Focusing Purpose, Guiding Activity
Marketing plans can be developed to focus in a variety of areas. A corporate marketing plan can be developed to promote the organization as a whole. Marketing plans may also focus on specific brands, products, services, market segments, and even to cover a set period of time, such as a quarterly marketing plan. To illustrate:
Company A might develop and execute three distinct marketing plans that share some common elements, such as the situation and company analysis and the market segmentation. When it comes to specific target audiences, positioning, campaign objectives, and planning, the three marketing plans diverge to focus on different dimensions of the business:
- A corporate marketing plan to direct marketing communications focused on the company as a whole and building its corporate brand
- A marketing plan focused on the launch and rollout of a new product line
- A marketing plan for expanding the customer base and revenue of an established product line
On the other hand, Company B might develop and execute a single marketing plan that incorporates several different campaigns targeting the market segments served by its product and service portfolio. In this case, some sections of the plan are expanded to provide information, strategy, and planning focused on each target segment. This includes segment-specific customer profiles, positioning, IMC campaigns, and so forth.
Either of these approaches could be exactly right for the organization, depending on its goals and objectives. What’s most important is for the marketing plans to do a good job guiding marketing teams to formulate and execute marketing activities that are well aligned what the organization is trying to achieve. If multiple marketing plans are being developed and used, it is essential for marketing managers to make sure internal communication and sharing are happening between the marketing team members executing the plans. By sharing information about goals, messaging, timing, audience touch points, and other elements, marketers can avoid stepping on one another’s toes or creating confusion in the market. Ideally, teams can learn from one another’s successes and experiences so that the entire marketing effort becomes smarter and more efficient over time.