To make it easier to study the material, we divide the article Marketing Strategy into topics:

In many companies, attention is paid primarily to tactical (financial) goals, while strategic ones are often forgotten.

Examples of tactical goals:

Accelerate profit growth rates;
raise ;
increase cash flow.

But the financial future of the organization is ensured by strategic goals, and their setting and achievement require a significant investment of time and resources. Examples of strategic goals:

Increase market share;
improve /services;
take care of the company's reputation;
increase the value of the company.

2. Negative goal formulation.

This very common mistake is dictated by the human tendency to respond to a problem by running away from it, rather than by eliminating the cause. But a correctly set goal should reflect movement towards the desired result, and not a desire to escape from the problem. Examples of negative goal statements:

Minimize risks in a certain area of ​​the company’s activities;
reduce the number of late arrivals to work;
reduce the number of complaints.

When setting goals in this way, a large number of prohibitions arise, which often hinders the initiative of employees. As a result, they are afraid to act, lest they incur the wrath of their leader. Positive formulations that offer as a goal a desirable prospect for the company, to which it should strive, will help to avoid negative consequences. If the above examples of goals are presented as positive, we get something like this:

Develop and apply a procedure;
allocate a vehicle for transportation of employees;
improve the quality of products.

3. Vague goal statement.

Often there are goal formulations like “increase efficiency”, “establish”, “become the best in the market”, etc. These are unattainable goals. For example, the director of the company set a goal to establish rapid exchange of information between commercial and logistics departments. After some time, their superiors reported that the goal had been achieved. When the director wanted to find out what the exchange of information was about, it turned out that people simply began to communicate more often.

The manager expected a different result, but since the goal did not meet the SMART criteria (in particular, the criterion for assessing its achievement was not defined), the subordinates did not know what exactly was expected of them. The director needed to formulate a goal, for example, this way: to establish a rapid exchange of information between the commercial department and the logistics department by providing each other with weekly reports on the work done in the following form (list what indicators each department should include in its report).

4. Partial application of the concept of management by objectives.

As the study shows, the majority of managers consider management by objectives as a tool for assessing personnel, and only 16.6% know that MBO is intended primarily to harmonize company goals at various levels.

However, ignoring any aspect of MBO leads to the fact that all efforts aimed at its implementation are useless.

The reasons for this are as follows:

Lower level goals are not clearly stated;
these goals do not reflect the needs of the company (not related to higher-level goals);
Responsible persons for each area of ​​work have not been assigned.

To eliminate these reasons, the head of the company must agree on the goals for the departments with their leaders, and the practice of individually setting goals and communicating them to performers must be eradicated.

5. Officially stated goals do not correspond to reality.

There are often situations when a manager, having officially declared certain goals, ignores them when making management decisions. For example, a company may define the goal of its work as follows: “We must love our client,” but the head of one of its departments is not even going to respond to incoming complaints...

Market segmentation and selection of target segments

Main tasks of the stage:

Market segmentation, i.e. identifying competitive target market segments;
choosing the time and method of reaching target segments.

Segmentation (or segmentation) is the structuring of the market based on the heterogeneity of potential buyers and their consumer behavior.

Market segmentation is a prerequisite for differentiated marketing.

The market consists of buyers, and buyers differ from each other in a variety of ways. Everything can be different: needs, geographic location, resources, preferences, habits, etc. Any of these variables can have a significant impact on the needs and consumption behavior of a potential buyer. Knowing the differences between different market segments, a company can produce specialized products for individual segments, use different sales promotion programs or advertising messages. Additionally, focusing on a specific segment can be a brand positioning exercise.

Because each person's needs and wants are unique, each consumer can potentially represent a different market segment. Ideally, the seller would develop a separate marketing program for each. For example, aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing have very few customers, and the firms treat each of them as a separate market - this "one-to-one marketing" represents the extreme degree of market segmentation.

More often than not, it is not economically feasible to tailor products to meet the needs of each individual customer because this most often significantly increases costs and unit costs. Instead, large groups of consumers are distinguished, differing from each other in their requirements for the product and in their marketing responses. For example, a company may find that needs change depending on the income level of customers. On the other hand, the seller may perceive significant differences between younger buyers and older buyers. And finally, the buyer’s attitude towards a product can be influenced by both income level and age at the same time. As the market is segmented based on more parameters, the number of them increases, and the size of each segment of each decreases. There is a balance between taking into account all the important segmentation criteria (or basic segmentation variables) and the size of the resulting segments.

It is believed that the resulting segments must meet the following conditions:

Once the market has been structured into segments, it is necessary to obtain a reliable description of each selected segment. Building a complete picture of market segments and their characteristics is called profiling. The characteristics used in this case are called descriptive segmentation variables.

Approaches to market segmentation

To implement segmentation, a company needs to test segmentation options based on different variables, one or more at a time, in an attempt to find the most useful approach to looking at market structure. For this purpose, it is used that studies the influence of various factors on the result and allows you to select exactly those factors that have the maximum impact on the final result. All approaches to market segmentation can be divided into two types:

1. Disorganized selection of segmentation criteria. The selection of segmentation criteria is carried out arbitrarily. It is used in situations where constructing a hierarchy of segmentation criteria is difficult or there is not enough data to construct it.
2. Multi-stage approaches. Construction of a hierarchical system of criteria based on assessment of importance for segmentation. There are two or more levels of criteria through which segmentation is carried out. An example is the micro-macro model proposed by Wind and Cardoza (1974). At the first, macro stage, general factors are used - demographic characteristics of the population, geographic location, consumption activity, etc. The micro stage consists of defining segments within macro groups based on the characteristics of the decision makers. Another example is Bonhomme and Shapiro's (1983) nested model.

Segmentation principles

1. The principle of differentiation between segments - the main goal of segmentation is to obtain groups of consumers that differ from each other. Accordingly, each resulting segment must have a set of unique characteristics.
2. The principle of similarity of consumers in a segment - the homogeneity of potential buyers within a segment from the point of view of the goals of segmentation tasks. The resulting segments should be fairly homogeneous - the differences between consumers within a segment should be less significant than the differences between segments.
3. The principle of large segment size - target segments must have sufficient potential capacity to be of commercial interest to the company. It is necessary to find a balance between taking into account all significant factors, on the one hand, and the size and number of segments obtained, on the other.

Selecting target market segments

Market segmentation should lead to an assessment of the potential of various market segments in which the seller will act and the selection of the most promising ones (the so-called target segments).

To do this, the company must make a strategic decision:

How many segments should you cover?
How to determine the most profitable segments?

There are three options for market coverage:

Undifferentiated marketing;
differentiated marketing;
concentrated marketing.

Undifferentiated marketing is a situation when a company decides to ignore differences in segments and appeal to the entire market at once with the same offer. In this case, she concentrates her efforts not on how the needs of clients differ from each other, but on what these needs have in common. The company develops a product and marketing program that will be attractive to as many buyers as possible. The firm relies on mass distribution and mass advertising methods. She seeks to betray the image of superiority in people's minds. Moreover, undifferentiated marketing is economical. The costs of producing a product, maintaining its inventory, and transporting it are low. Advertising costs for undifferentiated marketing are also kept low. The absence of marketing research into market segments and planning broken down by these segments helps reduce the costs of marketing research and product production management.

Differentiated Marketing - In this case, the company decides to act in several market segments and breaks down a separate offer for each of them. The company expects that by strengthening its position in several market segments, it will be able to identify a company with a given product category in the consumer’s mind. Moreover, she expects an increase in repeat purchases, since it is the company's product that meets the desires of consumers, and not vice versa.

Concentrated Marketing - Many firms see a third marketing opportunity, particularly attractive to organizations with limited resources. Instead of concentrating its efforts on a small share of a large market, the firm concentrates its efforts on a large share of one or more submarkets. Through concentrated marketing, the firm ensures a strong market position in the segments it serves because it knows the needs of those segments better than others and enjoys a certain reputation. Moreover, as a result of specialization in production, distribution and sales promotion, the firm achieves savings in many areas of its activities.

Positioning development

Preliminary economic assessment of marketing strategy and control tools:

Analysis and forecasting of the quality and resource intensity of the company's future products
Forecasting the competitiveness of the company's existing and future products
Forecasting price and sales levels for existing and future company products
Forecasting volume and profit
Determination of benchmarks and intermediate stages of control (timing and control values)

Based on the marketing strategy, a detailed marketing plan should be developed, describing the specific marketing activities that must be carried out in the short and medium term.

An important point in implementing the strategy is the “formalization” of the decisions made into a marketing plan. This document should describe specific activities that must be implemented in the short term. A marketing plan can be detailed down to several levels: for the company as a whole, for its functional divisions, and also for specific products and markets.

Sample structure of a marketing plan:

1. Analysis of the current situation
(a) Current level of performance
(b) Analysis of the current situation
(c) Opportunities and prospects
2. Marketing goals and objectives
3. Marketing Strategy Overview
(a) Target market segments
(b) Positioning
4. Marketing mix program
(a) Product
(b) Price
(c) Promotion
(d) Distribution
(e) Services
(f) Personnel
5. Action plan
6. Budget
7. Organizational prerequisites

Development of a marketing strategy

A marketing strategy is a set of long-term decisions regarding ways to satisfy the needs of a company's existing and potential customers through the use of its internal resources and external capabilities.

A company's marketing strategy is usually enshrined in a document with the same name or the name "marketing policy."

A marketing strategy is developed as an integral part of the company's overall development strategy.

Depending on the industry, the market situation and the prevailing characteristics of the organization’s management, a marketing strategy can be developed for a period of 1 to 25 years.

Most often in Russia, a planning horizon of 1-3 years is currently used, but now you can find enterprises developing strategies for a period of 5 and even 10 years.

Setting market goals

The development of a marketing strategy is preceded by the establishment of the company's market goals.

A goal is a specific state of individual characteristics of an organization, the achievement of which is desirable for it and towards which its activities are aimed. Market objectives define the company's desired position in the market in the future. The timing for which market goals are set depends on the scale of the goal and the speed of changes in the company’s external environment. The requirements for setting market goals are similar to the general requirements for setting organizational goals.

Requirements for goals

Goals should be (SMART principle):

Specific - Specific;
achievable -Measurable;
agreed (with each other) - Agreeable, Accordant;
measurable - Realistic;
bound in time - Timebounded.

Goals must be consistent:

With the company's mission;
among themselves (hierarchy of goals);
with those who have to carry them out.

Classification of targets

There are various classifications of goals. The only generally accepted classification is based on the time for which goals are set. Usually there are long-term and short-term goals. Sometimes intermediate goals are set between long-term and short-term goals; they are called medium-term. However, there is no generally accepted scale for classifying goals as short-term, medium-term or long-term. In our conditions, short-term goals are usually considered to be up to 1 year, medium-term 1-3 years, long-term - from 3 years.

Depending on the specifics of the industry, the characteristics of the state of the environment, the nature and content of the mission, each organization sets its own goals. For example, the following classification of objectives by functional area can be used:

Market goals (or external program goals), for example:

Number of clients.
Market share.
in kind and in value terms.

