Marketing Plan for Qantas Airline - Essay Example

Marketing plan for Qantas Airline Company overview Qantas airline is a company in the aviation industry which is involved in offering aviation services to its customers. Qantas is the leading airline in Australia and deals with both domestic and international aviation services. The company uses three subsidiaries to deliver its services to customers. It uses the Jet Star, Qantas freight and the frequent flyer. The airline offers services such as carrying the cargo of passengers, offering catering services for international flights and ensuring that the customers are comfortable during the flight. For domestic flights, the company offers its services at a cheaper price making it affordable for the local customers. It also has flights that carry luggage over a short distance especially when dealing with perishable goods. Market segmentation The market segment of Qantas airline is divided into two: The domestic segmentation and the international segmentation. The international segmentation of the company aims at reaching customers all over the world. The main targeted customers are people who travel overseas country for business trips or vacations. It targets international travelers who are the major target of the company. Such include business people and individuals who love travelling across the globe. The second target is the domestic segment which involves offering airline services to people within the country. The services are offered to people who travel over various areas in the country and people travelling for vacations. Qantas has lowered the prices of this segment making it accessible for the local people. The travels involve short hours, unlike the international travels. The features of the airline do not offer many services because they operate at short hours with a maximum of 3 hours. SWOT analysis of the company Strengths The company provides a wide selection of services which it offers to its customers. The company offers comfortable and reliable flights to its customers especially in the long-hour flights. The company is diverse and offers both domestic and international aviation services to its customers making it more competitive in the market share. It can meet the need of both the local people and international travelers something that a number of airlines in Australia have not been able to offer. The company also has a strong backbone that supports its activities. The fiscal position of the company is stable enough to support all of its operations. It also uses the most recent technology to make its services more convenient and of quality. The company also has a good technical support which ensures that its airlines are fit to work. The company also has a large staff of 33,000 employees who ensure that they give customers the best services. The company has put its focus on satisfying the needs of its company making it more competitive than its competitors. It offers quality services to its customers making it its major marketing and branding strategy. Weaknesses The company is facing a major competition in the local market because of lack of focus and enough facilities to cater for the market. It is facing a major threat from Virgin, a local airline that has established itself in the local market segment. The performance of the company is now weak because the company has failed in paying its employees fair wages. Opportunities The company has an opportunity of investing the domestic air travel market. With this, the company will be able to outdo its competitors such as Virgin and tiger. The company can also focus on the tourism segment due to the growing tourism industry. The company has the opportunity of developing airlines for the tourism sector that is rapidly growing in the country. The growing population in the country also gives Qantas an opportunity of expanding its operations to cover the increasing needs of its customers. The company also has an opportunity of expanding its marketing through the use of advanced technology such as the internet. The company also has an opportunity of investing in other businesses (Bout, 2014). Threats The company has a great challenge from its competitors who have ventured in the domestic air travels. The airline company is facing threats because of the pollution of the environment. Marketing Objectives To reach a wider and larger target customers and increase the number of customers To be the leading airline in Australia and to expand the domestic market To develop the name and brand of the company To persuade more customers to purchase the services offered by the airline. Method of Data collection The market research of the company was conducted by using interviews, questionnaires and observations. The company used questionnaires and interviews to recognize the wants of the target audience. The company also conducted a survey analysis to discover the need in the market segment. The company also identified its target customers by carrying out a demographics research. The internet was also a tool of research (Zikmund, 2012). Marketing goals The marketing goals of the company are: to convince the target customers to buy the product, to increase the sales in the company, to develop and promote the brand of the company, to attract more customers and keep those who are already in the company. Marketing strategy The company will use the marketing mix elements in marketing its products and services. The company has to position itself first in the target market and this can be achieved by focusing on five main issues: the pricing of the products, the differentiated benefits from other companies, and the quality of services offered the public relation and the brand name of the company. The company should be able to use the four Ps as a marketing strategy. The price, product, place and promotion are important elements in marketing. Price: the company should provide services at an affordable price for the target customers. Pricing is an important tool because it can either attract or push customers away depending on how it is done. The company should provide cheaper services to attract more customers. Product: the company should offer quality services to its customers as a way of marketing itself. This will attract more customers making the company flock with customers. Place: the company should focus on the domestic air travel because of the great opportunity it offers. Promotion: to market its services, the company should come up with promotional strategies that will develop the brand of the company and attract more companies. Marketing tools As a method of effectively marketing its services to the target market, the company should employ such tools as advertising, personal selling, direct marketing, public relations and sales promotion. Advertising: the company should market its product by using the internet, TV, radios, billboards and leaflets. This will increase the chances of reaching a wider target audience at a cheaper price. The use of the mass media is an effective way of reaching a wider target audience because it is accessed by people of all classes and age. Public relations: the company should employ PR in marketing its services because it is a more convincing strategy and the target customers are well informed about the services of the company. PR also develops a positive name for the company making it more marketable. Direct marketing: this is an effective marketing strategy because it brings a lot of customers on board. It is also aimed at increasing the sales of the product by convincing the target customers on the types of services the company offers and telling them the benefits they have over the services offered by other aviation airlines. Sales promotion: this is an effective way of attracting and increasing the number of customers. It involves giving discounts to customers who buy tickets and offering them some free services. This will attract more customers and will lead to the rise of sales in the company (Nicole, 2012). References Nicole R. (2012). Qantas marketing strategies. Retrieved May, 15, 2014 from http://www.prezi.com/qantas-marketing-strategies/html Bout, Qantas. SWOT analysis. Retrieved May, 15, 2014 from http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/home/au.htm Zikmund G., & Babin. J. (2012). Essentials of marketing research. New York, NY: South-Western Pub. Read More