C296 Sec 203 204 Marketing Plan Assignments Outline - Jan 2024

pdf

School

University of British Columbia *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

201

Subject

Marketing

Date

Feb 20, 2024

Type

pdf

Pages

Uploaded by BrigadierCloverTurkey27

COURSE 296: INTRO TO MARKETING, SEC 203 & 204 – JAN 2024 MARKETING PLAN ASSIGNMENTS Marketing analysis and planning are significant activities for the majority of firms. The purpose of this series of assignments is for you, working as part of a team , to apply the concepts you learn in your coursework to marketing analysis and planning for a real brand, good or service. Each assigned team of 4-6 students will choose a B2C (business-to-consumer) brand, such as one of the B2C companies linked from the “Researching Companies” tab located through the David Lam Library. The David Lam Library has a Research Guide for COMM 296 that includes profiles on some companies. These Company Profiles have been created by the reference librarians to jump start your research (but additional research is expected!). NOTE: you do NOT have to choose a company from this list on the David Lam Library website, these are just options. The following brands may NOT be chosen: Apple, Zara, Lululemon. Detailed written assignment specifications are listed at the bottom of this document. ASSIGNMENT #1: Jump Start Your Research Worksheet – (1%) – due January 26 by 10:00 pm PST (UBC server time). See Course Policy re: late penalties. Effective marketing strategies come from organized planning. Each team must choose a B2C (business-to-consumer) brand (e.g., a company, strategic business unit or product line) as the basis for completing the marketing plan project. After choosing a brand, watch the series of videos that the David Lam Library reference librarians have created: “Business Research Videos” ( https://spark.adobe.com/page/KmO4vq83Udlcv/ ) and then complete the required “Jump Start Your Research” worksheet (located in the assignment folder on Canvas) to organize your approach to research. In choosing your brand, you are strongly advised to consider what will be required in the two assignments that follow this one. Will your chosen brand give you enough to work with to complete the detailed Situation Analysis & Segmentation Worksheet and to produce a Marketing Strategy Video with recommendations? The instructor is happy to discuss your ideas with you to help you choose an interesting project that will not be overly complicated or more difficult than necessary. ASSIGNMENT #2: Situation Analysis & Segmentation Worksheet – (12%) – due February 9 by 10:00 pm PST (UBC server time). See Course Policy re: late penalties. Effective marketing strategies can only be created after a thorough situation analysis of the current and future internal and external conditions under which a company competes. Use the required “Situation Analysis & Segmentation Worksheet” (located in the assignment folder in Canvas) for this assignment.

COMM 296 Sec 203 & 204: Marketing Plan Assignments - 2024 2 This assignment is expected to be heavily research-based. All secondary sources must be cited using APA format, both as in-text citations within your writing and in a separate References List. Penalties will apply for missing citations and inconsistent style. Part A: Introduction : Briefly introduce your brand (i.e. who you are and what you do). Briefly describe your scope for the report: will you focus either on the entire company or on a strategic business unit, geographic area, product line, or product? Teams are advised to consider all 3 assignments and the type of research reports available, when choosing their scope. Part B: Situation Analysis: Research and analyze the immediate and macro environments of your chosen company/product. Cite all sources using in-text citations. The questions below are neither prescriptive nor exhaustive (that is why “etc.” is written at the end of each subset); they are simply examples of the types of questions asked by organizations to learn about their environment and make better informed marketing decisions. Think for yourselves to ensure you ask the right questions in your research! § Category: What category is your brand competing in? Characteristics of this industry? Is the category growing or shrinking? § Customers/Consumers: Who are the current customers? How do customers buy and use the product? What factors do they consider when choosing between competitors? How loyal are customers? Etc. § Company & Corporate Partners: Summarize the company’s relevant history and background, mission/vision, culture, key success factors, etc. What are the current key product, pricing, promotion, and distribution strategies? How has the company been successful so far? What types of corporate partners (e.g. critical suppliers, agents etc.) help it succeed, and what are their strengths/weaknesses? What types of partners is it missing that competitors may utilize? Etc. § Competitors: What products do consumers consider to be competitive (direct, indirect competitors)? How intense is the competition in this category? Are there many small competitors, or is the industry dominated by several large players? Are there substitutes/indirect competitors? How easy/hard is it for new entrants to start up? Etc. § CDSTEP+N: Describe the characteristics of the macroenvironment in which the brand competes, using CDSTEP + N to cover all main points. What cultural, demographic, social, technological, economic, political-legal and natural factors influence the industry, the brand and consumers? Remember, this is a description of the culture, demographics, etc. of the external environment, not of your current customers. Part C: SWOT Table - Based on your analysis from Part B, summarize in a SWOT table the company’s key Strengths and Weaknesses (internal) and the key Opportunities and Threats (external) it faces. You should have at least 6 items listed under each SWOT category in your table. This step needs to be completed after you have completed Part B. Part D: SWOT Analysis: Highlight the most important point(s) under each of S, W, O, and T and explain if/how they relate to each other and should shape the company’s marketing strategies. This step needs to be completed after you have completed Parts B and C. Part E: Segmentation: Segmentation, targeting, and positioning (STP) form the foundation for a company’s entire marketing plan – all strategies must align with these components – so

