Marketing Management

Group Activity

Your roleIn teams of 4 or 5 you are to assume the role of a Marketing Consultancy. A prospective client has come to you for your ideas on how to improve his business.

The ClientThe client is Acme Ice Cream a go-ahead manufacturer in Staffordshire, UK. They make a small range of ice cream products from a compact factory unit using batch making machinery. The business currently employs 12 people, mainly in the roles of production, sales and distribution. The turnover last year was £595K and the profit was £35K. The owner has funds from his other business ventures to invest in the ice cream company and wishes to expand operations on a bold scale. He has come to your marketing consultancy to seek new ideas on a range of issues: production methods, new product ideas, marketing concepts and so on. He is an ambitious entrepreneur who admits to being good at selling but ‘doesn’t really do marketing’.

Your BriefCompile a short report (maximum 2500 words) to include an executive summary - that will act as sales vehicle for your proposition. The Client also wants your company to prepare a 15 minute presentation.The presentation is another ‘shop window’ to sell your consultancy and its ideas for his business. If the presentation is sufficiently exciting the Client will be more inclined to read the ‘small print’ of your report.You will face stiff competition from other consultants for this commission. Therefore, you need to be dynamic and creative as well as demonstrate a keen and in-depth knowledge of all aspects of marketing management.

Report Contents As a guide the report should cover the following areas:

1. Analysis of Internal EnvironmentDescription of Vision & Mission StatementsInternal Strengths & Weaknesses audit

2. PESTEL Analysis Political factors that may affect the companyEconomic factors that may affect the company Social factors that may affect the companyTechnological factors that may affect the companyEnvironmental factors that may affect the companyLegal factors that may affect the company

3. Competitive AnalysisCompetitive AnalysisMarketing Strategies of CompetitorsStrengths and Weaknesses of Competitors

4. New Product DevelopmentNew product ideasJustification for proposed product lines

5. Branding IssuesCorporate identityCompany Personality & Image

6. Market Potential AnalysisMarket Potential Estimates

7. Segmentation & PositioningTarget Markets for All Product Lines Consumer Demographics

8. Marketing and Sales Objectives - OrganisationMarketing ObjectivesSales Objectives for All Product Lines

9. Marketing Strategies – ProductsProduct Line Marketing Strategies

10. PricingProduct Line Pricing Objectives and StrategiesPrices for various Product Lines

11. Channels of DistributionDistribution Objectives and StrategiesDescription of Channels of Distribution Needed

12. Marketing PersonnelMarketing Personnel Numbers and Expenditures Sales Force Needed

13. Human Resource DevelopmentHuman Resource Development Objectives and StrategiesHuman Resource Development Budget

14. Marketing Research ProgrammeMarketing Research Objectives and StrategiesMarketing Research Budget

15. Promotion & Communications ProgrammeAdvertising Objectives and StrategiesAdvertising Media Programme and BudgetSales Promotion Objectives and StrategiesSales Promotion Expenditures Information

16. Marketing BudgetMarketing Budget by Quarters

Group Deadlines1. By end of session Tuesday 26th October:

- Group names and designated roles- Preliminary report on brainstorm session re. Branding, product concepts,

environment issues etc- Initial thoughts on segmentation and positioning

2. By end of session Tuesday 30th November- Draft report to include market research findings: PESTEL factors,

competition data etc3. By end of session Thursday 9th December

- Final report- 15 minute Powerpoint presentation.