Marketing Communication/Marketing Planning

Order Description

Marketing Communications

Assignment Brief
As part of the formal assessment for the BA (Hons) Business you are required to submit a Marketing Communications  assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments.
You should answer all the questions.
Students will be required to analyse the case study and respond to a range of questions based on both the case study and their understanding of the theory and practice of Marketing Communications.
Learning outcomes
1. Compare and contrast different aspects of communication theory and practice.
2. Critically evaluate and select appropriate channels of communication for marketing.
3. Apply advertising theory to practical situations.
4. Utilise marketing research to make effective decisions.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of international aspects of marketing.

Maximum word count: 3500 words

Please note that exceeding the word count will result in a reduction in grade proportionate to the number of words used in excess of the permitted limit.

Assignment Tasks
With reference to the information in the Talking to Heidi: Choosing the Right Communications Mix case study (shown below) and from other sources you feel would be useful, answer the following questions.
Notes:
– Answer all three questions.
– Word limit is 3,500 words in total (i.e. for all questions).
– All questions carry equal marks.
1. You are a cosmetics company aiming a new revolutionary skin cream at Heidi. Compare and contrast what would you need to consider before deciding on your choice of communications mix? You should take into account relevant theory in formulating your response.

(Third of the Total Marks: 33.3%) (Learning outcomes tested: All)

2. Critically evaluate and develop a communications campaign for this skin cream aimed at Heidi, taking account of the considerations you have identified in question one what tools do think would be most appropriate and why? You should consider what international aspects need to be taken into account in formulating your response.

(Third of the Total Marks: 33.3%) (Learning outcomes tested: All)

3. Outline the benefits of undertaking an integrated marketing communications campaign with Heidi rather than just using tools in isolation.

(Third of the Total Marks: 33.3%) (Learning outcomes tested: All)

Talking to Heidi: Choosing the Right Communications Mix
Yasmin Sekhon
University of Bournemouth
So what does Heidi mean? Heidi is an acronym for young women who are highly educated, independent, degree-carrying individuals. This segment is growing and has the potential to spend a lot of money. Why is that? It is because they are part of the ‘me’ generation and make decisions based on their own individual wants and needs. As a newspaper article revealed “These single-but-not-sad disco dollies are brand sluts and wear masstige fashions (mass products with designer prestige — such as Stella McCartney at H&M). They’re also valuephrenics — they scrimp some of the time, but will splash out on a Prada bag (because they’ve been brandwashed)”.
So what is the best way to communicate to this segment? A group that has to balance work and play and doesn’t have a lot of time to waste. Whatever message you wish to communicate it needs to be to the point and let the Heidis out there know exactly what you are trying to say.
A typical Heidi is aged between 25-35 years and loves to socialize. To target this group successfully the right communications mix needs to be used. The use of television to target messages might be a futile activity if Heidi is out with friends in the evening. If Heidi does stay in, what will she be watching, an episode of the Hills on MTV or Desperate Housewives on Channel 4? Effectively communicating the message to Heidi means organizations need to consider the key ‘touch points’ they have with her.
Television advertising at the right time, in between the right programme may be one part of the communications mix. However there are other communications tools that could potentially be more effective and more personal.
The use of email is another communications tool that could be used. Imagine Heidi at work. During her lunch or coffee breaks she needs to find the perfect pair of shoes for her night out and time is of the essence. A potential way to communicate your campaign or any offers you might have is to email her. Once the email arrives she is able to examine all the shoes on offer without even moving from her desk. She is able to find out your product offerings, the cost, the delivery time, the colour and shoe sizes available. This is a more effective and more personal tool than advertising which is a non-personal form of communication and the message cannot always be as individualized as Heidi would want it.

