The Marketing Plan

Outline of Marketing Plan for a New Product, to Be Adapted to Fit Individual Firms

I. Introduction. This section briefly describes the product, tells who prepared the plan and its timing.
II. Situation analysis.
A. Market description.
1. Consumers, users and other market participants.
2. Buying processes pertinent to this plan.
3. Direct and indirect competitors.
4. Current competitive strategies.
5. Market shares on sales, profits and budgets.
6. Available distribution structure, plus attitudes and practices.
7. Key environmental or exogenous factors.
B. Full description of new product, including all pertinent test data and comparisons with
competition.
III. Summary of opportunities and problems.
A. Key exploitable market opportunities.
B. Key problems that should be addressed by this plan.
IV. Strategy
A. Overall guiding statement, including key actions and their quantitative and qualitative
objectives.
B. Market targets/segments, with positioning for each.
C. Overall marketing efforts.
1. General role for product, including planned changes.
2. General role for advertising, including copy platforms.
3. General role for personal selling.
4. General role for such other tools as sampling and trade shows. Copy platform for any
creative units.
5. General role for distributors (wholesale, retail).
6. Price policy, including discounts and planned changes.
7. Any special roles for non-marketing departments.
V. Economic summary.
A. Sales forecasts in dollars and units.
B. Expense budgets by category of activity.
C. Contribution to profit, with pro forma income statement.
D. Risk statement: major problems, with cash flows.
E. Future capital expenditures, with cash flows.
VI. Tactical plans. This section is situational to the firm, it includes each tool, what will be done with it,
objectives, people responsible, schedule, creative units needed, etc.
VII. Control
A. Key control objectives for reporting purposes.
B. Key internal or external contingencies to watch.
C. Information generation schedule.
VIII. Summary of major support activities needed, including data processing, warehousing, technical
service, R&D, financial, personnel, public relations.
IX. Chronological schedule of activities.
Basic Market Description

Market Size

Definition: By nature of product, by supplier, by user.

Sales: Dollars, units, by total and subgroups.

Trends: Growth total and rate by subgroups.

Key segments: Demographic, attitude, behavior.

Special aspects where appropriate: Cyclicality, seasonality, erratic fluctuations.

International variations and trends.

Distribution Structure Available

Retailers: Types, shares, demands, activities, current margins and profits, trends and forecasts,
attitudes.

Wholesalers: Distributors, jobbers, agents, types used, function performed, policies, compensation,
attitudes, trends, variances, by segments.

Bargaining power and channel control.

Degree of, and trends in, vertical integration. Variations by geographic area.

Use of multiple or dual channels.

Competition

Current brands.

Manufacturer source for each.

Sizes, forms, materials, etc. All variations, temporary and permanent. Quality levels.

Prices: Final discounts, special, changes.

Market shares: Dollars, units by segments, using various definitions of market.

Changes: Trends of entries and exits, reaction times.

Profits being achieved: Sales, costs, Rolls, payback, trends.

Promotional practices: Types, dollars, effectiveness.

Manufacturing and procuring practices.

Financial strengths.

Special vulnerabilities, instabilities.

Possible new entrants, current R&D activities, skills, track records.

Full description of derived demand aspects.

Industry life cycle analyzed by segments.

Special Aspects

Government and regulatory restrictions, especially trends and expectations.

Third-party influences: Scientists, institutions, research centers, associations, standards, pressure

groups.

Effects if inflation, labor rates, union activity.

Upstream participants: Supplier manufacturers, importers, technology control.

General social attitudes and trends.

Industry productivity and efficiency in use personnel and other resources.

Trends in industry costs: Materials, labor, transportation.