Glaxosmithkline Marketing Plan 1 Running Head: Glaxosmithkline Marketing Plan
Glaxosmithkline Marketing Plan 1 Running Head: Glaxosmithkline Marketing Plan
Glaxosmithkline Marketing Plan 1 Running Head: Glaxosmithkline Marketing Plan
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan: Internal, External Analysis and Market Entry Plan
[Name of Writer]
[Name of Institution]
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 2
Executive Summary
market. This essay therefore determines the possibility of the decision of an expansion and
the possibility of success after an expansion has taken place, For the purpose of determination
of this possibility it is important that in-depth analysis of the market situation and also the
position of the company ion that market be analysed. For that purpose an analysis of the
internal and the external factors has been made and also detail of whether the company must
be involved in a penetration has been discussed with the rationale generated by the analysis
of internal and external environments. Moreover a strategy to the penetration also discusses
the strategies like the pricing and the placement, and the role these will pay in making the
penetration a success.
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 3
Table of Contents
Executive Summary...................................................................................................................2
Introduction................................................................................................................................4
Discussion..................................................................................................................................5
External Environment Analysis.............................................................................................5
PESTLE..............................................................................................................................5
PORTER Analysis.............................................................................................................9
Conclusion of External Analysis......................................................................................10
Internal Environment Analysis............................................................................................10
Strength and Weakness Analysis.....................................................................................10
The Marketing Mix..........................................................................................................11
Conclusion of Internal Analysis.......................................................................................13
Market Entry Strategy..........................................................................................................14
CAGE Analysis................................................................................................................14
Hofstedes Framework......................................................................................................15
Rationale for Penetration into Chinese Market................................................................16
Market Entry Strategy......................................................................................................17
Conclusion................................................................................................................................18
Appendix..................................................................................................................................19
References................................................................................................................................22
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 4
Introduction
Kingdom. The company has its headquarters in London and has been a result of a series of
takeovers business venture along with mergers between the two giant firms Glaxo-Wellcome
and SmithKline Beecham in 2000. The company is a specialist in various areas of drug
industry and its products like the asthma management drugs are market leading products. The
company has been ranked 7th in the world as it has a global presence in 160 countries
including some of the major international economies like Japan, United Kingdom which is
also the base country of the company. USA is a major market for the company since the
market constituted 37% of the company’s turnover for the year 2016 whereas this percentage
was at 34% in 2015. Europe also constitutes a large portion of the company’s turnovers as it
was at 27% for the year 2016 (Martina, 2017). The operations of the company consist of
research and development alongside the manufacturing and the marketing of the extensive
product line that the company manages. All of the products of the company come under three
major segments which are the pharmaceutical, Vaccination and the Consumer Healthcare
segments.
The pharmaceutical segment of the company contributes the majority of the turnovers which
stands at 60% of cumulative turnovers. Vaccines being the second business segment of the
company contribute 15% in turnovers while the third segment being the Consumer healthcare
for new product development of these segments with the cumulative expenses for the R&D
department reaching £3,628 million. With the extent of market being captured by the firm it
This essay goes about in three sections; the first one being the analysis of external
environment that affects GSK and the entire Pharmaceutical industry. This section of the
essay uses the PESTLE analysis and the Porter’s Five Forces models for the analysis of the
environment in detail. The second section of the essay deals with the analysis of internal
environmental factors determining the position of the company in the market. This section of
the essay uses the Strength-Weakness Analysis of the company which is a part of the SWOT
analysis framework that deals with the internal environment along with an analysis of the
marketing mix of the company which details the position of the company’s marketing
strategy as an aim to understand the core business structure of the business. The third section
of the essay deals with the market entry strategy that the company must use and the reason
for the company to enter the Chinese market as part of the expansion plan.
Discussion
The external environment of the company can be analysed using the PESTLE framework
alongside the Porter’s Five Force model for an in-depth understanding of the firm and its
position in the external environment while assessing how the external environmental factors
Political
The pharmaceutical industry around the word remains a sector of the industry that is highly
controlled by the government and strict regulations are applied on the firm alongside the
extensive and complicated quality assurance standards applied for the safety of the people.
Since healthcare is often a prime concern of the politicians, the global political environment
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 6
hence is a tough one of a pharmaceutical firm like GSK. Therefore, the analysis of political
situations is a must when attempting to draft an expansion plan for a pharmaceutical like
GSK.