COMM 296 Sec 203 & 204: Marketing Plan Assignments - 2024 3 clearly defining them is critical to the company’s business strategy and success. Within Assignment #2, describe three worthwhile consumer segments , using the segmentation bases and variables learned in this course. In each of the three segment descriptions, multiple segmentation variables should be used, from across a number of different bases. Each segment must be clearly distinct and should identify the accurate segmentation bases and the associated segmentation variables. Part F: Team Reflection: Complete the table by naming the most valuable resources utilized for each of the sections in Part B. Explain why the source was so useful. Outline whether your team used generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT) and identify the purpose. Reflect on how well it worked for this purpose. Alternatively, if you did not use AI, explain why and where you think it may have been useful. Part G: References: Provide a Reference List of all secondary sources used in your situation analysis. A minimum of 10 distinct secondary sources is expected and there is no upper limit. APA reference style is required. No page limit, single-spaced. Assignments that are inadequately referenced (either lacking detail or improper format) will be subject to penalties. VERY IMPORTANT: If you used generative AI in this assignment, be very careful to check the citations it may have provided to you, as there is a risk of inadvertently plagiarizing when using these tools. Many AI tools create content based on existing bodies of work without proper citation. The course’s academic integrity policy will apply to all submissions, and “AI did it!” will not excuse any plagiarism. You will also need to find the original source for any in-text citations in any AI-generated work and include the full APA-style reference in your References list. Page Length: Maximum 9 pages in total for Parts A through F. Content must be single-spaced, either point-form or brief paragraphs, utilizing the worksheet provided. There is no page limit for Part G: References. ASSIGNMENT #3: Marketing Strategy Video Project – (15%) – due April 7 by 5 pm PST (UBC time). See Course Policy re: late penalties. Developing a marketing strategy involves creating an integrated marketing mix (product, pricing, distribution and promotion – the 4Ps) aimed at developing a long-term, value-oriented relationship with a clearly defined target market and brand position. Being able to succinctly and effectively communicate your analysis and recommendations is an important business skill and a key component of your development in this course. Project: Produce an engaging 7- to 9-minute video that analyzes the existing marketing mix and develops a series of recommendations to help the brand better achieve your stated positioning in the minds of your chosen segment. Resources will be recommended to help teams create their videos; details will be provided in class and on Canvas. § Part A: Introduction: Set the stage for an audience who has not read your written assignments to-date. Very briefly introduce your company, product and geographic scope, and summarize the key features of the brand’s current environment. In other words, set the stage for Part B by reviewing just the most important highlights of your Situation Analysis assignment. Approximately 1-3 minutes

