ASSIGNMENT TWO: MARKETING PLAN TEAM
Marketing Plan – Team (35%)
For this project, with your groups, you are tasked to come up with a new consumer product and
launch it in the Canadian market. Each group will be assigned an industry from which the team
will come up with a new product and build a Marketing Plan.
When forming groups, it is requested that you form teams of 4 individuals. Please submit team
names to your instructor via moodle by due date. Your instructor will then send you what
industry your new consumer product must be in.
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There are 3 parts to the Marketing Plan:
Part A: Consumer Market Profile (10%)
Before your group can come up with the marketing strategy, it will need to have a solid
knowledge of the market and consumer profile. For this part of the assignment, the group is
required to conduct a situation analysis, select a target market after identifying and evaluating all
existing target segments, and justify the target market choice. Your group has to submit Part A
electronically on the course website by deliverable date outlined in the syllabus.
The aim is to conduct an in-depth understanding of your consumer and the market within which you will
sell your product. Part A should be no more than 5 typed, double spaced pages, 12 font size. Margins on
all four sides of each page should be 1 inch. You may include up to 3 pages of exhibits and appendices.
Please submit an electronic copy in the course submission folder. This deliverable should cover the
following:
Section 1: Product Introduction (approx. 0.5 pages) Briefly introduce your new product: ( 1 )
description of what you will be offering to the market and (2) what makes your product different
(i.e., product differentiation).
Section 2: Market Profile (approx. 1 page) Discuss main findings from your industry and
market analysis. A solid analysis draws on secondary data sources available in the library , uses
numbers and evidence to describe market conditions, structure, trends and consumer behavior.
You should also highlight key points from your SWOT analysis while discussing the
implications.
• Trends that support the product’s success and threats that might hinder success
• Consumption rates, size of the market, future growth potential of the market, barriers to entry
• Specific market shares of direct competitors (manufacturers and their brands) and the presence
of indirect competitors NOTE: given the limited space – You should include the details of your
SWOT (i.e. points + implications) and industry analysis in exhibits and summarize the key
findings and implications in the body of the report.
Section 3: Segmentation (approx. 1.5-2 pages) In developing your segmentation strategy, be
sure to list and discuss all possible and plausible segments and present a detailed analysis of your
market segments (a segmentation grid, can be included as Secondary data sources are available
in the library to help you obtain relevant information for this section. Be sure to segment the
market on the most relevant segmentation variables.
Section 4: Target Market Choice and Customer Profile (approx. 1-1.5 page) After having
discussed all plausible existing market segments, choose the target segment you plan to pursue
with your innovative product. You should present a compelling argument for your target segment
selection. When crafting your justification of target market choice be sure to use proper
terminology and evaluation criteria covered in class. Present a detailed explanation of why your
target segment needs the product and provide a profile of a typical customer in your segment (i.e.
use demographic, geographic, psychographic, behavioral descriptors) and explain what consumer
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behavior factors/sub-factors are likely to affect your target segment. I expect to see extensive and
accurate applications of marketing segmentation and consumer behavior characteristics.
Section 5: Positioning (approx. 0.5 pages) Present the positioning for your product, making
sure to include: (1) a positioning statement as well as a (2) positioning map (the map could be
included in the exhibits, but summarize the key findings and implications in the body of the
report). You should construct your positioning map based on criteria and dimensions that are
important to your market. Be sure that your positioning map plots all your direct and indirect
competitors identified earlier in the report and that it also plots all market segments identified in
your segmentation grid. The positioning of your competitors and target segments on the map is
critical to provide a snap shot of the market.
Part B: Marketing Strategy (15%)
This part of the marketing plan provides the actual strategy (the 4 Ps), including your group’s
financial calculations and implementation plan. Your strategy should be specifically constructed
for the target market your group described in the Consumer and Market Profile (Part A). Your
marketing strategy should be submitted electronically on the course website by deliverable due
date outlined in the syllabus.
