In this work, a procedure is presented for the elaboration of the strategic marketing plan in companies from Tunera. Although the subject has been extensively discussed in the literature, in this case the characteristics in which Cuban companies perform are taken into account. It is conceived based on the theoretical precepts of renowned marketing authors who have addressed the subject and can be applied to all organizations of the Cuban business system according to their characteristics and particularities.
Introduction
The continuous changes that occur in the environment, more and more frequent, oblige companies to permanent stability and adaptability, which also implies changes in goods and services, in customer services, in administrative procedures, in production technologies and in the capacity and preparation of managers and employees in general, for which companies must be able to apply a marketing approach that allows stimulating and strengthening management processes in our organizations.
Cuban organizations, and now specifically the tuneras, are not oblivious to this reality, and therefore, they will have to resort to new strategic approaches to manage their processes so that they respond to the changes that are imposed in the environment and assume the Challenges that arise to achieve high levels of competitiveness and a continuous adaptation and renewal in the context in which they operate.
It is therefore necessary to think and act in an innovative way to be able to develop value-creating activities, get out of the circle of achieving productivity by reducing costs and move to enriching work in companies, promoting those specific values that differentiate it.
It is in this area that marketing plays an important role, provided that a close relationship is established with corporate strategy and that it is properly managed, which also constitutes one of the premises for better business performance in current market conditions. and the preponderance of knowledge management.
That is why this research proposes a Procedure for the development of the strategic marketing plan in companies from Tunera. It is conceived based on the theoretical precepts of renowned marketing authors who have addressed the subject and can be applied to all organizations of the Cuban business system according to their characteristics and particularities.
Development
Marketing is both a philosophy and a management process that materializes in the company as one of its main processes. Through it, society and customers obtain what they need and want as a result of generating and offering products and services of value by the company.
In the business improvement process, the marketing system was included, both in the general bases with which it was started and in the regulations that give it continuity. In Decree Law 281/07 it is stated that marketing "is a modern conception in the management of the company, which guides the mission and vision of the entities taking as a starting point the needs, desires, perceptions, preferences and demands of the society and customers, to develop programs aimed at satisfying these needs and desires ”.
In this research, the term marketing is assumed, as it is the word that expresses the full scope and magnitude of what marketing really means: philosophy or approach, technique, discipline, function and process, both social and managerial.
Because the continuity of the business improvement process is synonymous with the direction and management process, the use of the term marketing is reiterated, specifying that in socialism it does not have the mercantilist approach that capitalism has given it and that it must have as basic precept that the needs of society and the country take priority over any business interest.
The aforementioned Decree Law through its article 652 obliges companies to implement the marketing system, for which the procedure that organizes this activity must be established and approved by the general manager; in addition to stating that marketing planning is carried out for the short, medium and long term.
Marketing has two dimensions: a strategic and an operational one, so some important theoretical aspects about the strategic marketing plan will be discussed below.
The strategic reflection of the company must materialize in an action program that specifies the objectives and the means to be implemented within the framework of the chosen development strategy. In the short term, the success of a company depends essentially on the financial balance between the different activities undertaken by it. In the longer term, its survival and development depend on the ability to anticipate market developments in good time and to modify the structure and composition of its portfolio of activities accordingly.
The effectiveness of strategic reflection will depend on the extent to which it is systematized and translated into concrete action programs for those who have decided to conceive a specific future for the organization.
The fundamental purpose of the strategic marketing plan is to clearly and systematically express the variables chosen by the company to ensure its development, these variants must be translated into decisions and action programs. The issues discussed in this research contribute to understanding and implementing strategic marketing management.
In addition to the purpose expressed before, authors such as Hernández, Olmo, and García (2000) emphasize that the purposes of a strategic marketing plan can be summarized in the following points:
- Description of the company's environment Management control Recruitment of resources Optimize the use of limited resources Organization and temporality Analyze future problems and opportunities
There is a general agreement between the different authors consulted about what a strategic marketing plan is: “a document prior to an investment, launch of a product or start of a business where, among other things, what is expected to be achieved with that project, what it will cost, the time, the resources it will need and a detailed analysis of all the steps that must be taken to achieve the proposed ends ”(Makens, 1990; Living, 1991; Stapleton, 1992). In addition, apart from the economic aspects, it can address technical, legal and social aspects of the project.
