Discussion Question 8 What is the purpose of the marketing plan, and how might it be used in managing the activities of the organization?  What should be included within the marketing plan?  Who is typically responsible for developing the marketing plan?  Which departments within the organization should have access to the marketing plan? Peer 1 1. A marketing plan lays out a company's route to effective marketing. It is always in the best interest of an organization to have a plan for the direction they intend to lead their organization. If they just "wing it" and do not have goals that are written down 2. This includes budgeting, techniques, and organization to carry out each marketing operation. 3. Marketing plans are usually developed within the marketing department of an organization, generally overseen by the CMO. 4. Departments involved should be the marketing department, as well as the financial department. The marketing department needs to know where they are headed and what their goals are that they need to achieve. The financial department will need to know because any marketing plan is going to cost money. Therefore, they need to know what the cost of their plan is going to be. Peer 2 What is the purpose of the marketing plan, and how might it be used in managing the activities of the organization? This is the plan a business will use to implement and sell its products or services. Its a document checklist of actions the company will pursue to achieve success. What should be included within the marketing plan? Each marketing plan can vary. They may include market research, target audience, current position, competitive analysis, budget, metrics, timing, etc. Who is typically responsible for developing the marketing plan? A product manager, brand manager or chief marketing officer may create a marketing plan. A marketing department may create and execute the marketing plan. Which departments within the organization should have access to the marketing plan? Many departments can interact with the marketing department and may need to know certain parts of the strategy. Each department will have a different role depending on what is needed of them.