Another key consideration is that Heidi buys from a range of organizations, from the high street to more exclusive shops where top designer brands are sold. This means that Heidi is not necessarily brand loyal but will purchase depending on where she is going, with whom and when. When going to the gym, the high street will suffice for clothes. However if Heidi is letting her hair down on Saturday night and will be visiting a cocktail bar, followed by a dance in the night club, branded clothes and accessories are a must. This has implications to the marketer as Heidi’s ever changing needs must be fulfilled and so the message has to be tailored accordingly. However, more importantly, the medium through which the message is conveyed is key. The use of print advertising particularly fashion magazines will be referred to by Heidi when making these decisions. She will be thinking about what is trendy, what is most fashionable, what the celebrities are wearing, and this will impact on her own purchases. The use of magazines is one method which could also be integrated with a direct response campaign. These integrated methods would ensure that the business can reach Heidi with its message. Furthermore, by using direct response media, this will mean that direct contact is also being made with Heidi, thus creating a dialogue with her.
Things to consider when deciding on the ultimate communications mix for Heidi:
• Her disposable income is between £30,000 – £40,000;
•  Heidi is happy to make use of store cards, credit cards and loans;
•  Heidi is marrying later: The average age that women marry increased to 33.6
• years for women (Office of National Statistics, 2007);  Social networking is a big thing, especially the use of Facebook and Bebo
.• Social networking is a big thing, especially
Another equally important consideration is that Heidi is independent. What are the implications of this to the marketer? Firstly if Heidi is making her own decisions she will also have full control over her finances and so in turn what she consumes. It is likely that even as an independent young woman her reference groups may be a mixture of friends and work colleagues. Her wider reference groups may consist of celebrities and fashion models that might also inspire her consumption. This then influences an organizations choice of marketing mix since whatever tool is chosen it needs to be endorsed by the right celebrity and the right celebrity is forever changing.
All of these factors are vital and will impact on Heidi’s decision-making when choosing what product to buy or what service to use. So an integrated campaign, that can make use of a number of communications tools, will have the most impact and will be noticed by the busy but ever trendy Heidi.
In summary, when choosing the right communications mix for Heidi it is not a straightforward task. This young, savvy, independent and career-minded target group knows what it wants. Heidis are not going to be led aimlessly by marketers and so traditional forms of communication may not be as effective. In fact, in today’s marketing arena where media is more fragmented and the choices are varied they
will decide on what they respond to or not and it could be that more personal communications and the use of advocacy is an important consideration. Without it, the marketer could be missing out on a very lucrative market that has potential to grow.
Source: Yasmin Sekhon. (2010). Talking to Heidi: Choosing the right communication mix. In: Baines, P. and Fill, C. Marketing. 2nd ed. Oxford: OUP Oxford. p435-7.

Guidelines
You MUST underpin your analysis and evaluation of the key issues with appropriate and wide ranging academic research and ensure this is referenced using the Harvard system. The My Study Skills Area contains the following useful resources; Study Skills Guide (containing a Harvard Referencing section) and a Harvard Referencing Interactive Tutorial. You must use the Harvard Referencing method in your assignment.

Additional notes:
Students are required to indicate the exact word count on the title page of the assessment.
The word count excludes the title page, executive summary, reference list and appendices. Where assessment questions have been reprinted from the assessment brief these will also be excluded from the word count. ALL other printed words ARE included in the word count. Printed words include those contained within charts and tables. See ‘Word Count Policy’ on the homepage of this module for more information.
Assignments submitted late will not be accepted and will be marked as a 0% fail.

Your assessment should be submitted as a single Word (MS Word) or PDF file. For more information please see the “Guide to Submitting an Assignment” document available on the module page on iLearn.
You must ensure that the submitted assignment is all your own work and that all sources used are correctly attributed. Penalties apply to assignments which show evidence of academic unfair practice. (See the Student Handbook which is on the homepage of your module and also in the Induction Area).