Although there is agreement on what the strategic marketing plan is, the same does not happen in terms of the number of parts or steps it has. This may differ depending on the nature of the organization in question. Since most of the editions consulted are dedicated to industrial companies, the suggested procedures are more in line with the nature of these organizations.
Lambin, for his part, to structure a strategic marketing plan suggests a series of questions that he takes as guidelines for this purpose, they are:
- What is the reference market and what is the strategic mission of the company in that market? In this reference market, what is the diversity of products - markets and what are the positions likely to be adopted? What are the intrinsic attractions of market products and what are the opportunities and threats in their environment? By product - market, what are the strengths of the company, its weaknesses and the type of advantage held? What coverage and development strategy to adopt and what level of strategic ambition to select for the products - markets that are part of the company's portfolio? How to translate the selected strategic objectives at the level of each of the operational marketing variables: product, price, distribution and promotion?
It is appreciated that the author, regardless of whether he works on the strategic dimension of marketing, does not forget the operational dimension, because every type of strategy that can be implemented in an organization cannot be outside of what has to be done year per year or the annual contribution to the achievement of strategic results to be obtained in the medium term.
The author points out that the answers to these questions are based on a strategic marketing audit and that, in addition, “there would be a final stage to be completed, which consists of establishing in a synthesis the set of selected objectives, the means to gather to achieve them, the programs specific actions to undertake and finally the provisional income statement by activity and for the company as a whole ”.
The reasons for these six questions are given:
First, and taking into account the order that the author gives them, in which the choice of the reference market and the strategic mission is in fact a statement within which the company describes its field of activity and its reference market, expresses its basic vocation and its guiding principles in matters of economic and non-economic results, it also specifies its value system. This is doubly important because, with regard to the company's environment, it contributes to the creation of a climate of trust, explaining the economic and social role of the company in society; and internally, it gives company staff an understanding of the objectives pursued and a unified point of view that favors the creation of a company culture.
Second: considering the reference approach, the company can pretend to practice different strategies.
Third: The hedging decisions of the reference market are closely linked to the evolution of global demand within each product - market and in a general way with the attractions that characterize it. By attractions is understood the main trends that take the form of opportunities or threats, which are faced by economic agents, who operate in such products - markets, and this regardless of the strengths and weaknesses of the company carrying out the analysis. Such opportunities or threats, caused by factors beyond the control of the company, can come from very different horizons, essentially from the market, from buyers, from distribution, from competition, from the evolution of the technological, legal, social or ecological environment..
Fourth: the analysis of strengths and weaknesses has the primary objective of allowing the company to identify the type of competitive advantage on which it bases its development strategy. Its objective is to identify its strengths and distinctive qualities, considered important by buyers, and which can consequently be valued in the positioning and communication strategy. The forces will serve as the foundation for the retained basic strategy and determine the type of competitive advantage. The positioning and communication strategies will be supported by the identified forces. Likewise, it is important to identify the weaknesses of a product or service, since they determine the vulnerability of the company. Weaknesses can come from very different factors,some of them may be related to the size of the company.
Fifth: defining your goal is one thing, knowing how to achieve it is another. The same objective can be achieved in multiple ways, but its effectiveness will depend on the characteristics of the market and the competitive situation. Therefore, it is important to specify the general guidelines to be followed, relying on information collected in the audits or marketing diagnoses carried out.
Sixth: the description of the strategy to be followed is a general orientation that must be translated into specific actions to be undertaken for each of the components of the marketing effort and the means that allow such actions. These means include human resources, an action program and a budget.
Regarding the last stage, Lambin's reasons are based on the fact that the realization of an objective supposes the availability of human resources, competent and operating in an adapted structure. In this regard, the plan may foresee the recruitment of personnel with skills not available in those of the company or an eventual training and improvement program for existing cadres. You can also propose an adaptation of the company structure. The action program includes a detailed description of the actions to be taken to carry out the strategy to be followed. This will be accompanied by a calendar and a description of the responsibilities and tasks of each one in carrying it out. This action program will translate into a marketing budget,that after the approval of the general management will constitute a commitment of expense.
