Executive Summary
This paper is a comprehensive marketing plan for a new product in the market. The marketing plan aims to market the Halal diet. This diet is being introduced in the market for a different reason – diet for aiding in weight loss though it captures other consumption needs. All the steps that are followed in market planning have been captured in this plan.
The first part of this plan gives a clear description of the diet and an overview of the diet and the potential market. Under this part, a market situational analysis has been highlighted. Also, the SWOT analysis of the diet has been highlighted in this section. Critical issues surrounding the marketing of the diet have also been outlined.
The second section of this diet has brought out the marketing strategy, which will be used to conduct marketing. The marketing mission accompanied by the real objectives of this marketing mission has also been discussed. Also, the financial objectives have been discussed. The target market, which is an indispensable component of marketing, has been discussed in this section of the plan.
The third section has tackled the sensitive market planning activities. The market positioning plan has been discussed. Other marketing activities that have been discussed under this section include the marketing mix model of market planning, and its applicability in this plan. In addition, the marketing research and how it will be conducted has been discussed. This includes the methods and tools of market research that will be used.
The last section of this plan discusses marketing control and its applicability; market implementation; the organization of marketing activities; and the contingency planning in marketing, which highlights the potential risks in marketing and alternative measures to mitigate these risks.
Halal Diet Marketing Plan – Final Draft
Controls
Controls are extremely crucial for people or firms that are engaged in designing or developing a marketing plan for their products. To ensure efficient marketing control systems for any marketer, there is the need for adequate preparation and focus which calls for a deep look into all segments of marketing (Pride & Ferrell, 2011).
The people responsible for marketing will have to ensure effective control of marketing so as to achieve the objectives of marketing and the general objectives of a business. Marketing control is in itself a process that includes a number of steps or actions that must be hid to.
They include the establishment of the standards of performance, evaluation of actual performance, and the reduction of the differences between the desired and the actual performance. Marketing cannot be based on wishful thinking but on results (Ferrell & Hartline, 2011).
For the Halal Diet Marketing plan, marketing control is an essential element of marketing that has been considered. This marketing plan has adopted effective marketing control strategies to enable the firm to realize the set business goals. The marketing control techniques that will be adopted include marketing research, sales quotas and test marketing. Marketing research will be an extremely beneficial tool.
Being a forward control tool, it will help in planning and making adjustments to the plan. This will be applied on a continuous basis. Customer information will be collected continuously and analyzed so as to catch the diversity in customer needs. Customer information will be collected both directly and indirectly from different sources using different tools of data collection.
Since this is a new firm with a new form of diet, test marketing will be used in the first introduction of this product into the market. The product will be introduced to a small segment of customers to assess their reaction.
Gradualism is required in first marketing of new products thence test marketing will help in achieving this. Sales aids in marketing thus the firm will employ a group of sales people to aid them in marketing the diet. The firm will know customer responses and plan market expansion by assessing the performance of the sales team.
Implementation
More often than not, the implementation of marketing plans is the determinant factor of success for any marketing initiative that a firm comes up with (Pride & Ferrell, 2008). Marketing implementations carries the entire market plan as it describes how marketing strategies that are set by a firm are to be executed.
If proper implementation plans are not put in place, the whole process of marketing could easily be put to jeopardy. The success of market implementation also depends on the marketing strategies that the firm puts in place (Armstrong & Kotler, 2009).
The implementation of the halal diet marketing plan will be done basing on the strategies laid in the plan. All the stakeholders in the plan will be notified about their roles in the marketing process. Training will be conducted on the whole marketing team that the firm will engage in marketing the Halal diet. Comprehensive budgeting has also been done to ensure that funds are not finished before the completion the plan.
This also serves to check on overspending which may put the process to risk. The implementation of the Halal diet will be customer centered; as in the customers will be given much attention as they are the most vital assets that will determine the fate of the business. Sales skills will be employed in the active marketing phase of the plan. This marketing mission will be monitored regularly during the implementation phase.
Monitoring usually go together with implementation; as it assists to eliminate leakages in the implementation phase by pointing on areas that are not moving according to the set strategies. The responsibility of the completion of the halal diet business lies with the entire team that will be taking part in marketing. Identified loopholes will be discussed and ironed out as the implementation progresses.
