Marketing Plan Guideline
Principles of Marketing – Spring 2021 MKTG 3343-B (1577)
Your Marketing Plan document is supposed to:
• Have a complete analysis for each heading and section on the next page (15 points);
o Note:Thereisnoneedtodefinemarketingtermsinyourdocument.Thedefault
assumption is that the reader knows marketing but does not know anything about your
company.
o Anytimeyoucopyandpasteatextfromasourcewithoutgivingitsauthorcredit,itis plagiarism. Check out different types of plagiarism here: https://www.scribbr.com/plagiarism/types-of-plagiarism/
o Asubmitteddocumentwithasimilarityscorepercentageabove9.99%willreceivezero.
• Have all the required headings shown on the next page (2 points);
o Note:Addingmoresubtitlestothesectionsbelow,aswellasadditionaltitlessuchas Conclusion, References, and Appendix, is totally optional.
• Be written in a clear, formal, and professional way (2 points);
• Not contain “I,” “my,” “we,” and “our” in the text at all (2 points);
o Note:Youarewritingfromanoutsideperspective.
• Have consistent font style and size from the beginning to the end (5 points):
o FontStyle:Calibri
o FontSize:Heading1(titles):14,Heading2(subtitles)andthebodytextsize:12 o Linespacing:eithersingleORdouble(NOTtripleorquadruple)
o Aligntextleft(NOTjustified)withnoindentation
o DoNOTleavespacebetweenparagraphsorsections.
• Have a cover page with the information about the class, semester, your name, and the instructor’s name (2 points);
• Have a table of contents on a separate page (2 points);
(Check out this link: https://www.howtogeek.com/398747/how-to-create-a-table-of-contents- in-google-docs/)
• Have an Introduction section in at least two paragraphs on a separate page (2 points);
• Have page numbers at the bottom right of pages (2 points);
• Have at least 12 pages, including a cover page and a table of contents (2 points);
• Have a file name format as “MKTG3343B-Marketing Plan-#” and replace the # sign with your
full name (2 points);
• Have a pdf format when submitting your document (2 points);
(Check out this link: https://smallpdf.com/blog/google-doc-to-pdf)
* Headings
Principles of Marketing – Spring 2021 MKTG 3343-B (1577)
Your document MUST have the following headings (the words in blue), and you should explain each section in paragraph(s). Remember that the following bullet points are presented to help you organize your information more effectively, and you must address every single one of them carefully.
(Title) Introduction
• Explain what the document is going to be about and introduce its different sections in at least two paragraphs.
• It must be on a separate page after the table of contents.
• You should write this section after you get the other parts done.
(Title) Company Background
• Explain your business, its headquarter location(s), founder(s), and story briefly;
• Explain the mission statement of your company. If you can’t find it, write it down as discussed in
class. (Your Mission Statement should answer: 1) What does your company do? 2) For whom does your company do it? 3) How does your company do it? 4) Why does your company do it?)
(Title) Situation Analysis
• Name three OR four top competitors of your company and explain their products/services briefly. (Your top competitors probably have largest market shares in your industry.)
(Subtitle) SWOT Analysis: Explain each section (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) in at least one paragraph.
(Title) Marketing Strategy
(Subtitle) Segmentation: Describe the customers of your company according to the ALL segmentation bases discussed in class (geographic, demographic, psychographic, behavioral, and benefits sought).
(Subtitle) Target Market(s): Among different “potential” segments of customers, which one(s) seem(s) more profitable to invest in?
(Subtitle) Positioning Statement: Write a new positioning statement for your company, as discussed in class. (Your Positioning Statement should answer: 1) Who your primary market is? 2) What is the concept of your brand considering other possible alternatives in the market? 3) What benefit does
your brand offer that is different from other possible alternatives in the market?)
(Title) Marketing Program: Product Strategy
• Present ALL products and/or services that your company offers.
• Add a picture of your flagship product/service.
• Are you following a family and/or individual branding? Explain!
• Are you using a line extension and/or brand extension strategy? Explain!
(Subtitle) Recommendations/Suggestions
• Is there anything about your company’s product strategy that needs to be changed/improved in the future?
• Any plan to expand its product/service mix? (Check out your competitors!)
• You will lose points if you don’t have any suggestions. There is always room for improvement.
(Title) Marketing Program: Pricing Strategy
• By presenting your company’s real prices, explain what pricing strategy it is pursuing.
(Cost-based pricing, Value-based pricing, Competition-based pricing, Everyday Low Pricing, Premium pricing, Penetration pricing, Skimming pricing, Product line pricing, Product bundle pricing, Promotional pricing, Dynamic pricing, Geographical pricing, Psychological pricing)
• Add a comparison table and compare the price range OR the absolute price of your flagship product/service with three OR four competitors’.
(Subtitle) Recommendations/Suggestions
• Is there anything about your company’s pricing strategy that needs to be changed/improved in the future?
• Any plan to adopt a new pricing strategy/practice? (Check out your competitors!)
• You will lose points if you don’t have any suggestions. There is always room for improvement.
(Title) Marketing Program: Distribution Strategy
• Does your company use only direct or only indirect channel(s) or a multichannel? (Provide as
many real names of retailers and/or wholesalers as possible, if your company uses indirect
channels.)
Principles of Marketing – Spring 2021 MKTG 3343-B (1577)
• Are the channels your company uses consistent with its brand image? Explain!
• Include a location map of your market coverage (geographic locations where your
product/service is available/accessible could be found on Google Map or your company’s website
–Where To Find/Buy Section).
• Explain the market coverage strategy of your company (intensive/exclusive/selective).
(Subtitle) Recommendations/Suggestions
• Is there anything about your company’s distribution strategy that needs to be changed/improved in the future?
• Any plan to leverage a new channel of distribution? (Check out your competitors!)
• You will lose points if you don’t have any suggestions. There is always room for improvement.
(Title) Marketing Program: Promotional Strategy
• Which promotional mix elements does your company use? (Explain all that may apply, including
but not limited to advertising, personal selling, public relations, sales promotions, direct
marketing, and digital marketing.)
• Explain if your company is using Push and/or Pull strategy.
• Which social media platforms is your company leveraging? (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Tumblr,
Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
• Include a picture of an advertisement from your company in your report. This would help a
reader understand how this company communicates its product/service with its audience.
(Subtitle) Recommendations/Suggestions
• Is there anything about your company’s promotional strategy that needs to be changed/improved in the future?
• You will lose points if you don’t have any suggestions. There is always room for improvement.
