Marketing Plan

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Purpose

The marketing plan event is designed to assist students with developing practical skills in the marketing process through the development and presentation of a marketing plan. Students research and present a marketing plan for an agricultural product, supply or service. It is intended as a competitive activity involving a team of three persons working for an actual local agri-business, either an existing or start-up enterprise, to support FFA's outreach mission. 
 
Local chapters may involve the entire chapter, a specific agriculture class or a three-person team in the development of the plan. A three-person team will present the results of primary research involving the local community that provides a reasonable and logical solution to a marketing problem. Understanding of the marketing process is manifested in the marketing plan, which is presented in a written plan and in a live presentation to qualified judges. Though only three individuals are on a team, any number of students may assist with the primary and secondary research. 

 

Objectives

1. To encourage students to demonstrate an understanding of the marketing plan process. 
2. To provide an activity to focus student and community attention on the agri-marketing curriculum. 
3. To encourage students to explore and prepare for possible careers in agri-marketing. 
4. To help develop partnerships and improve relations between industry, local FFA chapters and the general public. 

 

Event Rules

1. It is highly recommended that participants wear FFA Official Dress for this event. 
2. At least three qualified judges will be used. Judges should be selected to represent a mix of industry, education and communication and will have a sufficient understanding of the marketing planning process. 
3. A timekeeper will be provided. 

 

Event Format

 

Team Make-Up

A team will consist of three members from the same FFA Chapter. Only the three certified team members can take an active role in the presentation of materials and use of technology during the presentation.

 

Equipment

1. Equipment provided at the event site: 
   
   1. one computer (although teams may bring their own)
   2. one LCD projector with standard VGA cable 
   3. one screen 
   4. one AV cart including power strip and extension cord 
   5. one table 
2. It is the responsibility of the team to provide any additional equipment. To ensure that a presentation will work, it is recommended that teams bring a backup copy of their presentation on a USB drive.

 

Written Plan - (100 points)

1. Instructions 
   
   1. Teams should select an actual local agri-business, either an existing or start-up enterprise, that serves the community and decide on the product or service for the marketing plan. Teams should work with an off-campus organization; they should not use their chapter as a client. 
   2. Emphasis should be placed on the “value-added” concept using marketing 
      techniques to increase the value of products or services. 
   3. A marketing plan is concerned with the future. Historical information is very valuable, but the actual plan must be a projection. A plan presented in the current year should be developed for the following year. A three-year timeframe may be needed, which would mean the inclusion of the two years following the current year. 
   4. The project outline should include the following aspects of the marketing process: 
      
      1. Brief description of product or service (product/service attributes: size, quality, etc.) – 5 points 
      2. Market analysis – 30 points 
         
         1. Client’s status in the current market 
         2. Industry trends 
         3. Buyer profile and behavior 
         4. Competition’s SWOT analysis 
         5. Product’s/client’s SWOT analysis 
         6. Primary research results (surveys, focus groups, interviews)
      3. Business proposition – 20 points 
         
         1. Develop a mission statement 
         2. Key planning assumptions (cite sources of information) 
         3. Short and long-term goals - must be measurable, specific, attainable and have completion dates 
         4. Target market – identify specific market segments which achieve the goals 
      4. Strategies and action plan – 25 points 
         
         1. Product 
         2. Price 
         3. Place 
         4. Promotion 
         5. Position 
      5. Projected budget – 10 points 
         
         1. What will the strategies cost? 
         2. Pro forma income statement which details the realistic costs and returns of the marketing strategies 
         3. Calculate the financial return of the marketing plan 
      6. Evaluation – 5 points 
         
         1. Establish benchmarks to track progress toward goals 
         2. Identify specific tools to measure established benchmarks 
         3. Recommendations for alternative strategies, if benchmarks are not reached 
      7. Technical and business writing skills – 5 points 
2. Procedures 
   
   1. The written report must be emailed to the event superintendent, Dr. Rodney Holcomb at rodney.holcomb@okstate.edu by April 15. Those that do not register before the close of registration with the required documents are not eligible to participate. The written report may be submitted in PDF or Microsoft Word format. 
   2. The document should not exceed eight (8) single-sided, 8.5”x11” pages and must be 10-point or larger type size. Different formats and page sizes can be used as long as the document does not exceed the equivalent of eight (8) single-sided, 8.5” x 11” pages. A five (5) point deduction will be applied to all marketing plans that do not follow these guidelines. 
      
      1. Title page - 1 page 
         
         1. Project title 
         2. Chapter name 
         3. Chapter number 
         4. Year 
      2. Text and appendices - 7 pages 
         
         1. Marketing plan 
         2. Surveys 
         3. Graphs 
         4. Maps 
         5. Promotional pieces 
   3. Written expression is important. Attention should be given to language, general appearance, structure and format. 

 

Live Presentations - (200 points)

1. The team assumes the role of a marketing consultant. The judges assume the role of the selected client. 
2. Each team will be allowed five minutes to set up before their 15-minute time allowance begins. After the presentation, teams are required to reset the equipment as they found it. 
3. In the case of equipment failure, every effort will be made to rectify the problem as quickly as possible; however, at the judges’ discretion, a team may be asked to move forward with the presentation. A back-up plan is recommended. 
4. The live presentation should not exceed fifteen minutes. Five points will be deducted from the final score for each minute, or major fraction thereof, over fifteen minutes for the presentation. The timekeeper shall be responsible for keeping an accurate record of time. 
5. Each member of the team should participate in the presentation and be prepared to participate in the question and answer session. 
   
   1. The preliminary presentation will be followed by five minutes maximum of clarifying questions. 
   2. During the semifinal round, there will be ten minutes maximum of both clarifying and general marketing questions. A minimum of three general marketing questions will be asked. 
   3. In the final round, the presentation will be followed by twelve minutes maximum of both clarifying and general marketing questions. 
6. Visual aids are only limited by your imagination. Do not assume that the lights can be adjusted or the competition room can be drastically remodeled. Scoring will be based on how effectively visual aids are used, not how elaborate they are. Remember that visual aids should enhance and clarify what the speakers are saying; not replace them. 
7. Before the presentation, teams are allowed to hand judges one single-sided, 8.5”x11” page with changes/corrections to the written plan. No other handouts or samples are allowed. 

 

Scoring

Teams will be ranked in numerical order on the basis of the total points/final score to be determined by each judge without consultation. The judges' ranking of each team then shall be added, and the winner will be that team whose total ranking is the lowest. Other placings will be determined in the same manner (low-rank method of selection). All event scorecards are at the end of this chapter of the handbook.

 

• Written Plan - 100
• Live Presentations - 200
• Total Points - 300

 

 

Tiebreaker

Ties will be broken based on the greatest number of low ranks. Team low ranks will be counted and the team with the greatest number of low ranks will be declared the winner. If a tie still exists, then the event superintendent will rank the teams’ responses to questions. The team with the lowest rank from the response to questions will be declared the winner. If a tie still exists then the team’s raw scores will be totaled. The team with the greatest total of raw points will be declared the winner.

 

Resources

This list of references is not intended to be all-inclusive. Other sources may be utilized, and teachers are encouraged to make use of the very best instructional materials available. The following list contains references that may prove helpful during event preparation. 
 

• Abrams, Rhonda. 2010. “The Successful Business Plan: Secrets and StrategiesTM”, 
  fifth edition. The Planning ShopTM, Palo Alto, California.  
• Agricultural Marketing Resource Center
• National FFA Marketing Final Four Performances
• United States Small Business Association – Developing A Marketing Plan

 

Supplemental Materials and Forms

Marketing Plan Scorecard