Introduction
The coronavirus was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization in early March 2020. As much as the pandemic has affected health care on a worldwide basis, it has also had a leading effect on the business strategies followed by various organizations. Marketing is a key element utilized by every business organization in order to successfully grow and maintain a loyal customer base and economic stability in their relevant markets. Since the breakout of the coronavirus pandemic, the marketing departments of business organizations all over the world have had to make specific adaptations in order to ensure growth. This paper will focus on the effect that the coronavirus had on the marketing strategies of UK-based companies. (Barua, 2020)
Relevant Aims
How to adapt to changes in the market conditions
It is extremely important for any business organization to have flexible policies that can be played with according to the time and need requirements. Through this research paper, we will discuss different methods and policies which a business organization can imply in order to effectively and efficiently change their methods and business strategies according to the changes in the overall market.
How relevant is marketing to a business and the product/service being produced
There are various departments within a business organization, and each plays its own role when it comes to the overall success and growth of the organization. Through this research paper, we will aim to develop a better understanding and study the importance and relevance of the marketing department to the welfare of a business organization. (Seshadri, 2005)
How has the global pandemic of coronavirus affected marketing, particularly in the UK?
In this report, we are going to study the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on different areas of business, specifically on marketing. The research is going to be saturated with the marketing strategies of UK business organizations. The aim is to understand the various business marketing strategies and how severely these policies have been affected due to the breakout of a global pandemic. By the end of this paper, we aim to have developed an in-depth understanding of the adaptations and changes made by different UK-based companies related to their business marketing department and how the strategies continue to differ in order to tackle the current economic situation.
Your aims must include the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic
SMART Objectives
Specific
The specific objectives for this report are to focus on the first steps that marketing departments have taken to adjust to the pandemic.
Measurable
The measurable objective of this report is to study the extent of changes made in marketing techniques before and after the pandemic.
Achievable
The achievable objective of this study is to highlight the steps that can be taken by organizations to improve their marketing strategies during the pandemic.
Relevant
The relevant objective of this report is to list and explain the tools and resources which the marketing department can use to adapt to the pandemic.
Time-Bound
The time-bound objective of this report is to study the effectiveness with which marketing departments all over the UK have responded to the pandemic.
Relevant Academic field and the major subtopic related to this research paper
The most related academic field to this topic is Business Administration. This degree helps the students develop insight and a detailed understanding of various business strategies and practices. The relevant topic or course within this degree which resonates the most with the topic of our research paper is; Marketing Strategies. (Clarke, 2006)
Literature Review
Marketing
As the name suggests, this department ensures that whatever product or the service that the company is producing is hyped up in the market. The key element of this department is to create awareness regarding the company’s product or service in the market. The strategy which the marketing department comes up with helps entail the customers to understand the specifics of the product/service and gives them a better understanding of how and why the product is important and relevant to them. The marketing department plays a vital role in determining the sales and output levels of the business organization. The stronger the marketing department, the wider the customer base will be for the business organization. It is also important for the marketing department to focus on the competitive business organizations in the market and keep up with the rival marketing strategies. Furthermore, it is also dependent on the marketing department on how cost-effective their strategies are going to be. Marketing costs play a vital role in defining the overall profit turnover for the business organization.
Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the marketing department has faced major changes, and the managers have been quick to develop strategies to adapt to the current situation involving the pandemic. As the focus of our paper rests on the marketing strategies carried out by UK based businesses, let’s look at a few examples of how the marketing strategies have been altered in order to fight the pandemic in the UK: (Craven, 2020)
Donations and Financial Support to NHS Workers
It is extremely important for businesses to establish their goodwill and send out a positive image through these troubling times. One major tool that is being used by business organizations to do so is extending financial support to medical and health care workers in the form of donations and care packages. Waitrose, one of the leading supermarket chains in the UK, has taken the initiative to donate to specific charities that are helping out the victims of the pandemic.
Online Marketing Campaigns
A lot of businesses in the UK have resorted to online platforms to market their products and services. These organizations are using their online platforms to set a positive environment and are providing tips and techniques to their customers on how to protect themselves from the virus. Marks and Spencer are using its online Twitter handle to extend positivity and support to its customers in times of chaos and trouble. Therefore, due to Corona Pandemic, the marketing strategy has changed from physical marketing towards online marketing, especially through social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. (Lincoln, 2020).
