Marketing Planning & Strategy

via Coursera

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Provider

Coursera
Pricing

Paid Course
Languages

English
Certificate

Certificate Available
Effort

17 weeks, 1 hour a week
Sessions

Self-Paced
Level

Intermediate
Subtitles

English

Found in

Overview

Marketing planning is a critical business function that helps organizations identify opportunities, respond to market conditions, and achieve strategic goals. This course introduces learners to the principles of marketing planning and strategy, covering key concepts such as market analysis, SWOT evaluation, strategic frameworks, and performance measurement. Through a structured and practical approach, learners will develop the skills needed to create effective marketing plans and make informed strategic decisions. The course explores internal and external analyses, budgeting, marketing programmes, research methods, and the use of metrics to evaluate success in real-world business environments. What sets this course apart is its combination of strategic theory with actionable tools and practical case studies. Learners will gain hands-on insights into constructing marketing plans, interpreting data, and applying proven strategy models to real business scenarios. This course is ideal for marketing professionals, business owners, and students seeking to strengthen their marketing planning capabilities. A basic understanding of marketing concepts is recommended to fully benefit from the course content. This course is based on the book,Marketing Planning & Strategy, by John Dawes. Copyright ©2021 by Sage Publications Limited. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies. Published by Sage Publications Limited, London. Used by arrangement with Sage Publications Limited.

Syllabus

Planning Introduction: Is it Good to Do Formal Planning?

This module explores the benefits and challenges of formal marketing planning, including its impact on business performance, knowledge sharing, and stakeholder alignment. Learners will analyze real-world examples, such as Starling Bank, to understand how strategic planning responds to external trends and drives innovation. Practical guidance on effective plan writing and critical perspectives on competitive advantage are also provided.

The Front-end of a Plan: The Executive Summary

This module guides learners through crafting compelling executive summaries for marketing plans, emphasizing clarity, conciseness, and actionable communication. Participants will discover techniques for engaging senior management and structuring summaries using active voice and report style.

The Internal Analysis

This module guides learners through a comprehensive internal analysis of a business, focusing on resource audits, market-based assets, and the evaluation of marketing strategies. Learners will explore practical tools for assessing products, pricing, distribution channels, advertising, and business relationships, culminating in real-world case studies and hands-on exercises. By the end, participants will be equipped to conduct internal audits that inform strategic planning.

The Global Environment Analysis

This module guides learners through the process of scanning and analyzing macro-environmental factors that influence business strategy. You will explore how demographic, economic, technological, social, environmental, and political-legal trends can impact markets and organizations. By the end, you'll be equipped to assess external forces and anticipate their effects on business decisions.

The Market Environment Analysis

This module guides learners through analyzing market trends, customer behaviors, and competitor strategies to uncover actionable business insights. You will explore customer and competitor audits, segmentation concepts, and methods for synthesizing findings into strategic recommendations.

Bringing the Analyses Together: SWOT

This module guides learners through the process of synthesizing internal and external analyses using the SWOT framework. You will learn how to identify and categorize strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to inform strategic decision-making. By the end, you'll be able to construct a comprehensive SWOT analysis based on real organizational data.

Objectives and Assumptions

This module examines how marketing objectives are developed in alignment with broader business goals, emphasizing the importance of market analysis and strategic planning. Learners will explore the distinction between end-result objectives and their precursors, as well as the critical role of assumptions in shaping marketing plans. By the end, you'll understand how to set measurable targets and recognize the factors that influence marketing outcomes.

Marketing Strategy

This module explores how to identify target markets, understand buyer characteristics, and craft effective marketing strategies using key concepts such as SWOT analysis, positioning, economies of scale, and network effects. Learners will also examine strategic considerations like barriers to entry, opportunity cost, risk reduction, and the importance of control and flexibility in decision-making. Practical tools and checklists are introduced to help apply these concepts in real-world marketing plans.

Marketing Programme

This module guides learners through the process of developing a comprehensive marketing plan by exploring the marketing mix, establishing a visual identity system, making pricing decisions, and mapping activities on a timeline. Learners will gain practical skills in aligning marketing activities with budget constraints and strategic objectives.

Marketing Budget

This module introduces various methods for creating and managing marketing budgets, including task-based, percentage of sales, competitive, available funds, and zero-based approaches. Learners will explore how these methods align with business objectives and financial realities, and examine tools like sensitivity analysis to assess budget effectiveness.

Key Metrics and Market Research

This module explores essential business metrics used to monitor and evaluate marketing performance, including both activity and market-based asset metrics. Learners will discover how these metrics inform decision-making and the importance of tracking precursors to sales. The module also examines the concept and limitations of marketing return on investment (ROI).

How to Construct Good Tables and Graphs for Your Marketing Plan

This module guides learners in presenting marketing data effectively using tables and graphs. You will discover how to choose the right graph for different types of data and how to format visuals to clearly communicate patterns and relationships. By the end, you'll be able to tell a compelling story with your marketing data.

Marketing Planning Scenarios, with Tasks

This module explores how to develop effective marketing strategies for non-profit organizations, with a focus on addressing the unique needs of aged care clients and operating within limited budgets. Learners will engage with real-world scenarios to practice identifying key information and challenging assumptions in marketing planning.

Marketing Planning and Ethics

This module delves into the principles of marketing ethics, examining key concepts such as transparency, responsibility, and integrity. Learners will analyze real-world cases of corporate misconduct and practice identifying and addressing ethical dilemmas in marketing scenarios.

Prominent Strategy Models in Marketing

This module explores key strategic models in marketing, including Porter's generic strategies, growth-share matrices, and the Ansoff matrix. Learners will critically assess the strengths and limitations of these frameworks and examine the resource-based theory of competitive advantage. Practical examples and logical critiques help deepen understanding of how these models are applied in real-world business contexts.

Empirical Generalisations and Their Link to Marketing Planning

This module explores key empirical patterns in buyer behavior and brand performance, such as double jeopardy, user similarity, and the duplication of purchase law. Learners will discover how these generalizations inform effective marketing planning, including the impact of objectives, pricing, and advertising on business outcomes.

Management Beliefs and Biases, and What They Mean for Marketing Planning and Strategy

This module explores how cognitive biases such as the halo effect, narrative fallacy, survivor bias, regression to the mean, and the planning fallacy can influence marketing decisions and management strategies. Learners will discover how these biases impact planning and outcomes, and gain practical approaches to recognize and mitigate their effects for better marketing results.