Marketing Mix

Drawing from assignment 2, the identified marketing mix with reference to the McDonald case include product and process. To ensure maximum focus and adjustment to the recognized mix include for an effective marketing plan and overall success include factors/initiatives such as employee training, sales returns, etc. For marketing mix to be a success as expected, different resources must be allocated to the process. One significant support is the human resources which will entail the team to push and implement the selected marketing mix. Other resources include; finances, time, and most important environment to execute the plan (Haider & Shakib 2018, p.10). Other initiatives that would help in making the successful plan include; identification of business and marketing goals, useful research of the market, customer and competitor profiling and finally strategizing to support the identified marketing goals. These factors would positively ensure successful adoption of the healthy eating menu in McDonald outlets.

Marketing Plan Action Plan

Strategy

Action plan (how)

Timing – Completion Date

Person responsible

Training

Customer Service training for all staff

September 2018

Sales Manager

Recruitment plan

Identify skill set required for additional staff and commission recruitment agency to assist with employment

December 2018

Sales Manager

Improve customer services

Update website and keep current

Initially September 2018 and then ongoing

IT Manager

Increase sales

Meet with top 20% customers and identify ways to increase sales per customer

December 2018

Customer Sales Manager

Produce product and services brochure

February 2019

Marketing Manager

Improve cash flow to reduce costs

Introduce easy payment plan for customers

December 2018

Finance Manager

Increase customer base

Identify regional selling events and book where relevant

September 2018

Sales Manager

Review competitor offer and target weakness in their offer

March 2019

Sales Manager

The following table (table below) provides a detailed budget projection of the proposed market campaign with different expenses expected to be incurred over time. The values provided are projected values, and could exceed the projected figure.

Marketing Expense Budget

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

2018

2019

Advertising

$10,000

$10,000

$15,000

$7,000

$42,000

$70,000

Catalogs

$2,000

$3,000

$2,000

$2,000

$9,000

$18,000

Websites/social media Pages

$10,000

$16,800

$10,000

$8,000

$44,300

$100,000

Promotions

$0

$0

$15,000

$0

$15,000

$18,000

Service

$2,000

$1,000

$500

$250

$10,250

$11,000

Training

$5,000

$5,000

$5,000

$5,000

$60,000

$66,000

Other

$1,000

$1,000

$1,000

$1,000

$12,000

$15,000

Measures of Marketing Campaign Impact

In order to determine whether the proposed marketing plan will be a success or not, different measures will be adopted. With the use of social media being the primary marketing tool, the social media traffic will be an indicative measure of whether the marketing plan effectiveness. In addition to social media traffic, internet statistics will go hand in hand in evaluating the impact of the implementation. According to Prasad (2016), a successful marketing campaign in every organization should result in increased volume of sales, increased recognition in the market, i.e., in the fast food market such as the case of McDonald in this essay. In addition to internet traffic, sending out of synonymous email survey would also be healthful in identifying strengths and weaknesses of the campaign. A simple online survey can serve the purpose. Comparison of sales statistics would also be an ideal measure of the overall campaign impact. With the primary objective of marketing being to increase sales, comparison of sales volume before and after the marketing plan implementation would well indicate the trend/change. Sales monitor will be a more significant indicator of either the marketing I a success or a failure. Finally, traffic for new visitors or new clients would help identify the impact of the marketing campaign.

References

Prasad, A 2016, Contesting Institutional Hegemony in Today’s Business Schools: Doctoral Students Speak Out, First edition, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, United Kingdom.

Haider, T, & Shakib, S 2018, 'A Study On The Influences Of Advertisement On Consumer Buying Behavior', Business Studies Journal, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-13.