The healthcare industry is not very common in a number of markets around the world and in
majority of the cases the only major buyer are the governments. During the 1980s and the
1990s there was a high importance given to the industry by the political leaders
internationally as healthcare was considered an easy political goal for the betterment of the
people and it also became a way to control the increasing healthcare expenses of the
governments. In the current scenarios, the industry has become globalised and the
limited few countries, as a result there are much less interventions in business administration
by the government as the industry is a major source of GDP to the manufacturing countries.
However there still exist certain political pressures like the price issues among other which
Economic
The economic factors that have an impact on the company include the taxations among other
reasons. These economic conditions can impact the overall performance of a company and
therefore the analysis of economic factors is important. GSK being a global giant has good
reputation of tax responsibility and they realise that tax being a vital resource to the
governments around the world, they make sure that taxes are duly paid to the respective
governments. It is a part of the company believes that they provide betterment to the
community by bringing tax revenues to the governments. And for the reasons of maintaining
a good corporate reputation in terms of taxes, the company ensure a transparent model for the
administration of all the tax related formalities and the company claims to be against any
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 7
particles of tax evasion. However the tax environment is one that takes up a large part of
company revenues and hence having an overall impact on the firm’s performance. The tax
conditions of each country are different as a result each country affects in an independent
capacity on the company. The pharmaceutical tax structure in China has been revised and as a
consequence the pharmaceutical products made outside China and also those made in China
will be exempted for any taxes. This factor can play a vital positive role in the expansion plan
to China of GSK.
Social
The global population is fact increasing and the need for pharmaceutical products are also
increasing simultaneously. The social factor presents a great opportunity for expansion into
Chinese market and hence its analysis is of significance to determine the positive impact it
can have. Global efforts are increasingly diverted towards the betterment of healthcare the
once developing countries are in better economic conditions than before and the spending
powers of the customers internationally are increasing (Gillespie et al, 2007). This is also a
major sector of consideration while planning an expansion onto Chinese market. China being
world’s most populous country has seen a major economic and social transformation which
pulled a large segment of the population out of poverty and the social needs of the country
have also seen an improvement as a consequence healthcare has been emphasised upon in the
recent past.
Technology
Technology is one of the major factors that impact the pharmaceutical sector since there are
increasingly complex formulations that require highly advanced laboratories and other
research centres that must be equipped with the highly advanced technologies for the
identification and synthesis of new drugs. For the purpose of maintaining the standards of
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 8
quality and products and also to remain competitive in the market, the integration of
technology is compulsory for players in this industry. Without the presence of latest
technologies the company will not be able to perform its tasks in an efficient manner and
might consequently miss out on the opportunities that the market place offers.
GSK has integrated the most advanced systems in its laboratories which enable cutting edge
research into diseases and also the synthesis of drugs to counter the increase of these diseases.
The company has integrated artificial intelligence systems into their research centres to
perform some of the most technical and complex mechanisms in the most efficient manner.
These systems allow conducting some less studies manually as the system conducts these
studies in its own and present the findings in the most scientifically accurate manner of
representation. The company has a highly advanced data collection system which allows for
the timely and efficient data collection which in turn makes it possible for GSK to identify
the most serious cases of diseases and other healthcare requirements and an early .initiation
of work to be able to provide a solution before the disease spreads more than the limits.
The PORTER examination contains five forces that can be utilized to break down the
framework progress. The five factors considered position of the purchasers and providers in
negotiating the deals i.e. the bargaining powers that they enjoy competitor position, and
dangers of substitutes and new businesses that might enter the market (Dhar, 2008). These
factors are essential in the examination of the current competition levels in a market since an
organisation, for this situation GlaxoSmithKline, can pick how contenders are acting and in
that capacity the appeal of this market. For GlaxoSmithKline, the market is gainful as stood
up worried by the huge amount of returns earned yearly. This in like manner suggests the
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 9
likelihood of new contenders into the market is high and the affiliation must persistently
perceive regarding how it reacts to contenders exercises to keep up its market position
(Torun, 2007).
