Running head: MARKETING PLAN MARKETING PLAN Marketing plan Developing a marketing plan William Fiedler Columbia Southern University Introduction The scenario that I have selected for this project is IT to seniors. The company specializes in making the lives of senior citizens of over sixty-five years and older easier using technology. In the past twenty years, the world has experienced tremendous change due to technology. Technology has disrupted all industries and made it easier and more convenient to shop, work, bank, and relax among other activities (Noort, Willemsen, Kerkhof, & Verhoeven, 2015). However, for all the touted advantages of technology, Silicon Valley has neglected senior citizens. Technological advancements such as the smartphone hold plenty of potential for improving one’s life; however, senior citizens miss this potential because the technologies are often too complicated. IT for senior citizens aims to bring the benefits of technology to senior citizens by providing an array of gadgets and software tools that make it easier for old people to communicate, shop, and document their lives among other activities. In the United States of America, the market for smartphones is saturated with almost all adults having a smartphone (Mooij, 2013). However, there is a disparity in how individuals use the smartphone. While young individuals are proficient with using smartphones and use a plethora of applications for communication, information, social media, and entertainment, the same is not true for old people. One of the products aimed towards making it easier for old people to interact with their smartphones is an application launcher that removes most of the complexity found in the android operating system interface and provides a clean layout with the most essential services. The launcher removes complexity by making the process of searching the internet or making a call only a one-step process. The launcher is just but one product that the company has in the pipeline, intended to help senior citizens benefit from the wave of technological changes. Market research strategies For the successful launch of any product, one of the most essential steps that a company must first engage in is market research. Market research helps outline the feasibility of the business model and the existence of a niche that a company can fill with innovative products. One of the market research analysis that IT for seniors will use to test new products is a focus group. A focus group helps assess the violability of a product and to iron out kinks in a product by presenting a prototype to a group of individuals (Babin & Zikmund, 2015). To test new products in the pipeline, IT for seniors will gather diverse groups of individuals over the age of sixty-five, present them with the product, and observe as they interact with it. The company factors the information from the focus group into the production and marketing of the produc ...

1. Running head: MARKETING PLAN
MARKETING PLAN
Marketing plan
Developing a marketing plan
William Fiedler
Columbia Southern University
Introduction
The scenario that I have selected for this project is IT to
seniors. The company specializes in making the lives of senior
citizens of over sixty-five years and older easier using
technology. In the past twenty years, the world has experienced
tremendous change due to technology. Technology has disrupted
all industries and made it easier and more convenient to shop,
work, bank, and relax among other activities (Noort, Willemsen,
Kerkhof, & Verhoeven, 2015). However, for all the touted
advantages of technology, Silicon Valley has neglected senior
citizens. Technological advancements such as the smartphone

2. hold plenty of potential for improving one’s life; however,
senior citizens miss this potential because the technologies are
often too complicated. IT for senior citizens aims to bring the
benefits of technology to senior citizens by providing an array
of gadgets and software tools that make it easier for old people
to communicate, shop, and document their lives among other
activities.
In the United States of America, the market for
smartphones is saturated with almost all adults having a
smartphone (Mooij, 2013). However, there is a disparity in how
individuals use the smartphone. While young individuals are
proficient with using smartphones and use a plethora of
applications for communication, information, social media, and
entertainment, the same is not true for old people. One of the
products aimed towards making it easier for old people to
interact with their smartphones is an application launcher that
removes most of the complexity found in the android operating
system interface and provides a clean layout with the most
essential services. The launcher removes complexity by making
the process of searching the internet or making a call only a
one-step process. The launcher is just but one product that the
company has in the pipeline, intended to help senior citizens
benefit from the wave of technological changes.
Market research strategies
For the successful launch of any product, one of the most
essential steps that a company must first engage in is market
research. Market research helps outline the feasibility of the
business model and the existence of a niche that a company can
fill with innovative products. One of the market research
analysis that IT for seniors will use to test new products is a
focus group. A focus group helps assess the violability of a
product and to iron out kinks in a product by presenting a
prototype to a group of individuals (Babin & Zikmund, 2015).
To test new products in the pipeline, IT for seniors will gather
diverse groups of individuals over the age of sixty-five, present
them with the product, and observe as they interact with it. The