Kotler (1997, 2000), Kotler et al. (2000) and Kotler et. to the. they specify that “planning is a means to achieve a more secure and innovative future, it should be extended to the entire organization and not be the prerogative of a small number of individuals close to senior management. In other words, planning must be part of the company's climate ”. In his opinion, a marketing plan should cover the following aspects.
- Executive Summary - Presents a summary of the proposed plan for quick management review. Analysis of the current marketing situation: presents relevant market, product, competition, distribution and microenvironment data Threat and opportunity analysis: identifies the main threats and opportunities, strengths and weaknesses, and main key issues faced by the plan. Goals - Define the goals the plan wants to achieve in relation to sales volume, market shares, and profits. Marketing Strategies - Presents the marketing guidelines that will be used to achieve the objectives of the plan. Action program: it answers questions of this type: What will be done? Who will do it? When will it be done? How much will it cost? Statement of expected profit and loss:predicts the expected financial results of the plan. Control: indicates how the plan will be controlled.
For their part, Hernández, Holmo and García (2000) propose the following steps to carry out a strategic marketing plan:
- Executive summary Plan index Introduction Analysis of the situation:
a) General conditions. The authors refer to those that affect the entire economic system or the entire sector in which the company is immersed.
b) Conditions of competition. Their importance stems from the fact that they are the only members of the environment who will deliberately act against the interests of the company.
c) Conditions of the company itself. It refers to the weaknesses and strengths of the company.
- Analysis of the target market Problems and opportunities Objectives and goals Development of marketing strategies Development of marketing tactics Execution and control Summary Appendices
Rivero (2000) recognizes the steps or stages of the Marketing plan as offered below:
- Definition of the missions and purposes of the organization. What is the company in the market for? Where do you hope to be as a company in the medium and long term? Elaboration of Basic Data. Where is it in the Company-market relationship? How did it get there? Identification and analysis of Problems and Opportunities. What aspects hinder or facilitate the development of your Products in the short term future? Establishment of assumptions. Within what market conditions should they operate in the short term? Establishment of objectives. Where do you want to go in terms of market positions? Formulation and development of Strategies. How are they going to get there? Budget. How much will it cost to get there? Preparation of projections. What will they achieve in terms of Volumes and profitability? Establishment of control mechanisms.How are we going to measure the development of the actions and the development of the objectives?
Stanton and Futrell (1985), propose the following sequence of steps:
- Summary for executives. The planning document should begin with a brief summary of the main objectives and recommendations that will be presented in the plan. * Current marketing situation. This section describes the target market and the situation of the company to this, for which the marketer provides information about the following topics:
a) Market description
b) Product review
c) Competition
* Threats and opportunities. This section requires the manager to study the future and visualize the main threats and opportunities it faces.
* Objectives and problems: The objectives should be stipulated as goals that the company would like to achieve during a term of the plan, for which it must previously consider the problems that affect the achievement of said objectives.
* Marketing strategies. The overall strategy to achieve your goals is prepared.
* Action programs.
* Budgets. It allows you to formulate a support budget that is essentially a statement of projected profit and loss.
* Controls. The controls that will be used to monitor progress are described in the same section of the plan, specifying goals and budgets for this.
For their part, Hernández, Olmo and García (2000) propose the following steps to carry out a Strategic Marketing Plan:
* Executive summary
* Plan index
* Introduction
* Analysis of the situation:
Ø General conditions. The authors refer to those that affect the entire economic system or the entire sector in which the company is immersed.
Ø Conditions of competition. Their importance stems from the fact that they are the only members of the environment who will deliberately act against the interests of the company.
Ø Conditions of the company itself. It refers to the weaknesses and strengths of the company.
* Analysis of the target market
* Problems and opportunities
* Objectives and goals
* Development of marketing strategies
* Development of marketing tactics
* Execution and control
* Summary
* Appendices
Muñiz (2005) proposes the following steps:
* Executive summary
* Analysis of the situation
Ø Environment
Ø Image
Ø Personal qualification
Ø Market
Ø Distribution network
Ø Competition
Ø Product
Ø Communication policy
* Determination of objectives
* Preparation and selection of strategies
* Action plan
* Establishment of budget
* Methods of control
These procedures that have been proposed, as can be appreciated, largely coincide; its use will depend on the characteristics of the companies and the requirements of their managers.
