Webinar session deepa shah Mcim chartered marketer tutor STRATEGIC MARKETING Webinar session deepa shah Mcim chartered marketer tutor

THE ASSIGNMENT The Strategic Marketing assessment in its entirety comprises of TWO compulsory tasks. Task 1- Prepared organization overview ( Up to ONE side of A4 paper & Marketing Plan ( Up to EIGHT sides of an A4 paper) to be taken to the examination room. TASK 1 is worth 40 marks. TASK 2- EXAMINATION Strategic Marketing examination based on the marketing plan and whole syllabus. The examination will be 3 hours in duration. Task 2 is worth 60 marks.

Overview Contd.. You are the Marketing Manager of the organization and have been asked by Senior Management of your organization to take responsibility for delivering a strategic marketing plan aimed at Getting closer to the customer through enhanced positioning. You are expected to use the SOSTAC framework as shown below with the aim of getting closer to the customer through enhanced positioning. S= Situation Analysis ( where are we now; our current position/ situation) this is task B ; I & ii O= Objectives ( where do we want to go) this is task C S = Strategy ( how do we get there) this is task D T= Tactics ( what do we need to do to get there) this is task E A & C = Action plan & Control & Measurements this is task F

SCENARIO Getting Closer to the customer through effective positioning: What do we understand by Positioning? Positioning is the process by which a brand ( a product/ service) is marketed with the goal of owning a meaningful and differentiated idea in the mind of the customer. E.G: just think about the experience of buying a pair of jeans and that in many cases, additional needs like accessible parking and friendly personnel seriously influence the entire shopping experience and this not only brings the customer closer but positions your brand as good in their minds.

YOUR ORGANIZATION The type of organization you use is open to you and you should discuss any creative approach that you feel is required with the tutor. The approach taken should be outlined within the organization overview. The organization Background should have the following sub headings: Organization Name Type of Organization Size of Organization Range of Products and Services- this you can present using a table or a pie chart Main Competitors- this you can present using a table that should entail market share, strengths and the type of orientation they have e.g. customer centric Specific Background- this part should talk about the customer base and the level of maturity in terms of positioning. Here you can position the brands either as introduction, growth, maturity and or decline. You need to justify briefly when you state the level of maturity in the terms of positioning.

TASK 1 This is the organization overview where you need to have on one side of an A4 . We have already discussed what is expected of you when writing the organization summary as discussed in slide 5. i) This part of the section is where the candidate need to analyze the Internal and External environment with a view to understanding your choice of organizations current performance in relation to positioning. You are expected to use Frameworks and or Models when analyzing the internal and external environment. For the external environment you may use the PEST framework. Analyze the current situation e.g. if there is political instability how does that impact your organizations current performance in relation to positioning. For the internal environment you may use MC Kinsey 7s framework and or do an analysis of culture, resources and processes such as customer relationship Management (CRM), and whether customer information is used to shape positioning through communications and messaging.

Contd…. b) ii- using the Swot/tows matrix from the internal and external audit you will be able to justify how the current approach to positioning is impacting on the organizations revenue. You may place a diagram as below and place your points there. Remember the question is asking you to summarize issues relating to positioning using a SWOT/TOWS analysis.

Continuation…. c) i. Candidates should show a clear understanding of the organizations vision/ mission to support positioning. That is to mention the Vision, Mission and Overall Marketing Objectives ii) Candidates need to recommend objectives the relate to enhanced positioning. d) Using an appropriate model or framework such as Johnson Scholes SFA model, Ansoff Matrix, Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning, channel management evaluate the strategic options and justify in relation to how they might support enhanced positioning. Do remember this is a 3 year marketing plan hence the strategies should be spread over accordingly and only model or framework should be used. e) The tactical tools to use is the 7ps of the marketing mix plus any other relevant tool( such as the AIDA model or DRIFT model) for implementing the marketing plan to support enhanced positioning. f) i & ii) This section candidates can produce a Gantt chart that will show the 3 year marketing plan activity including the critical success factors, key performance indicators, the budget, the resources in charge of ensuring the activity is implemented, the time line for all activity to take place, and performance measurement tools.. Task b – F should be within 8 sides of an A4.