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

COMM 296 Sec 203 & 204: Marketing Plan Assignments - 2024 4 § Part B : Targeting & Positioning: Describe your recommended target segment and brand position. Include a detailed description of your chosen target segment along with clear justification. The target segment should be chosen out of the 3 segments outlined in Assignment #2. Justify your choice using each of the five segment attractiveness criteria plus consideration of relevant SW/OT from your Assignment #2. Some research is likely required to justify your segment. Create a positioning statement that tailors your chosen brand to your chosen segment. Justify your statement by clearly communicating the key points of difference (maximum 2). Remember to use the positioning statement formula provided in class (and in the lecture slides). Approximately 2 minutes § Part C: Marketing Strategy Analysis & Recommendations : Describe the brand’s current marketing mix (all 4 Ps) and critique its effectiveness for your chosen target segment and brand position. Consider where the brand is succeeding/failing in achieving your positioning in the minds of your segment. Based on this analysis, recommend improvements to the brand’s marketing strategy (all 4 Ps) to make it more effective for your chosen segment and positioning. Consider what should change and what should stay the same to better achieve this position in the minds of your segment. Your recommendations should combine to create an integrated strategy that is effective for your chosen segment and positioning. Justify all recommendations to explain their relevance, achievability and strategic value. Approximately 4-5 minutes • Part D: End Credits: End credits should include sources of ideas, facts, images, video clips, music, software, etc. These can be “movie style” and do not need to use APA format. End credits are not included in the time limit. References: Provide a references list of all secondary sources (including ideas and facts as well as images, video clips, music, software, etc.) used in developing the assignment content and video production. Assignments that are inadequately referenced (either lacking detail or improper format) will be subject to penalties. APA format must be used. A minimum of 10 secondary sources is expected. No page limit; single-spaced within references and double- space between them. WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT SPECIFICATIONS Marks will be deducted for missing these requirements. § Readability: Everything you deliver in this class is to be written in clear, grammatically correct English. Proofreading is absolutely required. Penalties will apply for consistent errors, and steep penalties will apply for consistent errors that interfere with comprehension. § In-text Citations: All secondary sources must be cited using APA format, both as in-text citations within your writing and in separate References Lists at the end of your assignments. Penalties will apply for missing citations and inconsistent style. DO NOT USE EITHER FOOTNOTES OR ENDNOTES, as these do not comply with APA format.

COMM 296 Sec 203 & 204: Marketing Plan Assignments - 2024 5 § Page Limits: Stated in each assignment description above. Marks will be deducted for surpassing page limits, and work that extends beyond the page limit will not be graded. § Margins: Minimum 1” § Line Spacing: Single – but make good use of headings/subheadings and white space for maximum readability! § Font Size: 11 pt. § Electronic Submission: Written assignments will be submitted electronically in PDF format on the course Canvas site through the assignment drop boxes. You must submit in PDF format. If your computer does not have a PDF file format, download one free from the internet. Only one individual needs to submit on behalf of the team. This individual is also responsible for ensuring the assignment is submitted on time (and it is best practice to send a screenshot to the rest of the team confirming the submission). § File Naming Convention: Assignment documents must be saved using the following file naming convention: Sec#Team#AssignmentName.pdf (e.g. Sec204Team4JumpStart.pdf). Assignments not named this way will receive a grade deduction of 5%. § Plagiarism Prevention: All assignments may be submitted to TurnItIn.com. For information on plagiarism and plagiarism prevention, review the Academic Integrity Resource Guide: https://learningcommons.ubc.ca/academic-support/academic-integrity-citations/ § Use of Generative AI Tools (e.g., ChatGPT or Perplexity AI): If you use a generative AI tool to help generate ideas and/or any text for a draft or a final version of any part of these assignments, you must declare in the respective assignment that you have used it. If the assignment has a dedicated section for this commentary (as does Assignment #2, the Situation Analysis & Segmentation Worksheet), then you can make this disclosure there; otherwise, write a brief disclosure (a couple of sentences) at the end of the submission, describing the extent to which generative AI was used. o Important note: If you use generative AI in an assignment, be very careful to check the citations it may have provided to you, as there is a risk of inadvertently plagiarizing when using these tools. Many AI tools create content based on existing bodies of work without proper citation. The course’s academic integrity policy will apply to all submissions, and “AI did it!” will not excuse any plagiarism. You will also need to find the original source for any in-text citations in any AI-generated work and include the full APA-style reference in your References list. You will not be penalized for using generative AI tools, but you may be asked to provide the generated text in order to help with grading decisions. In this case, your (or your group's) original contributions will be evaluated in addition to the generated text. For this reason, you must save any generated text – whether used in the final submission or not – in case it is requested. Failure to fully declare the use of a generative AI tool will be considered "unauthorized" (see 3.b below) and considered academic misconduct as per UBC’s policy: Academic Misconduct o Section 3.b. "use or facilitation of unauthorized means to complete an examination or coursework" o Section 3.e. "committing plagiarism, namely submitting or presenting the work of another person as one’s own, without appropriate referencing."

C296 Sec 203 204 Marketing Plan Assignments Outline - Jan 2024

Related Documents