Designing an Effective Marketing Strategy and Implementation Plan

The mode of assessment: A written report on the design of a marketing strategy and implementation plan for a new or improved product or a service of your choice underpinned by academic and professional literature. The proposed product must be marketed by an existing, well-known company.

Your final report should include the following sections

A brief description and rationale for introducing the new or improved product or service that is the focus of your report. Agree your choice with your tutor by week 3.

Include a brief analysis of the market:

• Key market trends (e.g. growth trends)
• Who are the key competitors and how are they positioned?
• Summarise the current customer attitudes/behaviours in this market
• Identify the main issues / opportunities you think are relevant including social and/or ethical issues (if relevant)

• What base(s) of segmentation you have used and why?
• Include size, geo-demographic, psychographic etc.
• Summarise the profile and persona of your target market and, if not a completely new product, how is the target market different from the segment(s) targeted in the past?
• Include a statement that identifies why your target market should buy your improved product or service– i.e. what benefits it now offers and what problems it solves?

• Product (include, for example branding and packaging and service quality)
• Pricing Strategy
• Promotional Strategy including Digital Media
• Channel or Distribution Strategy

• Process
• Physical evidence (e.g. including essential and peripheral evidence, servicescape etc.)
• People (including role of customer in the value creation process as well as employees and/or relationship marketing challenges)

This section should discuss issues related to implementation such as co-ordination between different departments and the role of internal marketing, as well as resources and capabilities required to implement your chosen marketing strategy.

A further 10% of your grade is allocated to presentation and referencing (10%)

Your work will be assessed by a subject expert who will use either the marking criteria provided in the section “Instructions for assessment” or the Marking rubric enclosed in the Appendix, as appropriate for this module. When you access your marked work it is important that you reflect on the feedback so that you can use it to improve future assignments.

Mitigating circumstances/what to do if you cannot submit a piece of work or attend your presentation

The University Mitigating Circumstances Policy can be found on the University website: Mitigating Circumstances Policy

Between you handing in your work and then receiving your feedback and marks within 20 days, there are a number of quality assurance processes that we go through to ensure that students receive marks which reflects their work. A brief summary is provided below.

• Step One – The module and marking team meet to agree standards, expectations and how feedback will be provided.
• Step Two – A subject expert will mark your work using the criteria provided in the assessment brief.
• Step Three – A moderation meeting takes place where all members of the teaching and marking team will review the marking of others to confirm whether they agree with the mark and feedback
• Step Four – Work at Levels 5 and 6 then goes to an external examiner who will review a sample of work to confirm that the marking between different staff is consistent and fair
• Step Five – Your mark and feedback is processed by the Office and made available to you.