A marketing plan is a written document that summarizes what the marketer has learned about the marketplace and indicates how the firm plans to reach its marketing objectives.

The contents of the marketing plan include:

1. Executive Summary and Table of Contents:
   The marketing plan should open with a brief summary of the main goals and recommendations. The executive summary helps senior management grasp the plan’s major thrust. A table of contents that outlines the rest of the plan and all the supporting rationale and operational details should follow the executive summary. (4 Marks)
2. Situation Analysis:
   This section presents relevant background data on sales, costs, the market, competitors, and the various forces in the macro environment. It seeks answers to questions such as: How is the market defined? How big is it and how fast is it growing? What are the relevant trends affecting the markets? What is the product offering and what are the critical issues facing the company? All this information is used to carry out a SWOT analysis. (4 Marks)
3. Marketing Strategy:
   At this point, the product manager defines the mission, marketing, and financial objectives, as well as the groups and needs that the market offerings are intended to satisfy. The manager then establishes the product line’s competitive positioning, which will inform the game plan to accomplish the plan’s objectives. This section should also specify the branding strategy and customer strategy that will be used. (4 Marks)
4. Financial Projections:
   The projections include a sales forecast, expense forecast, and break-even analysis. On the revenue side, the projections show the forecasted sales volume by month and product category. On the expense side, the projections show the expected cost of marketing, broken down into finer categories. The break-even analysis shows how many units must be sold monthly to offset the monthly fixed costs and average per-unit variable cost. (4 Marks)
5. Implementation Controls:
   This final section outlines the controls for monitoring and adjusting the implementation of the plan. The goals and budget are spelled out for each month or quarter for management to review each period’s results and take corrective action as needed. Some firms include contingency plans outlining the steps management would take in response to specific environmental developments, such as price wars or strikes. (4 Marks)

Total: 20 Marks