INTRODUCTION
Due to recent economic crisis, companies are trying harder to survive in this wild business environment by carefully planning their each step. To maintain and/or increase their profitability, they set goals; develop strategies and plans, and put them into action. Marketing plan is one of the most important elements of these processes for the companies to decide on best use of their resources to achieve its goals.
Marketing planning is defined by McDonald’s research (1992) as “simply a series of activities in a logical sequence leading to the setting of marketing objectives and the formulation of plans for achieving them.” He also states that main purpose of marketing planning is realization and creation of sustainable competitive advantage (McDonald, 1992). Companies generally go over some management processes in developing marketing plans. This process shows difference depends on the size of companies. In small, undiversified companies this process is usually informal, whereas in larger, more diversified organizations it is often systematized. “Conceptually, the process is simple, involving a situation review, the formulation of some basic assumptions, setting objectives for what is being sold and to whom, deciding on how the objectives are to be achieved, and scheduling and costing-out the actions necessary for implementation” (McDonald, 1992). Another definition about marketing plan described by McDonald (2007) is that “it is simply a logical sequence and a series of activities leading to the setting of marketing objectives and the formulation of plans for achieving them.”
In addition to McDonalds’ contributions, Greenley’s study (1987) shows us that marketing planning develops out of strategic planning which is the part of companies’ corporate planning process, with the planned activities for the next year being consistent with the first year of