Strategic Marketing Management Series
Weakness in Marketing Planning
March 27, 2023
SUMMARY
Marketing managers plan in order to complete tasks on time and without exceeding pre-set resource limits.
When developing a marketing plan, the process involves choosing certain courses of action, and ruling out other possible options. Planning should be systematic, structured and involves three key components:
- Objectives – what must be achieved
- Strategy – how to achieve objectives
- Resource implications – resources required to implement the strategy
This article deals with six main issues:
- Marketing plan definition
- Why a marketing strategy matters
- Key success factors of a marketing strategy
- Barriers to successful marketing planning
- Marketing planning model
- Structure of a strategic marketing plan
It is important to understand the interface between marketing and corporate strategy. The corporate plan will define goals for the entire business and should coordinate the various functional strategies (i.e. marketing, operations, human resources management etc.). Functional strategies must be inter-related. For example, if the marketing strategy focuses on developing high levels of customer service in order to retain key customer groups, both the operations and human resources management functions would have a role to play in delivering this.
However, the truly successful plan is a vehicle to communicate, motivate and involve staff in fundamental business activities. Too often, planning is viewed as a restrictive process based on programming events and generating paperwork but it’s the opposite, plans aim to get employee commitment and ownership to achieve results.
In a strategic role, marketing aims to transform corporate goals and business strategy into a competitive market position. Essentially, the objective is to differentiate products and services by meeting customer needs more effectively than the competition. Therefore, a marketing strategy addresses three key elements: customer (or segmentation), competitors (or positioning), and internal corporate capabilities (targeting – matching capabilities with customer needs).
High-performing organizations and individuals who develop marketing strategies with proven excellence share these characteristics:
- A bias for action
- Autonomy and entrepreneurship
- A closeness to the customer
- Productivity through people
- Hands-on and value-driven
- Simple form and lean staff
- Simultaneous loose-tight properties
- Grit and getting their hands dirty
Managers view marketing planning as “fine in theory” but most fail to implement what they agree on in theory. Common barriers to successful planning are: 1/ Culture that may not be amenable to marketing plans despite statements to the contrary. 2/ Power and politics come into play when the development of a strategic plan in a company becomes a battlefield where vested interests fight each other’s proposals and squabble over status and resources. 3/ Silos of communications, 4/ “Paralysis by analysis”. 5/ Managers must make a realistic view of the resource position and try to ensure resources are not over-committed or needlessly withheld; and 6/ Sometimes, managers don’t have the skills (i.e. project management, or forecasting etc.) required to make the best use of the planning process. Here, planning takes a ritual nature – a meaningless but must-do annual task.
MARKETING PLAN DEFINITION
There are two types of marketing plans: strategic and tactical. The distinction between the two varies from one organization to another and from one manager to another.
However, much of the confusion can be removed if characteristics common to strategic plans and tactical plans can be identified:
STRATEGIC MARKETING PLANS
Strategic marketing takes a long-term time frame and broadly identifies the organization’s marketing activities. The process seeks to develop effective responses to:
- Changing market conditions by analysing markets and segments
- Evaluating competitors’ offerings
- Defining positioning to establish competitive stance
A marketing strategy tends to embrace all elements of the marketing mix, or significant components of it (distribution strategy, communications strategy etc). Problems in this area tend to be unstructured and qualitative but require external, discretionary, and often speculative data.
TACTICAL MARKETING PLANS
This takes a short-term time frame and concerns day-to-day marketing activities. It translates strategy into specific actions and represents the on-going operational dimension of marketing strategy. It tends to deal with individual components of the marketing mix (sales promotions, advertising etc.). Problems are often repetitive and well-structured with data being internally generated.
When marketing strategy and plan are poorly constructed, this leads to very high waste in spending. For example, when a company leaves it up to an external media and/or marketing agency to create that company’s key marketing themes and messages; then if the company switches from one media agency to another after some time, those marketing themes and messages are quasi-guaranteed to be changed – which leads to consumers to be confused by two or more different messages; a fact that leads to high waste, negligible ROI and dilutes brand strength.
Strategic and Tactical marketing plans
The differences
Strategic marketing | Tactical marketing | |
Time frame | – Long-term | – Short-term |
Focus | Minus Broad | – Narrow |
Key tasks | Minus Defining market and competitive positioning | – Day-to-day marketing activity |
Information and problem solving | Minus Unstructured, external, and speculative | – Structured, internal, and repetitive |
Examples | Minus New product development Minus Key marketing themes and values Minus Advertising messaging | – Price discounts – Sales promotions – Production of marketing collaterals |
WHY A MARKETING STRATEGY MATTERS
An organization needs a strategic marketing plan in order to adapt to a changing business environment, and to minimize waste and to contribute effective to building a strong and valuable brand. It provides a systematic framework to analyse the marketplace and provides a well-defined way to pursue strategic goals.
However, the truly successful plan is a vehicle to communicate, motivate and involve staff in fundamental business activities. Too often, planning is viewed as a restrictive process based on programming events and generating paperwork but it’s the opposite, plans aim to get employee commitment and ownership to achieve results.
They key reasons for planning are summarized as follows:
- ADAPTING TO CHANGE
Planning enables management to focus on strategic issues as opposed to day-to-day operational problems.
- RESOURCE ALLOCATION
Planning allows us to deploy resources to effectively meet opportunities and threats.
3. CONSISTENCY
By providing a common base to work from, the overall decision-making process is enhanced. Additionally, common formats and methods improve internal communications.
4. INTEGRATION
The plan facilitates the integration and coordination of the marketing mix. By providing focus, it’s possible to integrate short- and long-term marketing activities and programs to maximum impact and quality, at minimum costs.
5. COMMUNICATION AND MOTIVATION
A strategic marketing plan clearly communicates strategic intents to employees and other stakeholders.
6. CONTROL
The strategic process sets meaningful targets and defines criteria by which success is measured. It also sets pro-active measures to identify deviations from plans and to take corrective actions on-time.