The analysis of Porter’s 5 forces (see appendix) demonstrates that GSK does not face any
significant threat from any new entrants into the market as the entrance costs of the industry
are very high that keeps most firms form entering the market. However there is a significant
threat from substitute products as competitor companies also introduce similar products with
same formulations adding to the competition. The buyer of the industry does not have
significant bargaining powers as they are very few firms on the market which offer the
products and the buyers do not have much control over the prices as GKS sets process in the
market. However the suppliers have a much higher bargaining power as timely availability of
quality raw materials is dependent upon them and good relationships need to be ensured by
The external environment of the company represents a positive outlook to the idea of
expansion into the Chinese market. This is as the economic, social and the technological
factors form the PESTLE analysis are in favour of the organisation penetrating into Chinese
market. Whereas the political, and the legal factors might seem to be against the idea but
these factors are a consistent challenge to the entire pharmaceutical industry. Therefore these
factors must not be considered a negative factor. Also the Porter’s framework details how the
company does not face any threat form the new entrains and also bargaining powers of
The internal analysis of any company including GSK can be done through the analysis of the
Strengths and Weaknesses of the company which is a part of the SWOT analysis framework.
Alongside that the marketing mix of an organisation effectively helps to detail the reasons for
the strengths and weaknesses. The mission, vision and values of the company also give a
detailed understanding of the internal position of the organisation and also what the company
Strengths
One of the greatest strengths that the company has is the strong reputation of the company
which enables it to use the goodwill that it has generated to further its business related
objectives and also in achieving its long term aims. The company also has a strong hold of
the markets that the company operates in as it is the market leader in most of these markets.
This strong positioning allows them to take further steps to expand into unexplored markets
and attaining a significant market share in them as well. Their employees are one of the
greatest assets to the company; the pool of highly skilled and professional employees keeps
the company in a better position than most competitors. The company being the 2nd largest
pharmaceutical in the world has a strong brand name and recognition and hence a very strong
Weaknesses
One of the weaknesses of the firm is that the marketing efforts and promotional activities are
inconsistent. The marketing campaigns are not run in a continuous basis and this causes a
disruption in the flow of marketing activities and effectiveness. Another major weakness is
that the company depends heavily on a few specific product lines and while other product
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 11
lines are not managed in a similar way. The company also has a strong focus in the market of
United Kingdom while the other markets receive comparatively low attention by the
company
Product
There are in total five product lines that are being managed by the company’s name each one
of which is under the three main segments of the market that the company operates in. The
product offerings by GSK are such that they cater to the needs of every person irrespective of
their backgrounds. The products offered are in combinations and varieties which cater to the
need of majority of the market segments. The products have a very clear and distinct
differentiation points which makes the company products stand out in comparison to
competitor products. Therefore a general perception about the products of GSK is that the
products are of a very high quality and standard. The products offered make relevance to te
Price
strategy whereby the product prices set by GSK for its products are equivalent to those set
buy its competitors for the same product offering The cost analysis is also one factor that
drives the pricing strategy of the company as it assesses the costs of production in
comparison to the returns that can be generated; before the process are set for a product.
Another method used is that of product bundling whereby more than one product is sold as a
bundle at comparatively lower price levels. The company sets fixed prices and the
distribution intermediaries make their margins by getting products at lower prices and selling
Place
The company has two main marketing channels; first one is the most direct which is selling
directly to the customer through the official company website. The other channel employed
distributor, the wholesaler and the retailer before reaching the customer. Therefore the
placement of the products is through two different platforms, one is the online placement
while the other is the placement on the open market outlets including the physical stores and
pharmacies. GSK manages a wide range of outlet stores in all the countries that it operates in
and makes sure that through effective merchandising the products are always available to the
customers. The online store also experiences a high online traffic on a daily basis. A part of
the placement strategy is to reach the maximum customer touch points through effective
availability of the company products of any of the product segments. It actively engages with
customers at store entry and exit points to attain maximum attention spans of the customers.
Promotions
The company uses a multi-layered product promotion strategy which includes the
techniques used, media promotion through digital and print media receives a major attention
buy the company. This is because these means still ensure a large reach to customers. While
as part of modern marketing, social media marketing is increasingly being used by the
company. Therefore the company has initiated marketing through YouTube, Face book and
Twitter commercials since a large number of people are becoming active users of these social
media platforms, and advertisements in these ensure a significant reach to the customers.
