Marketing Plan for [company name]

Fiscal Year [20XX]

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Contents
1. Executive Summary .....................................................................................................................4
Introduction............................................................................................................................................... 4
Purpose...................................................................................................................................................... 4
Market Summary....................................................................................................................................... 4
Market Opportunity................................................................................................................................... 4
High-level timeline & Key Deliverables..................................................................................................... 4

2. Situation Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 4

Market Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Target Markets .................................................................................................................................. 5
Market Demographics ....................................................................................................................... 5
Market Needs ..................................................................................................................................... 5
Market Trends ................................................................................................................................... 5
Market Growth................................................................................................................................... 6
SWOT Analysis .......................................................................................................................................... 6
Strengths ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Weaknesses ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Opportunities ..................................................................................................................................... 7
Threats................................................................................................................................................ 7
Competition ............................................................................................................................................... 7
Competitors by Sales Volume............................................................................................................. 7
Competitors by Demographic Share................................................................................................. 8
Product/Service Offering(s)...................................................................................................................... 8
Pricing........................................................................................................................................................ 9
Distribution/Delivery................................................................................................................................ 9
Success Factors.......................................................................................................................................... 9
Critical Issues............................................................................................................................................. 9

3. Marketing Strategy ....................................................................................................................10

Mission..................................................................................................................................................... 10
Marketing Objectives............................................................................................................................... 10
Demand Creation............................................................................................................................. 10
Sales revenue.................................................................................................................................... 10
Repeat business................................................................................................................................. 10

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Brand awareness.............................................................................................................................. 10
Financial Objectives................................................................................................................................. 10
Sales revenue.................................................................................................................................... 10
Expense containment/reduction...................................................................................................... 10
ROI.................................................................................................................................................... 10
Positioning & Messages........................................................................................................................... 10
Unique Selling Proposition............................................................................................................... 10
Key differentiators............................................................................................................................ 11
Target messages................................................................................................................................ 11
Strategy Pyramids & the Marketing Mix.................................................................................................. 11

4. Financials, Budgets, and Forecasts ...........................................................................................12

Break even Analysis.................................................................................................................................. 12
Sales Forecast........................................................................................................................................... 12
Expense Forecast...................................................................................................................................... 13
Marketing Expense Budget.............................................................................................................. 13

5. Controls...................................................................................................................................... 14
Metrics...................................................................................................................................................... 14
Contingency Planning.............................................................................................................................. 14

6. Detailed Execution Plan (Implementation)...............................................................................15

Creative Strategy...................................................................................................................................... 15
Tactical Timeline...................................................................................................................................... 15

7. Appendices.................................................................................................................................. 17
Marketing Organization........................................................................................................................... 17
Primary research results.......................................................................................................................... 18
Sample surveys......................................................................................................................................... 19
Secondary research compilations............................................................................................................ 20

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[This marketing plan template contains both instructions for completion and examples. Delete
the gray shaded material, and replace the examples with your own content. Note, data
contained in charts is for illustration purposes only and does not reflect any actuals.]

1.

Executive Summary

Introduction
[The introduction provides key information on the company, historic highlights, and other
information that sets the context for the how and why of the marketing strategy to follow.]
As Up & Coming Inc. moves into its second year of operations, we have the opportunity to
capitalize on market conditions and new trends in apparel distribution to gain significant
market share in our core demographics.

Purpose
[Provide a brief and concise description of what the Marketing Plan contains.]
The FY 2010 Marketing Plan lays out the strategy and tactics for achieving our revenue and
market share goals. It summarizes marketing research and analysis, to identify opportunities
and challenges, as well as providing a detailed tactical plan for how we intend to achieve our
2010 goals, the estimated budget, and a timeline of deliverables.

Market Summary
[This section provides a high level summary of the key points detailed in the Situation Analysis
section.]

Market Opportunity
[Provide an overview of the key decisions, issues and findings, based on research and analysis,
which form the basis of the Marketing Plan.]

