Service Marketing Project Outline

Group Project: Services Marketing 

Introduction:
Throughout the semester, it is intended that participants witness several methods of
learning, to enhance the ability and knowledge about the topic in hand. These methods are
ranging from in class lecturing, case study discussions, simulation activities, and moreover
hands-on application through research, planning, and proposing a relevant marketing plan to
the syllables selected. Please read through carefully the below mentioned for your own
convenience regarding the group project which will account for 20% of your final grad.

Assignment
Every 4-6 participants will form a group to develop a marketing plan for a service of their own
choice, on the issue of service audit and innovation strategies. The purpose of this project is
to simulate the decisions one might be asked to make as a professional marketer for a
service oriented firm. It is intended to give first-hand experience in identifying opportunities
and developing marketing objectives, and strategies. In order to apply the complete
extended marketing mix, market analysis, and develop a full marketing proposition. The
group should work as if they represent an SME or a large company planning to expand or
enhance operations for a well selected marketing objective.

Selecting a Service:

The focus of this course is exclusively on MARKETING OF SERVICES, as they offer more
opportunities to focus on the application of most of what will be explored during the course, than do
most industries where they use services to market through them their core proposition. When
selecting your product, consider THREE factors. First, the service selected should have obvious
customer engagement process overtones or in other words should be a high-contact service (review
chapter 2) to provide a good possibility for participants to walkthrough. Second, the selected service
should be one that you know something about. Third, the product or brand chosen shall be
accessible for a real process walkthrough so it needs to be from Egyptian origins. Services meeting
these criteria include: food restaurants, Coffee shops, telecommunication operators, ISPs, gym, retail
banking, currier services, hotels, airlines, theatre & entertainment, retailers, beauty salons, and
barbershops …etc. While your choice is not limited to the above, you must choose a real brand from
an existing company.

Grading
This group project will contribute for 20% of your total grad, which will be distributed as per
the below mentioned:

1. Concept document and brief proposal presented by all group members during office
hours.
2. Applied research, and the selection of the brand as per the before mentioned criteria.
This should be shared with the instructor in order to avoid redundancy.
3. Complete marketing plan submitted and discussed.
4. Final project marketing plan in a 20-25 slide PowerPoint shared on the session right
before the final examination.
 Service Marketing Project Outline

Proposed Framework
The following is a proposed framework for the group project.

Marketing Plan for a service firm

I Introduction
Describe the service and the company you work for
II Situation Analysis

Describe the marketplace you operate in — general information about the industry,
competition and governmental controls along with information about the firm and the
market (explain macro and micro forces in brief)

III Target Market and Positioning

Define your target customers and the positioning of your brand

IV Marketing Mix - Extended

 Product Decisions:
- Core and supplementary services
- The flower of service—a refinement of the core and supplementary product
elements comprising the augmented service product
- Service branding
- Categories of service innovations

 Pricing Decisions:
- The pricing tripod—activity-based, cost-based, and competition-based pricing
- Different types of costs
- Monetary and non-monetary outlays—costs incurred by customers beyond price
- Revenue management, inventory buckets, and rate fences
- Price elasticity
- Implementing service pricing

 Placement & Time:

- Service delivery options
- Cyberspace delivery of service elements
- Role of service intermediaries
- Service franchising
- International distribution of services

 Promotion Decisions:
- Role of marketing communications
- Challenges of services communications
- The marketing communications mix
- Implications of the Internet for marketing communication
- The role of corporate design

 Process:
- Basic flowcharting
- Blueprinting service design—a more sophisticated and prescriptive form of
flowcharting
- Service process redesign
- The customer as co-producer
- Self-service technologies
 Service Marketing Project Outline

 Physical Environment :
- Servicescapes
- Consumer responses to servicescapes
- Design of ambient conditions—music, scent, color
- Environmental design—signage, symbols, artifacts, spatial layout
- People as part of servicescape
- Design servicescape holistically from the customer’s perspective

 People Element:
- Frontliners as boundary spanners and role conflicts
- Cycles of failure, mediocrity, and success in HR management
- The Service Talent Cycle
- Service teams
- Service leadership and culture

V Conclusion

After analyzing and tentatively proposing a marketing plan for the company selected, you
have to answer the questions: Why have chosen the specific strategy? What are the
chances of success for your brand for the targeted market? You don’t have the option of
recommending not marketing the brand chosen. You must justify every decision.

VI Reference List
Please provide a complete reference for all materials you consult. Information drawn from these
sources should be cited within the body of your paper.
VII Appendix or Appendices: Appendix or appendices can include related materials.

Incidentals
1. Your group is required to present a summary of your topic/case and the key issues and
strategies in the presentation. The presentation should last for no more than 20 minutes
and will be followed by 10 minutes of questions and debate from the floor.
2. You should produce a one page A4 handout for all the other groups summarizing your
issues/ideas and conclusions and the reverse side should include your references and
sources of information.
3. A professional presentation is expected with appropriate dress code.
4. Finally, it is expected at this level that groups work harmoniously together and everyone
pulls their weight. If this is not the case, please report this as soon as possible. Don’t
leave it to the last minute otherwise nothing can be done!
5. Please report ASAP if any-one is not participating although it’s your responsibility to
manage the team and hence each other!

The Importance of your Project and Presentation

Participants often graduate with only a limited knowledge of their local markets, and
professional work environment, or are knowledgeable about specific industries that are very
similar to their own. This exercise is designed to give you greater understanding about how
other markets work and you are strongly encouraged to attend and participate in all the
presentations so that you leave the class with a wider view of the business world, which is
full of ‘interesting opportunities and challenging problems’.

Best Of Luck…
 Service Marketing Project Outline

Oral presentation marking criteria:

Please Make Sure to Handover this part on the day of your presentation to your instructor

- To be filled by Participants
Group Members:

1- 2- 3-

4- 5- 6-

Title:

Date:

- To be filled by Instructor:
Marking Criteria Poor Average Good Excellent
Presentation quality (clarity/pace/structure/ use of aids/eye
contact/timing/ question handling etc.)

Appropriate Dress Code

Creativity/Originality of topic, approach & Conclusions

A factual description of the issue or case

An objective analysis and discussion of all sides of the

issue

Rationality and substantiation of conclusions

Identifies implications for the marketing plan & strategy

Has evidence of most of below:

 Impact on the marketing mix/7P’s

 Using marketing research to discover relevant ethical issues

 Impact on promotional activities & Public relations

 Influence of key stakeholders (employees, Suppliers,
Distributors…etc.)
 Implications of an ethical stance and possible resultant
opportunism from competitors
 Regulatory authorities and their role/influence on marketing
decision making if any
Quality of hand-outs and breadth/variety of sources of
reference.
General Comments

Mark………….%