Mars, Inc.

Marketing is the function that connects businesses to their target audiences’ needs. It is how a business presents and distributes their product to their audience. For example, a business can market their product by advertising it to the public. This can be seen in many forms of media; such as: on television, via web, posters or on billboards.

There is a dramatic increase in the number of children who are being affected by diabetes and obesity in America. Sugary drinks and unhealthy snacks should be taken out of the vending machines in schools and replaced with healthier choices to help stop this trend. Some may argue that taking out the options it is taking away a student’s right to choose what they will and will not eat. However, by taking out the sugary drinks healthy habits are encouraged, future diseases are avoided, and a healthier generation is brought up.

The obvious assumption made about the target market is that they are graduating from post-secondary schools in April of 2017. They are young adults who are open to new experiences and products1. After the grueling month of April, they are fun deprived and looking to celebrate their new – found freedom by embracing exciting and unforgettable journeys.

That is why we need to know the company, its product and its market, and define objectives to transmit values to a potential audience.

In order for a company to decide what marketing program will work, the company needs to have an understanding of how consumers make decisions. Consumers are quite unpredictable. So what might have worked yesterday or today may not work tomorrow. Therefore the marketers need to constantly improve their understanding of consumers and their behavior and form that adapt their marketing strategies to the changes in consumer behavior.

In a nutshell, a brand needs to know its consumers to be able to provide them with premium products and service as well as to communicate theses benefits through the right channels.

This marketing plan will also engulf vision of the company, its mission statement, product and services, and underlying factor of the business. The plans will also contain a vivid description of the company in terms of its business product as well as SWOT analysis to demonstrate its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. A market target segmentation of customers, strategic mission, and its foreign expansion

offering a product or a service. Many companies rely on marketing research to better understand

Marketing is an important tool for any business. It is how a company makes their product known to the public. Without marketing, the consumers will either not know that the product even exists or will not know all the applications of the product; who makes it, what it is and what it is made from, when came on the market, where it can be purchased, how it can help the consumer and why the consumer should even purchase the product in the first place. According to Tom Ash, Marketing is the process whereby demands for products, services and ideas are anticipated, managed and satisfied (2011).

Whilst making marketing decisions a business must decide their method of marketing. This will then be the way in which all future marketing activities will be planned. This is marketing planning. It has a huge number of benefits for any business. It’s influenced by the strategic plans of the business and its corporate objectives. Large public limited companies such as Nestle will usually have an overall plan for the business and has set objectives which they’re able to achieve. Smaller companies within the business will then create their own marketing plans which fit in with the overall strategic plan. The business has to consider several questions before coming up with the marketing plan:

Marketing is precisely about responding and reciprocating to customer needs. It's important that the business knows where there is demand in the market, in order for them to fill it before launching their new product. The business has to take into count that they have to set a reasonable price for the product, especially when they have competition in their location. This is when the four Ps of marketing are introduced; Product - the right product to fill in the market and a product that people are willing to buy to fulfil their customer needs, Price - an equitable selling price so that customers think that the product is a good value of money. Promotion - methods of advertisement such as: word of mouth, leaflets or on social media, by promoting your product you're letting customers know that your product exists. Place - the right location for your business where customers are likely to buy your products.

The Right Target Market One of the most important marketing functions for a firm is finding

Mars Inc., cares about commitment and their organizational culture is built upon five principles: Quality; Responsibility; Mutuality; Efficiency and Freedom. Mars has practiced these principles for generations and plans to continue far into the future. “The company’s objective is the manufacture and distribution of food products in such manner as to promote a mutuality of services and benefits among all stakeholders” (Forrest E. Mars, Sr., 1947). Mars is a private, family-owned business and states mutuality (teamwork) and freedom are what makes them stand out from other organizations.

A firm's aim is to survive and grow. Marketing helps achieve this through marketing activities, for example the process of market segmentation leads to the identification of a suitable target market. This identification means firms can manipulate a series of controllable factors- price, place, promotion and product, otherwise known as the marketing mix to produce a positive response in their target market. However a firm must also take into account the marketing environment; these are factors outside the firm's control. These can influence a firm's relationship with their target market; ignoring them can have disastrous consequences.

Other ethical practices by Kellogg’s are their newest efforts to end unfair marketing to children. They have created a “Nutrient Criteria” guide that sets the standards for what is and what isn’t healthy for children to consume, or over consume. Their products that do not fit these criteria are immediately ceased from marketing to children under the age of 6. Such Kellogg’s products that fall under this category as “unhealthy” are Pop-Tarts™, Froot Loops™, and Apple Jacks™. All of these products fall under Kellogg’s top sellers, and no longer marketing these to children may take a toll on the profits. Assuredly, Kellogg’s is aware of this, yet still they continue to set standards in the food and beverage industry by being one of the first companies to show a dedication to the cause of childhood