4.2.1—Role of marketing planning

Marketing planning turns market analysis into objectives, target choices, actions, budgets and measures. It aligns the marketing mix with the business strategy and provides a basis for review.

A plan links customer evidence to resource choices: changing the target segment affects product, price, promotion and distribution. Assumptions must be monitored because competitors and demand change.

Trace the chain from objective to target market, action, resource and measure; identify the assumption that could fail.

A café aims to grow weekday sales among nearby students, so it tests a lower-priced lunch bundle, promotes it locally and tracks incremental weekday transactions.

A marketing plan is not a list of adverts; it must specify a customer, objective, action and success measure.