Production goals (internal program goals) are a consequence of market goals. Includes everything needed to achieve market goals (excluding organizational resources), for example:

Ensure a certain volume of production (production volume = sales volume - existing inventories + planned inventories).
Build a workshop (volume of capital construction).
Develop a new technology (carrying out research and development work).

Organizational goals - everything related to management, structure and, for example:

Hire three marketers.
Bring the average level of employees to the salary level of the market leader.
Implement a project management system.

Financial goals - link all goals in value terms, for example:

Net sales (from "market goals").
The amount of costs (from “production” and “organizational” goals).
Gross and .
Return on sales, etc.

For existing enterprises, the establishment of market goals, as a rule, precedes the establishment of all goals of other functional areas (production, organizational, financial, etc.). Thus, market goals are the starting point for defining other functional goals.

Establishing all goals of other functional areas (production, organizational, financial, etc.). Thus, market goals are the starting point for defining other functional goals.

In some cases, setting market goals may be preceded by setting financial goals, which is usually typical for entrepreneurs at the stage of opening a new business or when preparing projects for the development of certain new areas of activity.

The limitation for developing market goals is higher-level goals. Considering that market goals are key (overriding) for the life of an organization, then a higher level for market goals are:

Mission;
vision;
the organization's credo (ideology).

Components of a marketing strategy

The company's marketing strategy must contain the following elements:

Defining the target market and target segments.
Identification of target customer groups.
Positioning.
Marketing complex.

Defining the target market and target segments

Determining the segment in which the company operates or intends to operate is the most important management decision and involves assessing and correlating the company’s capabilities and the attractiveness of the market. The choice of the target segment determines what needs the company aims to satisfy and what products or services it will present to customers.

If market segmentation is based on the study and consideration of the individual needs of each group of buyers, then the market is logically transformed into a set of consumer segments for which the corresponding goods and products can be provided. In this case, the task of identifying the target segment and identifying the target consumer group (see below) merge with each other.

If the main criterion for segmentation is the characteristics of goods, then the market is logically transformed into a set of product segments (see Example 2 below), in which further, if necessary, separate target consumer groups are determined.

The purpose of market segmentation is to divide the market into smaller groups (segments) in order to subsequently concentrate efforts on the most attractive ones.

In any case, no matter how the company segments the market, it must define for itself and write down in documents both the segments in which it operates and the target consumer groups.

Example 1. Taking into account the heterogeneous supply of sand in different areas of the city and the economic inexpediency of transporting sand over significant distances, OJSC Rudas, which is the leader in the market for construction sands in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, segments the sand market in St. Petersburg geographically, distinguishing three segments :

South of the city.
Right Bank.
North and North-West of the city.

Each of these segments is characterized by a different ratio of supply and demand for construction sands, as well as the level of competition, so the company determines market goals in each of these segments and builds a pricing policy in accordance with this.

Defining target customer groups

The 80/20 rule of thumb states that 20% of customers generate 80% of a company's profits. Addition (William Sherdon) "80/20/30": "The 20% of the most profitable customers give the company 80% of the profits, half of which is lost in serving the 30% of the least profitable customers."

Identifying target customer groups and concentrating efforts on working with them allows the company to more fully satisfy the needs of priority customers and strengthen its position in the market. At the same time, concentration allows the organization to significantly increase the efficiency of using internal and external resources.

In some cases, a company may not carry out market segmentation by product at the first stage of analysis and may not even determine the markets in which it intends to operate, linking its activities with a specific group of customers (thus, the company determines only to satisfy the needs of which group of consumers it works).

Example 2. An example of such an organization is the Petromed holding, which manages the work of more than 10 companies in various areas of activity that provide comprehensive solutions to the problems of Russian healthcare organizations. Thus, Petromed, having identified its target group of consumers (health care organizations), segments its markets according to various types of their needs.

To identify target groups, it is necessary to define segmentation criteria, i.e. factors that allow you to divide existing and/or potential customers into groups. The most common criteria for consumer segmentation include satisfied needs, geographic factors, and consumer behavior.

Unjustifiably often, the level of consumer income is used a priori as the main criterion for segmentation (especially when it comes to consumer goods). At the same time, appropriate consumer research is not conducted, as a result of which the division by income level may not correspond to different types of consumer behavior.

Example 3. Based on the conducted marketing research, it was decided to divide the clients of Rudas OJSC into the following groups according to the type of needs satisfied:

Factories - house-building factories, brick factories, factories of reinforced concrete products.
Road workers are road construction organizations.
Builders - construction organizations (civil/residential construction).
Others - other organizations engaged in general construction work.

The introduction of an additional segmentation criterion - the volume of average annual purchases - makes it possible to distinguish large and small customers in these groups.

Each of the selected groups has differences in requirements for the quality of purchased sand, delivery conditions and other conditions for working with the sand supplier; some of the selected groups are more attractive for JSC Rudas.

Regardless of what kind of decision the company makes regarding the choice of the target segment and target group of customers, this decision must be understood and recorded in the marketing strategy.

Positioning

When a company has decided which market segments it intends to operate in, it needs to make a decision regarding what “positions” it would like to occupy in these segments.

Positioning is very closely related to the company's competitive strategy in terms of highlighting competitive advantages. Often these competitive advantages are the basis for creating a brand image in the eyes of potential consumers. But you can also often find positioning options when the non-existent advantages of a product are highlighted for the consumer.

Marketing complex

The marketing mix determines how possible marketing tools and methods of influencing consumers will be used in four areas (product, price, promotion, distribution) to ensure the necessary positioning in the market.

The marketing complex includes:

Product policy (assortment, service, etc.);
policy (prices, discounts, calculations);
promotion policy (advertising, PR and point-of-sale advertising);
distribution policy (geography, location at the point of sale, maybe sales channels and transportation).

The purpose of developing a company's product policy is to determine in what range of goods the company will offer on the market, what characteristics they will have.

The purpose of developing a company's pricing policy is to determine the rules for setting and changing prices for offered goods, as well as possible price adjustments (discounts).

The promotion policy is developed in order to determine what methods the company will use to inform consumers about its activities and products, incl. for positioning purposes.

The purpose of developing a distribution policy is to determine how the delivery of a company's goods to consumers will be organized.

Marketing as a functional area

We distinguish the following types of organizational strategies:

Basic strategy is a fundamental decision for the development of an organization. That is, whether the organization will grow or reduce (curtail) activities. Or it will fix the scale of activity at the existing level. The growth or curtailment of activities is usually assessed based on the volume of product sales in physical terms (rather than in value terms).

Making a decision on the basic strategy determines the need for resources (with the basic “growth” strategy, the need for resources in most cases increases, with the “reduction” strategy it decreases), funds are saved or a surplus appears.

Competitive strategy is a choice between focusing on the entire market or part of it, as well as between the main competitive advantage (low price of the product or its distinctive features *).

Portfolio strategy is a choice associated with linking various management objects (products, business units, enterprises, technologies, resources) with each other and determining the place of each object among others. This solves the problem of obtaining a balanced portfolio.

For example, portfolio strategies are product strategy and corporate strategy.

Product strategy is a decision regarding the structure (composition and volumes) of sales of the main products produced by the enterprise. That is, decisions for each individual product - for example, to maintain sales, modify or discontinue production, start developing a new product, etc.

Corporate strategy is a decision regarding individual enterprises within a corporation. For example, increase influence on the management of the enterprise by purchasing additional shares; sell the enterprise; do not interfere with the activities of the enterprise, etc. Thus, we are talking about the formation of a “portfolio of enterprises”.

The same approach can be applied to other control objects (for example, technologies).

Functional strategy is the selection of decision rules in each functional area. Thus, any organization has several functional strategies (for example, marketing strategy, financial strategy, etc.).

If we take as an object of management the functions performed in the organization (vertical view), then accordingly we can highlight strategies for each of the functional areas.

Note 2: Any of the functional strategies shown in the diagram can be broken down into different sections. The strategy sections shown in the diagram (see the lower level of the diagram) are exemplary.

Note 3: product strategy determines what products the company will supply to the market (what business units will be in the company), product policy, which is part of the marketing mix, determines the product range.

Marketing strategy is an integral key part of an organization's overall strategy. The overall strategy of the enterprise is largely determined by the marketing strategy.

At the stage of developing a marketing strategy, possible production strategies are a constraint on the marketing strategy; subsequently, the marketing strategy, as a rule, determines all other strategies. There may be exceptions, for example, in high-tech markets, where new technologies (products) may determine the marketing strategy. In such cases, as a rule, the strategy is independent and is not an integral part of the production strategy.

Overall strategy consists of competitive strategy, product strategy and functional strategies.

Marketing as a business process

If you look at the organization from the point of view of the work performed in the organization, i.e. If we consider processes as an object of management (horizontal view), then we can determine the influence of marketing on all the main functions performed in the organization.

This view of marketing is most consistent with the idea of ​​marketing as a business philosophy. This idea of ​​marketing implies that everything that is done in an organization is aimed at achieving one goal - satisfying customer needs. The focus of the entire company on customer needs is a key point, indicating that the company has implemented a marketing ideology.

Difference and connection between marketing and sales strategy

A sales strategy (sales strategy) is a set of long-term decisions regarding ways to bring a company’s products (services) to customers through the use of internal organization and external market infrastructure.

The sales strategy defines the following parameters:

Distribution channels or part of the distribution policy (for example, general and private schemes for working across distribution channels, selection criteria and selection of distributors);
selling methods (eg, active personal selling, passive selling, electronic selling);
warehouse policy (for example, your own warehouse, rented warehouse, dealer warehouse, no warehouse);
inventory policy (average monthly product inventory in the warehouse, product inventory at the point of sale);
transport logistics (your own transport, rented transport, intermediary transport, client transport).

Communication between marketing and sales

A sales-oriented organization is an intermediate stage between a production-oriented organization and a customer-oriented organization. The most common formal signs of a sales-oriented organization in Russia are:

Relatively large sales force;
commercial director (head of sales service) - one of the most influential people in the organization, as a rule, the second Manager;
relatively large advertising costs compared to investments in and development of new products (services);
the development of new names and product packaging is carried out in-house (lack of experience working with advertising agencies);
No one in the organization except the sales staff is incentivized to help increase sales.

Sometimes sales-oriented organizations are characterized by a low level of related service and warranty service (a legacy of a production orientation).

Sales orientation is often mistaken for customer orientation, but it is not. At the same time, it does not deny the need for commercial efforts to sell products (services), but defines them only as one of the factors for the company’s success in the market.

The sales function in an organization, despite its great importance, must be subordinated to the marketing function: in general, marketing must set goals for sales. Therefore, the marketing strategy should also be decisive for the sales strategy.

To put it simply, a marketing strategy answers the question of “to whom,” “what,” and “where” an organization will sell, while a sales strategy answers the question of “how” (and “where”) to sell.

