Use appropriate business systems and software effectively to deliver marketing outcomes efficiently, for example to analyse data, produce reports, deliver copy.

Produce a wide range of creative and effective communications, showing ability to write and proofread clear and innovative copy and project briefs, and give confident presentations.

Assimilate and analyse data and information from a range of sources to support marketing activities.

Ability to analyse and evaluate a range of business data.

Commercial acumen based on an awareness of the key drivers for business success

Vocational scenario

In your role as Junior Marketing Analyst one of your key roles is to gather information on competitors in order to conduct analysis on their sales, prices and methods of distribution and marketing to thoroughly learn about the competition.

In conducting benchmarking analysis, the organisation can identify where changes are to be made to improve performance.

The XYZ supermarket company is keen to explore new and distinctive market segments, where there is potential for rapid growth, and as part of this you are planning the launch of a new luxurious line of food products.

The marketing challenge is to reach out to existing and new customer segments, avoid product cannibalisation and ensure that existing and similar product lines are not consequentially perceived as of lesser quality.

Assignment activity and guidance

You have been asked to carry out a benchmarking analysis that will help inform and create a compelling proposition for the new food line in the minds of customers. You and your managerhave been discussing this and have decided that there would be value gained by critically evaluating marketing mix strategies across different non-food businesses that offer branded luxury products and product lines. This will provide creative insight into how you develop and launch your product. Your manager has referred to this as process benchmarking.

On completion of the benchmarking analysis, you are required to prepare your findings as a briefing paper for the senior management team.

The briefing paper:

identifies and compares the extended marketing mix for two selected luxury non-food products/product lines

evaluates the marketing strategies and tactical approaches adopted by each business (or business unit) and how they contribute to the success of the organisations in meeting their overall business objectives

provides conclusions and a set of justified recommendations on what the company can learn and deploy as it plans out its marketing strategy for the new Luxurious product line.