An important aspect in a strategic marketing plan is precisely the strategies that can be used either in their pure form or in combination with each other. The purpose is to serve as a guide for the subsequent work of company managers.
Procedure for the design of the strategic marketing plan
A procedure is a type of plan that describes, in a sequential manner, the steps or stages that must be covered in the performance of any operation according to a specific objective. It must include a general objective, as well as all the methods and techniques that must be used and the way to do it so that it becomes an effective instrument in the hands of managers.
The objective of the procedure is to orient and guide the managers of the company about the sequence of activities to be carried out in order to form a strategic marketing plan integrated into the other operations of the company.
The procedure that has been used to develop the strategic marketing plan is described below:
Stage I. Planning premises
The purpose of this stage is to analyze, through teamwork, all critical or relevant information for the development of the strategic marketing plan. At the same time, alert managers to the need that all the people involved necessarily have to be convinced of their responsibility with planning and of the premises they need to consider in order to carry out this activity with enough time, so that depth is guaranteed. of analysis in the evaluation of the possible alternatives and in general to achieve the greatest possible efficiency of this process.
The development of a strategic marketing plan must first start from the planning premises, which cannot be ignored in the general planning process that is followed in Cuba.
The planning premises can be conceived as information of a real or known nature that will affect the course of the plans or that will affect them, such as the prevailing policies, the company's plans at a higher level, the provisions and regulations of the level organisms. superior, the State and the Government as well as forecasts and known information that can also influence.
The planning premises are the anticipated environment in which the plans are expected to operate, so it is important to consider the scenarios that have been developed by higher bodies such as the organization itself and other organizations. These can be external and internal, considering that some come from outside the organization and others that can come from within, such as your organization, resources of all kinds and your organizational culture.
At the time of preparing the strategic marketing plan, it is necessary that all the required information be available and used properly by the people responsible for the development of said plan.
Second, consider the mission and vision of the organization, since the first establishes the reason for its existence and the second indicates what its future aspiration is. At all times when drawing up the plan, you must keep in mind why you should contribute to its achievement. It should also be taken into account that although the organization is dependent on a national entity, such as Headquarters, National Union, Business Group or Ministry or others, it may have a mission and a vision not exactly the same as the previous ones, although they must be consistent. It is necessary to consider them all so that the strategic marketing plan can contribute to them.
This first stage requires the consultation of documents that will allow the use of the pertinent information, teamwork sessions, plenary sessions with workers, compilation of additional information that can be obtained through interviews, surveys and consultations with other organizations and publications that are constituted in this time as primary and secondary sources of information.
Stage II. Analysis of the situation
The purpose of this stage is to make as deep and detailed a diagnosis as possible of the external and internal environment of the marketing function.
The need to carry out the analysis of the environment is given by the fact that any decision to cover the market of reference to the organization is closely linked to the evolution of the global demand for each good or service and in general with the attractiveness that characterizes. These attractions can be translated into the language of marketing as the main trends that occur in the environment and that take the form of opportunities or threats, categories widely used in the strategic planning process. Such threats and opportunities must be faced by the work of managers, agents and staff in general, taking advantage of the strengths and trying to reduce the weaknesses of the organization.
It is necessary to bear in mind that opportunities and threats are caused by forces beyond the control of managers and can come from very different horizons. To assess their scope, it is not recommended to suggest a precise formula or method; in fact, renowned authors like Lambin argue that there is no rule. What is suggested is that managers develop the ability to think about the event in question in a timely manner, that is, before it occurs. This capacity is not difficult to develop if a marketing information and environmental surveillance system is implemented in the organization.
In line with the above, what is suggested is that a questionnaire be used to serve as a guide for the analysis, it should collect the main data and the information necessary to carry out the relevant analysis. The indicators that should not be ignored and that serve as a reference for the preparation of a questionnaire in each of them would be the following:
* Analysis of market trends. Its purpose would be to identify the prospects for the evolution of global demand for products in the market in the period covered by the strategic planning. This will make it possible to characterize the life cycle profile of each branch, line or type of product and make the necessary forecasts.
* Analysis of purchasing or acquisition behavior. This allows us to know in detail what is the process followed to acquire any of the products that are marketed, the main information sought and the factors likely to influence customers.
* The analysis of the main expectations and motivations of the sales force, distributors or other personnel who come into direct contact with the client. It will precisely help to define or identify their main expectations and motivations.