Distribution channels can be defined in both the marketing strategy and/or the sales strategy. At the same time, in the marketing strategy, in terms of answering the question “where to sell,” the geographical locations of sales must be determined, and a basic scheme for selecting sales channels can also be determined (for example, choose a scheme of working through a dealer network, or a network of your own trading houses, etc. .).

Example 4. Juice manufacturer Multon made a strategic decision to develop retail operations in the North-West directly through its trading house until official dealers began to work at the required level. The same scheme is now used by a company in Moscow. The Lebedyansky experimental canning plant, on the contrary, is gradually displacing its dealers from chain retail outlets in Moscow and working with them (retail outlets) directly.

Where the decision on which sales channels the company operates will be fixed - in marketing or sales policy - is not of fundamental importance, the main thing is that this is done. The same requirement applies to the solution for transporting goods (transport logistics).

Conflict between marketing and sales

When marketing and sales are combined within one department (service), the sales function, as a rule, pushes aside or absorbs. To effectively implement the marketing function, it is desirable that it be managed independently of the sales management itself.

Quite often you may encounter the fact that when a company’s market share is declining (or even turnover is falling), the sales service responds to the demand for an increase in sales volume: “more advertising - more sales”, “less advertising - less sales”. In this case, competitors who are increasing their advertising activity are often cited as an example, but specific figures are usually not given*. The result of such requirements, as a rule, is an increase in advertising budgets, up to an operating loss. This, in turn, can create serious financial problems for the organization if the market does not respond properly to increased promotional activity. In this case, perhaps the problem lies in the area of ​​inconsistency of the product (service) with existing market requirements.

Example 5. The Baltika company, having lost a significant part of the St. Petersburg market, last year tried to restore its leading position by repeatedly increasing advertising activity (promotion of brands N3, N8 and N0). As a result, it was possible to ensure that the absolute leader of previous years, beer N3, rose only to third place in popularity among city residents.

In 2012, Baltika is actively promoting a new product to the market - beer cocktails. The long-term success of this promotion will depend entirely on the demand for this product in the market, and not on the activity of the advertising campaign and the amount of funds invested in it.

Organization of marketing activities in Russian companies

As part of the concept of a customer-oriented organization, it is necessary to position the marketing service as a representative of a potential buyer in the company.

Based on our experience of working with domestic organizations, we can say that today in most Russian companies the structural unit called the marketing and advertising service is not actually such a service. As a rule, within the framework of such services, only the promotion function is performed, i.e. only one of the elements of marketing takes place. Such services mainly report to the commercial director and play a supporting role in relation to sales.

Based on the degree to which the marketing function is performed at enterprises, the following options for organizing marketing activities can be distinguished:

Marketing functions are assigned only to the top management of the company;
employees of the sales department or commercial service, in addition to their main functions, perform marketing functions;
Advertising department employees, in addition to their main functions, perform marketing functions;
in the sales department, commercial service or advertising department there is a marketing specialist who performs only marketing tasks;
a special marketing department is created in the company, reporting to the commercial director (sales director);
in the company, the marketing director is responsible for marketing functions - production and sales functions are subordinated to marketing ones;
focusing the company on horizontal connections (the main marketing processes in the company), rather than on vertical ones (the structure of divisions). Marketing functions are distributed among project teams, which include employees from various departments. Quite often, these groups may include outside experts. This form of organization is used to develop new products, attract new customers, conduct individual promotions and events, etc.

The latter form of marketing organization is not yet very widespread in Russia and can be used in a limited number of enterprises.

Example 6. The St. Petersburg cereal manufacturer Angstrem, relying in its ongoing activities on the 4th of the listed types of organization of marketing activities, actively uses the practice of creating project teams when introducing new brands to the market. As a result, at the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013, the company developed and successfully launched a product under the new brand PROSTO (instant cereals in bags).

Analysis of the external environment as a key stage in developing a marketing strategy

Analysis of the external and internal environment in any organization is carried out constantly in various forms. It is the basis for making any decisions about the activities of the organization. These materials are about, which can be applied purposefully and systematically to obtain the information necessary both for strategic planning and for assessing the success of strategy implementation.

The “environment” or “environment” of an organization is the totality of all external and internal factors influencing the activities of this organization. Analysis of the external and internal environment allows us to obtain information necessary both for strategic planning and for assessing the success of strategy implementation. Based on the data from this analysis, the organization's goals and strategies, and, to a lesser extent, its mission are determined.

The purpose of the stage is to understand the situation and determine the company’s development prospects for the long term by identifying external opportunities and threats, taking into account the internal potential of the company.

Before conducting an environmental analysis, it is important to keep in mind that there is an unlimited amount of information available, not all of which is equally useful in decision making. Therefore, in order to limit the time, effort and financial resources spent on environmental analysis, it is necessary to find “filters” to determine the necessary information (relevant information). Such filters are the mission, goals and strategies of the organization. But strategic planning is precisely what serves to develop them, so we can talk about the fact that before starting an environmental analysis, it is necessary to obtain an approximate formulation of the mission and, preferably, the goals of the organization.

This is practically always what happens, only often the mission and goals of the organization are not formulated explicitly, but are only understood “on an intuitive level.” Therefore, it is highly desirable to obtain these statements in writing to avoid their ambiguous interpretation and to be able to accurately determine which information from the organization's environment is relevant and which is not.

Environmental analysis is a critical process. Based on the data from this analysis, the company's goals and strategies are determined and its mission is clarified.

External environment analysis is carried out for:

Determining the possibilities that the enterprise can count on if it successfully conducts its work;
identifying threats and complications that will await the enterprise if it fails to ward off the negative influences of the environment in a timely manner.

The external environment consists of the “near environment” and the “far environment”. The immediate environment includes clients, shareholders, suppliers and competitors of the organization, the distant environment includes all other interested groups (state, society, etc.). First of all, the immediate environment (industry) is analyzed, but in the conditions of our country, an analysis of the actions of government authorities is also a very important factor.

Analysis of the external environment helps to control factors external to the company, obtain important results (time to develop an early warning system in case of possible threats, time to forecast opportunities, time to draw up a contingency plan and time to develop strategies). To do this, you need to find out where the organization is, where it should be in the future and what management should do to achieve this.

Organization of the marketing strategy development process

The development of a company’s marketing strategy can be organized both by the company’s employees and by involving external specialists in performing individual works.

To develop a marketing strategy, you must complete the following tasks:

Conduct an analysis of the external environment and evaluate the market position and current marketing strategy of the company.
Assess the state of marketing activities within the company (organization of marketing activities, marketing information system, completeness of marketing functions).

Based on the analysis of the external and internal environment, determine the strategic goals of the company.

Determine ways to achieve your goals (marketing strategies).

In terms of practical organization of the process of developing a marketing strategy, the following recommendations can be given:

Determine and record the goal of developing the company’s marketing strategy and the “internal customer” - the manager who will control the development process and accept its results.
Determine who is responsible for developing a marketing strategy with the necessary qualifications, and determine his powers within the framework of this task.
Form a working group of key company employees who will take an active part in developing a marketing strategy.
Create a work plan for developing a marketing strategy with deadlines and responsibilities. Determine how and by whom the main stages of analysis of the internal and external environment will be carried out, taking into account the qualifications of employees and the availability of information necessary for the analysis.

Conduct an introductory meeting of the working group to discuss and accept the terminology and approaches that will be used in the strategy development process, and approve the work plan.

Allocate a budget for carrying out these works.
Further actions to develop a marketing strategy are determined based on the work plan.

In order for the developed marketing strategy not to remain “just a document”, but to become an active management tool, it is necessary to develop and apply a procedure for tracking the achievement of set goals and informing company employees about the results of marketing activities.

Marketing plan

A marketing plan is a document that defines the main activities aimed at implementing the organization's marketing strategy.

In Russian companies, two main approaches to documenting decisions made in the field of marketing strategy can be distinguished:

1. Creation of two documents: “Marketing Strategy” and “Marketing Plan”.
2. Creation of a “Marketing Plan” document, the first part of which briefly reflects the results of the environmental analysis and the adopted marketing strategy.

We believe that it is more correct to develop two documents, given that the “Marketing Strategy” usually has a more long-term nature compared to the marketing plan.

In this case, the following sections are included in the Marketing Strategy document:

Summary - a brief description of market goals and ways to achieve them.
Current Market State
- Market volume and potential.
- Level of competition.
- Price level.
- Existing market structure.
Threats and opportunities.
Goals and objectives of the company’s activities in the market and in the field of marketing.
Marketing strategy.
- Target markets and consumer groups.
- Positioning.
- Product policy.
- Pricing policy.
- Promotion policy.
- Distribution policy.

In this case, the “Marketing Plan” may consist of the following sections:

1. Summary - a brief description of the company's market goals for the planned period and what is planned to be done to achieve them.

2. Action program - detailed measures for the implementation of the marketing mix:

What events will be held?
By whom (whose forces) will they be carried out?
When will they be held (schedule).
Planned costs for holding events (marketing budget).

3. Indicators of effectiveness of marketing activities.

4. Control - how the implementation of the plan will be monitored.

In the section “Efficiency Indicators of Marketing Activities” it should be determined by what indicators the effectiveness of the company’s marketing activities will be assessed, and the control (planned) values ​​of these indicators. Examples of indicators for assessing the effectiveness of marketing activities include:

The ratio of sales of goods in value terms to the costs of marketing activities.

The ratio of the increase in product sales in value terms for the period to the increase in costs for marketing activities.

The relative market share occupied by a company's new product or the change in market share of an old product.

It is advisable to involve key employees of various services of the organization (production, financial, etc.) in the development and coordination of the marketing plan. The approved marketing plan must be brought to the attention of service managers, its implementation must be monitored, and necessary adjustments must be made in accordance with the procedure defined in the “Control” section.

Types of Marketing Strategies

An organization's marketing strategies can be of different types. Their classification can be carried out according to various criteria. In this article we will look at the most common type of classification, in which all possible marketing strategies are divided into four main groups: concentrated growth strategies, integrated growth strategies, diversified growth strategies and reduction strategies. Let's look at them in more detail.

Concentrated growth strategies imply the activity of an enterprise aimed at changing the product produced or even the market in which this product is sold. Product modernization, search for a new market, etc. can be applied here.

This type of strategy includes:

Strategy for strengthening market position. At the same time, “horizontal” activity occurs - the struggle with competitors for market share.
A strategy for finding new markets for an existing type of product.
Product development strategy.

Integrated growth strategies are activities to expand the structure of the enterprise. In this case, growth occurs due to “vertical” development. The enterprise may begin to produce new products or services.

This type includes:

Reverse vertical strategy - influence and control over suppliers, dealers, distributors and subsidiaries.
The strategy of forward vertical integration - the impact on the final buyers of the product.

Diversified growth strategies are used in cases where an enterprise does not have the opportunity to develop in the existing market with the product it produces.

As a result, one of the following marketing strategies may be chosen:

A typical product life cycle consists of several stages: development and implementation; height; maturity; saturation; decline

After a company has developed and created its product, it brings it to the market. Takes all possible measures to create demand for it and tries to win the trust of customers. At this stage, the company incurs high costs.

