Lessons from Chapter 11

Marketing implementation:

is critical to the success of any firm because it is responsible for putting the marketing
strategy into action.

has been somewhat ignored throughout the history of business as most firms have
emphasized strategic planning rather than strategic implementation.

is the process of executing the marketing strategy by creating and performing specific
actions that will ensure the achievement of the firm's marketing objectives.

goes hand-in-hand with evaluation and control in determining the success or failure of the
marketing strategy, and ultimately for the entire firm.

is usually the cause for the difference between intended marketing strategywhat the
firm wants to happenand realized marketing strategythe strategy that actually takes
place.

maintains a relationship with strategic planning that causes three major problems:
interdependency, evolution, and separation.

The elements of marketing implementation include:

Marketing strategythe firm's planned product, pricing, distribution, and promotion

activities.

Shared goals and valuesthe glue of implementation that holds the entire firm together
as a single, functioning unit.

Marketing structurehow the firm's marketing activities are organized.

Systems and processescollections of work activities that absorb a variety of inputs to

create information and communication outputs that ensure the consistent day-to-day
operation of the firm.

Resourcesinclude a wide variety of tangible and intangible assets that can be brought
together during marketing implementation.

Peoplethe quality, diversity, and skill of a firm's human resources. The people element
also includes employee selection and training, evaluation and compensation, motivation,
satisfaction, and commitment.

Leadershiphow managers communicate with employees, as well as how they motivate

their employees to implement the marketing strategy.

Approaches to implementing marketing strategy include:

Implementation by commandmarketing strategies are developed and selected by the

firm's top executives, then transmitted to lower levels where frontline managers and
employees are expected to implement them.

Implementation through changefocuses explicitly on implementation by modifying the

firm in ways that will ensure the successful implementation of the chosen marketing
strategy.

Implementation through consensusupper- and lower-level managers from different

areas of the firm work together to evaluate and develop marketing strategies.

Implementation as organizational culturemarketing strategy and implementation are

seen as extensions of the firm's mission, vision, and organizational culture. Employees at

all levels can participate in making decisions that help the firm reach its mission, goals,
and objectives.

Internal marketing:

refers to the use of a marketing-like approach to motivate, coordinate, and integrate

employees toward the implementation of the firm's marketing strategy.

explicitly recognizes that external customer satisfaction depends on the actions of the
firm's internal customersits employees. If the internal customers are not properly
educated about the strategy and motivated to implement it, then it is unlikely that the
external customers will be satisfied completely.

places the responsibility for implementation on all employees regardless of their level
within the firm.

is based on many of the same principles used in traditional external marketing. The
product, price, distribution, and promotion elements of the internal marketing program
are similar to the elements in the external marketing program.

In evaluating and controlling marketing activities:

the firm's intended marketing strategy often differs from the realized strategy for four
potential reasons: (1) the marketing strategy was inappropriate or unrealistic, (2) the
implementation was inappropriate for the strategy, (3) the implementation process was
mismanaged, or (4) the internal and/or external environments changed substantially
between the development of the marketing strategy and its implementation.

it is important that the potential for implementation failures be managed strategically by

having a system of marketing controls in place.

firms design and use formal input, process, and output controls to help ensure the
successful implementation of the marketing strategy.

firms use output controls, or performance standards, extensively to ensure that marketing
outcomes are in line with anticipated results.

employees individually (self-control), in workgroups (social control), and throughout the

firm (cultural control) use personal objectives and group-based norms and expectations to
informally control their behaviors.

Scheduling marketing activities:

requires that employees know the specific activities for which they are responsible and
the timetable for completing each activity.

can be a challenging task because of the wide variety of activities required to execute the
plan, the sequential nature of many marketing activities, and the fact that time is of the
essence in implementing the plan.

involves five basic steps: (1) identifying the specific activities to be performed, (2)
determining the time required to complete each activity, (3) determining which activities
must precede others, (4) arranging the proper sequence and timing of all activities, and
(5) assigning responsibility to employees, managers, teams, or departments.