3.

DISCUSS THE
MARKETING STRATEGY
BLUEPRINT? PAGES 19-20
 INTRODUCTION:

• THIS ESSAY IS BASICALLY A SYNOPSIS OF YOUR ENTIRE TEXTBOOK, IT IS HOW

YOU LINK EVERYTHING IN MARKETING, IT GIVES YOU AN IDEA HOW
EVERYTHING IS DEPENDENT ON EVERYTHING ELSE IN MARKETING.
• I WILL NOT REITERATE WHAT IS IN THE TUTORIAL EXPLANATION AS IT IS VERY
WELL EXPLAINED.
• YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE PICTURE, THIS IS WHAT THIS ESSAY IS
ABOUT.
• PLEASE SUMMARISE AS IT IS FOR 25 MARKS, THE DIAGRAM WILL ONLY CARRY 3
MARKS IN A 25 MARK QUESTION IF REQUIRED.
• THE MARKETING BLUEPRINT ESSENTIALLY REPRESENTS THE STRUCTURE OF THE
TEXTBOOK AND THEREFORE ENTAILS ALL ASPECT IN A SUMMARY FORM. YOU ARE
EXPECTED TO ADD MEAT TO THE BONES IN THIS ESSAY, WHERE ONLY THE STRUCTURE IS
GIVEN BUT NOT THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR 25 MARKS. THEREFORE.
YOU ARE EXPECTED TO MAKE THIS A STEP BY STEP PROCESS, WITH THE FIRST STEP BEING
TO DRAW THE DIAGRAM ON PAGE 20.
• EXPLAIN THIS ESSAY IN A CONCEPTUAL WAY BUT ALSO BY BREAKING DOWN EACH
ELEMENT AND EXPLAINING IT. THIS QUESTION IF IT COMES OUT IS ALWAYS AN
APPLICATION QUESTION, MEANING ITS ALWAYS ASKED IN TERMS OF DRAWING UP A
MARKETING BLUEPRINT OF A COMPANY OF YOUR CHOICE.
• PHASE ONE: WHERE ARE WE NOW?
• WHERE ARE WE NOW MEANS THAT THE ORGANIZATION NEEDS TO KNOW ITS POSITION IN RELATION TO ITS ENVIRONMENT AND INDUSTRY. ALSO THE INTERNAL
ANALYSIS WILL TELL THE ORGANIZATION ABOUT ITS STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES.
• THE FIRST PART IS MARKET SCAN AND SCENARIOS, SCENARIOS ARE CREATED FROM A PESTEL ANALYSIS, REMEMBER HOW IT WAS DONE ON THE BOARD WHERE I WRITE
PESTEL AND INDICATED DESCRIPTIONS OF EACH SCENARIO FLOWING FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLE. THEREFORE, A PESTEL ANALYSIS LEADS TO SCENARIOS
AND TELLS YOU THE PROBABILITIES OF THOSE SCENARIOS HAPPENING AND EVENTUALLY LEADS TO STRATEGIES BEING DEVELOPED FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL SCENARIO.
SCAN THE MARKET: YOU CAN USE PORTERS AS WELL, FIVE FORCES MODEL. THERE’S A LOT SO PLEASE SUMMARISE. ITS 25 MARKS AND YOU CAN’T WRITE
• EVERYTHING. THIS IS WHERE YOU GET YOUR OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS. O AND T. BUT CAN YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES OR AVOID THREATS? YOU
CAN ONLY KNOW THIS IS YOU HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO SO WHICH MEANS THAT YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. HOW DO YOU FIND
YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES? YOU DO AN INTERNAL ANALYSIS.
•  
• INTERNAL ANALYSIS CAN BE DONE USING DIFFERENT METHODS INCLUDING RESOURCE BASED ETC. READ ON THAT, ALSO USING DIFFERENT AUDITS INCLUDING A
MARKETING AUDIT. THROUGH ANALYZING THE INSIDE OF THE COMPANY YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHICH AREAS YOU ARE STRONG IN AND THOSE AREAS WHICH YOU
ARE WEAK IN. IF YOU HAVE A STRENGTH AND IT MATCHES AN ENVIRONMENTAL OPPORTUNITY FROM PESTEL ABOVE, THEN IT IS A STRATEGIC FIT FOR YOU TO TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THAT OPPORTUNITY. HOWEVER, IF THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY AND YOU HAVE WEAKNESSES THERE, THEN YOU WILL BE STRATEGIC BY AVOIDING SUCH
AN OPPORTUNITY AS YOU HAVE NO CAPACITY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. OR YOU CAN DEVELOP THAT WEAKNESS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT OPPORTUNITY, BUT IS
THE COST WORTH THE WHILE? THAT IS WHY THIS IS STRATEGY….
• STRATEGIC FIT IS BASICALLY THE TOWS MATRIX THAT WE DISCUSSED IN CLASS.