The growth stage is characterized by market perception of the product, increased demand for it, and increased sales and profits.

The maturity stage is when the company achieves maximum sales and profits due to the fact that the product is accepted by customers and there is demand for it; Competing products appear.

Saturation and decline are a sharp decline in sales and profits, a product is discontinued and (or) replaced with a more advanced one; the company's exit from the market.

It is quite difficult to determine where one stage ends and another begins, so a certain stage is usually distinguished by the clearly expressed indicators of each stage, i.e. when, for example, the volume of sales, profits, etc. increases or decreases.

The product life cycle is represented as a classic S-shaped curve. Although, to be fair, it should be noted that not all products are characterized by the above stages. Therefore, the marketing service must clearly understand the stages of the product life cycle and carefully monitor changes in the company’s key indicators in order to correctly determine the boundaries of the stages and, accordingly, make the necessary amendments to the company’s marketing program.

Bank marketing strategy

Competition policy acts as one of the strategic directions for the commercial direction of its activities and determines the fundamental approach to organizing the bank’s relationships with its competitors.

Banking competition is a continuous process of competition between credit institutions to ensure optimal operating conditions in the relevant segments of the financial services markets.

> universal banks;
> specialized banks (savings, mortgage, investment, clearing, etc.);
> non-banking (credit, pawnshops, investment funds, insurance companies, etc.).

NOTE: at the same time, specialized credit organizations, and for them, in turn, non-banking institutions, are more dangerous competitors for universal banks. This is determined by the degree of deepening specialization in the relevant market segments. Thus, in the market for short-term loans to individuals for urgent needs, a more dangerous competitor for a universal bank will be a savings bank, and for it a credit cooperative or simply a pawnshop.

OPTION 1: Aggressive competition policy.

Implementation principle: The option follows from and involves the active displacement of competitors from the selected market segment.

Advantages:

> if successfully implemented, it allows you to quickly improve the bank’s market position with subsequent financial results;
> this policy allows us to increase the overall level of the bank’s organizational and managerial culture as one of the necessary prerequisites for successful implementation.

Flaws:

> the need for significant preliminary costs to create the proper competitive potential of the bank;
> the threat of an adequate response from competitors, including in the form of combining their efforts to repel a common aggressor.

> for banks entering a highly competitive market;
> for large banks operating in highly competitive markets if they have favorable external and internal conditions.

NOTE: In none of the above cases can such a policy be implemented on a permanent basis. Immediately after achieving the set goals (entering the market or capturing an additional part of it), it is recommended to return to a more restrained and safer version of competition policy.

OPTION 2: Passive competition policy.

Implementation principle: The option follows from the reduction strategy and involves maintaining or slightly reducing the serviced market while ensuring the required level of competitiveness of the corresponding banking product.

Advantages:

> the least expensive version of competition policy;
> absence of any threats from competitors. The disadvantage is associated with the negative financial and commercial consequences of a shrinking market served.

> for any banks facing an unacceptable level of pressure from competitors;
> for banks whose mission and market behavior strategy does not imply the need to expand the served market;
> for large universal banks if their marketers identify unfavorable prospects for the conditions of the market they serve, which determine the need to withdraw part of their assets from it.

NOTE: Of the three options above, only the first is indirect evidence of the bank’s weakness and the fallacy of the strategy it previously implemented. In other cases, the competition policy he has chosen is quite adequate to the overall strategy, and therefore expedient.

OPTION 3: Offensive competition policy.

Implementation principle: The option follows from a strategy of limited growth and involves a gradual expansion of the served market without using methods of direct pressure on competitors.

The option is a strategic compromise that mitigates the disadvantages of polar options and does not fully ensure their advantages.

NOTE: the main problem associated with the implementation of this option is the choice of methods for expanding the serviced market that will not be perceived by other credit institutions as a manifestation of an aggressive policy.

Factors determining the choice of a specific competition policy option:

A). External (independent of the bank):
> current industry and regional conditions of the relevant markets (as the main factor);
> general situation in the economy;

NOTE: Thus, pursuing an aggressive competitive strategy associated with constant risks is categorically not recommended during the economic downturn. Similarly, pursuing a passive competitive strategy at the stage of economic growth would be an unsuitable option, since for the bank this is associated with large missed opportunities.

> current state.

NOTE: when choosing a competition policy option, the same factor is taken into account as the previous factor (at the stage of tightening tax and monetary policy, restrained behavior of all financial market participants is advisable).

B). Internal (determined by the conditions of a particular bank):
> financial capabilities (as the main factor);

NOTE: determining the real capabilities of the bank to create competitive potential, create special reserves and quickly maneuver assets in various market segments.

> current market positions of the bank;

NOTE: which, first of all, include the image in the eyes of clients, the actual market share served, the share of regular clientele, as well as the level of organizational and managerial culture.

> relations with competitors in the relevant market segment.

NOTE: there are four main types of such relationships - direct confrontation, fair competition, complete neutrality, hidden. Depending on the type of relationship with the majority of competitors, the appropriate version of the competition policy is selected (for example, in the absence of direct confrontation with the majority of rival banks, it should not be provoked by choosing an aggressive option).

Basic methods for implementing competition policy Methods of a financial nature:

> reduction of costs for the production of banking products, in comparison with similar costs of competitors;
> reducing costs for selling banking products.

NOTE: the specific conditions for the creation of a number of domestic banks discussed above determined their obvious competitive advantages in the area under consideration. So:

Banks holding monopoly positions in the market had the opportunity to attract funds into deposits at low interest rates;
- banks created by large corporations had the opportunity to attract funds by placing low-income funds among its other subsidiaries in the order of internal corporate redistribution of profits;
- banks supported by government authorities had the opportunity to use non-standard methods of attracting new customers, eliminating traditional advertising costs, etc.

Marketing methods:

> pricing methods (the most effective);
> assortment methods;
> advertising methods.

Organizational methods:

> introduction of a more efficient OSU model;
> development of a branch network, allowing entry into new regional markets (as the most expensive method);
> use of new organizational forms of customer service.

EXAMPLE: for individual servicing of a legal entity - a VIP client, an additional office is created, providing him with the full possible range of services. An additional attractiveness of this organizational approach is provided by locating the office directly in the client's headquarters building.

Unfair methods of competition:

> banking intelligence;
> the use of hidden support from government bodies (especially characteristic of modern domestic conditions);
> abuse of its monopoly position in the market;
> poaching the most valuable employees;
> using the media to discredit competitors in the eyes of the state or clients;
> openly criminal methods (the least common today in both domestic and foreign markets).

NOTE: Such methods are contrary to banking ethics, but are actively used today in highly competitive markets. This primarily concerns business intelligence and poaching valuable employees. Only a few of them cause a sharply negative reaction from the banking community - deliberate defamation (dissemination of deliberately false information about competitors) and outright criminal methods (physical threats against the heads of a rival bank or the use of hired hackers to damage its computer networks).

Marketing communications strategy

Communication strategy (or communication policy) is part of the marketing strategy, which is a long-term plan for building and implementing the company’s marketing communications to ensure the achievement of strategic marketing and higher-level corporate goals. Accordingly, the goal of developing a communication strategy is to streamline and synchronize the company's marketing communications to ensure maximum efficiency of all communication activities as a whole in terms of achieving marketing goals.

Marketing communications is a broader concept than advertising, and includes, for example, activities such as PR (public relations) or SEO (website search engine optimization), which do not belong to advertising in the traditional sense. A communication strategy allows you to consider all communications in their entirety, determine the place and importance of each campaign, correctly prioritize each of them and set the optimal sequence for their implementation.

When developing a communication strategy, it is necessary to take into account that building communications with consumers is perhaps the most creative process of all marketing activities, so here it is necessary to find a fine line between the necessary coordination of communication activities and unnecessary interference in the communications themselves. It is also important to understand that greater depth of time planning allows not only to determine the basic principles and priorities, but also to determine how they will change over time.

The communication strategy includes the following main elements:

* Goals – defining the overall goals of the communication strategy.
* Audience – target audience and its characteristics.
* Products and brands - general principles for choosing objects for promotion.
* Message – policy in the field of determining the content and form of communications.
* Budget – economic restrictions and general principles of budget formation.
* Communication channels – policy in the field of selection of media carriers.
* Measurements – general principles for determining the effectiveness of communications.

Marketing Strategy Assessment

Currently, many senior managers of Russian enterprises are trying to introduce strategic management into the activities of their organizations, which involves organizing the work of the enterprise in accordance with the chosen marketing strategy. The main idea of ​​strategic management is the idea of ​​an organic, consistent adaptation of the organization to a changing external environment, the idea of ​​a targeted approach to solving any management problems and organizing the management system as a whole.

There are three stages of the strategic management process:

Stage of strategic planning (strategy development, strategic analysis and choice);
- the stage of strategic organization or setting up an organizational system in accordance with the chosen strategy (strategy implementation, strategy implementation);
- stage of strategic control and regulation (strategy assessment, monitoring and evaluation of execution).

At the strategic planning stage, the strategies of the enterprise (at the corporate level) are determined by establishing its mission, analyzing strategic positions, studying internal and external factors and actions that can lead to the achievement, retention, development and competitive advantages.

The result of strategic planning is a developed strategy, on the basis of which the strategic management of the enterprise is carried out.

At the stage of strategic organization, all resources, internal connections, goals, tasks and areas of responsibility of employees are brought into full compliance with the chosen strategy. At the same time, the necessary organizational changes are carried out at the enterprise and a policy is developed for each of its structural divisions.

Strategy can be considered as a comprehensive plan for achieving the mission (main goal) of an enterprise. In form, a strategy is one of the management documents that can be presented in the form of graphs, tables, descriptions, etc. In content, strategy is a set of actions to achieve the goals of the organization.

According to the three-level model of strategic management proposed by Peter Lorange, strategies can be classified as follows:

Corporate strategies (that is, strategies that are common to the organization). The content of the corporate strategy is the general concept of the development of the enterprise and the regulation of the interaction of the enterprise's businesses - the business portfolio. Corporate strategies are aimed at achieving global competitive advantages, manifested in low costs or distinctive quality;
- business strategy (strategy for the areas of activity of the organization). Achieving the corporate goals of an enterprise depends on what kind of business and how the enterprise will engage in and what strategy it will choose for each type of its business. At the business level, the enterprise's approach to achieving and maintaining competitive advantages in a specific area of ​​business is determined. Business strategies determine the behavior of an enterprise in the market for a specific product;
- functional strategies determine the directions of action in such functional areas as finance, marketing (marketing policy), research, etc. Their purpose is to ensure the solution of tasks set at the corporate and business levels with the highest possible efficiency. Their main difference from top-level strategies is their intra-production focus.

However, before developing a strategy on the basis of which the strategic management of an enterprise is carried out, it is necessary to assess the readiness of the enterprise for precisely this strategic approach to management.

