Marketing Mix at British Airways (Coursework Sample)

British Airways
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Executive Summary
The British aviation is one of the largest and the fastest growing industry in the transportation sector. British Airways is among the leading market players in the U.K aviation industry, with 56% of the market. Though the aviation market is highly competitive, British Airways has continued to expand its business to more than 400 destinations in 80 countries ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"y6zi0JN1","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Airways, 2017, p. 15)","plainCitation":"(Airways, 2017, p. 15)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":3231,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/qBtJ3Wwt/items/UW8EK4YR"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/qBtJ3Wwt/items/UW8EK4YR"],"itemData":{"id":3231,"type":"article-journal","container-title":"Where we fly.[online] Available at: https://www. britishairways. com/travel/where-we-fly/public/en_gb/map [Accessed 13 November 2017]","source":"Google Scholar","title":"British Airways","author":[{"family":"Airways","given":"British"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2017"]]}},"locator":"15","label":"page"}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Airways, 2017, p. 15). As such, the marketing mix strategy has been at the central in ensuring the significant growth and expansion of the airline. Additionally, the British Airways utilizes service differentiation strategy through offering online services to their customers, leading to enhanced competitive advantage. To maintain its position as the market leader, British Airways needs to maintain high standards and quality services.
Introduction
Globally, technology has enabled efficient domestic and international connectivity through various ways. Currently, aviation is one of the best strategies that facilitate the transportation of people and goods from one country to another and within the country. The United Kingdom's aviation industry comprises of many players, including the British Airways. Through the services offered in this sector, aviation in the United Kingdom industry is considered one of the finest in the world. A report by Aviation (2016, p. 1) indicates that the United Kingdom is ranked third in the aviation network, and it is regarded as the second largest aerospace manufacturing sector. The impact of aviation in the economy is significant, with more than £60 billion in turnover, and contributes approximately £22 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It directly and indirectly employs more than one million citizens. Considering the projected growth in the next five years (4.2%), various market players are strategically planning to ensure an increase in market share and enhanced profitability.
Through the analysis of the 7Ps of the marketing mix, we will assess the strategies that the British Airways can implement to cement its position as the leading player in the aviation industry. These tools of marketing are essential in fulfilling the needs of the targeted customer segment. These critical components to be assessed are product, place, price, and promotion.
Product
Product is one of the essential components that help the company stay afloat amidst stiff competition in the market. A study by ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"fk4N7MHV","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Dudovskiy, 2017, p. 22)","plainCitation":"(Dudovskiy, 2017, p. 22)","dontUpdate":true,"noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":3228,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/qBtJ3Wwt/items/HGW9AUKR"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/qBtJ3Wwt/items/HGW9AUKR"],"itemData":{"id":3228,"type":"post-weblog","abstract":"British Airways (BA) is the largest airline company in the UK and it flies globally to more than 400 destinations to airports in nearly 80 countries. British Airways is a part of International Airline Group (IAG) that also owns three … Continue reading →","container-title":"Research-Methodology","language":"en-US","note":"source: research-methodology.net\nsection: Company Profiles & Analysis","title":"British Airways Report","URL":"https://research-methodology.net/british-airways-report-6/","author":[{"family":"Dudovskiy","given":"John"}],"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2020",5,18]]},"issued":{"date-parts":[["2017",6,11]]}},"locator":"22","label":"page"}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} Dudovskiy (2017, p. 22) indicates that the British Airways offers excellent products that seek to satisfy their customers. For its operations, the company has over 293 aircraft that provide excellent services to all its clients. Additionally, the company offers premium services customized to enhance customers' needs. When using the British Airways services, customers are provided with various options to assist them in choosing the most appropriate services for them. For instance, customers may choose between Taste of the Far East, Gourmet Dining, Taste of Britain, Great British Breakfast, Healthy Choice, and Vegetarian Kitchen. All these options are available when customers choose the World Traveler Cabin. These options allow customers to valuable services as desired ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"8yNyonYP","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Airways, 2017, p. 10)","plainCitation":"(Airways, 2017, p. 10)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":3231,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/qBtJ3Wwt/items/UW8EK4YR"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/qBtJ3Wwt/items/UW8EK4YR"],"itemData":{"id":3231,"type":"article-journal","container-title":"Where we fly.[online] Available at: https://www. britishairways. com/travel/where-we-fly/public/en_gb/map [Accessed 13 November 2017]","source":"Google Scholar","title":"British Airways","author":[{"family":"Airways","given":"British"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2017"]]}},"locator":"10","label":"page"}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Airways, 2017, p. 10).
Secondly, the British Airways services provision is integrated with digital devices that allow patrons to enjoy the business's services at their comfort. For instance, in 2015, the company launched an application for the Apple watch. The application helps in opening the British Airways app and assisting customers in viewing their flights, the flight number, route, departure time, a countdown to the departure, and the destination's climatic conditions. ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"CptEJT1r","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Dudovskiy, 2016, p. 14)","plainCitation":"(Dudovskiy, 2016, p. 14)","dontUpdate":true,"noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":3233,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/qBtJ3Wwt/items/VMPZY9LU"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/qBtJ3Wwt/items/VMPZY9LU"],"itemData":{"id":3233,"type":"post-weblog","abstract":"British Airways segmentation, targeting and positioning refer to ways in which the airline company identifies certain individuals among the general public to offer their service packages. Segmentation involves dividing population into groups according to certain characteristics, whereas targeting implies choosing … Continue reading →","container-title":"Research-Methodology","language":"en-US","note":"source: research-methodology.net\nsection: Marketing","title":"British Airways Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning","URL":"https://research-methodology.net/british-airways-segmentation-targeting-positioning-2/","author":[{"family":"Dudovskiy","given":"John"}],"accessed":{"date-parts":[["2020",5,18]]},"issued":{"date-parts":[["2016",6,11]]}},"locator":"14","label":"page"}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} Dudovskiy (2016, p. 14) indicates that the company's segmentation, targeting, and positioning has allowed British Airways to identify categories of individuals who are suited to their services. Moreover, the company diversify their products to ensure its products have essential characteristics to obtain a new market. British Airways have a marketing strategy that targets various segments that offer four distinct travel services to diverse client segments.
The customer segments target by British Airways include economy, premium economy, executive, and first-class. To leverage segmentation, the company divides its market into four components: geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral bases. All these components facilitate quality improvement to satisfy customers' expectations. When considering product positioning, British Airways selects the best marketing mix suitable for the specific target customer segment ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"utlWkjhy","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Dudovskiy, 2016, p. 17)","plainCitation":"(Dudovskiy, 2016, p. 17)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":3233,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/qBtJ3Wwt/items/VMPZY9LU"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/qBtJ3Wwt/items/VMPZY9LU"],"itemData":{"id":3233,"type":"post-weblog","abstract":"British Airways segmentation, targeting and positioning refer to ways in which the airline company identifies certain individuals among the general public to offer their service packages. Segmentation involves dividing population into groups according to certain characteristics, whereas targeting implies choosing … Continue reading →","container-title":"Research-Methodology","language":"en-US","note":"source: research-methodology.net\nsection: Marketing","title":"British Airways Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning","URL":"https://research-methodology.net/british-airways-segmentation-targeting-positioning-2/","author":[{"fa...