume, and decisions for the following pricing variables:

List price
Discounts
Bundling
Payment terms and financing options
Leasing options

Distribution (Place)
Decision variables include:

Distribution channels, such as direct, retail, distributors & intermediates

Motivating the channel - for example, distributor margins
Criteria for evaluating distributors
Locations
Logistics, including transportation, warehousing, and order fulfilment

Promotion

Advertising, including how much and which media.

Public relations
Promotional programs
Budget; determine break-even point for any additional spending
Projected results of the promotional programs

Short & Long-Term Projections

The selected strategy's immediate effects, expected long-term results, and any special actions
required to achieve them. This section may include forecasts of revenues and expenses as well as
the results of a break-even analysis.

Conclusion
Summarize all of the above.

Appendix
Exhibits
Any calculations of market size, commissions, profit margins, break-even analyses, etc.