The accumulated experience of conducting marketing audits by the consulting firm "Polimex" has made it possible to identify several signs, the degree of manifestation of which in the activities of an enterprise characterizes its readiness to use strategic management and planning, to work on a marketing strategy.

These signs appear at the enterprise to varying degrees and ultimately characterize its competitive advantages:

1) Definition of the mission. Having an idea of ​​the goals that the enterprise wants to achieve in the future, that is, having a developed mission of the enterprise, consistent with the claims of the owners and formalized in the form of a Mission Statement of the enterprise.
2) Definition of the goals and strategy of the enterprise, which must be formalized in the form of documents that consistently outline the concept of strategic management of the enterprise for a certain period.
3) Availability of a well-functioning mechanism for collecting, analyzing and processing marketing information. The managerial response to external threats should be ahead of their occurrence, based on the study of “weak signals”, i.e. signs of a possible threat, otherwise the most correct but delayed decisions become useless. The enterprise must be able to timely recognize problems and have a mechanism for solving them.
4) Work to improve the competitiveness of the enterprise. Having a clear and unified understanding of the competitive advantages and weaknesses of the enterprise. The enterprise must constantly search for new forms and types of activities to increase its competitiveness. Management's complacency regarding the competitiveness of the enterprise is an alarming symptom. A strategy, even the best one, must be constantly adjusted depending on newly received information, otherwise it may lose its effectiveness over time.
5) The adaptability of an enterprise to emerging opportunities implies the presence of resources of different composition and quality for the implementation of different market opportunities. The organization's potential must adapt to emerging opportunities in order to ensure a stable position in the market based on the development of goals and their timely adjustment.
6) The focus of current management on achieving the strategic objectives of the enterprise. Current management should be a continuation, specification of strategic management and carried out within the framework of the current strategy. In the absence of strategic management, the interests of functional units begin to prevail over the interests of the enterprise as a whole.
7) Organizational separation of strategic management tasks from operational management tasks. We are talking about the differentiation of staff and line functions, freeing senior managers from solving operational problems. The same managers should not be allowed to deal with the tasks of strategic and operational management at an enterprise.
8) Availability of headquarters units providing in-house consulting on strategic development issues. Such units do not participate in solving operational management problems, but provide advice to senior managers on strategic management issues (for example, the strategic development department).
9) Inviting third-party consultants to solve non-specific problems. External consultants have a certain independence, and therefore, with a greater degree of objectivity, they can assess the state of problematic issues of strategic management at the enterprise.
10) Constantly informing staff about the strategic goals and plans of the enterprise. Periodic reminders to employees about the mission, information about the strategic goals and plans of the enterprise contribute to motivating higher achievements in the activities of personnel.
11) High level, providing for the harmonization of the interests of the enterprise and the interests of various groups and categories of employees.
12) The presence at the enterprise of an effectively working marketing department staffed with qualified personnel. This division (service) must form a marketing strategy based on accounting and analysis of factors in the external and internal environment of the enterprise.

The degree of manifestation of the considered signs in the activities of an enterprise best characterizes the level of its readiness to implement a strategic approach to management or the “strategicness” of the enterprise.

Identification of the degree of manifestation of signs characterizing the readiness of an enterprise to use the principles and methods of strategic planning and management can be carried out expertly using the Delphi method, which is one of the most common methods of expert assessment. This method belongs to the class of group expert assessment methods and is based on identifying a consensus collective opinion during an individual questionnaire survey of experts. At the same time, the Delphi method combines procedures for obtaining expert information with effective feedback, allowing experts to correct their judgments. One of the distinctive features of the method is the anonymity of responses, introduced so that experts’ judgments are based only on their own preferences and other opinions do not influence the expert.

Enterprise managers are used as experts, which ensures confidentiality and does not require additional time and resources required to attract third-party specialists. Enterprise managers have knowledge of local conditions and specifics, but, on the other hand, they are less prepared for expert work, which requires additional clarification of the essence and methodology of conducting an expert survey, as well as taking into account the characteristics of the answers when processing expert information.

Marketing strategies in crisis management

Developing a strategy is a complex and time-consuming process in itself. Marketing strategy is one of the guiding activities of an organization, since it determines the behavior of the organization in the market, which has to withstand many negative environmental factors. The goal of a marketing strategy is for the organization to occupy the most advantageous position in the market, as well as a set of measures to ensure the achievement of this position. This goal can generally be called the fundamental basis of a marketing strategy; In addition to it, other tasks can be set that are dynamic and, in the process of implementing the strategy, are adjusted in accordance with real market conditions.

A marketing strategy in its formation goes through 4 main stages:

1) analysis of the organization’s marketing capabilities - assessment of the organization’s strengths and weaknesses, its advantages from functioning in the market in question, possible threats and risks;
2) selection of operating markets - consideration of the positive and negative aspects of the market, its consumer composition, the need for products in which the organization specializes and, of course, analysis of supply and demand;
3) development of the main provisions of the marketing program - the formation of a pricing policy, methods of introducing a product to the market and its subsequent distribution, organizing control over the sale of products, defining an advertising campaign;
4) approval and implementation of marketing programs - justification of the formed programs from the point of view of crisis management and the overall strategy of the organization.

Since it is necessary to consider marketing strategies in the field of anti-crisis management, it should be noted that they occupy a significant place in the overall anti-crisis strategy and are often decisive in the question of how the organization will overcome the crisis.

It is most convenient to classify marketing strategies according to characteristics; in view of the above, the following classification can be presented:

1. Market strategies:
- a strategy aimed at occupying a larger market share;
- strategy aimed at obtaining (capturing) competitive advantages;
- strategy related to the development of a new market.

Market strategies are focused on the organization achieving a sustainable and most advantageous position in the market. The main criterion for assessing an organization's position in the market is its share in this market.

2. Integration strategies:
- macroeconomic strategy;
- microeconomic;
- regional;
- intra-industry;
- intersectoral;
- production strategy;
- strategy of the non-production sector.
3. Anti-crisis strategies:
- strategy aimed at preventing;
- strategy for overcoming a crisis situation;
- a strategy designed to eliminate the consequences of a crisis.
4. Strategies:
- strategy of production factors;
- strategy of financial factors;
- strategy of investment factors;
- strategy of personnel factors;
- strategy of information factors.

The above strategies (integration, anti-crisis and production factor strategies) are essentially the preparation of the socio-economic and legal framework for the planned major transformations.

5. Marketing strategies:
- commodity;
- price;
- branded;
- advertising.

Of course, this is not a complete list of existing strategies – these are the main types.

You can also distinguish strategies depending on the size of the organization, market structure, etc.

Using marketing tools in crisis management

Marketing is not only a system for monitoring and analyzing the market environment, but is also a management system.

Of course, this is not a priority management structure in the organization, but it should be noted that depending on the stage of crisis management, certain marketing means are used.

In light of this, we can distinguish 3 main states: pre-crisis management, crisis and post-crisis.

1. Pre-crisis management.

At this stage, the main objectives of marketing are to prevent a crisis situation and build basic strategic plans.

The main controls are:
- strategies aimed at preventing crises;
- strategic plans of the organization, business plans, preparation of advertising campaigns;
- formation of basic marketing strategies (market and strategies through marketing);
- development of labor incentive and motivation programs;
- diagnostics of the state of the business environment and risk factors;
- development of a decision-making program.

Such methods make it possible to study the main socio-economic trends, gain experience, which in future periods provides a faster and more effective response to the emergence of various situations in the market and, with the help of various management tools, allows one to avoid negative consequences.

2. Crisis management.

The main goal is the fastest and most painless way out of the crisis.

Anti-crisis strategies and programs to overcome the crisis;
- strategies aimed at reducing the negative impact of the crisis on the state of the organization;
- plans and strategies developed for each specific situation (if the crisis is deep enough);
- programs to minimize costs;
- diagnostics of the most unstable structures.

In the field of marketing management, priority is given to situational programs, since they are more adapted to specific conditions and, therefore, are more effective.

3. Post-crisis management.

The emphasis is on rehabilitation and stabilization of the organization:

Stabilization programs;
- strategies aimed at updating problem areas;
- strategies aimed at assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the organization, as well as searching for new market opportunities;
- innovative business structures.

In crisis management, an important place belongs to such marketing tools as information and communication structures.

Information currently occupies a leading position in management, especially in anti-crisis management, where timely and accurate assessment of the situation is so important.

Since marketing itself involves market research, it is clear that the quality of the information received comes first, since anti-crisis strategies are developed and decisions are made on the basis of the data received.

Communication is a way of moving information through which connections are established. In crisis management, communications are a means of assessing and moving information primarily for marketing services; more precisely, communication is the main means of marketing for working with information. External types of communications are mainly used - direct interaction with market structures, the media, and the population.

Of course, there are also internal communications - these are relationships between departments and divisions of the organization), but priority still belongs to external ones. When working with information, the methods of its use and processing are of great importance. The effectiveness of use depends on the organization’s equipment with technical means and the latest developments, which significantly reduce processing time and improve the quality of the data obtained.

In crisis management, the role of effective communications increases sharply, since the correctness and direction of actions depend on the reliability and timeliness of information. Speaking about marketing means in anti-crisis management, one cannot fail to mention advertising as the most common and effective means of communication. Advertising is a type of communication that operates in the market and ensures the movement of goods to the consumer by providing information about the main characteristics of the product - of course, the most positive ones. Advertising establishes a relationship between producer and consumer, thereby being a means of management that ensures the development of production and market relations.
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Marketing as a concept of market orientation of management is determined by the need for a rapid response of an enterprise to a changing situation. At the same time, as the ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus noted, “we should always remember that we cannot control events, but must adapt to them.” This approach must be used when developing marketing strategies and plans, which are one of the main stages of an enterprise’s marketing activities.

Marketing Strategies– methods of action to achieve marketing goals.

The sequence of development of marketing strategies is presented in Fig. 7.1.

Rice. 7.1. Sequence of development of marketing strategies

Situational analysis is carried out to clarify the situation of the enterprise at the moment and determine the possibility of achieving its goals, taking into account the relationship with environmental factors.

Table 7.1

Analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise

External situation analysis– consideration of information about the state of the economy as a whole and the economic situation of a given enterprise. Involves the study of such factors as the country's economy and politics, technology, legislation, competitors, sales channels, buyers, science, culture, suppliers, infrastructure.

Internal situational analysis– assessment of the enterprise's resources in relation to the external environment and the resources of its main competitors. It involves studying factors such as goods and services, the company’s place in the market, personnel, pricing policy, and channels of promotion to the market.

SWOT analysis is a short document in which:

v reflects the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise’s activities, characterizing its internal environment. An example of a possible form for analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of an enterprise is presented in Table. 7.1;

Real possibilities are analyzed;

The reasons for the effectiveness (unprofitability) of work are revealed;

The ratio of advantages and disadvantages of the enterprise and competitors is analyzed;

The degree of susceptibility to environmental factors is determined.

Based on the SWOT analysis data, a SWOT matrix is ​​compiled (Table 7.2). On the left there are two sections - strengths and weaknesses identified from the results of compiling the table. 7.1. At the top of the matrix there are two sections – opportunities and threats.