In this section, you will build the actual marketing plan for the product including: (1) the
marketing strategy (the 4Ps), (2) implementation plan. The best plans touch on all of these
points, while presenting a well thought out and integrated plan that links each and every decision
to one another. For example, your strategy should be specifically constructed for the target
market your group described in the Consumer and Market Profile. Remember that the appendix
is a great place to insert supporting material. For example, many papers will include an image of
the product, advertisements, numerical calculations, detailed implementation timeline, etc., in the
appendix. However, be sure to discuss any key points and their implications within the report
itself.
Section 1: Introduction and Objectives (approx. 0.5 pages) Develop a set of 3-4 SMART
objectives for your marketing plan. These objectives should guide your marketing strategy
moving forward.
Section 2: Marketing Plan (i.e., Marketing Mix) (approx. 5.5 pages) Using your objectives as a
guide, develop a detailed marketing plan ( 4Ps) while providing justification for your marketing
decisions. Specifically, you should provide the following: Product: • Product description:
product levels, product class, and individual product decisions (e.g. attributes, style, level of
customization, packaging, etc.) • Brand development strategy and related branding decisions
(e.g. name, logo, color, etc.) • Position in the product lifecycle (PLC): discuss the context of the
PLC stage your product falls into and what this means for your new launch Pricing: • Price: (1)
price for intermediary (if any) (2) final price for consumer • Product margins • Pricing strategy
used and why: cost based, value based, penetration or skimming • Pricing adjustments: e.g., sales
promotions, segmented pricing, etc. Distribution: • Type(s) of channel used and why •
Distribution strategy adopted and why • Where the product is available/number of outlets and
trade promotions (if any) • How should the product be presented/displayed in the outlet •
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Potential channel conflicts (if appropriate) and mitigation plan Promotion: • Communication
plan (i.e. SMART communication objectives, key message, target segment, budget, etc.) •
Develop an appropriate integrated marketing communication (IMC) plan.
Be specific and explain your reasons for choosing each communication element and how to
create synergies between the different IMC elements chosen. It is important to consider the costs
and viability of all elements of your IMC plan. For example, for advertising, remember to
include details of the message strategy, execution style, and the media strategy (e.g. media
choice, media scheduling pattern, etc.)
Section 4: Implementation (approx. 1 page) Discuss your implementation strategy. This should
include a specific and detailed sequence and timeline of your key marketing plan steps. For
example: When does your company develop its product? Secure distribution? Launch its
product? Run its various advertisements? Introduce a sales promotion? Expand to the new
market? Consider all of the important steps in your plan. You may find it efficient to summarize
the implementation timeline with a Gantt Chart in the Exhibit. Part 3 should be no longer than 8
typed, double spaced pages, 12 size font. Margins on all four sides of each page should be 1 inch.
You may include up to 3 pages of exhibits and appendices. Please submit an electronic copy on
the course submission page. Please use the team title page (found on the course website).
Part C: Marketing Plan Presentation (15%)
During the last week of the semester, each group will give a 8-minute presentation (plus an
additional 2 minutes for questions) on parts A & B of their marketing plan. Presentations should
include only the most essential information and should focus on the logic behind the chosen
consumer segment and marketing tactics. It is recommended that all group members participate
in the presentations. All teams must submit their PPT presentation electronically by deliverable
due date outlined in the syllabus.
Please print one copy of your presentation and bring it to class on the day of your presentation.
Your printed copy should be identical to what was submitted on Monday, November 22nd
as no
changes are accepted after the electronic submission.
During the last 2 weeks of the semester, each group will give a 8-minute presentation (plus an
additional 2 minutes for questions) on both parts of their marketing plan (Part 1 and Part 2).
• Key points from SWOT analysis
• Market segmentation and choice of target market with justification
• SMART marketing plan objectives
• Marketing mix (4Ps) along with logic explanation/justification
• Implementation timeline
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Presentations should cover only the most essential information and should focus on the logic
behind the chosen segment and marketing tactics. All team members must participate in the
presentation. Presentations will be evaluated in terms of style, content, and handling of questions
Topic :education industry