• S MEETS O: THEN WE CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT OPPORTUNITY AND GROW THE BUSINESS AND OUR PROFIT. WE CAN DEVELOP NEW PRODUCTS SERVING NEW
SEGMENTS THAT WE DID NOT TRADITIONALLY SERVE. THIS IS WHERE WE CAN HAVE BUSINESS AND MARKET DEVELOPMENT. EXAMPLE: MICROSOFT TOOK ADVANTAGE
OF THEIR TECHNOLOGY STRENGTH AND KNOW HOW IN ACQUIRING NOKIA TO PRODUCE MICROSOFT SMARTPHONES.
• S MEETS T: USING A STRENGTH AN ORGANIZATION CAN EASILY AVOID ANY THREAT OR USE THE STRENGTH TO CONVERT THE THREAT INTO AN OPPORTUNITY. EXAMPLE:
CHICKEN LICKEN IS A WELL-KNOWN BRAND WITH A GOOD MARKET SHARE IN THE FAST FOOD FRIEND CHICKEN MARKET. HOWEVER, CONSIDERING THAT PEOPLE
WOULD WANT TO EAT HEALTHIER THEY MADE THEIR CHICKEN FREE OF ALL TRANS FATS, TRANS FATS ARE THE FATS CAUSING SEVERE HEALTH PROBLEMS. THEREFORE,
IF GOVERNMENT INTRODUCES A HEALTH TAX ON FAST FOODS THEN CHICKEN LICKEN CAN ARGUE THAT THEIR PRODUCTS ARE TRANS-FAT FREE. THEREFORE, THEY
CHANGED A THREAT INTO AN OPPORTUNITY. THE SAME WITH NANDO’S WHO HAVE MEALS THAT ARE ENDORSED BY DISCOVERY MEDICAL AID.
• W MEETS O: THEN WE HAVE TO DEVELOP OUR WEAKNESSES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES. OR WE IGNORE THE OPPORTUNITY ALTOGETHER AS IT IS NOT
WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE BUSINESS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY.
• O MEETS T: THIS IS THE MOST DANGEROUS SCENARIO AS THIS IS WHERE BUSINESSES EVENTUALLY FAIL AND DIE AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE COULD PROVE
DETRIMENTAL TO THE ORGANISATION IF THAT IS THE KEY ELEMENT IN THE FUNCTIONING OF THAT ENTITY.
• PHASE 2: WHERE DO WE WANT TO BE?
• OBJECTIVES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS: THIS INCLUDES WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF THE FIRM AND WHAT IS THEIR MISSION
AND PURPOSE, THEREFORE ANY OPPORTUNITY MUST FALL WITHIN THIS SCOPE AND WITHIN THE AMBIT OF THE
ORGANISATION. IS THE OPPORTUNITY COMMENSURATE WITH THE DIRECTION THE ORGANISATION WISHES TO TAKE?
• FUTURE DIRECTIONS ARE FUTURE PLANS THE ORGANISATION WANTS TO TAKE. IS THE OPPORTUNITY WITHIN THIS
SCOPE AS WELL?
• SEGMENTATION: IS THE MARKET ATTRACTIVE? LOOK AT REQUIREMENTS FOR MARKET ATTRACTIVENESS. THEN IF IT IS,
DIVIDE MARKET INTO VARIOUS SEGMENTS. USE BASES FOR SEGMENTATION AS IN CBMG 201. CLASSIFY SEGMENTS.
THIS MEANS NAME SEGMENTS HYPOTHETICALLY, LIKE FOR THOSE WHO BUY CHEAP FAST FOOD, “BUDGET EATERS” OR
“CHEAPIES”.
• THEN USING CRITERIA, YOU HAVE SET, TARGET THE SEGMENTS THAT BEST SUIT THE PRODUCT RANGE THAT YOU HAVE
TO OFFER.
• THIS MEANS YOU MAY CHOOSE TO TARGET CERTAIN SEGMENTS AND AVOID OTHERS AS YOU ARE IN THE BEST POSITION
TO SERVE THOSE SEGMENTS.
• EXAMPLE, KFC DOES NOT HAVE PRODUCTS FOR HEALTHY EATERS, HENCE WE WON’T TARGET THE “HEALTHY EATER”
SEGMENT ABOVE, ONLY THE “FAMILY EATERS”, “FOOD ON THE GO”, “HAPPY FAMILIES”, “LAZY MOMS” ETC. THAT WAS
THE SEGMENTATION FOR THE FAST FOOD INDUSTRY. CATCH MY DRIFT NOW?
• FINALLY, AFTER YOU HAVE DECIDED YOU WILL TARGET CERTAIN SEGMENTS AND AVOID OTHERS, IN THOSE SEGMENTS
YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO TARGET YOU NOW HAVE TO POSITION THE PRODUCT IN THAT PARTICULAR SEGMENT.
 There are two ways of doing this, one way is to use perceptual mapping. Where:
1. We ask our customers through research which are the most important things they
consider when they buy our product. For Example, taste, price, convenience, image, style
etc.
2. Then we ask them to rate these in order of importance. Say for example they have ranked
taste and price as the most important factors they use to decide on when purchasing KFC.
3. We then place these on an axis: High

