The author highlights the importance of developing and implementing well prepared marketing plans before setting up any business. From the journal article, it is evident that there are myriads of challenges that are inevitable when preparing a professional marketing plan. Worse still, the implementation phase of such plans is usually quite demanding.
For instance, the element of cost to be incurred is indeed a major issue of concern when implementing marketing plans. In addition, the complex nature of certain marketing plans may also act as a setback towards realizing the set goals and objectives.
The article also offers a cross reference study of a marketing plan that can be used to run a Casino business. Although the author is quite categorical that the development of Casino business is a recent trend in the western world, he does not refute the fact that adequate and realistic marketing plan should be put in place for such a business to flourish.
In addition, the author expounds the meaning of a marketing plan, importance of a marketing plan, setbacks of a marketing plan, and the marketing plan of a Casino.
Critique
A well devised marketing plan should contain the following elements: executive summary, description of the business, the market to be targeted, environmental scan, specific goals and objectives, strategies and tactics to be used in marketing, budgetary allocations as finally an evaluation of the plan. According to Klebanow (n.d), some of the aforementioned elements have been discussed in the article towards the conclusion of the paper.
Although the author has extensively dwelt on the benefits and challenges of a professionally prepared marketing plan, the section on components of a marketing plan has not been discussed in detail. From the outset, the article is intended to explore the marketing plan of a Casino business. However, the latter has been presented as a brief conclusion of the article.
A viable marketing plan is also expected to allow regular evaluation in order to determine whether it is successful or not. Nonetheless, the author has not highlighted the importance of evaluation in a marketing plan. Thorough evaluation of a marketing plan is necessary because it ensures that the earlier set goals and objectives are met.
Moreover, an evaluation of a marketing plan offers suggestive actions and action plans that can be promptly adopted in case any failure is noted in the originally drafted plan. Moreover, the author has addressed budgeting section of the marketing plan in terms of expenses that may be incurred when advertising the business.
Nonetheless, the budgetary allocation of an entire marketing may sometimes stretch beyond mere advertising budget. Therefore, it is highly advisable to allow a flexible budget plan by including a section on miscellaneous expenses.
On a final note, Klebanow (n.d) has categorically stressed the importance of customers when developing a viable marketing plan. As a matter of a fact, marketing should largely focus on the needs of the targeted customers because they are the end users of the products being marketed.
Needless to say, the author has adequately expressed the need of integrating end users when devising goals and objectives. The article is also more coherent and exclusive on the relevance of developing a flexible marketing plan with realistic objectives that can be measurable and achieved. This has been depicted as a major strength of the article.
Reference
Klebanow, A.M.(n.d). Developing the Casino Marketing Plan. Gaming Research and Review Journal 6(2): 63-71.