Apart from digital marketing, the firm use a series of exhibitions and sales events that help
them draw potential customers. In addition to these personal selling to professional doctors
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 13
and promotional seminars for the medical practitioners also plays an important part of the
promotion as most of the products of the company are sold on the basis of prescriptions given
The internal environment is also in the positive for the expansion of the company into
Chinese market. This is because the company has strong international brand recognition and
also strong product line and an established research base that allows the company to stay
consistent on the incremental trend in terms of solution provision. This is an important factor
CAGE Analysis
Cultural
There are significant cultural differences between UK and China, and this is mainly because
of the vast dissimilarities in the background of both the nations. China and the UK both have
very old and established cultural backgrounds with the Chinese culture considered to be one
of the oldest cultures. This affects the mentalities and norms of people in both the countries
which in turn have a significant impact in the business collaborations. One of the biggest
cultural differences is the language barrier. UK has English as it native language and China
has Chinese, and in China majority of the population uses Chinese as their first language.
English is much less common in China. This can be a factor of concern when planning an
expansion into the Chinese market. Since the expansion will need a great deal of structural
formation to be done in China and with the absence of a common language this process
would be a difficult one. Another important factor being that the products GSK offers are
ones that require a great deal of information to be conveyed to the customers and the medial
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 14
professionals. In the absence of a common language the company will have to establish a
marketing department comprising of the Chinese experts to cater to the communication with
the Chinese customers and this process will take a longer time and efforts.
Administrative
The administrative differences in China are not very significant in comparison to that in UK
as both the governments have very strict regulation for the pharmaceutical industry. The drug
control and regulatory bodies of both the countries have a high level of involvement in the
industry and therefore GSK will have to meet tough standards of the Chinese government to
be able to enter the market. This however will not be a great challenge for the firm as they
Geographic
The geographic distance is one significant factor when accessing the possibility to expand
into the Chinese market. The distance between the two countries is a significant one with no
linked borders and no access to a single straight route into China. The sea port in China is
also not accessible for the most of the year due to weather conditions. The only viable means
of transportation is by air, while sea routes are also viable for certain period of the year. The
products of GSK being medicinal and pharmaceutical products need to be transported under
specific conditions and the assurance of the conditions while delivery over a long distance
becomes a challenge.
Economic
considering an expansion. This is for the reason that the costs of doing business in China are
much lower than in UK since cheap labour is available, there is inexpensive infrastructure
facilities available and also local expertise are also good to support the industry. Also the
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 15
incomes levels in China are already considerably good while they are rapidly improving this
ensure a sustainable demand while in the UK the demand has reached a saturation point
Hofstedes Framework
The Hofstedes framework determines the culture of countries the basis of six dimensions;
indulgence (Hofstedes, 1991). According to (Hofstede Insights, 2019); China and UK both
have the same degree of masculinity at the level of 66, this represents that both the nations
are tough towards achieving economic goals and wealth making. In terms of uncertainty
avoidance UK leads China with the scores 35 and 30 respectively, this represents that UK has
a slightly better mechanism to handle the unknown situations than China. Individualism score
of UK are significantly greater at a level of 89 as compared to China at 20, this shows the
cultural background where in UK there is greater importance given to personal goals whereas
more acceptance to authority and bureaucracy while UK has a more flat structure of control.
On the basis of the discussions detailed above which has established a strong foundation of
the internal and external environmental factors that affect the company. On the basis of the
above detailed reasoning, the decision of penetrating into the Chinese market can be justified
as that the situations in the Chinese markets is favourable for the expansion of GSK. First and
foremost reason being is the social factor, China is a home to a great percentage of global
population and the population levels are consistently increasing. In addition to this, the
economic conditions of the country that brought a large segment of the society out of poverty
lines have made the country more affording with respect to customer spending levels. The
presence of a large affording customer base is an opportunity for the company to move into
the Chinese market. Another factor being that the political and legal environment in China is
favourable as the country allows for a tax free structure for all medications and healthcare
products even those manufactured outside of China. Apart from this the strong positioning of
the company in the global market with a highly advanced and integrated research and
development infrastructure in pave and the strong position of the existing products that the
company offers, the company will be able to attract and maintain significant number of
potential customers.
The company must seek to first establish a market entry by the introduction of some of the
pharmaceutical products, the substitutes of which are rarely offered by any other competitor.
