by A Marketing Plan is created to guide businesses on how to communicate the benefits of their products to the needs of potential customer. The situation analysis is the second step in the marketing plan and is a critical step in establishing a long term relationship with customers.
Company
The company analysis involves evaluation of the company’s objectives, strategy, and capabilities. These indicate to an organization the strength of the business model, whether there are areas for improvement, and how well an organization fits the external environment.
Goals & Objectives: An analysis on the mission of the business, the industry of the business and the stated goals required to achieve the mission.
Position: An analysis on the Marketing strategy and the Marketing mix.
Performance: An analysis on how effective the business is achieving their stated mission and goals.
Product line: An analysis on the products manufactured by the business and how successful it is in the market.
Competitors
The competitor analysis takes into consideration the competitors position within the industry and the potential threat it may pose to other businesses. The main purpose of the competitor analysis is for businesses to analyze a competitor’s current and potential nature and capabilities so they can prepare against competition. The competitor analysis looks at the following criteria:
- Identify competitors: Businesses must be able to identify competitors within their industry. Identifying whether competitors provide the same services or products to the same customer base is useful in gaining knowledge of direct competitors. Both direct and indirect competitors must be identified, as well as potential future competitors.
- Assessment of competitors: The competitor analysis looks at competitor goals, mission, strategies and resources. This supports a thorough comparison of goals and strategies of competitors and the organization.
- Predict future initiatives of competitors: An early insight into the potential activity of a competitor helps a company prepare against competition.
Customers
Customer analysis can be vast and complicated. Some of the important areas that a company analyzes includes:
- Demographics
- Advertising that is most suitable for the demographic
- Market size and potential growth
- Customer wants and needs
- Motivation to buy the product
- Distribution channels (retail, online, wholesale, etc…)
- Quantity and frequency of purchase
- income level of customer
Climate
To fully understand the business climate and environment, many factors that can affect the business must be researched and understood. An analysis on the climate is also known as the PEST analysis. The types of climate/environment firms have to analyse are:
- Political and regulatory environment: An Analysis of how active the government regulates the market with their policies and how it would affect the production, distribution and sale of the goods and services.
- Economic Environment: An Analysis of trends regarding macroeconomics, such as exchange rates and inflation rate, can prove to influence businesses.
- Social/cultural environment: Interpreting the trends of society, which includes the study of demographics, education, culture etc…
- Technological analysis: An analysis of technology helps improve on old routines and suggest new methods for being cost efficient. To stay competitive and gain an advantage over competitors, businesses must sufficiently understand technological advances.
Collaborators
Collaborators are useful for businesses as they allow for an increase in the creation of ideas, as well as an increase in the likelihood of gaining more business opportunities. The following type of collaborators are:
- Agencies: Agencies are the middlemen of the business world. When businesses need a specific worker who specializes in the trade, they go to a recruitment agency.
- Suppliers: Suppliers provide raw materials that are required to build products. There are 7 different types of Suppliers: Manufacturers, wholesalers, merchants, franchisors, importers and exporters, independent crafts people and drop shippers. Each category of suppliers can bring a different skill and experience to the company.
- Distributors: Distributors are important as they are the ‘holding areas for inventory’. Distributors can help manage manufacturer relationships as well as handle vendor relationships.
- Partnerships: Business partners would share assets and liabilities, allowing for a new source of capital and skills.
Businesses must be able to identify whether the collaborator has the capabilities needed to help run the business as well as an analysis on the level of commitment needed for a collaborator-business relationship.
An advertising situation analysis provides an overview of a company’s image in comparison with similar organizations in the marketplace. A situation analysis is usually created before an advertising campaign. This piece of research provides executives with an accurate picture of consumer’ perception of both the company and its competitors. By assessing a company’s strengths and weaknesses, advertisers can focus on issues and messages that will resonate strongly with their clients’ target audience.
Give a background summary on the organization’s or brand’s products and services, as well as the types of advertising and media used to promote them to clients and prospects. Include past events and market factors that helped shape the company in the past, and activities that could potentially affect the company in the near future.
Evaluate the product or service being advertised. Talk about features that have been added and removed, or have been used in innovative and unanticipated ways. Note how customers and businesses perceive the product, and whether it differentiates strongly in the marketplace. Look at factors including distribution, packaging and labeling. Review past customer surveys and feedback to pinpoint potential characteristics, problems, flaws or defects that can be corrected or improved.
Determine the major competitors. Include direct and indirect competitors within your product or service category. Evaluate each competitor’s brand strategy, positioning, messaging and pricing.
Analyze current advertising and media strategies that you are using to promote your products and services. Try to find recurring themes or trends that can alert you to which tactics are working and which need to be revised.
Pull together a profile on your target audience. Collect data including household income, occupation, age, ethnicity, geographic location and marital status. Assemble information on how consumers use your products. For instance, research where and how often products are used. Filter this information into the part of the analysis that measures brand value and loyalty.
Steps to follow:
- When writing your situation analysis, be concise and omit superfluous information. Write your advertising situation analysis in such a way that someone who is not an advertising executive will be able to quickly and easily understand your document’s objectives.
- Use charts, graphs and images to reduce wordiness. Images can also be used to visually illustrate complex figures and support important points.
- Because a significant portion of the advertising situation analysis analyzes brand perception and consumer behavior, gathering facts and figures from electronic databases or past sources may not be enough. Consider creating a brief online survey that can be sent out to multiple recipients simultaneously. Online applications allow you to not only track responses, but also automatically generate results in electronic reports.