Marketing Planning Assignment

Assignment

Assignment Brief As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a Marketing Planning assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing the module the student should be able to:
1. Critically apply marketing theories and concepts in a range of practical situations.
2. Use appropriate tools to audit a market environment and propose responses.
3. Critically appraise an organisations marketing mix and suggest improvements.
4. Critically apply marketing concepts in different contexts – international, product/service, e-marketing your assignment should include a title page containing your personal details, the module name, the submission deadline and a word count; the appendices if relevant; and a full bibliography in Harvard format. You should address all the elements of the assignment task listed below. Additional marks are awarded for the good use of theory and the supply of additional information from academic research and journalistic sources.
Maximum word count: 4000 words Please note that exceeding the word count will result in a reduction in grade proportionate to the number of words used in excess of the permitted limit.

Assignment Tasks
PART ONE (75%) (3000 words) You may base this assessment on your own chosen organisation (only if agreed with your tutor in advance via email) or follow the scenario provided below:
Scenario:
The world of fast food retailing appears to be changing. McDonald’s have recently fallen from grace somewhat as regards their once seemingly foolproof marketing strategy. With reference the following article regarding changing trends, you are asked to prepare a marketing plan for a fast food restaurant of your choice (you may choose McDonald’s or any alternative) based on the introduction of a new product in a country of your choice OR a plan based on the introduction of a new fast food retailer (such as one of those in the article) in a country of your choice bearing in mind the importance of ‘localisation’ in any plan developed.
Neate, R., 2015. McDonald’s in crisis: can it fight off the Five Guys threat? The Guardian [Online]. Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/may/02/steveeasterbrook-mcdonalds-fast-food-big-league-burgers-shake-shack [Accessed 3 May 2015]
Please note: You should consider a new product development in line with country-specific factors whilst additionally having a target audience in mind. The best marks will be attained for a plan well suited to the country and market chosen with accompanying comprehensive country/market analysis. Finally, you must take account of the marks for each section and the marking criteria when writing the marketing plan in order to gain the most from this assessment.
Instructions
Develop a Marketing Feasibility Report to address the needs of this task including both appropriate (referenced) marketing theory as well as practical application. It should be structured as follows:
1) Front cover.
2) Executive summary (summarising the main findings of the report).
3) Contents page.
4) Situational analysis based on a PESTLE analysis which should analyse and evaluate any country-specific issues as well as any specific issues pertaining to the industry via an assessment of Porter’s Five Forces, ensuring that your recommendations going forward reflect the findings of this section.
5) Marketing objectives (using the SMART format).
6) Marketing plan (strategy and tactical details). To include: segmentation, targeting and positioning analysis; marketing mix development (including the value of e-marketing and sustainability issues for the business) (use 7P’s rather than 4P’s here).
7) An outline promotional plan and marketing budget for the promotional launch of the concept (schedule, timings, DRIP/Burst campaign? spend on different promotional tools incl. social media).
8) Conclusions, recommendations and summary.
9) Appendices. This must include biography, references and any other relevant material.
PART TWO (25%) (1000 words) ‘Marketing planning is a strategic level activity.’ What is meant by this statement in relation to the achievement of organisational objectives? (LO1/LO4) In preparation of your response here, please refer to the assessment criteria on

Guidelines
You MUST underpin your analysis and evaluation of the key issues with appropriate and wide ranging academic research and ensure this is referenced using the Harvard system. The My Study Skills Area contains the following useful resources; Study Skills Guide (containing a Harvard Referencing section) and a Harvard Referencing Interactive Tutorial. You must use the Harvard Referencing method in your assignment.
Additional notes:
Students are required to indicate the exact word count on the title page of the assessment. The word count excludes the title page, executive summary, reference list and appendices. Where assessment questions have been reprinted from the assessment brief these will also be excluded from the word count. ALL other printed words ARE included in the word count. Printed words include those contained within charts and tables. See ‘Word Count Policy’ on the homepage of this module for more information.
Assignments submitted late will not be accepted and will be marked as a 0% fail.
Your assessment should be submitted as a single Word (MS Word) or PDF file. For more information please see the “Guide to Submitting an Assignment” document available on the module page on iLearn.
You must ensure that the submitted assignment is all your own work and that all sources used are correctly attributed. Penalties apply to assignments which show evidence of academic unfair practice. (See the Student Handbook which is on the homepage of your module and also in the Induction Area).