* Analysis of the competitive structure. The framework within which the organization pursues a series of growth and profitability objectives must be analyzed.
* Analysis of the forces of the environment: It refers to the analysis of indicators of a macroeconomic or general nature. These can be economic, social, political, legal, technological, demographic, cultural, ecological, international. It does not necessarily have to follow this order, not even this name, but must be adapted to each situation or characteristics of the organization.
* Internal analysis: Its purpose is to determine the strengths and weaknesses of marketing in the organization. This contributes to the identification of competitive advantages. As in the analysis of the external environment, questionnaires can also be prepared regarding analysis indicators such as:
Ø The product portfolio, in order to identify the different degrees of preference, the profitability they provide and the possibility of learning about new products.
Ø Price analysis. In this case, it refers to the convenience of following the pricing strategies that are being implemented. This aspect, in Cuban organizations, may not be so relevant because there are a series of regulations that regulate the price policy in the country.
Ø Analysis of the distribution. It allows to determine strengths and weaknesses in the system that the organization uses to get the products of its portfolio to customers.
Ø Analysis of communication. It is important to determine the effectiveness of the communication mix that is being used.
From all the analysis carried out for in-depth knowledge of what the situation is in marketing, the important or relevant information that will be included in the plan is taken. With this information, the SWOT matrix (weaknesses, threats, strengths and opportunities) can be elaborated, once these categories are clearly defined. The analysis of the matrix can be followed using procedures in which there is already experience from the use of strategic planning in the company.
Stage III. Definition of strategic objectives, strategies and assurances
The objective of this stage is to define the strategic objectives that will guide the commercialization of the goods or services during the period covered by the plan. Based on them and on the information provided in the previous stages, managers must choose the strategies that will allow them to determine how they will achieve the strategic objectives and their contribution to the mission of the organization.
Once the strategies are defined, they can be translated into a program or action plan that will serve as assurance. Considering as a premise that there is only one strategic plan in the company, managers must then assume the strategic objectives that it includes or, failing that, design or complement them in such a way that the characteristics and conditions of the market in which the organization operates are considered.
In addition to this, it is necessary to prepare an expense budget that supports those resources necessary for the successful execution of the marketing plan, this expense budget is vital since all marketing efforts constitute an investment that must be translated into results for the organization and because Certain resources will be required to implement the plan.
Requesting this budget on time is a guarantee of support for the plan since its availability would facilitate the execution of marketing efforts using your own budget.
Then, the control system that will be used in the execution of the marketing plan must be designed, which must collect the routes, frequency and indicators that are going to be used to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency with which the strategic marketing plan complies, as well as its monitoring and adjustment mechanisms.
In summary, the activities to be carried out to fulfill this stage would be:
* Definition of the strategic marketing objectives
* Choice of the marketing strategy
* Preparation of the program of actions that ensure compliance with each strategy
* Preparation of the marketing expenses budget
* Design of the control system
Stage IV. Drafting and approval of the strategic marketing plan and evaluation of its effectiveness
The purpose of this stage is to achieve the final approval of the strategic marketing plan.
Using desk work, marketers carefully write the plan.
Once the document is formed, it must be circulated so that the managers can analyze it through a group analysis submitted for approval. In the event of amendments or adjustments, arrangements or modifications, they must be made immediately.
Once the plan is approved, it must be implemented by putting into practice the actions that were planned to complete each strategy, which will contribute to the achievement of the strategic objectives and ultimately to the achievement of the mission and vision of the organization.
During implementation, both the planned control system and the partial evaluation of the effectiveness of this plan must be applied. It is suggested that such effectiveness be understood as the degree to which the strategic marketing plan achieves its desired effect. For this reason, it is suggested that the strategic objectives themselves become the main indicators for evaluating the effectiveness of the plan.
The follow-up or monitoring of the plan, supported by the effectiveness evaluation and control system, will allow updating it and making the necessary corrections. It is convenient to apply the necessary contingency variants that have been foreseen in advance.
Conclusions
1) The theoretical foundations addressed are constituted in the main category of the investigation, conferring the scientific character to it and becoming the support that justifies the designed procedure.
2) The procedure corresponds to the requirements that arise in the provisions to carry out the business improvement process.
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