low Taste high

 1. Then we plot all the preferences of the different respondents in the four different
quadrants and where there is a grouping, we know that these are customer’s preferences
in terms of what attributes the want in a product.
2. Thereafter, you list all the different competitors in the industry and then ask customers
to place them in on a scale from 1-5 for each preference.
3. Example: the competitors for KFC is Chicken Licken, McDonalds etc. Customers may say
that Chicken Licken is Low in Price and High in taste, similar to KFC, which makes Chicken
Licken its nearest competitor in the minds of the customer.
4. Then you check your position in relation to your competitor in the minds of the customer
and plot all other competitors on the map.
5. This will tell you what position you occupy in the mind of the customer and what you can
do to either strengthen or re-position your product.

The other way is to use attributes, features etc. to position your product. Example, Woolworths uses
the attribute of quality as its positioning statement. Therefore, in all marketing communication, the
theme of quality is all pervading, means it is everywhere. Another way is to use your positioning
statement as a means of positioning. This is a statement which states who you are, what you’re
offering, and what makes you better than your competitors.

Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning is the master marketing strategy, everything else is
secondary, do this well and the firm will succeed.
• PHASE 3: HOW WILL WE GET THERE?
• NOW THAT YOU HAVE A GRAND MARKETING STRATEGY ABOVE. YOU NEED TO PUT THE STRATEGY INTO ACTION, HENCE THE WORD ACTION PLAN. WHAT ACTION
PLANS ARE YOU GOING TO IMPLEMENT? YOU NEED TO STATE WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH THIS NEW MARKETING STRATEGY AND HOW ARE YOU GOING
TO DO IT. THIS MEANS YOU NEED TO DECIDE IF YOU ARE DEVELOPING NEW PRODUCTS OR USING THE SAME PRODUCTS FOR DIFFERENT MARKETS, OR
ENCOURAGING DIFFERENT USES OF THE PRODUCT. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT OR MARKET DEVELOPMENT OR BOTH. READ ON WHAT THIS MEANS, I WILL NOT
SPOON FEED AS I AM DOING HERE…
• MARKETING MIX:
• PRODUCT: BRANDING, PACKAGING, PATENTS, TRADEMARKS, AUGMENTING THE PRODUCT, VALUE ADDING. WHICH PRODUCTS FOR WHICH SEGMENTS, PRODUCT
PORTFOLIO, PRODUCT MIX.
• PRICE: WHAT PRICING STRATEGY WILL YOU EMPLOY? PENETRATION, SKIMMING, MARKET PRICING OR FOLLOWER PRICING.
• PLACE: WHAT DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY WILL YOU HAVE. WHERE WILL YOUR PRODUCTS BE AVAILABLE? WHY IS YOUR DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY BETTER THAN
YOUR COMPETITORS? DO NOT IGNORE ONLINE DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY.
• PROMOTION: THE PROMOTION STRATEGY, MARKETING COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION MIX: SALES PROMOTION, PERSONAL SELLING, ADVERTISING AND
PUBLIC RELATIONS. ONLINE ADVERTISING AND SALES PROMOTION. FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS.
•
• THE 4 P’S IS ALSO A MARKETING STRATEGY AS A WHOLE.
• CONTINGENCY: WHAT WILL I DO IF THINGS DO NOT WORK ACCORDINGLY? WHAT IF THE STRATEGY IS A WRONG ONE? HOW WILL I KNOW THIS BEFORE I LOSE
MILLIONS IN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND ADVERTISING? MARKETING TOUCH POINTS IN THE SYSTEM. CHECK POINTS ON STRATEGY PROGRESS. HOW?
RESEARCH…
•  
• PHASE 4: DID WE GET THERE?
•  
• MONITORING THE PROCESS. HOW DO WE DO THIS? HOW DO WE KNOW IF SALES INCREASING OR THE ADOPTION OF THE PRODUCT OR RESPONSE TO MARKETING
MESSAGE? HOW?
• POSSIBLE CORRECTIVE ACTION: WHAT IS YOUR PLAN B? WHAT CAN YOU CHANGE COMPLETELY OR MINOR CHANGES YOU CAN MAKE TO YOUR MARKETING
STRATEGY FOR IT TO WORK OUT THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO OR TO ENHANCE AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY OR TO RESPOND TO COMPETITOR RETALIATION.
• NOT ONLY IS THIS YOUR ESSAY QUESTION, THIS IS THE MATERIAL THAT EXPLAINS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. I EXPECT YOU TO MASTER
THIS. EVERYBODY NEEDS TO KNOW THIS AS A WHOLE EVEN THOUGH YOU EACH HAVE INDIVIDUAL ROLES.