3. company factors the information from the focus group into the
production and marketing of the product.
Another market research strategy that the company will
depend on for market research is surveys. Surveys have a
doubled edge advantage because they can yield plenty of useful
information while also not breaking the bank. Using Facebook
to find a representative sample of individuals, the company will
then administer a survey through survey monkey or other tools
that allow one to administer a survey over the internet quickly
(Stelzner, 2014). An ideal survey from the company would set
out to identify whether individuals are interested in the product
and what feature they find most useful. The survey would also
gauge how much the target market would pay for the products.
Having identified that there is a niche that the company
can fill through focus groups and surveys, the company would
then conduct an in-depth industry analysis to find out the
potential market for the products and the competitors. One of
the most useful industry analysis procedures is the PESTEL
analysis, which stands for political, economic, social, and
technological environment.
PESTEL analysis
In the United States of America, the political environment
is cordial towards companies that aim to improve the lives of
people through technology. IT for seniors would find a political
environment that is extremely conducive for operation.
However, there are several political hurdles that the company
must jump over when introducing products that make the
process of delivering healthcare to old people easier; the United
States of America has strict laws that guard the sharing of
health information and quality of health related software and
devices. The company anticipates no changes in the political
environment in the United States, however, operation in other
nations such as China calls for a reevaluation of the political
environment and a new strategy to overcome the political
resistance.
Currently, the technological environment is very conducive

4. for the company. Operating in the United States of America
means that the company has access to an abundance of
knowledge, funding and technological innovation necessary to
make high quality products that meet the needs of the target
market. However, the company has to keep abreast of changes
in the technological environment to avoid becoming out of date
(Hollensen, 2015).
The market targeted by the company consists mostly of
retired individuals who depend on pension and savings, such a
target market is mostly immune to the economic fluctuations
that cause a shrinkage in the number of jobs and reduce
disposable income. Even though senior citizens do not have
much disposable-income, the price ranges of the products are
within their reach.
The final factor in the PESTEL analysis is the social
environment. The social environment consists of social notions
ad attitudes. The aim of the company is to improve the lives of
old people through technology, as such the company anticipates
that the social environment is conducive for operation. Changes
in the social environment would entail focusing on
advertisements that outline the positive benefits of the products
and why they are useful.
References

5. Babin, & Zikmund. (2015). Exploring marketing research.
Cengage Learning.
Hollensen. (2015). Marketing management: A relationship
approach. Pearson Education.
Mooij, D. (2013). Global marketing and advertising:
Understanding cultural paradoxes. Sage Publications.
Noort, Willemsen, Kerkhof, & Verhoeven. (2015). Webcare as
an integrative tool for customer care, reputation management,
and online marketing: a literature review. Integrated
communications in the postmodern era , Integrated
communications in the postmodern era .
Stelzner. (2014). Social Media Marketing Industry Report.
Social Media Examiner, 1-52.
MBA 5501, Advanced Marketing 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
3. Compare new product development and competitive product

6. strategies.
3.1 Investigate competitors of a company based upon customer-
preferred characteristics.
4. Analyze consumer relationships and buying processes by
outlining the development and cultivation of
customer relationships considering value, satisfaction, and
loyalty.
4.1 Determine the value proposition leading to satisfaction and
loyalty within a company.
5. Distinguish between market segmentation, market targeting,
and brand equity in the market planning
process.
5.1 Apply the four criteria of segmentation.
5.2 Describe several target markets for a company.
5.3 Examine the level of brand equity within a company.
Reading Assignment
Chapter 10:
Crafting the Brand Positioning
Chapter 11:
Creating Brand Equity
Unit Lesson
The video above demonstrates how Coca-Cola is using the

7. demographic criteria to reach and resonate with a
certain demographic. Who is this segment? Why do you think
this commercial effectively reaches
that demographic?
The final segmentation criteria is geographic, which suggests
that the population is divided based upon a
region of the country, neighborhood, or even the size of the
city. Think about preferences of people in
different countries or even differences within the United States.
Compare the South vs. the Midwest and the
East Coast vs. the West Coast. Segmentation allows a marketer
to completely understand the population
and, specifically, the consumers who are truly interested in the
product/service. This strategic grouping of
consumers will provide the company’s marketing team with a
clear understanding of exactly what their
customer and the customer’s respective needs look like. The
idea of understanding the target market’s value
proposition ties into solid segmentation practices.
Once a marketer has segmented the market based upon these
four criteria, the marketer is now able to more
clearly identify the target market(s) of a company. Kotler and
Keller (2016) define the target market as a fairly
homogeneous or similar group of customers to whom the
company wishes to appeal. The fact of the matter is
that marketing departments do not have an unlimited marketing
budget, thus it makes economic sense to
focus the marketing efforts on those who are the most interested
in the product/service. Many companies
have multiple target markets and will choose to focus certain
advertising campaigns toward certain groups
during select times of the year.

8. UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE
Identifying the Customer
MBA 5501, Advanced Marketing 2
Differentiation, Competitive Advantage, and Positioning
Differentiation is the process by which a marketer compares the
offerings of their company with that of their
competitors. This can be in the form of product or service
quality, pricing strategies, distribution methods,
communication, marketing strategies, level of brand equity, or a
host of other offerings as determined by the
value proposition of the target market. Marketers look to
differentiate or demonstrate how the product/service
offering is different than that of the competitors. Click the link
below to view a video that shows how a
marketer for Double A Paper attempted to differentiate
something as simple as paper.
Marketing Magazine. (2010, January 28). Value added branding
– Double A Paper [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://youtu.be/8j0fq74ACFI
Click here for a transcript of the video.
When viewing the video above, think about this from the
standpoint of a business that needs to buy large
quantities of paper in order to run their business. The video
clearly demonstrates how Double A Paper looks

9. to differentiate their product offerings in the market. The
marketer in this video states that if the company does
not differentiate based upon product or quality, it becomes a
low-pricing battle (Marketing Magazine, 2010).
Another important area of concern for a marketer is that of the
competitive advantage, which suggests that a
company is better than its competitors in certain areas. For
instance, Walmart has a competitive advantage
with respect to pricing as it offers some of the lowest price
offerings relative to its competitors. On the other
hand, Nordstrom does not have a competitive advantage with
respect to pricing as it has a high-pricing
strategy. It does, however, have a competitive advantage with
respect to its product/service offerings as it
provides the consumer with high-quality products and a high
service level. Another example is Apple who
certainly has a competitive advantage with products/services but
does not have a competitive advantage with
its pricing strategies. The popular theme park, Disney, has a
competitive advantage with its unique
product/service offerings at its parks, but it also does not have a
competitive advantage with respect to its
pricing model. Through this discussion, we realize that a
company can have a competitive advantage in one
area and not in another and still be a highly successful
company.
Positioning is yet another important concept involved with
effectively reaching the target market. According to
Kotler and Keller (2016), positioning is how the consumers
think about the brand. Marketers use market
research to understand how their brand is currently perceived
and follow that up with marketing to reach
those consumers and/or modify the perception of the brand.
Click the link below to see Air New Zealand used

10. positioning to its advantage.
The Telegraph. (2011, March 28). Airline launches disco
inspired safety video [Video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWhHpjZfTik
Click here for a transcript of the video.
This airline clearly had an idea of how they wanted their airline
to be perceived by customers flying on their
planes. What is your perception of this airline? Maybe words
such as fun, exciting, creative, or innovative
come to mind. While this was the intent of this in-flight
instructional video, this was eventually removed
because consumers thought this airline was not necessarily
taking flying safety seriously.
At the end of the day, marketers are always looking to create a
high level of brand equity. In Unit III, we
discussed the advantages of creating long-term loyalty
relationships through the brand. Kotler and Keller
(2016) define brand equity as the preference of a brand over
another by the customer. This brand loyalty can
be as simple as a buying preference to as complex as an
advocate that actually helps market the brand to
other consumers. Advantages of a company maintaining this
high level of brand equity are detailed below:
ls,

11. qualified talent.
https://youtu.be/8j0fq74ACFI
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/Courses/Busi
ness/MBA/MBA5501/16N/UnitIV_ValueAddedBrandingTranscr
ipt.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWhHpjZfTik
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/Courses/Busi
ness/MBA/MBA5501/16N/UnitIV_AirlineLaunchesDiscoInspire
dSafetyVideoTranscript.pdf
MBA 5501, Advanced Marketing 3
Think about how a company should look to differentiate its
product/service offering in order to maintain a
competitive advantage that leads to this brand equity.
International Consumers
As the world continues to become more global in nature, the
need arises for companies to not only
understand the consumer within their country but also the
consumers within other countries. This involves
developing an understanding of the differences in buying
practices amongst these foreign consumers.
Several factors that influence these buying decisions within
each country are culture and religious beliefs, the
political arena, laws enforced, technological advancements,
educational levels, and economic stature of the