High-level timeline & Key Deliverables

[Briefly address management/stakeholder involvement in approval of the plan, listing key
meetings and the decisions to be finalized, as well as major milestones in implementing the
tactical/implementation plan. If key decisions such as messages, budget numbers, etc have
already been finalized, this is a good place to reiterate them.]

2.

Situation Analysis
[Use this section to bring together results from primary and secondary research to identify your
target market(s), a SWOT analysis of your current environment, data on key competitors

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Market Summary
Target Markets
[Identifying the target markets is critical to all other decisions outlined in the marketing plan.
Primary research through surveys, interviews and focus groups provides the key insights needed
to identify the target markets, their attributes, purchase rationales, influences, etc. These target
markets also serve as the basis of building personas, or customer profiles in developing creative
strategies, key messages, and programs. Giving names to the targets is not required, but often
helps focus brand and theme issues.
Note that in business-to-business marketing, you may also need to identify vertical markets,
particular business segments to which you will market your products/services, such as financial
services, health care, manufacturing, telecommunications, etc]
Young Go-Getters Women 20-30
Focused on starting careers and families, the Go Getters are looking for experiences that build
towards career goals, and are starting to experience the work-life balance issues. They are
products of the internet age, are frequent job changers and tend to have active lifestyles that
incorporate physical activities and social gatherings. They are looking for high-style and
versatility in wardrobe pieces, and are willing to pay more if the piece is new or unique, rather
than for long-lasting value.
Balancers Women 30-40
Achievers Women 40+

Market Demographics
[Describe the specific characteristics of target markets such as disposable income, percentage of
income spent on your product/service category, average store visits annually, percentage of
online spending, media/new media habits, brand loyalty.]

Market Needs
[This section answers the questions as to what the target markets are seeking in
products/services, characteristics, price points, etc. that are either not being provided by your
competition or are not adequate]

Market Trends
[Describe trends in the target markets that will impact sales of your product or service, such as
expanding or contracting levels of disposable income, changes in household size, adoption of
new technology or pop culture events, etc.]

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Market Growth
[Describe the forecasted growth in the target markets, including the key factors impacting
growth.]

SWOT Analysis
[SWOT Analysis is a common and very useful technique for clarifying the internal and external
factors that will impact market strategy prior to determining a course of action. The chart lists
examples, and depending upon the product, service, or branding goal, the examples may be
listed in more than one quadrant. ]
Strengths

Weaknesses

Store managers experience

USP
Established channel relationships
Broad Price points
Advantageous leases
Spokesperson contracts
Casual work culture
Well received 20+ transitional lines

Succession planning
Space costs in northeast corridor
Recession/unemployment rates
Lack of 40+ casual lines
Just in time inventory
Online abandonment rate

Opportunities

Threats

Appeal to growing kitschy/nonconformist demographic

In-house social media expertise
Acquisition of existing chain
Parallel growth in online and bricks
and mortar presence

Cash flow crunch

POS implementation
Knock-off growth
In-store turnover
Competitive online presence
upgrades

[The next four subsections provide narrative that details the points in the SWAT graph.]

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Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats

Competition
[Use this section to delineate competitors by channel as well as demographics, and identify
potential competitors based on trends and SWOT analysis.]
While any retailer selling womens career, transitional and casual lines can legitimately be
considered competition, we focus on department stores, national chains and larger regional
chains that cater to the target markets of young women 20-30, career women 30-40, and mature
career 40+. In the context of our moderate growth strategy, competition varies somewhat by
region.

Competitors by Sales Volume

Secondary research conducted on the top brick and mortar retail competitors indicates that as a
recent entry into the Northeastern US market, Up & Coming faces stiff competition from high
end department stores, as well designer outlets. We are positioned well against boutiques due to
a broader product line for transitionals.

