Marketing Plan Assignment

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The key takeaways from the document are the components of a marketing plan and an overview of McDonald's marketing strategy.

The components of a marketing plan discussed are: marketing research, target market, positioning, competitive analysis, market strategy, budget, and metrics.

McDonald's gets its competitive advantage from its locations in airports, theme parks, busy roads and Walmart stores. It also offers quality products at low costs.

Marketing Plan:

A marketing plan is an operational document that


outlines an advertising strategy that an organization will
implement to generate leads and reach its target market.

COMPONENTS OF MARKETING PLAN:

1. Marketing research:
 Research is the backbone of the
marketing plan. Your local library is a great place to start, offering
reports like Standard & Poors or IBISWorld. Some library cards even
allow access to online services from home. Identify consumer
buying habits in the industry, market size, market growth or
decline, and any current trends.

2. Target market:

 A well-designed target market description


identifies your most likely buyers. In addition, you should discuss at
least two or three levels of segmentation. A language tutoring
business might target both students and foreign-born employees
who want to improve their English.

3. Positioning:

 What is the perception of your brand in the


marketplace? For example, if your restaurant sells burgers, do
customers see you as the place to go for gluten-free or healthy
options or the place to go if you’ve got an appetite for a double
cheeseburger? The difference in how the target market sees you is
your positioning. Develop compelling branding and marketing
messages that clearly communicate how you want to be perceived.
4. Competitive analysis:

 You need to know who your


competitors are and how your products and services are different.
What is the price point at which your competitors are selling, and
what segment of the market are they aiming to reach? Knowing the
ins and outs of your competitors will help you better position your
business and stand out from the competition.

5. Market strategy:

 Your marketing strategy is your path to sales


goals. Ask yourself “How will I find and attract my most likely
buyers?” This is the core of what the strategy should explain. It
should look at the entire marketplace and then break down specific
tactics including such as events, direct mail, email, social media,
content strategy, street teams, couponing, webinars, seminars,
partnerships, and other activities that will help you gain access to
customers.

6. Budget:

 Develop a month-by-month schedule of what you


plan to spend on marketing. Also include a “red light” decision
point. For each activity, establish a metric that tells you to stop if
it’s not generating sufficient return on investment (ROI).

7. Metrics:

 Track your marketing success with Google Analytics for


website conversions and a simple Excel sheet to compare your
budget against the actual ROI. Test programs over the course of a
30- to 60-day period, and evaluate the results. Repeat any
programs that are delivering sales or sign-ups to your email list, and
get rid of anything that’s not.

Remember, if you’re not bringing in leads, you need better


marketing. A sound plan will help you get started. Visit my website
for my free ebook, The Art of Selling, to learn how to close your
deals.

Marketing plan for McDonald’s


Corporation:

Executive Summary:
McDonald’s Corporation is the world largest fast food company
by sales volume and retail outlets. McDonald’s operates in over
116 countries with its outlets and franchises. The company is
successful and still growing fast. The company uses its
marketing plan carefully when implementing its marketing
strategies across its global outlets and franchises.

McDonald’s uses the strategy of Plan to Win for driving


its worldwide expansion. This strategy has 5Ps that consist of
price, promotion, product, place, and people. The company
relies on strong strategic thrust and competitive advantage that
mainly focus on its resources for implementing its marketing
objectives.

McDonald’s is also one of the largest spenders on


advertisement. The industry analysts estimated that
McDonald’s spends over $ 1.2 billion in advertisement beating
all other fast food companies. The kids’ advertisement and
promotional strategies take the largest portion of this budget.

Despite this success, McDonald’s faces a number of challenges


from unlikely sources like its customers who complain that the
company uses its advertisement messages to target kids.
Still, McDonald’s has to contend with expensive lawsuits
related to obesity claims as a result of consuming its unhealthy
food. In addition, there are also challenges of staff turnover,
risks of food infection, and threats from competition. The
company now strives to focus on provisions of healthy organic
food as a response to its customers’ demands for future
growth.

Business Mission:
McDonald’s Mission Statement:

“McDonald’s vision is to be the world’s best quick service


restaurant experience. Being the best means providing
outstanding quality, service, cleanliness, and value, so that we
make every customer in every restaurant smile”.