Constant communication and feedback will be embraced during the implementation as lapses in communication mostly results in lapses, in the process. Proper guidance and marketing leadership will also be offered to the marketing team.
Marketing Organization
The laid down goals and strategies must be properly streamlined and translated and or put to implementation for the marketing function to be realized. Strategic marketing organization is thus adopted to help translate the goals of marketing set by the managers or entrepreneurs (Capon & Hulbert, 2007).
Market organization provides a way through which implementation decisions are molded. Marketing organization touches on decisions concerning the product being marketed, the channels of marketing, distribution, promotional activities and the pricing of the product (Tybout, Calder & Kellogg School of Management, 2010).
The marketing organization firm will focus on two aspects, which are the potential customers or would be the customers of the Halal diet. Measure will be taken to ensure that the diet does fit the consumption needs of the customers. Marketing roles will be clearly defined and assigned to respective market implementers. This will help to attain a high level of accountability in the implementing the marketing plan.
Clear channels of business communication will draw to avoid communication breakdown. Also, a clear hierarchy of marketing command has been developed which will steer the market command and the flow of information between and among the marketing team and the flow of instructions. At the top, of the Halal marketing mission will be the marketing director who will be answerable to the organization.
Under the marketing manager, we will have the marketing research team that will have its own manager, the sales team with their leader, the team that will conduct promotions and advertisements and a customer relations team.
Each of the leaders of these teams will be answerable to the marketing director. This is a basic marketing structure and encourages more open communication by eliminating too much bureaucracy that causes delays and flaws in implementing business plans.
Contingency Planning
When making any business plan, it is crucial to put in mind that risks are inherent in businesses. Risks and uncertainties cannot be wished away and instead they are considered when developing business plans. These are captured in business plans through contingency planning. It is of considerable importance for the marketing plans to include contingency plans in their marketing plans (McDonald, 2007).
In the Halal diet plan, contingency planning will be done. Primary research as well as secondary research will be done to ascertain the risks and uncertainties that are likely to be faced in the plan. Business risks keep shifting with changes in the economy and the general environment.
This has been noted and will be factored in the contingency plan. Common risks, which the Halal business mission is likely to face, are highlighted, and control measures have been enforced to counter these marketing challenges.
The contingency plan will be active in order to detect the emerging risks and uncertainties for quick measures to be coined to address these risks. Issues that will be captured in the contingency plan include the financial implications of the marketing mission; and the steps to be applied to solve financial challenges that may arise during the implementation of this marketing plan.
Alternative means of countering the risks will be built. Risks may be posed by the product itself, form the leakages in the plan or marketing process itself, the customer response to the product or from the interaction of other forces in the industry and market.
Conclusion
The Halal diet marketing plan is a business plan; thus, it has captured all the necessary business marketing steps to minimize anomalies that may hinder the attainment of business objectives. This section of the plan has captured marketing control as a business aspect in marketing.
Marketing control techniques such as marketing research and sales quotas are embedded in this plan and are expected to strengthen the implementation of this marketing activity. In the implementation of this marketing mission, emphasis will be paid to the strategies that are laid in the plan.
Market organization has also been given a priority. In this case, the marketing command and communication structure has been designed to ensure the flow of activities as the plan is implemented. Lastly, contingency, which is a tenet of business continuity plan, has been considered and factored in the plan.
References
Armstrong, G., & Kotler, P. (2009). Marketing: An introduction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Capon, N., & Hulbert, J. M. (2007). Managing marketing in the 21st century: Developing and implementing the market strategy. Bronxville, N.Y: Wessex Inc.
Ferrell, O. C., & Hartline, M. D. (2011). Marketing strategy. Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning.
McDonald, M. (2007). Marketing plans: How to prepare them, how to use them. Oxford [u.a.: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Pride, W. M., & Ferrell, O. C. (2008). Marketing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
Pride, W. M., & Ferrell, O. C. (2011). Foundations of marketing. Mason, OH: South Western Cengage Learning.
Tybout, A. M., Calder, B. J., & Kellogg School of Management. (2010). Kellogg on marketing. Hoboken, NJ: J. Wiley & Sons.