Up & Coming fares better with its two Southeastern US locations (Atlanta, and Charlotte). We
expect new store openings in the Southeast during 2010 to exploit the rapid brand awareness.

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Online retailers such as Lew Magram, Spiegel and Coldwater Creek are substantially stronger
among the 35-40 demographic who are more comfortable with personal style choices and less
likely to experiment with new brands. The online market is highly fragmented and presence in
this market depends on a user experience that aligns with brand strategy while focusing on
conversion through ease of purchase, interactivity for upsell and cross-sell opportunities, and
security of transactions.

Competitors by Demographic Share

[Tie together information about the target markets and the competitive landscape, to answer
questions about how your company and your competitors are likely to fare in each target.]
According to research reports from NRMA, our top competitors sales volume in our target
markets shapes up as follows:

Product/Service Offering(s)
[Provide descriptions of the product service offerings, grouped and categorized in ways that
align with your target market goals]
Uniquely Me: Separates, skirts, blouses, dresses, sweaters, and accessories sourced from
artisan/designers using natural materials, at the top price points.
Weekend Whimsy: Casual separates from tier 2 labels mid price points, and maximum
markup for easier discounting.

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Pricing
[Describe the pricing strategy, and consider providing the rationale for choosing one strategy
over another. Traditional strategies include cost-plus, target return, value-based, and various
psychological pricing strategies.]

Distribution/Delivery
[Outline the channels your company uses to deliver the product/service to your customers and
cost, time and other factors that impact each channel.]
Retail locations: 70 percent of 2010 sales will take place via four existing locations, with two
additional locations planned.
Outlet locations: Up & Coming is investigating potential outlet locations but has not determined
viability.
Catalog sales: catalog, while still viable, is a diminishing channel for Up & Coming. Most catalog
buyers are rapidly moving to shopping over the internet, and we anticipate completely merging
catalog sales within the online shopping experience by 2011
Online shopping:25 percent of 2010 sales will take place via our website
www.upandcoming.com, and several aggregator sites such as clothingvalues.com. The online
referrals from fashion portals and online news magazines, social marketing via Twitter and
Facebook communities are detailed in the implementation plan.

Success Factors
[Explain any key factors that must be addressed in order to achieve marketing objectives, such
as IT implementations, completion of new sourcing agreements, rebranding efforts, recruitment
of qualified personnel, etc.]

Critical Issues
[Identify any constraints or issues that could adversely or positively impact successful
implementation of marketing programs. These could include a wide array of possibilities, such
as pending tax increases or new regulations, legal actions, organizational changes, timely
operational or infrastructure changes, etc.]

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3.

Marketing Strategy
[the heart of the marketing plan, the section on strategy outlines the goals, programs and
methods to achieve the goals.]

Mission
Up & Comings mission is to generate reasonable ROI by providing high fashion clothing and
accessories for women seeking quality, value and style for work and casual times.

Marketing Objectives
[Objectives typically fall into one or more of the following areas]

Demand Creation
[define objectives for indirect demand creation, or awareness and/or direct demand creation,
or leads that are ready to be converted to sales. Demand creation should result in tactical
approaches such as PR, and consumer buzz.]

Sales revenue
[outline sales revenue objectives in the ways that are most relevant and measurable for your
company: objectives by product line, target market, and geographic location]
Objective 1: generate year-over-year revenue increase of 10% per location.
Objective 2: increase per-transaction revenue by 10% per quarter.

Repeat business
Brand awareness

Financial Objectives
Sales revenue
Expense containment/reduction
ROI

Positioning & Messages

Unique Selling Proposition
[The Unique Selling Proposition or USP, is the thing that sets your company apart from your
competition and provides a benefit to the customer. It serves as the foundation for the messages
to your target audiences.]

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Key differentiators
[Key differentiators support the USP and messaging]
Everythings returnable
Style consultants on staff
Blogging from the New York shows

Target messages

Strategy Pyramids & the Marketing Mix

Identify strategy, tactics (media, message, channels), and programs for each product/target
market. These can be detailed in text and illustrated with a pyramid such as the example below.]

