For undergraduate and postgraduate courses on Marketing.

This new text leads students step-by-step through the process of preparing a realistic, practical and effective marketing plan. Principles are presented in the context of application, with 24 cases (such as Ryanair, Ciba Speciality Chemicals, HSBC, Orange, Danone and Ducati) and dozens of Marketing in Action extended examples. Students can sharpen their marketing skills by studying the detailed sample marketing plan in Appendix 1 and gain hands-on experience in developing marketing plans using the Marketing Plan Pro software included with this text.

1 Introduction to marketing planning
2 Analysing the current situation
3 Analysing markets and customers
4 Planning segmentation, targeting and positioning
5 Setting direction, objectives and marketing strategy
6 Developing product and brand strategy
7 Developing channel and logistics strategy
8 Developing price strategy
9 Developing integrated marketing communication strategy
10 Supporting the marketing mix
11 Planning to measure progress and performance
12 Controlling marketing and implementation
Appendix 1 Sample marketing plan
Appendix 2 Glossary

• Directions. The ‘how to’ format explains the decisions and issues to be addressed in researching and writing a marketing plan.
• Definitions.Students learn the language of marketing through key term definitions in every chapter. For quick reference, all definitions are presented in the glossary (Appendix 2).
• Comprehension outcomes, application outcomes. Comprehension outcomes indicate what students will know after studying each chapter. Application outcomes indicate what students will be able to do after studying each chapter. Both types of outcomes are necessary for students to put principles into practice.
• Practical marketer checklists.Chapter checklists summarise key questions for students to consider as they proceed through the planning process.
• Online resources.A listing of Internet sites in each chapter gives students a valuable starting point for researching markets, competitors and other aspects of marketing planning.
• Cases and examples. Numerous recent examples show how companies and non-profits around the world actually put important marketing principles into practice.
• Pedagogy. Questions for discussion and analysis check students’ understanding of chapter material. ‘Apply your knowledge’ exercises challenge students to put principles into practice by analysing a specific organisation’s marketing decisions and activities. ‘Build your own marketing plan’ exercises direct students to use each chapter’s principles in formulating all the parts of a workable marketing plan. These exercises can be completed using the accompanying software.
• Sample marketing plan. Appendix 1 presents a detailed, realistic sample marketing plan for a fictional company, Lost Legends Luxury Chocolatier.