Title:

Developing a marketing strategy

Unit aim:

This unit is about developing, agreeing and monitoring a marketing plan

that supports strategic objectives.

Level:

Credit value:

Unit Number:

Guided Learning
Hours

7008V1

QCF Unit
Number

L/504/9074

CMIs Unique Selling Point (USP) is that our Centres can

deliver and assess our qualifications in a variety of ways,
provided the Learner demonstrates achievement of the
assessment criteria. The good practice details offered below
aim to support our USP and at the same time give our Centres
an idea of the type of evidence of knowledge, understanding or
ability that we would wish to see from Learners.
When assessing this unit please be aware that the Learner has
to meet all the assessment criteria in order to pass. The unit is
written using framework level descriptors and the assessment
criteria is at a level 7 level of difficulty.

20

Good Practice

Learning outcomes

Assessment criteria

The Learner will:

The Learner can:

1. Understand how the

marketing plan supports
strategic objectives

1.1 Explain how the strategy of the organisation impacts on

the marketing plan

Refer to your own organisations strategic aims and objectives.

Assess the vision and direction of your organisation and outline
how this links to the marketing strategy. Depending on your
organisation, there may be different approaches to how
marketing is viewed within organisational strategy. Marketing
may be an integral part of this process in some organisations,
but in others it may perform a more functional role.
The marketing plan is based upon the overall strategic direction
of the organisation, and this should encompass strategic and
tactical levels. Kotler and Keller refer to this as the Planning
Implementing and Controlling cycle.

1.2 Identify the component parts of a marketing plan

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Key components of the marketing plan vary according to

different authors. McDonald, Kotler and Keller and Jobber have
different approaches, but essentially they should contain the

following stages:

Executive summary

Situation analysis

Marketing strategy

Financial projections

Implementation controls

You could identify the component parts of the plan used in your
own organisation, or of the plan you will be constructing for this
assignment.
1.3 Identify issues of risk within a marketing plan

2. Understand the construction

of a marketing plan

2.1 Identify the levels of importance of each component of

the plan

Consider issues of risk within marketing planning in your

organisation, which may relate to both internal and external
factors e.g. the economic climate, or budget. Some view
marketing planning as risky in that it looks to the long-term and
may prevent immediate focus. The culture within an
organisation may prevent positive approach to marketing
planning and this may be destructive and could be a potential
risk to its success. You could identify the areas of risk in your
own marketing plan.
Identify the importance of each component part of the
marketing plan listed at 1.2 above, or using your own model.
You need to be able to judge and assess how important each is
in relation to each other. Your answers should be relatively brief
as the command verb here is identify.
You might want to refer to the analysis tools you would use in
each component part of the plan.

2.2 Identify mitigation strategies for high risk components of

the plan

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This answer could be linked to 1.3 above, and you could

answer both ACs together. Considering each component part of
the marketing plan in turn, identify the ones that you consider to
be high risk and develop mitigation strategies to limit the risk
levels. Analysis tools such as Porters Five Forces and SWOT
identified above might help you to identify the areas that pose
more risk. Mitigation strategies might include investing in people
or equipment, or buying forward for materials or other supplies.

3. Be able to construct a
marketing plan

3.1 Construct a marketing plan

Having identified all the key components of the marketing plan,

you are now asked to construct a plan. It would be useful to
construct a plan for your own organisation. This is the largest
section of the unit regarding word count, and you need to show
that you have followed the processes of analysis in order to
develop marketing strategies aligned with organisational
direction (your work at 1.1 refers, and see also requirements at
4.1 below).
You could conduct research to find the marketing plan that best
suits your situation.

4. Understand how to promote

the marketing plan in support
of strategic objectives

4.1 Discuss how the plan supports strategic objectives

4.2 Explain an approach to gain agreement for the

marketing plan

4.3 Identify evaluation measures for the agreed plan

You will need to refer back to your analysis of the organisations

strategic objectives (section 1.1) and discuss how the plan
supports these aims and objectives.
You then need to consider your approach to gaining the
approval of the key decision makers for the plan, including the
marketing budget. You will also need the cooperation of other
departments to ensure the plan is implemented. Jobbers ladder
of support demonstrates the five stages that need to be
followed to gain ultimate approval and support and might be a
useful point of reference. Proctor talks about the importance of
communication and Jobber about the barriers to implementation
and managing resistance.
Finally, evaluation measures need to be considered Kotler
and Kellers framework identifies 4 areas that need to be
evaluated annual plan profitability efficiency strategy
and assigns key individuals who are responsible for each area,
so might be a useful frame of reference against which you could
identify suitable and relevant evaluation measures for your own
plan.