KEY SUCCESS FACTORS OF A MARKETING STRATEGY
In a strategic role, marketing aims to transform corporate goals and business strategy into a competitive market position. In essence, the objective is to differentiate products and services by meeting customer needs more effectively than the competition.
Therefore, a marketing strategy addresses three key elements: customer (segmentation), competitors (positioning), and internal corporate capabilities (targeting; matching them with customer needs).
SUCCESS RESTS ON FIVE CENTRAL PREMISES
When developing a marketing strategy (on a corporate-wide level, or product line level), the marketing planner is advised to approach his or her plan in the following manner:
- Portfolio-view approach
Think of the product or service as a key piece of the company’s portfolio of precious assets.
- Scope for independent planning
Does the planner have authority to plan independently or not? How far and wide can he or she go if it was up to them?
- Clear set of competitors
Who are the competitors? Can they be clearly identified and analysed? What are their strategic strengths and weaknesses?
- Clear delegation of authority
If a marketing strategy was put in place, does everyone know what to do and when? Are there any clear systems for reward and accountability? And is everyone involved committed and motivated?
- Potential for profit
A marketing strategist must consider if the sector the company is operating in, is still attractive and profitable enough; and how much.
- Strategic perspective
The marketing strategy planner must consider the economics of their business in greater detail. This often requires data inputs that are complex and difficult to obtain but which are crucial to creating top marketing plans and brands and captivating storytelling.
- Competitive advantage
A top marketing planner takes into consideration how he or she can use the value chain to create competitive advantages and to set very high barriers of entry. To this end, Porter’s five factors can be put to great use:

- Position within the marketplace
In planning for the future, the starting place for the marketing planner is to determine the company’s historical competitive stance. He or she has the choice between a market leader, a challenger or a follower, or a niche strategy. Each of these positions require distinct courses of action which have a direct impact on market share, a key performance metric. Profitability and ROI are also directly affected by the choice the planner makes.
Marketing strategy needs to take account of the stage of market evolution, and the position reached on the product life cycle.
High-performing organizations and individuals marketing strategy planners with proven excellence share these characteristics:
- A bias for action
- Autonomy and entrepreneurship
- A closeness to the customer
- Productivity through people
- Hands-on and value-driven
- Simple form and lean staff
- Simultaneous loose-tight properties
- Grit and getting their hands dirty

