As an executive assistant of the chief marketing manager of a large industrial organisation, prepare a checklist or an information schedule that may be used as a guide for marketing planning.
Checklist for Marketing Planning:
For the purpose of marketing planning to be designed by the Chief Marketing Manager of a large industrial organisation, the executive assistant while preparing a checklist should consider information on market segments within which the organisation competes including anticipated competitive action; shifts in market structure and channels of distribution, price trends/ and the legal and regulatory environment, apart from overall planning premises.
He will also need information on the characteristics of the existing marketing operation and its recent history, usually over the last five years.
In nutshell, the checklist should cover such areas as:
- Product,
- Market, and
- Competition.
- Product:
Models and sizes
Materials, workmanship, method of manufacturing design, and unique characteristics. Packaging-size, shape, label, competitive value
Brand-memory value, suggestiveness, legal protection, value
Price by product:
- At factory
- To wholesalers by type, size, territory
- To retailers by type, size, territory
- Discounts-quality, cash, other rebates
- Service charges
- Fair-trade position
Service-inspection, repair, refinishing, delivery and credit terms.
Returned goods.
Warranties and complaints.
- Market:
Number of actual and potential consumers by territory characteristics of consumers – age, income, occupation, location, housing, sex, size of family, colour, etc.
Place of purchase Size of purchase Time of purchase Method of purchase:
- Brand
- Impulse vs. planned
- Inspection
- Cash vs. credit Purchase motivations and influences
Attitudes towards product:
Wholesalers’ and Retailers’ opinions Shifts in importance of distribution channels
- Competition:
Number aid name of competitors-location and size Number of brands:
- Local and regional
- National and international
