The Ultimate Aim....

Any plan bears value solely when carried out through action. A marketing plan is no end in itself: its success is revealed strictly in its execution. Your marketing plan and its methodical follow-up provide the best guarantee that your firm is on its way to implementing the mission you have entrusted it with as its executive and bringing to life the vision you have nurtured of it.

Execution, which is the final step in the planning process, consists of three elements: organization, implementation, and marketing activity control. Organization is the marketing management activity focal point. Without organization, it is impossible to prepare a marketing plan or provide for its implementation or control.

Implementation is the initiative whereby the marketing plan gets carried out. The strategy consists in determining the marketing activities appropriate to an objective (which activities and why): implementation involves the person responsible for marketing activities, the hierarchical decision level, as well as the time at and manner in which to apply them (the who, where, when and how of marketing activities).

Control is the final step in the marketing process; it consists in making sure that results are as compliant as possible with objectives set during the planning stage. On the other hand, the marketing planning effort loses much of its significance if not followed by solid control. This step is also, in a way, the first one in the planning initiative to follow, since the information obtained from control activities enables to improve preparation for the ensuing plan.