Report 2
Marketing plan
A marketing plan is a document showing how a business- Sondy Pillows’ new product SP
travel- plans to use advertising to reach its target of a specific market. A marketing plan is
important, because it is a detailed laid out plan of what Sondy Pillows has to do and what it
hopes to achieve, additionally showing how and when. This section will include: the budget
that Sondy Pillows has set, timescales of the whole campaign including periods the set
objectives will each be completed, recommended strategies that Sondy Pillows will use, for
instance; the seven P’s of marketing and promotional mix- the media they will use.
Marketing Mix
These are the main elements needed to promote a business. It is important because this
is how Sondy Pillows promotes itself and its products, additionally it is a framework that a
business uses in marketing planning. The extended marketing mix is made of: product,
price, promotion, place, people, processes and physical environment. The extension was
added to show the services involved within a business.
Product- The product being sold is SP Travel pillows and the product will provide comfort
and support for its customers. The target market for this product- according to the brief- are:
individuals who have long journeys, in need of comfort and those with the aim of improving
their posture when they are travelling. Therefore, this product meets the needs of its target
audience as it has identified the need for comfort while travelling and solved it. This product
will be sold internationally and throughout this campaign – according to the SMART
objective- Sondy Pillows can be advertised by known icons, in order to create awareness.
Furthermore, SP Travel will need to make its product look appealing to consumers. SP Travel
could do this by offering a range of colours and designs for a customer to choose from when
customizing it before purchase and they could give customers the option of personalizing
their purchases- like adding their name on it. These could be other products that SP Travel
sells, as it would cost more to customize and personalize products. Hence, to sum up SP
Travel’s products will be: goods- high quality travel pillows and the services- customization
and personalization of products.
Price- SP Travel can implement competitive pricing strategy, as this is the most appropriate
for businesses in highly competitive industries. SP Travel is entering into an industry that has
established market leaders and other businesses as competition, because of this it will need
to use competitive pricing for their products. Competitive pricing is when a business sets its
prices to be similar to its competitors, it can benefit SP Travel as it attracts customers. This is
because SP Travel could use competitor pricing and price their products a little lower than
their competitors, but at a similar level and customers looking to purchase travel pillows at
lower prices will begin to invest in the business. This draws customers into the business, and
later on if SP Travel decides to increase prices-customers may not be as bothered because
they have grown into the business. SP Travel plans to retail the pillows between $15-$30 this
, may need to change its prices because most competitors like Trtl, Cabeau and Samsonite sell
between ranges of $35- $120. SP Travel may need to price the products higher than this.
Place- Sondy Pillows sells the travel pillows internationally by delivery. The distribution
channel is currently producer to consumer- direct marketing channel. Advantages of this are
that Sondy Pillows as a whole can create relationships with their customers, moreover, they
have control of their brand and reputation- this is good because customers do not encounter
misrepresentations of the business through 3rd party delivery sites. However, Sondy Pillows
could apply another distribution channel- producer to retailer to consumer. This is selling the
SP Travel Pillows to retailers like: Amazon, eBay and so on, and then customers have the
opportunity to purchase the product from these online retailers. There are some cons, as
Sondy Pillows no longer has full control of how their brand is represented and actions that
may disturb their good reputation. Despite the disadvantages, overall it is a good way of
being discovered and easily found by potential customers who are not aware of the Sondy
Pillows website. Prospects may come across SP Travel pillows being sold and take an interest
in the product and later on the business. It also plays the role of achieving the SMART
objective of obtaining customer reviews, as customers are more likely to leave reviews of a
product on third-party delivery services like Amazon.
People- In order for SP Travel to market travel pillows successfully it needs to understand the
people that it is marketing to- the target audience and the staff within the business. Sondy
Pillows employees do not directly come into contact with customers, but may do so
indirectly through: live chat on their website for any customer support issues, staff who are
in charge of the social media accounts and manage the posts and content- advertising SP
Travel and contact may also be achievable through direct marketing: SMS and emails related
to SP Travel. Sondy Pillows will need to ensure that its staff are positive towards customers,
even though there is indirect contact. Sondy Pillows can carry out training programs for
employees that communicate with customers, to enhance their communication skills and
problem-solving abilities. This will help customers perceive the brand positively, in addition
to their good reputation.
Processes- These are processes that a business uses to deliver them and the process
involved when coming into contact with customers, for instance when providing support.
There are several processes involved than SP Travel can implement: website designers and
developers should ensure that throughout the browsing, customizing, ordering and payment
processes customers have a smooth time navigating the around the website- User-friendly
interface. This is a crucial process, a store whether physical or online is likely to lose
customers if it is hard to navigate. Customers would become frustrated and may abandon
the shopping experience and have less trust in the business as a whole. Therefore, the entire
process of purchasing products off of the Sondy Pillows website should be easy, quick and
convenient for customers. Other process that can increase positive customer experience are:
24/7 available chatbots- in case customers have any inquiries at a time when live chat
cannot be connected, automated order tracking- consumers can know where their products
currently are and when there their products currently are and when they will arrive and
Marketing plan
A marketing plan is a document showing how a business- Sondy Pillows’ new product SP
travel- plans to use advertising to reach its target of a specific market. A marketing plan is
important, because it is a detailed laid out plan of what Sondy Pillows has to do and what it
hopes to achieve, additionally showing how and when. This section will include: the budget
that Sondy Pillows has set, timescales of the whole campaign including periods the set
objectives will each be completed, recommended strategies that Sondy Pillows will use, for
instance; the seven P’s of marketing and promotional mix- the media they will use.