Providing Services to NHS workers
Many business organizations in the UK are improving their marketing strategies by expressing their concern towards individuals who are directly involved in dealing with the pandemic outbreak. The famous fast-food chain of UK-Leon has been providing daily meals to NHS workers in order to show their support and at the same time effectively market their own brand. (Sophie, 2020)
Research Methodology
Research Strategy
Action research is the relevant research strategy that can be used in order to better understand the effects of the pandemic on the marketing strategies of UK-based business organizations. In this regard, action research offers a way to bring a certain type of research technique in a mutual manner, within which individuals in the form of a group gather information from a distance through which they establish a new point of view regarding the major focus of the research. (Teddlie, 2006) In a broader sense, it would not be wrong to say that it is a second-hand research practice to study a subject matter according to which they develop further steps to be taken accordingly. Within the given situation, as the effects of the pandemic on marketing strategies are studies, the researcher will collaborate with various leading business organizations present in the UK and develop an understanding of how their respective marketing departments have responded to the pandemic and what adaptations have been made by these organizations towards their marketing strategies. (Kothari, n.d.) (Hanson, 2007)
Research Design
The research design which will be implemented by the researcher to understand the effects of the pandemic on marketing strategies is the mixed method. Through the help of the proposed research design technique, it would be easier for the researcher to collect both first-hand and second-hand facts and figures, especially because it includes both quantitative as well as qualitative research design tools. It offers researchers a better and effective way to collect reliable information through different literary techniques of research such as interviews, questionnaires, leading towards a deeper understanding of the main subject matter understudy. (Kothari, n.d.) (Onwuegbuzie, 2009)
Sampling Strategy
Non-probable sampling strategy will be used in this given situation, and the researcher will use this for better results of the main issue. To study a particular business organization, a non-probable strategy helps to offer ease to researchers so that they can study and collect information in a self-selected and convenient manner (Marshall, n.d.). Using this sampling strategy is beneficial at all levels because it is vital for the researcher to select the dominating organizations so that the results from the research can be most reliable and valid. (Alvi, 2016)
Types of Data Collection Tools
The researcher will be using data collection tools that will help in recovering both quantitative and qualitative data from the research being carried. The most relevant and easily accessible tools will be interviews, surveys, questionnaires, and checklists. (Pavlů, 2017)
Types of Analysis
The type of analysis which will be used by the researcher is predictive analysis. The researcher will observe and ponder over the findings of the study carried out and predict what possible outcomes and changes will be visible in the near future on the marketing departments due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Quinn, 1990) (Harley, n.d.)
Ethical Issues
The main ethical issue which the researcher might face is client confidentiality. Many of the business organizations might not be comfortable with their techniques and strategies being published as data of the report. (BRADFORD, 1996)This will be due to the threat of competing firms adapting the same techniques and strategies, which might cause the organizations to face severe competition during the pandemic. Therefore if the data is published by the researcher without taking the client’s consent, this will be considered as an unethical approach and might cause the study and the research to lose its credibility, and the findings of the research might not be deemed as valid or reliable. (Sheldon, 2009) (Jondle, 2008)
Challenges
The main challenges which the researcher might face will be related to convincing the business organizations to cooperate with the research and being transparent with their strategies and adaptions to the pandemic. (Kothari, n.d.)
Timeline
The timeline of the research will be as follows:
- Identify the relevant aims and objectives of the research
- Highlight the research techniques and strategies
- Perform detailed market research for relevant samples
- Contact and carry out the research with the relevant samples
- Compile all the data generated through the research
- Compare the data and highlight all similar results
- Give a detailed analysis of the research that is carried out
Conclusion
It is evident that the breakout of the coronavirus pandemic has changed the trends in the market, and businesses have had to adapt accordingly. UK-based businesses have effectively changed their marketing techniques and strategies to adapt to the pandemic. The major change which can be seen is the shift from profit-motivated marketing strategies to goodwill humanitarian strategies.
- Add a little conclusion, to sum up, what you have written above.
- Resources are not enough. You must use at least 15 academic resources try to find new resources. You could use websites, but it should be reliable websites e.g., BBC and so on.
References
Alvi, M., 2016. A Manual for Selecting Sampling Techniques in Research.
Barua, S., 2020. Economic Effects of Coronavirus Outbreak (COVID-19) on the World Economy.
BRADFORD, J. L., 1996. Reflections on Consumer Sophistication and Its Impact on Ethical Business Practice.
Clarke, P., 2006. The marketing curriculum and educational aims: towards a professional education?.
Craven, M., 2020. COVID-19: Implications.
Hanson, W. E., 2007. Qualitative Research Designs: Selection and Implementation. s.l.:s.n.
Harley, B., n.d. Business Research Methods. s.l.:s.n.
Jondle, D., 2008. Characteristics of Ethical Business Cultures. Journal of Business Ethics volume.
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Lincoln, J., 2020. As Coronavirus Spreads, Digital Marketing Becomes More Important Than Ever. [Online]
Available at: https://www.business2community.com/small-business/as-coronavirus-spreads-digital-marketing-becomes-more-important-than-ever-02296683
[Accessed 2 5 2020].
Marshall, M. N., n.d. Sampling for qualitative research. s.l.:s.n.
Onwuegbuzie, A. J., 2009. A typology of mixed methods research designs. Quality & Quantity.
Pavlů, D., 2017. Facts, research, segmentation. Marketing Identity.
Quinn, M., 1990. Qualitative evaluation and research methods, 2nd ed. Sage Publications, Inc..
Seshadri, D. S., 2005. B2B MARKETING. LEE KONG CHIAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS.
Sheldon, K. M., 2009. Time Affluence as a Path toward Personal Happiness and Ethical Business Practice: Empirical Evidence from Four Studies. Journal of Business Ethics .
Sophie, 2020. 8 UK brand marketing strategies adapted for COVID-19. [Online]
Available at: https://www.talkwalker.com/blog/uk-brand-marketing-strategies-adapted-for-covid
Teddlie, C., 2006. A General Typology of Research Designs Featuring Mixed Methods. s.l.:s.n.
