Marketing Planning Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing Planning Report - Essay Example In some target audiences, Burger King has established brand insistence, or â€Å"consumer refusals of alternatives and extensive search for desired products† (Boone & Kurtz, 2007, p.383). Unlike some competition that only establishes brand preference or brand recognition, the unique production capabilities (flame-broiling) has managed to improve its loyalty ratios over many competitors. Additionally, Burger King achieves higher revenues through its franchisee programme that allows royalties to be paid whilst still using current advertising methodology. This is accomplished through its widespread geographic diversification and its presence in a multitude of international locations across the globe. By handing operational costs to the franchise owner, Burger King is able to earn revenues without considerable overhead costs. Unlike corporate owned, competitive fast food companies, Burger King maintains much lower operational costs and would normally be associated with corporate-o wned facilities. Burger King’s weaknesses include the influence of ever-changing labour laws that provide concentrated regulatory presence related to worker treatment, hours allowable, and diversity policies that differ internationally. This creates cost associated with maintaining new training programmes and also increases governmental control over how the business structures its labour pool in relation to retention and corporate organisational structure. Burger King also relies heavily on attempting to retain currently loyal customers rather than seeking new target audiences. This could be an effort to save on advertising costs by consolidating, however the business misses out on opportunities for gaining new market loyalty. Opportunities for the business include gaining higher revenues and more international brand visibility through its breakfast menu that grows more diverse over the years (marketingteacher.com, 2010). There are many threats to Burger King’s increas ed market share expectations, including troubled international economic conditions that lead to less disposable income for customers (such as the current rise in oil prices globally). This changes consumer sentiment related to pricing and their willingness to buy based on cost alone. Troubled economies represent unstable and uncertain operating environments that impact marketing strategy in a multitude of different ways. At the same time, consumer eating habits are changing due to international or domestic trends in healthier eating or acknowledgement of problems with obesity that directly impact an organisation where high fat content products are part of the core menu variety. Finally, consumers today are willing to defect to new brands based on many factors, with cost being one of these main trends. There is no guarantee in current market conditions, based on fluctuating buying behaviours in multiple consumer markets, that brand loyalty will be guaranteed over the long-term. There are virtually no political factors impacting business other than the aforementioned regulatory increases in labour protectionism. At the economic level, there are currently ongoing lawsuits related to franchisee unrest related to value pricing models that erode business owner profitability. Socially, there