Strategy
Emphasize High Fashion

Tactics
Message: Style. Matters
Channels: fashion mags, websites

Programs
Viral Fashion Show
Tweet follows
Facebook Fan Group

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Magic Mirror ads

Style Tips POP

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4.

Financials, Budgets, and Forecasts

[The marketing plan needs to address the key questions of how much will it cost?, how much
will we sell?, and what will it take to break even? spreadsheet calculations, based on your
overall business plan can be included here, or you can modify the sample charts.]
This financial overview of Up & Coming addresses address break-even analysis, sales forecasts,
expense forecasts, and how those link to the market strategy and specific marketing activities.

Break even Analysis

The following break-even analysis provides estimated monthly fixed costs that take into account
bricks and mortar, and online retail channels.
Monthly Revenue Break-even

$36,912

Assumptions:
Average Percent Variable Cost

40%

Estimated Monthly Fixed Cost

$36,003

Sales Forecast
We break out the monthly sales forecast for 2010 by demographic group, for all locations and
channels.

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The following chart outlines annual sales and cost of sales for the three-year period beginning in
2010
2010

2011

2012

Sales
Young Go-Getters

$225,402

$258,745

$272,454

Balancers

$215,200

$243,612

$269,549

Achievers

$220,300

$153,184

$271,095

$660,902

$655,541

$813,098

Young Go-Getters

$63,761

$83,498

$98,982

Balancers

$57,202

$68,491

$73,224

Achievers

$59.978

$64,274

$75,838

$121,023

$216,263

$248,044

Total Sales

Direct Cost of Sales

Subtotal Direct Cost of Sales

Expense Forecast
The marketing expenses will be higher relative to other months when planned store openings
are ramping up. The expenses will also spike toward the end of the year during the winter
holiday season.

Marketing Expense Budget

2010

2011

2012

Advertisements

$6,400

$7,500

$9,000

POP and collateral

$21,945

$32,869

$40,912

Website management

$32,000

$34,450

$36,000

Email campaigns

$16,472

$10,125

$12,437

Other

$2,324

$3,498

$2,367

------------

------------

------------

Total Sales and Marketing

Expenses

$81,151

$90,453

$102,728

Percent of Sales

5.91%

3.63%

3.94%

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5.

Controls
Metrics
[Define the relevant metrics to be used to measure marketing activities, some examples are
listed below]

Conversion rates -Visit-to-registration rate; Registration-to-trial rate; Trial-to-transaction

rate

Average transaction size

Transactions per customer

Months per subscriber

Abandon rate

Returns rate

Contingency Planning

Identified risks and risk mitigation

Worst case scenarios

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6.

Detailed Execution Plan (Implementation)

Creative Strategy
[the following components of the creative strategy are usually completed as decision-making
activities with separate documents or reports. They determine the creative content for the detail
marketing program tactics.

Creative Brief

Customer personas

User Experience Goals]

Tactical Timeline
[consider using project management tools such as MS Project to develop a timeline that
addresses resources, as well as milestones and tasks.]
Program/Task

Owner

Approver

Web portal/storefront

Web design Agency

Marketing VP

Design Objectives

Deadline

Account team

Key messages
Navigation

Web Architect

Wireframe

Web Architect

Prototypes

Development Team

Content development
Testing
Launch
Analytics
Adjustments
Seasonal POP

Marketing Services

After Holiday
Inventory Reduction
Spring Preview
Tax Freedom
Easter
Mothers Day
Viral Events..

Sales Training

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Program/Task

Owner

Approver

Deadline

PPC web campaigns

Print ad campaigns
Semi-annual Fashion Show
Quarterly Marketing Review

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7.

Appendices
Marketing Organization

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Primary research results

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Sample surveys

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Secondary research compilations

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