Final Complete Marketing Plan and Recorded (slide show) Presentation (5/6)
Situational Analysis (2 pages)
Industry Analysis
Competitive Analysis
Tactical Marketing Plan
Price
WRITTEN PLAN
The assignment is to develop a comprehensive strategic marketing plan based on the business case as provided by the instructor. Strategy is the heart of the plan – objectives, value proposition and the choice of target market, positioning of the product, product strategy, pricing strategy, communication strategy, and distribution strategy, and appropriateness and feasibility of the implementation strategy are all critical aspects of an effective marketing plan. Strategy is developed by identifying the needs in (a) target market(s) and designing a marketing strategy to deliver a market offering to this market. To that end, you will need to collect, analyze and interpret data on customers, the market, competitors, and your firm, as is relevant to the business case.
You should strive to present this data in an organized, readable, and succinct format with references to sources of data. In your plan, make sure that you explicitly discuss how you arrived at each of your strategic decisions from the data and analysis that you present. Avoid making sweeping statements, or statements that aren’t backed up with sources. Don’t assume the reader will reach the same conclusions you do – guide them in interpreting the data. At the end of each section (situational analysis – which includes the company overview, market overview – goals, tactics, implementation, and control), explicitly specify the key implications of the analysis on your subsequent strategy development (ask yourselves: what did you learn from this analysis?)
Keep in mind that for readability, it may be better to include some of the detailed data in the appendices, rather than in the body of the text. However, if you do, be sure to reference and discuss any charts, tables, and figures in the text of your plan. Do not include any charts, tables or figures that you do not explicitly reference and discuss. Doing so will negatively impact your score.
Guidelines for Written Work
Written assignments are designed to allow students an opportunity to apply textbook learning to real-world situations. Students are expected to use proper business communication techniques and to turn in work that is professional. Work must be thoroughly reviewed for correct syntax, spelling, punctuation, word usage, sentence construction, paragraph structure, and overall paper organization. All written work must be typed (unless otherwise stated), single-spaced, using a 12-point font. Be sure that all pages are numbered. Include headings and sub-headings strategically to improve readability. Please be sure to keep your paper to the length (if any) specified in the assignment.
Any exhibits (figures, graphs, tables, etc.) used should be titled and numbered sequentially (Exhibit 1, Exhibit 2, etc.). Label each exhibit so that it could stand alone from the text. Include the source of the exhibit, if appropriate, at the bottom of the exhibit. Exhibits which are one page in length (or shorter) may be included in the body of the text. Longer exhibits, or data to back up conclusions made in your paper, should be included at the end. In either case, reference the exhibit appropriately in your text. (For example, “See Figure 6 for a graph of projected sales.”)
ALL sources used in the preparation of your paper should be clearly identified. Please use the APA style for your references. In APA style, there are two components to the identification process. First, you should include a list at the end of your paper of all sources you have used. In addition, all quotes and paraphrases should be clearly attributed, using either an in-text, endnote, or footnote format. Please pay particular attention to the formats for identifying Internet sources.