In McDonald’s annual reports of the year 2010, the Vice


Chairman and CEO, Jim Skinner states that the company started
to create its brand and strength throughout the globe. The CEO
also accepts that the business situation during the year 2010
was tough.The company managed to deliver its business
through consumer oriented management in order to focus its
strategies, and enhance its main business concentration,
specifically the menu, restaurants, core values and convenience
to the customers. At the same time, McDonald’s management
continued focused on the quality of human resources and
restaurants in order to enhance customers’ satisfaction
(McDonald’s Corporation, 2010).

External Situational Analysis:


McDonald’s has survived all the external globe conditions that
may affect its operation. Consequently, the company
continuously monitors external environment such as political
risks. In over 100 countries, political situations have not
stopped McDonald’s from operating its outlets or franchises.

McDonald’s is also a stable company, economically for the past


decades. The company has survived global recession of 2007
and continues to make profits and introduce new ranges of
products. McDonald’s also provide services and use technology
that appeals to its consumers, and always strives to create
positive consumers experiences in their outlets and franchises.

Thus, observing ethics with regards to claims that McDonald’s


advertisement target kids and sale unhealthy foods and junks
have been sources of concerns for the company. McDonald’s is
an industry leader; thus competitors mainly borrow or watch
McDonald’s strategies in terms of new products, technology,
promotion, and investments among others.

SWOT Analysis:
McDonald’s SWOT analysis shows that the company has a
higher ranking in the global, fast food industry. It gets its
competitive advantage from locations, such as airports, theme
parks, busy roads and in Wal-Mart stores. McDonald’s also has
quality food produce, such as quality chicken products, beef,
and pork for its products.

McDonald’s only uses brand names and supplies nutritional


information on the food packages (Adcock and Halborg 2004).
McDonald’s also offers its products at low cost in order to
appeal to a wide target market. The company has relied on its
strategy of Plan to Win and franchise systems in order to
maintain its first position and global presence in the fast food
industry.McDonald’s weaknesses include high staff turnover.
This has increased its staff acquisition and training cost.
McDonald’s also did not pass the pizza test. This failure
resulted into its limited competition among pizza providers. The
issue of obesity is fast affecting fast food industry, and
McDonald is the first casualty.

However, McDonald’s does not focus much on organic food.


Occasionally, customers have expressed their concerns
regarding the quality of food in McDonald’s outlets and
franchises around the globe. In addition, McDonald’s only
provide certain fast foods and soft drinks. This act of
specialisation means that the company cannot serve outside its
menu; thus, it cannot offer other varieties of foods.

McDonald’s has many opportunities for provisions of fast


foods. McDonald’s can still franchise with several retailers. It
also has opportunities of providing healthy and organic food as
consumers demand in fights against obesity concerns among its
customers so as to reduce possible lawsuits.

McDonald’s can also support social responsibilities through


support for its farmers and encourage conservation of the
environment. The company can enhance its use of promotional
channels in its restaurants, provide play grounds for kids, and
increase partnership with beverage companies, and create
locations with Wi-Fi for customers.
McDonald’s encounters many threats. The advertisement
experts criticise the company for targeting small children and
adults alike with its multi-billion advertisement campaigns.
Likewise, the company is also under constant threats of
lawsuits because of serving addictive and unhealthy foods
mainly to children. It is impossible for McDonald’s to serve
healthy foods to fit various customer nutritional needs. In a
number of cases, there are risks and issues of food
contamination, specifically with e-coli.

This has ruined the company’s reputation in some franchises


and outlets. McDonald’s also faces competition from other fast
food restaurants and consumption also depends on economic
stability. The main competitors of McDonald’s include Burger
King, Wendy’s/Arby’s, Subway, Pizza Hut, and Yum! Brands
(Gupta, 2010).

Budget:
According to Advertising Age, McDonald’s spent $ 1.2 billion in
the US alone in the year 2008. It is among the top 30 largest
advertisers in the US. In the US, McDonald’s has national and
local advertisement strategy. The company has a national
budget for national advertisement and local co-operatives
organise local advertisements. The industry total is $ 5.6 billion.
Koshuta notes “about 40% of McDonald’s total advertising
budget focuses on children” (Koshuta, 2007).

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