12. country. While marketers cannot control these external factors,
understanding and working with them will
enable companies to remain competitive within a continuously
changing global marketplace.
Click the link below to view a video on how our popular fast-
food restaurants change their food offerings in
different countries in order to adapt to different palates
Vsauce2. (2014, May 1). What fast food is like around the world
[Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYSJ32sqPEw
Click here for a transcript of the video.
While each of these fast-food restaurants are looking to
maintain a certain brand identity, understanding and
adhering to customer preferences in each country is of the
utmost importance. This can be the difference
between a profitable global expansion and a complete failure.
Disney is a great example of an organization
that initially attempted to bring westernized ideas to foreign
countries. The company brought an alcohol-free
policy to France, not understanding that French citizens have a
deep-rooted cultural practice to drink a glass
of wine with their meals. With this realization, Disney quickly
changed its way of doing things in their park in
France.
Click the link below to see how McDonald’s revises its
advertising themes and techniques in specific
countries.
Lee, L. [Lawrence Lee]. (2012, July 4). McDonald’s TV
advertisements in different countries [Video file].

13. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d3SXLxzP3E
Click here for a transcript of the video.
This speaks well to each of the cultural differences and the
great lengths that McDonald’s takes in order to
accommodate them. Another company that understands the
importance of cultural differences is Kraft/Heinz.
Take a look at the philosophy of Kraft in marketing its well-
known Oreos in different countries by clicking the
link below.
Dowtsx. (2013, April 30). Global marketing - Oreos (Kraft)
[Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i29EQtnPG8U&t=3s
Click here for a transcript of the video.
This company understands that the people in each of these
countries have different taste preferences, and
the company has modified the actual product offering to reflect
this. They address not only taste preferences
but also packaging and storage needs in different countries. For
instance, in the United States, consumers
shop in large stores and are comfortable purchasing larger, 18-
ounce packages of cookies. Alternatively,
smaller packaging formats are made available in some countries
to include kiosks in Brazil, self-service
convenience stores in China, and street vendors in Venezuela.
Stores in these countries do not have the shelf
space, and consumers do not have the pantry space in their
homes to accommodate the larger package
sizes. These companies understand the variance of customer

14. needs in different countries and work hard to
fulfill these needs. Ultimately, this should lead to a higher level
of brand equity reaching toward a competitive
advantage in more areas that are important to the consumer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYSJ32sqPEw
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/Courses/Busi
ness/MBA/MBA5501/16N/UnitIV_WhatFastFoodIsLikeAround
TheWorldTranscript.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d3SXLxzP3E
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/Courses/Busi
ness/MBA/MBA5501/16N/UnitIV_McDonald'sTVAdvertisement
sinDifferentCountriesTranscript.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i29EQtnPG8U&t=3s
https://online.columbiasouthern.edu/CSU_Content/Courses/Busi
ness/MBA/MBA5501/16N/UnitIV_GlobalMarketingOreos(Kraft
)Transcript.pdf
MBA 5501, Advanced Marketing 4
Marketing Plan: Part II
In this unit, you will construct Part II of your marketing plan
for a fictional company. As mentioned previously,
this will be a comprehensive marketing plan that you will
compile in Units II, IV, and VII. While this is a
cumulative plan, each part should be submitted separately as
described in the assignment instructions.
References

15. Kotler, P. T., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Marketing management
(15th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Marketing Magazine. (2010, January 28). Value added branding
– Double A Paper [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://youtu.be/8j0fq74ACFI
Suggested Reading
The following chapter will provide you with a good
understanding of how the segmentation process enables
the marketer with the ability to clearly identify the target
market(s). Marketers need to completely understand
who their target market is and focus these limited marketing
dollars on this segment of the population.
Chapter 9:
Identifying Market Segments and Targets
The following chapter will enable you to connect with the
marketer who needs to understand the competition
and how the level of growth or decline in an industry will
impact an organization.
Chapter 12:
Addressing Competition and Driving Growth