Marketing Mix
These are the main elements needed to promote a business. It is important because this
is how Sondy Pillows promotes itself and its products, additionally it is a framework that a
business uses in marketing planning. The extended marketing mix is made of: product,
price, promotion, place, people, processes and physical environment. The extension was
added to show the services involved within a business.
Product- The product being sold is SP Travel pillows and the product will provide comfort
and support for its customers. The target market for this product- according to the brief- are:
individuals who have long journeys, in need of comfort and those with the aim of improving
their posture when they are travelling. Therefore, this product meets the needs of its target
audience as it has identified the need for comfort while travelling and solved it. This product
will be sold internationally and throughout this campaign – according to the SMART
objective- Sondy Pillows can be advertised by known icons, in order to create awareness.
Furthermore, SP Travel will need to make its product look appealing to consumers. SP Travel
could do this by offering a range of colours and designs for a customer to choose from when
customizing it before purchase and they could give customers the option of personalizing
their purchases- like adding their name on it. These could be other products that SP Travel
sells, as it would cost more to customize and personalize products. Hence, to sum up SP
Travel’s products will be: goods- high quality travel pillows and the services- customization
and personalization of products.
Price- SP Travel can implement competitive pricing strategy, as this is the most appropriate
for businesses in highly competitive industries. SP Travel is entering into an industry that has
established market leaders and other businesses as competition, because of this it will need
to use competitive pricing for their products. Competitive pricing is when a business sets its
prices to be similar to its competitors, it can benefit SP Travel as it attracts customers. This is
because SP Travel could use competitor pricing and price their products a little lower than
their competitors, but at a similar level and customers looking to purchase travel pillows at
lower prices will begin to invest in the business. This draws customers into the business, and
later on if SP Travel decides to increase prices-customers may not be as bothered because
they have grown into the business. SP Travel plans to retail the pillows between $15-$30 this
, may need to change its prices because most competitors like Trtl, Cabeau and Samsonite sell
between ranges of $35- $120. SP Travel may need to price the products higher than this.
Place- Sondy Pillows sells the travel pillows internationally by delivery. The distribution
channel is currently producer to consumer- direct marketing channel. Advantages of this are
that Sondy Pillows as a whole can create relationships with their customers, moreover, they
have control of their brand and reputation- this is good because customers do not encounter
misrepresentations of the business through 3rd party delivery sites. However, Sondy Pillows
could apply another distribution channel- producer to retailer to consumer. This is selling the
SP Travel Pillows to retailers like: Amazon, eBay and so on, and then customers have the
opportunity to purchase the product from these online retailers. There are some cons, as
Sondy Pillows no longer has full control of how their brand is represented and actions that
may disturb their good reputation. Despite the disadvantages, overall it is a good way of
being discovered and easily found by potential customers who are not aware of the Sondy
Pillows website. Prospects may come across SP Travel pillows being sold and take an interest
in the product and later on the business. It also plays the role of achieving the SMART
objective of obtaining customer reviews, as customers are more likely to leave reviews of a
product on third-party delivery services like Amazon.
People- In order for SP Travel to market travel pillows successfully it needs to understand the
people that it is marketing to- the target audience and the staff within the business. Sondy
Pillows employees do not directly come into contact with customers, but may do so
indirectly through: live chat on their website for any customer support issues, staff who are
in charge of the social media accounts and manage the posts and content- advertising SP
Travel and contact may also be achievable through direct marketing: SMS and emails related
to SP Travel. Sondy Pillows will need to ensure that its staff are positive towards customers,
even though there is indirect contact. Sondy Pillows can carry out training programs for
employees that communicate with customers, to enhance their communication skills and
problem-solving abilities. This will help customers perceive the brand positively, in addition
to their good reputation.
Processes- These are processes that a business uses to deliver them and the process
involved when coming into contact with customers, for instance when providing support.
There are several processes involved than SP Travel can implement: website designers and
developers should ensure that throughout the browsing, customizing, ordering and payment
processes customers have a smooth time navigating the around the website- User-friendly
interface. This is a crucial process, a store whether physical or online is likely to lose
customers if it is hard to navigate. Customers would become frustrated and may abandon
the shopping experience and have less trust in the business as a whole. Therefore, the entire
process of purchasing products off of the Sondy Pillows website should be easy, quick and
convenient for customers. Other process that can increase positive customer experience are:
24/7 available chatbots- in case customers have any inquiries at a time when live chat
cannot be connected, automated order tracking- consumers can know where their products
currently are and when there their products currently are and when they will arrive and