Table 7.2

SWOT Matrix

At the intersection of sections, four fields are formed, for which all possible pair combinations should be considered and those that should be taken into account when developing an enterprise strategy should be highlighted:

–> “SIV” – strength and opportunity. For such pairs, a strategy should be developed to use the strengths of the enterprise in order to obtain results from the opportunities identified in the external environment;

–> “SIU” – power and threats. The strategy should involve using the enterprise's strengths to eliminate threats;

–> “SLV” – weakness and opportunities. The strategy must be structured in such a way that the enterprise can use the emerging opportunities to overcome existing weaknesses;

–> “SLU” – weakness and threats. The strategy must be structured in such a way that the enterprise gets rid of weaknesses and overcomes the existing threat.

To assess opportunities, the method of positioning each specific opportunity on the opportunity matrix is ​​used (Table 7.3). Recommendations based on the data in this matrix:

Table 7.3

Opportunity Matrix

–> opportunities that fall into the “BC”, “VU”, “SS” fields are of great importance for the enterprise, and they must be used;

–> opportunities that fall into the “SM”, “NU”, “NM” fields practically do not deserve attention;

–> for other opportunities, management must make a positive decision to pursue them if sufficient resources are available.

A similar matrix is ​​compiled to assess threats (Table 7.4). Based on this matrix, we can recommend the following:

– » threats falling into the fields “VR”, “VK”, “SR” pose a serious danger to the enterprise and require mandatory elimination;

–> threats that fall into the “VT”, “SK”, “HP” fields must be in the field of view of the enterprise management and are eliminated as a matter of priority;

–> threats that fall into the “NK”, “ST”, “VL” fields require a careful and responsible approach to eliminating them.

Table 7.4

Threat Matrix

Marketing Strategies allow you to determine the main directions of marketing and specific marketing programs.

Marketing strategies are formed on the basis of combinations of activities carried out within the marketing mix: product, place of sale, price, distribution, personnel. Examples of generated marketing strategies are presented in table. 7.5.

Table 7.5

Enterprise marketing strategies

Marketing strategies have certain requirements. They should be:

Clearly formulated, specific, consistent;

Designed to meet market requirements;

Divided into long-term and short-term;

Designed with resource constraints in mind.

7.2. General characteristics of marketing strategies

The various levels of enterprise management are presented in table. 7.6.

Table 7.6

Levels of enterprise management

The system of marketing strategies for various levels of management is presented in Table. 7.7.

Table 7.7

System of enterprise marketing strategies

7.3. Portfolio strategies

Briefcase– a set of independent business units, strategic units of one company.

Portfolio strategies– methods of distributing limited resources between business units of an enterprise using criteria for the attractiveness of market segments and the potential capabilities of each business unit.

Management of enterprise resources based on economic directions of market activity is carried out using the matrices of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and GI-Mackenzie.

1. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix developed in the late 1960s.

In Fig. 7.2 shows the indicators:

– market attractiveness– an indicator of the rate of change in demand for the enterprise’s products is used. Growth rates are calculated based on product sales data in a market segment (can be a weighted average);

– competitiveness and profitability– an indicator of the relative share of the enterprise in the market is used. Market share (Dpr) is determined in relation to the most dangerous competitors or market leader (Dkonk).

Rice. 7.2. Two-dimensional growth/share matrix

The matrix describes a situation that requires a separate approach in terms of investment and development of a marketing strategy.

Possible strategies:

–> “stars” – maintaining leadership;

–> “cash cows” – obtaining maximum profit;

–> “difficult children” – investment, selective development;

–> “dogs” – leaving the market.

The task of the enterprise management is to ensure the strategic balance of the portfolio by developing economic zones that can provide free cash and zones that ensure the long-term strategic interests of the enterprise.

Advantages of the BCG matrix:

The matrix allows you to determine the position of the enterprise as part of a single portfolio and highlight the most promising development strategies (fast-growing areas require capital investments, slowly growing ones have excess funds);

Quantitative indicators are used;

The information is visual and expressive.

Disadvantages of the BCG matrix:

It is impossible to take into account changes in the situation, changes in marketing costs, and product quality;

The conclusions are objective only in relation to stable market conditions.

2. G-I-Mackenzie Matrix(“market attractiveness/strategic position of the enterprise”) is an improved BCG matrix, completed by McKinsey for General Electric. The matrix allows you to make more differentiated strategic marketing decisions on the effective use of the enterprise’s potential, depending on the level of market attractiveness (Fig. 7.3.).

Rice. 7.3. Two-dimensional G-I-Mackenzie matrix

Table 7.8

Elements of the Mac-I-Mackenzie matrix

The elements of the matrix are discussed in table. 7.8.

The value of market attractiveness (MAV) can be calculated using the formula:

PRR = PR x PR x PS,

where PR is the growth prospect. It is assessed using a forecast of economic, social, technical, and political market conditions. Various forecasting methods are used. The object of forecasting is demand; Pr – prospect of profitability growth. Evaluated by experts (changes in demand, aggressiveness of competitors, etc. are analyzed); PS is the prospect of enterprise stability.

The quantitative value of the strategic position (SPP) can be determined by the formula:

SPP = IP x RP x SP,

where IP is the investment position of the enterprise. It is defined as the ratio of the real and optimal amounts of investment to ensure the growth of the enterprise (investments in production, R&D, sales); RP – market position. Defined as the ratio of the actual market strategy to the optimal strategy; SP is the state of the enterprise's potential. It is defined as the ratio of the real state of the enterprise to the optimal one from the point of view of effective management of finances, marketing, personnel, and production.

If any of the three elements (IP, RP, JV) is equal to 1, the enterprise has a high strategic position in the market.

If even one element is 0, the enterprise has little chance of success.

When using the G-I-Mackenzie matrix, it is necessary to take into account its disadvantages:

A lot of information;

Different approaches to assessment.

You can highlight the average level of market attractiveness and strategic position of the enterprise and use in this case the multidimensional G-I-Mackenzie matrix (Fig. 7.4).

Rice. 7.4. Multidimensional G-I-Mackenzie matrix

Using the matrix shown in Fig. 7.4, three strategic directions can be identified (Table 7.9).

So, the portfolio approach to developing strategic marketing decisions is based on:

Clear structuring of activities by markets, products, divisions;

Developing specific indicators to compare the strategic value of areas;

Matrix representation of the results of strategic planning.

Table 7.9

The main strategic directions of enterprise development, identified on the basis of the G-I-Mackenzie matrix

7.4. Growth Strategies

Enterprise growth– manifestation of types of business activity of the enterprise, which is based on the following capabilities:

Limited growth – intensive development at the expense of own resources;

Acquisitions of other enterprises or integrated development, including vertical and horizontal integration;

Diversification – organization of other areas of activity.

Growth Strategies– a model of enterprise management by choosing the types of its business activities, taking into account internal and external opportunities.

Growth strategies are determined by the Ansoff matrix, the external acquisition matrix and the new BCG matrix.

1. Ansoff matrix allows you to classify products and markets depending on the degree of uncertainty in the prospects for the sale of products or the possibility of penetration of these products into a specific market (Fig. 7.5).

Fig.7.5. Ansoff matrix

The probability of success for the “Penetration” strategy is that every second attempt can be successful.

The probability of success for the Diversification strategy is that every twentieth attempt can be successful.

The marketing attractiveness of a growth strategy is assessed:

Sales value ( V potpr). Calculated as the capacity of a given market segment;

The magnitude of the probable risk (R). It is established by experts and measured as a percentage.

The forecast value of sales volume (Pprogn) can be determined by the formula:

The obtained indicator values ​​are correlated with the expected costs of implementing the strategy.

Table 7.10

Directions of an enterprise's marketing activities using the Ansoff matrix

2. Matrix of external acquisitions(area of ​​activity/type of strategy) allows you to:

Choosing an integrated or diversified path for enterprise growth;

An assessment of the enterprise’s place in the production chain depending on how different areas of the market correspond to its potential capabilities (Fig. 7.6).

Rice. 7.6. External Acquisition Matrix

Diversification justified if the enterprise has little opportunity for growth in production terms. It allows you to solve the problems noted in Fig. 7.7.

Rice. 7.7. Problems solved with the “Diversification” strategy

Figure 7.8. Types of acquisitions during diversification

Integration justified if the company intends to increase profits by increasing control over strategically important elements in production, allowing it to solve the problems noted in Fig. 7.9.

Rice. 7.9. Problems solved with the “Integration” strategy

In the case of integrated growth, two possible options are considered (Figure 7.10).

Rice. 7.10. Types of Integrated Enterprise Growth

3. New BCG matrix(Fig. 7.11) allows you to consider the possibilities of enterprise growth based on strategic decisions made taking into account two indicators:

Rice. 7.11. New BCG matrix

Cost/volume effect – based on the “experience curve” (when production speed is doubled, costs are reduced by 20%);

The effect of product differentiation is based on taking into account the “product life cycle”, when the product must undergo constant changes and improvements.

Strategy for specialized activities is based on the strong manifestation of two effects. It is possible to make a profit by increasing the output of standardized products and simultaneous differentiation of design. This strategy is typical for the automotive industry, which is characterized by maximum standardization of basic mechanisms and differentiation of external design.

Concentrated strategy takes into account the high cost/volume effect with a weak level of product differentiation effect. In this case, two strategic decisions are possible:

Increasing production capacity and absorbing competitors;

Transition to specialization in order to achieve stable differentiation.

Fragmented activity strategy takes into account the possibility of a strong differentiation effect. Used in two cases:

At the beginning of the production of potentially promising products based, for example, on biotechnology, superconductivity, etc.;

When fulfilling orders focused on the development of highly differentiated products.

This strategy is typical when performing individual consulting, engineering, software, and organizing modern forms of trade.

Strategy for unpromising activities is based on the weak manifestation of two effects. Improving the situation is possible by changing the nature of the enterprise's activities and mastering new directions in its work.

7.5. Competitive Strategies

The task of competitive strategies is to establish the competitive advantage of an enterprise or its products and determine ways to maintain superiority.

Competitive advantage– those characteristics of the enterprise’s market activity that create a certain superiority over competitors, which is achieved through competitive strategies that help the enterprise retain a certain market share.

The following strategies are used to solve this problem.

1.According to M. Porter's general competitive matrix, The competitive advantage of an enterprise in the market can be ensured in three ways (Fig. 7.12).

Rice. 7.12. General competitive matrix

Product Leadership based on product differentiation. Particular attention is paid to the sale of branded products, design, service and warranty service. At the same time, the price increase must be acceptable to the buyer and exceed the increase in costs. This is how the “market power” of a product is formed. When using this strategy, marketing plays a major role.

Price leadership is ensured if the enterprise has a real opportunity to reduce production costs. Particular attention is paid to investment stability, standardization, and strict cost management. Cost reduction is based on the use of the “experience curve” (unit production costs fall by 20% whenever production speed doubles). When using this strategy, production plays a major role.

