Strategic Marketing

Subject Overview

English champion soccer team Manchester United a record $450 million to wear Nike shirts and shorts for fourteen years. But the athlete that best typifies today’s Nike is the cyclist Lance

Armstrong, who beat cancer, then broke into the insular world of European cycling to win the Tour de France in 1998. As he continued to dominate the sport, he attracted critics who claimed he

had used drugs (even though he has never tested positive). But Armstrong toughed it out, remained focused on the basics, training hard in the mountains, and in 2005 came back to win the Tour

for a record-breaking seventh time. Courageous. Unstoppable. And wearing Nike.

Strategic Marketing

Assignment Brief
The assignment is divided into two parts.
The Health Club and Leisure Industry has shown an interesting and versatile trend of survival and adaptation to the recent economic downturn and the transforming global economy. From digital marketing to advanced retail and brand management, the fundamental aspects of marketing strategy govern the way this industry flourish and operate. The recent changes in consumer confidence and geo-demographics of the target markets in this industry certainly make it an interesting sector to investigate as part of this assignment.
The task is to identify a branded Health Club Chain (from page 2) and then analyse, evaluate and prepare an individual report aIDressing the following issues:
Part 1
• Using appropriate sources, identify the hierarchy of strategy within your chosen organisation. (700 words)
• Using secondary data estimate the trends (competition, market size, ROI etc.) within the industry in the past five years. (300 words) use keynotes, graphs tables, charts and aID to appendix. In terms of competitions who are the leaders of the chosen organisation. What market share have they got and who are their challengers and followers. What is the return on investment (ROI), this figure can be found on the balance sheet.
• Research, analyse and evaluate your chosen organisation’s existing marketing strategy and value creation process. (1000 words) what is STP strategy -7P’s
Part 2
• As a newly appointed marketing manager (for your chosen company) what alternative marketing strategies you will use to outperform projected profitability, market share, and value creation in the coming years? Your suggestions must be inspired by appropriate theories and real-life/academic case studies. (1000 words)
You need to choose a designated Health club chain from the list given below.
Your arguments, findings and recommendations should be supported by theories, facts and figures published within academic books, journal articles, recognised business magazines and market intelligence reports.
List of companies:
• Virgin Active Health Clubs
• LivingWell Health Clubs
• FX Leisure
• Bannatyne’s Health Clubs
• David LLyod
• Fitness First
• Marriott Leisure Health Clubs
• LA Fitness
• Club Motivation
• Cannons (Nuffield) Health Clubs
The report may contain the following:
Executive summary
Introduction
Methodology
Industry Trend
Company Background
Hierarchy of strategy
Situational analysis – current strategies & Value creation process
Recommended Marketing Strategies and programmes
Conclusion
(Harvard Referencing)

Core text book
West, D, Ford, J, and Ibrahim, E (2010), Strategic Marketing: Creating Competitive Advantage, Oxford University Press: UK
Extended reading list
Brennan, R. (2008), Contemporary Strategic Marketing, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Dibb, S., Simkin, L., Ferrell, P. O. C. (2014), Marketing Concepts & Strategies, Cengage Learning: UK
Doole, I.; Chartered Institute of Marketing; Lowe, R. (2008), Strategic Marketing Decisions, Butterworth – Heinemann: London
Doyle, P. and Stern, P (2006), Marketing Management and Strategy, Prentice Hall: Essex
Ferrell, O.C. and Hartline, M. (2011), Marketing Strategy, South-Western Cengage Learning: USA
Fifield, P. (2007), Marketing Strategy: The Difference Between Marketing and Market, Elsevier: UK
Hooley, G, Piercy, N, and Nicoulaud, B (2014), Marketing Strategy & Competitive Positioning, Pearson Education Limited

Peng, M (2009), Global Strategy, South-Western Cengage Learning: USA
Walker, A. (2008), Marketing Strategy: A Decision-Focused Approach, McGraw-Hill
AIDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING
Vemon, Stauble (2000), Marketing Strategy: A Global Perspective, Fort Worth, Tex: London
Peng, Mike (2009), Global Strategy, South-Western Cengage Learning: USA
Cateora, Phillip, Gilly, Mary, and Graham, John (2010), International Marketing, McGraw-Hill
Claycomb, C., Germain, R. & Droge, C. (2000) ‘The effects of formal strategic marketing planning on the industrial firm’s configuration, structure, exchange patterns, and patterns’, Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 219-234
Journals
• Journal of Marketing Management
• Journal of Services Marketing
• Journal of Brand Management
• Journal of Strategic Marketing