Research Guides
Marketing Plans
Definition
According to Philip Kotler (2003, pp. 115-116), marketing plans are developed for individual products, lines, brands, channels, or customer groups. The marketing plan is one of the most important outputs of the marketing process. Winchester (1997) compares a marketing plan to a map that outlines everything a company needs to know about its business. An effective marketing plan defines how and why the company is in business, what markets are good targets for its products, and how customers should be pursued. With a marketing plan in place, a company uses the plan to measure how effectively corporate goals have been met.
The basic elements of a marketing plan (see Wood, 2003) are-
- Executive Summary and Table of Contents
- Current Marketing Situation
- Opportunity and Issue Analysis/SWOT
- Objective
- Marketing Strategy
- Action Programs
- Financial Projections/Budget
- Implementation & Controls & Contingency Plans
Book Resources
Tip: Use the Voyager online catalog at http://library.devry.edu/ to locate the latest books on the subject, Marketing - Planning.
Baker, Sunny (1993). Market Mapping. McGraw-Hill.
(Call Number: HF 5415.125 .B34 1993)
Bangs, David H. (2002). The Market Planning Guide. Dearborn Trade Publishing.
(Call Number: HF 5415.122 .B36 2002)
Bell, Martin L. (1987). How to Prepare a Results-Driven Marketing Plan. Amacom.
(Call Number: HF 5415 .B4285 1987)
Commerical Atlas and Marketing Guide. (Annual). Rand McNally.
(Call Number: G 1019 .R22 2003)
County and City Data Book. (Irregular Serial). U.S. Bureau of the Census.
(Call Number: HA 202 .A3)
Gumpert, David E. (1996). Inc. Magazine Presents How to Really Create a Successful Marketing
Plan. 3rd ed. Inc. Publishing. (NetLibrary e-book)
Hanson, Ward. (2000). Principles of Internet Marketing. Southwestern College Publishing.
(Call Number: HF 5415.1265 .H36 2000)
Hatton, Angela. (2000). Marketing Plans With a Winning Edge. Financial Times/Prentice-Hall.
(Call Number: HF 5415.122 .H38 2000)
Hiebling, Roman G. (1990). The Successful Marketing Plan. NTC Business Books.
(Call Number: HF 5415 .H514 1990)
Hiebling, Roman G. (1997). How to Write a Successful Marketing Plan. 2nd ed.
NTC Business Books. (NetLibrary e-book)
Kotler, Philip (2003). Marketing Management. 11th ed. Prentice-Hall.
(Call Number: HF 5415.13 .K64 2003)
Makens, James C. (1985). The Marketing Plan Workbook. Prentice-Hall.
(Call Number: HF 5415.13 .M336 1985)
Market Share Reporter (Annual). Gale Group. (Call Number: REF HF 5410 .M35)
McKinney, Anne. (2003). Real Business Plans & Marketing Tools. PREP Publishing, 2003.
(Call Number: HD 30.28 .M3847 2003)
Nykiel, Ronald A. (2003). Marketing Your Business: A Guide to Developing a Strategic Marketing Plan. Best Business Books.
(Call Number: HF 5415.135 .N957 2003)
Paley, Norton. (2000). How to Develop a Strategic Marketing Plan: A Step by Step Guide. St. Lucie Press. 1 computer disk.
(Call Number: HF 5415.135 .P33 2000)
Stevens, Robert E. (1990). Marketing Planning Guide. Haworth Press.
(Call Number: HF 5415.13 .S874 1990)
Wood, Marian Burk (2003). The Marketing Plan: A Handbook. Prentice-Hall.
(Call Number: HF 5415.13 .W66 2003)
Magazines & Newspaper Articles
Tip: Use Lexis-Nexis Academic and EbscoHost for current magazine and newspaper articles on marketing plans.
Rich, Stanley R. & Gumpert, David E. (1985). "How to Write a Winning Business Plan." Harvard Business Review (May-June): 156-166. (EbscoHost)
Sahlman, William A. (1997). "How to Write a Great Business Plan."
Harvard Business Review 75 (July/August): 98+ (EbscoHost)
Winchester, Jay. (1997). "So What's the Plan?" Sales and Marketing Management 149 (October): 72+. (ProQuest 5000)
Internet Web Sites
American Marketing Association http://www.ama.org
Business.com http://www.business.com/
Marketing Virtual Library http://www.knowthis.com/
MarketingProfs.com http://www.marketingprofs.com/intro.asp
Mplans.com http://www.mplans.com/
Mind Tools: Essential Skills http://www.mindtools.com
Provides an introduction to SWOT analysis.
Open Directory Project/Marketing http://www.dmoz.org/Business/Marketing_and_Advertising/Market_Research/
QuickMBA http://www.quickmba.com/
Strategic Management section has an overview of SWOT analysis.
U.S. Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/
U.S. Small Business Administration http://www.sba.gov/
Note: Marketing Publications series available free on the SBA web site.