A better approach would be the introduction of asthma and respiratory disease control drugs
that the company offers. This is because of the fact that there are a significant issue of
pollution on many of the Chinese cities causing various respiratory tract infections including
asthma, an introduction of the products that provide a solution to one of the most dominant
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 17
problems of the Chinese society will help the company make a goodwill and a strong brand
recognition in the market. Apart from that the initial introduction of a high demand product
will ensure the early achievement of the breakeven upon the investment made into entering
the Chinese market. The company must at that stage use skimming pricing strategy to ensure
the maximum profits out of the introduction of a product the likes of which are not readily
available in the market. But for the penetration to be successful the distribution channels need
to be strongly in place since all the marketing efforts will depend upon the effective
distribution. For the purpose the company must one the very first instance enter into a
Conclusion
The overall factors that GSK is faced with indicate a positive possibility of the extension of
the company into the Chinese market. Most of the external factors that affect the company are
in favour of the company entering the Chinese market, and the only factor that are against are
the ones which are generally against the industry as a wile throughout the world. This gives a
reason for the company to penetrate well into the Chinese market. Moreover the internal
analysis of the company helped explain the major areas of the organisation’s internal
strengths and weaknesses. This helps in the analysis of whether the company will be to create
brand recognition and whether it will be able to stand the competition in the new market.
Finally the reasons for the company entering the Chinese markets have been established
based upon the rational generated form the analysis of internal and external environments of
the company. A penetration strategy has been detailed which provides a way to achieve
market expansion plan and also be able to create a good brand image along with better
economic gains. The penetration strategy detailed is based on the essence of the leanings
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 18
from marketing techniques and the weaknesses therein in the current scenarios and hence this
References
Gillespie, K., Jeannet, J. P. & Hennessy, H.D. 2007. Global Marketing, 2nd ed.,
Anon., 2011. GlaxoSmithKline Case Study Through Mergers & Acquisitions to Success.. 1st
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/03/26/pharmaceutical-mergers-
idUSN2612865020100326
Healy, P. M. & Palepu, K. G. 2010. Business analysis and valuation: IFRS edition, text only.
us/what-we-do.html
on Trial,. 1st ed. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.
Griffin, R. W., 2012. Fundamentals of management. 6th ed. Mason, OH: South-Western
Cengage Learning.
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 20
Hofstede, G. 1991. Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. London, UK:
McGraw-Hill.
insights.com/product/compare-countries/
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 21
Appendix
Pharmaceutical industry is difficult to enter since the costs associated to enter the market is
high and there is a need for wide ranging research and development for the setup of the
business. Along these lines, GlaxoSmithKline has less fear of dangers of new individuals
entering the market. The government imposes stringent standards to corporations wishing to
enter the healthcare business. High probabilities of product expiry go about as hindrances to
new challengers. GlaxoSmithKline has in like way settled a good brand name with clients
along these lines avoiding two or three contenders (Torun, 2007). Regardless, the profitability
of this market has in the advancing past pulled in swarms of progressively minute firms into
the business. This has been in a general sense through the progression of increasingly
Finally, GSK should manage these new degrees of progress so as to profit by the energetic
brand name it has amassed and counter the danger of new challengers into the market (Anon.,
2011).
Threat of Substitutes
Customary brand drug is the vital replacement for pharmaceutical organisations like
products offered by GlaxoSmithKline (Reuters, 2010). These substitutes pass on same things
to clients with the exception of that they utilize different brand names and costs. These new
sorts of contemporary drug are a fundamental risk for this organisation since they have been
believed to be much progressively secure and increasingly reasonable then again with
GlaxoSmithKline Marketing Plan 22
standard medication (Healy and Palepu, 2010). Thusly, GlaxoSmithKline faces a basic peril
GlaxoSmithKline expends an immense section of its R&D to introduce better and high
Basic clients of their things are patients, medical experts, healthcare facilities, pharmacies
and other healthcare units (GlaxoSmithKline plc, n.d.). The power of purchasers is little
among the top pharmaceutical organisations it has made this fact a concrete one and through
the investments into the industry, most recent sorts of technological systems and workers to
the affiliation. Purchasers, subsequently, don't address any danger to the corporation for they
have constrained bargaining power. Being an oligopolistic sort of market, venders, for
The most vital providers are the providers of raw materials and workers, staff, medical
doctors and other representatives, and auditors of creation, supply chain management and
the company. GlaxoSmithKline has an impeccable history of treating their providers well by
communicating and collaborating with their suppliers. The corporation moreover offers high
pay to all its employees. The organisation keeps up a faultless record in social event every
single authoritative fundamental and terms with its providers (Griffin, 2012). This has
rendered it in shaft position in managing terms with its providers. Promptly, providers use