Niche leadership associated with focusing a product or price advantage on a narrow market segment. This segment should not attract much attention from stronger competitors; such leadership is most often used by small businesses.

2. Competitive advantage can be achieved based on the analysis of competitive forces using competitive forces model, proposed by M. Porter (Fig. 7.13).

Rice. 7.13. Competitive Forces Model

Competition among existing companies is aimed at achieving a more advantageous position in the market, taking into account the range, packaging, price, advertising, etc.

Strategic actions to prevent threats from new competitors involve the creation of various obstacles for them: reducing costs as production volumes grow, product differentiation, stimulating intermediaries, and the use of patents.

The threat of the emergence of competing products can be contrasted with the constant search and implementation of ideas for “market novelty” products, the use of new technologies, expansion of R&D, service, etc.

Threat from consumers is manifested in their ability to influence the level of competition through changing requirements for products, prices, and trade services.

Supplier Capabilities influence the level of competition by raising prices or reducing the quality of supplied materials.

3. Possible strategies for achieving and maintaining a competitive advantage of an enterprise in the market are presented in matrix of competitive advantages(Table 7.11).

Table 7.11

Competitive Advantage Matrix

The type of strategy chosen depends on the company’s position in the market and the nature of its actions.

Market leader occupies a dominant position with significant strategic capabilities.

Pursuers of the market leader do not currently occupy a dominant position, but wish, as they accumulate competitive advantages, to take a place close to the leader and, if possible, overtake him.

Avoiding direct competition enterprises agree with their position in the market and exist peacefully with the leader.

Enterprises, occupying a certain position in the market, can choose a proactive or passive strategy to ensure their competitive advantages (Table 7.12).

Table 7.12

Characteristics of proactive and passive strategies

4. The reaction of competitors to the actions of the enterprise can be assessed using competitor reaction model, proposed by M. Porter and taking into account the elements presented in Fig. 7.14.

Rice. 7.14. Competitor reaction model

7.6. Market segmentation strategy

There are three areas in the functional market segmentation strategy:

Strategic segmentation;

Product segmentation;

Competitive segmentation.

basis strategic segmentation is the allocation of strategic management zones (SZ) at the corporate level, as a result of which the basic markets in which the enterprise intends to operate are determined.

Strategic segmentation allows for economic, technological and strategic growth of an enterprise.

The economic growth of SKhZ is determined by:

– the attractiveness of the agricultural plant (possibility of sales growth and increased profits);

– input and output parameters of the marketing system (costs, stability of the enterprise in the market).

Technological growth is associated with the use of modern technologies to meet the needs of agricultural producers. There are three types of technology:

–> stable – the same type of product is produced that satisfies market needs for a long time (for example, the production of pasta based on “extrusion”);

–> fruitful - over a long period, new generations of products successively replace one another (for example, the production of modern computer equipment);

–> changeable - some technological processes are replaced by others, which leads to the emergence of fundamentally new products (for example, the creation of biotechnology, laser technology, e-mail, etc.).

Strategic growth is determined by the level of use of the potential capabilities of the enterprise and depends on:

Capital investments in agricultural chemical plant;

SKhZ competitive strategy;

Mobilization capabilities of the enterprise.

basis product segmentation is to identify market segments based on consumer, product and competitive characteristics identified in clause 3.4.

basis competitive segmentation is to find a market niche not occupied by competitors in order to gain advantages when using innovations.

The characteristics of other functional and instrumental strategies are given in the corresponding chapters of the manual.

Situations to analyze

1. Determine what the business activity of the enterprise is based on in the following situations:

– the Komus company focuses on development without the involvement of external creditors;

– the Novaya Zarya factory organized the acquisition of dealer networks;

– Lukoil company organized other types of activities.

2. Determine what types of integration take place in the following examples:

– Russian beer producers are considering the possibility of creating vertical alliances with bottle and label manufacturers in response to the increased tax burden;

– Russian beer producers are considering the possibility of creating horizontal alliances with “nearby” producers: owners of bars and restaurants, producers of salty snacks, etc.

3. At one time, the Bytkhim production association, which produces paints, focused only on the professional market, selling paint in 5-liter containers. Later, a strategic decision was made to produce products for the consumer market, selling paint in liter containers and under a different brand in order to ensure further growth of the enterprise.

Determine, using the Ansoff matrix, the previous and new strategies of the enterprise. Develop strategic decisions of a functional and instrumental nature regarding the new direction of the enterprise.

4. Analysis of competitive threats revealed a potential threat from a new company entering the product market. What are its motives for entering the market?

5. Develop a strategic marketing plan for a business using a matrix approach to defining strategy.

It consists in bringing the company's capabilities in line with the situation on the market, i.e., the internal environment with the external environment.

There can be many strategies, the main thing is to choose the appropriate one for each market and each product so that it meets the requirements of achieving marketing goals.

Here are some of these strategies:

• improving the organizational structure;
• increase in business activity (penetration into a new market; introduction of a new product into an old market; penetration of market novelty into new market segments with a product, etc.);
• reduction in business activity (cessation of sales of goods that have ceased to provide a given profit in a given market; curtailment of production of unprofitable goods; withdrawal from some markets and concentration of efforts on the most promising ones, etc.);
• organization of a joint company with a foreign partner abroad;
• organization of a joint company with a foreign partner in our country;
• cooperation with a foreign company to enter markets where it has not yet been possible to operate successfully.

Depending on the market, the strategy may be one or another. They don't have to copy each other everywhere. Using mathematical market models and considering the strategy from the point of view of game theory, they choose the strategy “mini-max” (maximum expediency, regardless of risks), “maxi-min” (minimum risk, regardless of expediency) or a combination of them.

In this regard, the following factors must be taken into account:

• segmentation of the markets in which the company operates (or intends to operate) must be carried out so that segments in different markets are characterized by generally the same response to advertising, product promotion and other marketing activities,
  that is, they had similar sociopsychological characteristics and needs;
• the choice of the optimal segment should be carried out based on providing the company with the most complete leadership possible (sufficient capacity, favorable prospects, minimal or even zero competition, satisfaction of unmet needs);
• the method of entering the market with a new product should most fully meet the consumer properties of the product and the capacity of the market (segment), adequately reflect the fame of the company and its reputation, as well as the scale of need for the product;
• when choosing marketing means of influencing a potential buyer, you should remember that price as a factor in attracting attention to a product is now ranked 3rd-4th in importance among other factors;
• it is necessary to carefully choose the time to enter the market with a new product (especially if this product is seasonal) and do not forget about advertising preparation: there is no point in entering the market during an unfavorable market situation if the company does not pursue far-reaching goals and does not prepare its customers, anticipating period of demand recovery.

The marketing strategy used by Japanese firms in new markets is of great interest. It consists in gaining a foothold in the markets of those countries that do not have national production of this product, and then, using the accumulated experience, to penetrate the markets of other countries (“laser beam strategy”). Thus, in order to enter the markets of Western European countries with their cars, Japanese automakers initially operated only in Finland, Norway, Denmark and Ireland for several years. And only having won a strong positive reputation there, they began to explore the more complex markets of Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, and Austria. The third step was entering the markets of Great Britain, Italy, Germany and France - countries with a powerful auto industry.

Also worthy of attention is the sequence designed for a very long period, characteristic of the activities of Japanese industrialists: starting with the export of the most widespread, inexpensive cars (and, accordingly, satisfying the needs of not too picky buyers), creating the image “Japanese means excellent quality,” these automobiles firms are gradually moving to work in the markets for more expensive cars (but not the most prestigious ones), trucks and special vehicles, and are also building car assembly plants in countries where they previously sent their cars assembled.

When developing a marketing strategy in the markets of capitalist countries, one should keep in mind, first of all, the serious aggravation of the sales problem. Competition has intensified, and, as a result, attention to new products has sharply increased, in the production and sale of which firms sometimes see the only way to survive. States impose protective duties. In general, there is (and in many industries has already occurred) a reorientation of the production policy of engineering companies towards a sharp increase in the share of high-tech (knowledge-intensive) products in their product range and a corresponding growth in the service sector (sale of licenses; carrying out research, design and other engineering work; rental (leasing) of complex equipment; consultations, etc.).

The basis of the marketing strategy of companies achieving the greatest success in the modern market is a focus on superiority in the scientific and technical field over their competitors and increasing this gap.

Here is a list of some strategies that ensure rapid growth in sales:

• rapid entry into new markets;
• specialization, i.e. concentration of efforts on solving problems of selected groups of customers;
• putting forward the concept of a new product;
• application of the latest, especially flexible, technologies;
• decisive removal of “sick” goods;
• expansion of activities throughout the world;
• intensification of R&D;
• high rates of restructuring.

Scheme of cyclic (ring) management of a company (according to Murdus and Ross)

Except offensive strategy firms also use defensive strategies. If a company is satisfied with the size of its market share or is unable to increase it for one reason or another, it resorts to a defensive strategy. Its goal is a thoughtful defense of its positions from the onslaught of competitors. Of course, a defensive strategy in some markets can be combined with an offensive strategy in others.

An example of a defensive strategy is the “exit market” strategy. It consists of leaving certain markets and switching to other markets or types of economic activity. This strategy is usually used for products with poor market positions that generate losses or reduced profits.

Hello! In this article we will talk about the process of developing a marketing strategy.

Today you will learn:

• What types of marketing strategies exist;
• How to develop a marketing strategy for an enterprise.

We have already written a large detailed article about. Below we will briefly recall the types and immediately move on to development and examples.

Types of Marketing Strategies

Depending on what competitive advantage the company has, strategies are divided into:

• Differentiation strategy– involves distinguishing the company from competitors due to the high quality or special properties of the product;
• Cost leadership strategy– allows the company to set the minimum price on the market, due to lower costs of production and sales of products compared to competitors. You can minimize costs if you have some objective advantage: economical equipment, favorable geographical location, special production technology, and so on;
• Cost Focus Strategy– this strategy is a cost leadership strategy, but addressed only to one segment of consumers;
• Strategy to focus on differentiation– this strategy is a differentiation strategy, but addressed only to one customer segment.

Pricing strategies are divided into three types:

• Price leadership – the minimum price on the market;
• Strategy of following a competitor - average market price;
• The skimming strategy is the highest price on the market.

Main types of product strategies:

• Innovation strategy – creating a completely new product for the company;
• Modification strategy – creating different variants of existing products;
• Withdrawal strategy is to stop production/sale of the product.

Main types of distribution strategies:

• Exclusive distribution – distribution of the product only through its own channels;
• Selective distribution – distribution of a product through highly specialized channels;
• Intensive distribution – distribution through any channels

The promotion strategy depends on what promotion tools you have chosen for your product or company.

Stages of developing a marketing strategy

The process of developing a marketing strategy for an enterprise consists of three large sections - analytical, practical and control over implementation.

Analytical stage

The development of any strategy involves the sequential implementation of the following actions:

1. General market analysis. Here you need to determine the boundaries of the market, market capacity, and market potential. This will allow you to correctly set strategic planning goals.
2. Determining the level and highlighting the main market players. This stage is easy to implement using two tools: M. Porter’s “5 Forces of Competition” model and the “Positioning Map”.