BARRIERS TO SUCCESSFUL MARKETING PLANNING
Managers view marketing planning as “fine in theory” but common barriers to successful planning are:
- Culture
The prevailing culture may not be amenable to marketing plans despite statements to the contrary. Oftentimes, the fundamental principles of marketing are not accepted by an organization, which makes any move towards being market-led and customer-oriented could be dismissed as “uncertain” and “theoretical”. We see considerable resistance to change and gradual regression back to conventional and conservative work practices.
- Power and politics
The development of a strategic plan in a company becomes a battlefield where vested interests fight each other’s proposals and squabble over status and resources. This process absorbs much management time and can result in ill-advised compromise and unnecessary delays.
Sometimes, managers don’t have the skills (i.e. project management, or forecasting etc.) required to make the best use of the planning process. Here, planning takes a ritual nature – a meaningless but must-do annual task. Often, planning is reduced to incremental increases/decreases in annual budget and fails to examine opportunities for business development. Managers who are over-whelmed by the daily workload pretend they have little to no time to
- Analysis not action
Much time and energy can be wasted by the process of analysing data and developing rationales for action as opposed to simply acting. While a rigorous process is commendable, it should not displace action. The “Paralysis by analysis” barrier tends to substitute information gathering and processing for decision-making. Many planning systems do not promote action and are more concerned with reviewing progress and controlling activity, rather than tackling strategic issues.
- Resource issues
A major aspect of the planning process is to match resources to strategic aims. Managers must make a realistic view of the resource position and try to ensure resources are not over-committed or needlessly withheld.
- Skills
Sometimes, managers don’t have the skills (i.e. project management, or forecasting etc.) required to make the best use of the planning process. Here, planning takes a ritual nature – a meaningless but must-do annual task. Often, planning is reduced to incremental increases/decreases in annual budget and fails to examine opportunities for business development. Managers who are over-whelmed by the daily workload pretend they have little to no time to take a step back to think strategically. This practice usually points to a lack of skills, disorganization or not being on top of things.
Many of these barriers relate to the implementation of plans rather than the planning process itself. However, the sound management practice advocates the inclusion of implementation as part of the planning process.
MARKETING PLANNING MODEL
- Analytical dimension
Analytical tools, techniques and models are important as they provide a framework to tackle issues and identify/solve problems. Effective planning systems must address behavioural and organizational issues (which are more of a qualitative nature rather than a quantitative one).
- Behavioural dimension
This focuses on the people aspects of the planning process. Planning become successful because of the support, participation and motivation and commitment of people. There is a need to fully understand and communicate the strategic
assumptions underpinning a strategy. Plans must address behavioural factors to gain support so vital to smooth implementation.
- Resource issues
Strategic planning is influenced by organizational factors such as culture and style of management. Organizational structures determine the flow of information as well as defining responsibilities and reporting lines. Major strategic initiatives require radical organizational changes.

STRUCTURE OF A STRATEGIC MARKETING PLAN
Strategic Marketing Plan
Milestone name | Key tasks | Comment |
1. Executive summary | – Current position – Key issues | Improves communication and staff involvement by summarizing key aspects of the plan |
2.Corporate strategy | – Corporate mission and objectives – Summary of overall position and corporate strategy | Provides a link to overall strategy and illustrates marketing’s contribution to achieving corporate goals |
3. External and internal analyses | – Market overview – Competitor analysis – Future trends – SWOT analysis | A picture of the competitive environment is developed. Internal factors (strengths and weaknesses need to address external threats and opportunities |
4. Marketing objectives | – Financial objectives – Marketing objectives | There is a need to define financial targets, and translate these into specific and measurable marketing goals (e.g. market share, sales volume, customer retention) |
5. Market strategy | – Market segmentation – Competitive advantages – Marketing strategy – Specific marketing programmes (Product, Place, Promotion, Price, Package, People and Processes) | The overall strategic direction of marketing policy is defined. The strategy may vary according to market segment Decisions are made according to specific aspects of the mix. These may generate additional plans to each element of the mix |
6. Implementation | – Schedule of key tasks – Resource allocation – Budgets – Contingency | Specific programmes are broken down into lists of activities. These are schedules and given a time scale. Responsibility is assigned for each activity. A contingency (e.g. funds or time) may be set to cover any unforeseen problems |
7. Control and forecasting | – Assumptions made – Critical success factors Benchmarks Measurements – Financial forecasts Costs Revenues | A clear understanding of the assumption underpinning the control process is required (e.g. projected market growth). The benchmarks measuring success must be assigned to critical activities. Profit and loss accounts may be forecast for the planning period. |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Fadi Gargas, Founder/CEO, The Seven Wise Men

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fadi-nacouzi-848482268/
- “Strategic marketing planning and control”, Drummond and Ashford, BH
- “Strategic marketing planning and control”, Drummond and Ashford, BH
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