M. Porter’s “5 Forces of Competition” model consists of 5 blocks describing key market players: competitors (number, company names, market shares, competitive advantages, and so on); consumers (quantity, presence of associations, volume of purchases, etc.); companies producing substitute goods (quantity, market shares, cost of switching consumers to them); suppliers (their number, possibility of replacement, volume of purchases, etc.); new players (barriers to entry and exit, factors limiting and stimulating their emergence).

Based on the description, each block is given a danger level assessment. Future strategy should aim to minimize this danger.

A positioning map is an excellent tool for finding your niche in the market and determining the company’s place among competitors. It is a coordinate system, the number of axes of which depends on the number of parameters by which we compare ourselves and competitors.

Each axis consists of ten divisions into a positive area and ten divisions into a conditionally negative area (in the case of a positioning map, it will not be negative).

Example. We sell anti-dandruff shampoo. The parameters by which we evaluate our position in the market will be the following: price (X-axis, positive area), density (X-axis, conditionally negative area), convenience of packaging (Y-axis, positive area), efficiency (Y-axis, conditionally negative area ). We evaluate our shampoo for each parameter on a scale from 1 - the lowest indicator, to 10 - the highest indicator and make corresponding marks on the axes, we do the same with competitors' products.

When all the points are marked, they must be connected with a line. As a result, we will get a map of our product and competitors' products. It will clearly show in which parameters we are succeeding and in which we are lagging behind. This will allow us to decide on a competitive advantage strategy and positioning strategy.

1. Consumer Analysis, identifying the target audience and target segments.
2. Analysis of the internal state of the company, its strengths and weaknesses. For these purposes, we conduct a SWOT analysis, during which we assess the organization’s strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
3. Analysis of the organization's product portfolio. At this stage, we need to determine the place of each product in the organization’s product portfolio: share in the profit structure, growth rate, sales volume, prospects.
4. Setting the organization's marketing goals. It is the goal that determines the future marketing strategy of enterprises. Let's analyze two goals and strategies that are used to achieve them.

In this case, it is necessary to set not just one goal, as in the example, but also to work out the tasks that need to be completed to implement it, and for these tasks, subtasks, and so on.

This process is called building a goal tree. For example, the goal: increasing sales volume; tasks: expanding the range, attracting new consumers, developing a product distribution system; subtasks: development of new product variations; searching for new sales channels, developing a promotion program, and so on.

As you can see, tasks and subtasks already contain a certain focus of marketing strategies.

This completes the analytical section of developing a marketing strategy; we begin to develop a marketing plan.

Practical stage - development of a marketing plan for an enterprise

Now we have come to developing the heart of the marketing strategy - the marketing plan. At this stage, all efforts are focused on identifying measures to improve the company’s position in the long term.

As part of the enterprise's marketing plan, it is necessary to work out the following elements:

• "Weapons" of competition. We choose those product or company parameters that set us apart from our competitors. We develop a development plan for each parameter. We determine the competitive strategy;
• Action plan for each target segment. For the most promising segments, measures can be taken to expand the range, increase the number of retail outlets, and in less promising segments, on the contrary, reduce your influence. We determine the development strategy for each target segment;
• Elements of the marketing mix. We summarize and determine actions for each element of the marketing mix, draw up a calendar plan, appoint those responsible and determine the budget. We choose a strategy for each element of the marketing mix, taking into account the selected competitive strategies and segment development.

Control and analysis of marketing strategy

An enterprise's marketing strategy must be flexible to respond to changes in the external environment, the actions of competitors and consumer behavior. Therefore, after you have begun implementing a marketing strategy, it is necessary to take measures to monitor its execution.

Marketing audit – systematic analysis of the external and internal environment of the enterprise for compliance of the company’s position with the adopted marketing strategy, followed by taking corrective actions.

In this case, analytical work occurs in the same way as when developing a marketing strategy for an enterprise. Our goal is to identify changes and adjust the marketing strategy.

An example of an enterprise marketing strategy

We will omit the analytical stage of building a marketing strategy for an enterprise so that you can clearly see how a strategy is formed according to the goals of the organization.

For example, we bake cabbage pies and want to sell them. And as you know, sales without marketing today are impossible, so we begin to develop a marketing strategy. A little about the product: homemade pies, only natural ingredients, prepared according to a traditional recipe. We have no cost advantage.

Target segment: small cafes.

Our goal: ensuring sales volume at the level of 50 thousand rubles per month.

Tasks: searching and attracting clients; search and selection of distribution channels.

Subtasks: development of a promotion program for each distribution channel and consumer segment.

Competitive strategy: our competitive advantage – our product. We place emphasis in positioning on its naturalness and tradition, that is, the quality of the product. In addition, this is not a mass product, so we choose a strategy of focusing on differentiation and developing our product further (for example, adding different spices).

Action plan for each target segment: We are expanding our presence in the small cafe segment, expanding the range with various additives and sizes of pies. You can choose a modification strategy and also offer cabbage pies according to the traditional recipe.

Elements of the marketing mix: we need to attract new consumers, for this we are creating a promotion program using online promotion tools aimed at the target segment; The distribution strategy is exclusive; we will distribute the pies using a page on a social network.

In terms of pricing strategy, we have a choice between a mid-market strategy and a skimming strategy. Everything will depend on the uniqueness of your product in a specific geographic market. For example, in America, pies with cabbage according to a traditional Russian recipe will be a unique product and you can set a high price.

Any company is created to achieve certain goals.

The most common reasons for entering the market are the opportunity to make a good profit, the desire to find a niche, and the desire to ensure brand recognition through the competitive advantages of the product. The right marketing strategy helps you get the desired result within the planned time frame.

It performs quite a lot of important tasks:

• determines how successfully the business will develop;
• determines the degree of coverage of the target audience;
• allows you to choose the optimal methods for promoting products;
• helps to respond appropriately to market changes;
• increases the effectiveness of actions aimed at combating competitors, etc.

A marketing strategy is a set of certain long-term decisions that involve setting company goals and choosing marketing means to achieve them.

Key species

In the era of globalization, competitive international marketing strategies (both product and price) are increasingly being considered, rather than types of marketing strategies on a national scale.

However, the company's work in the foreign market is not so simple. It is logical to analyze the foreign activities of the company within the framework of determining the specifics. In a general article, it is better to focus on what basic marketing strategies are important in principle. Among the global strategies, the following types can be distinguished:

• Powerful: involves a high level of market coverage, large-scale production of standard goods, the use of large-scale scientific research and advertising campaigns, as well as reliance on a positive image;
• Niche: involves narrow specialization, production of expensive and high-quality goods, winning the maximum share of a small market segment;
• Adaptive: associated with local scale, conventional products, flexibility of corporate policy, high level of adaptability, meeting small-scale needs of specific customers;
• Pioneer: focused on radically transforming old or creating new market segments, searching for revolutionary solutions, obtaining maximum benefits at the same level of risk.

In addition to types, marketing strategy has a number of features:

Peculiarity	Base
Based on market research	When developing, the competitive actions of rival companies are taken into account, the level of consumer coverage is analyzed, etc.
Enshrined in the relevant corporate document	Such a document is usually called a marketing policy and is provided for review by each participant
Designed to last	Depending on what area the business belongs to, the strategy determines the direction of the company’s development for a period of 1 to 25 years;
Often developed in conditions of insufficient information	The strategy needs regular refinement of key elements
Does not have specific numerical indicators	With constant changes in the market, greater coverage of the target audience requires constant adjustments to the strategy and new competitive methods of struggle.
Is part of the corporate strategy	Marketing strategy and tactics must be consistent with the company's overall plans

What goals to follow

The strategy allows you to indicate the main directions of development for all divisions of the company. A business may have the following goals:

Based on this list of main types of goals, conclusions can be drawn about their interconnectedness. However, to maximize market coverage, the priority is to identify external goals. It is them that business uses as the main guidelines in the long term.

General requirements

Developing a marketing strategy and planning helps to practically eliminate the possible losses that usually arise when carrying out chaotic actions. Due to the great impact on the future of the company, such planning is a complex and responsible task. In order for the decisions made to be successfully applied in practice, the strategy must be drawn up taking into account certain rules:

1. It must be developed based on objective assessment of the market situation and the potential that a particular business has;
2. For the desired level of market coverage, the strategy should include the ability to choose alternative options (in terms of determining the price level, number of personnel, etc.);
3. The strategy must clearly and clearly define the company's goals;
4. It must provide for the need prompt response to any market changes or competitive actions of other companies;
5. The strategy must outline certain chronological framework, which allows you to highlight short-term and long-term goals.

Important directions

A marketing strategy helps determine the optimal tools and methods of influencing the target audience according to four key parameters.

A business receives the necessary positioning in the market as a result of developing a marketing mix in the following areas:

• Product: it is necessary to determine the range of products and its competitive advantages, for which product policies are created;
• Price: it is important to create rules that allow you to quickly set, change and adjust product prices;
• Distribution channels: for the effective implementation of a marketing strategy, it is worthwhile to include competitive clients in the development plan;
• Promotion methods: special attention should be paid to choosing methods that have maximum impact on the target audience and allow them to be informed about the company’s products or activities in a short time.

These are the same known components.

Development stages

Competitive pricing strategies are used in marketing as often as non-pricing ones. In terms of development, each company chooses its own path. The marketing concept is developed in accordance with specific objectives and opportunities.

Often, companies operating in the same field set themselves completely different goals. To a certain extent, this individualizes the development process. However, there are several main stages in creating any marketing strategy.

The main stages in creating a marketing strategy:

Company diagnostics and market analytics

Preparation of a portfolio of strategic projects

Approval and launch of marketing strategy implementation

Monitoring and support

They are summarized in the diagram above. A more detailed list of tasks for the high-quality development of one of the company’s basic documents is as follows:

1. Determine the goals and directions of the company for a given period;
2. Analyze the situation in the company based on the reporting of the marketing department;
3. Find out, as part of market monitoring, what position your own business occupies;
4. Study the marketing policies of direct competitors;
5. Assess the company's prospects after a comprehensive analysis of the information received;
6. Consider all possible alternative marketing strategies;
7. Choose the best option for implementation;
8. Describe the principles of the main marketing strategy;
9. Detail the implementation of the strategy by key policy blocks (branding, advertising, pricing, etc.);
10. Develop a strategy implementation plan;
11. To maximize coverage of the target audience, provide support for the implementation of the marketing strategy (control of all stages, personnel training, writing relevant methodological documents, etc.).

Benefits from implementation

An effective marketing strategy is sometimes the main goal for every serious company. For a company that takes the time to develop the right long-term concept, its implementation will allow, for example:

• strengthen positions in the market;
• increase your market share;
• ensure stable sales growth;
• enter new markets;
• expand sales geography;
• successfully introduce new products to markets.

All these points will contribute to a strong improvement in material indicators and social relations of any responsible company.