Abstract

Expo is one of the famous companies in Bangladesh. The corporate body of Expo,
namely Expo Group‟, is doing business of foam, mattress, chemicals and properties.
Expo was established on 1993 in the foam / mattress market with their world class
product.
The main business of Expo Industries is to provide the best quality product to its
valuable customers. Since last 25 years, Expo producing & marketing "EXPO" brand
polyurethane Foam with reputation. Expo imports the raw materials for their foam from
Germany and USA. Expo also producing peeled (roll) foam with computerized foreign
machine which is being used in keds/ sportswear/ hats/ bags etc for export purpose.
After gaining success expo also open a new section of product called Expo Mattress.
Expo has three different types of mattress, Such as: Light mattress, Light Coir, Light Re-
Bonded,Light Felt, Felt Re-Bonded, Full Coir, Full Re-Bonded,Full Felt and special Matt
Orthopdic mattress.
The market is expanding rapidly but due to the different cause Expo has lost its
reputation and carrying less portion of the market. Expo has experienced man power
that it is really a good strength. Here I have discussed the Marketing activities of Expo
group in detail and try to bring out the strength and weaknesses that Expo Group has.
To help Expo to move out from its old-fashioned way of management, to accommodate
thefuture opportunities and to avert the current crisis and threats, it is extremely
essential for Expo to undertake some immediate initiatives such as policy revise
modernization, proper planning, experienced and professional manpower.

Introduction
The Report is based on the practices of Expo Group. MARKETIMG department is a
crucial factor now-a-days for any organization in terms of profit gaining. This
department is an emerging sector in the modern corporate world. This department was
ignored in the past, but people have understood the importance of this department.
Marketing is responsible for earning profit.

A marketing helps to create products and services with the best chances for making a
profit. This is because marketing strategy starts with marketplace research, taking into
consideration your optimal target customer, what your competition is doing and what
trends might be on the horizon. Using this information, you determine the benefit
customers and clients want, what they’re willing to pay and how you can differentiate
your product or service from the competition.
The heart of your business success lies in its marketing. Most aspects of your business
depend on successful marketing. The overall marketing umbrella covers advertising,
public relations, promotions and sales. Marketing is a process by which a product or
service is introduced and promoted to potential customers. Without marketing, your
business may offer the best products or services in your industry, but none of your
potential customers would know about it. Without marketing, sales may crash and
companies may have to close.
For a business to succeed, the product or service it provides must be known to potential
buyers. Unless your business is known in the community and have communication with
your customers readily available, you have to use marketing strategies to create product
or service awareness. Without marketing, your potential customers may never be aware
of your business offerings and your business may not be given the opportunity to
progress and succeed. Using marketing to promote your product, service and company
provides your business with a chance of being discovered by prospective customers.
Corporate Profile
Expo Group mainly known for the production of:
 Polyurethane Foam.
 Synthetic Rubber Adhesive,
 PU Adhesive,
 UPR (Unsaturated Polyester Resin) & LA
 (Lamination Adhesive).
 Expo mattress such as: Light mattress, Light Coir, Light Re-Bonded,Light Felt, Felt
Re-Bonded, Full Coir, Full Re-Bonded,Full Felt and special Matt
Orthopdicmattress
 Home Textiles.
 Expo Properties.
Brand name of its products is "EXPO" and are widely known as Light mattress, Light
Coir, Light Re-Bonded,Light Felt, Felt Re-Bonded, Full Coir, Full Re-Bonded,Full Felt and
special Matt Orthopdic mattress, Chemicals & Properties.

Expo Foam: Expo Brand is very popular and Expo is particular about using best raw
materials of Germany / USA. Doing continuous R & D; adopting latest formulation
followed by European and American manufacturers; Expo can ensure the best quality
products.

Expo Mattress: Expo is pioneer for production of Mattresses (spring, Re-bonded &
Coir). In this field Expo is also selective for BEST raw materials and machineries thus
can keep QUALITY and became market leader.

Expo Chemicals: we are producing Synthetic Rubber Adhesive & PU Adhesive for
leather,synthetic leather, wood, formic etc.
• UPR (UNSATURATED POLYESTER RESIN) for production of Fiberglass items.
• LA (LAMINATION ADHESIVE) for packing of food, drink, cosmetic items.\

Objective of the Report:

Marketing objectives are goals set by a business when promoting its products
or services to potential consumers that should be achieved within a given time
frame. In other words, marketing objectives are the marketing strategy set in
order to achieve the overall organizational objectives. Though there are some other
objectives:

Understand the major MARKETING activities of Expo group.

To find out the strength and weaknesses of Expo group .

Understand how the Marketing functions of an organization works.

To make some recommendation how the organization’s MARKETING dept. work

better.
Overview of marketing mix
Marketing mix usually refers to E. Jerome McCarthy’s 4P classification for
developing an effective marketing strategy, which encompasses: product, price,
placement (distribution) and promotion. When it’s a consumer-centric marketing
mix, it has been extended to include three more Ps: people, process and physical
evidence, and three Cs: cost, consumer and competitor. Depending on the
industry and the target of the marketing plan, marketing managers will take
various approaches to each of the four Ps.
The term “marketing-mix,” was first coined by Neil Borden, the president of the
American Marketing Association in 1953. It is still used today to make important
decisions that lead to the execution of a marketing plan. The various approaches
that are used have evolved over time, especially with the increased use of
technology.
Combination of marketing elements used in the sale of a particular product. The
marketing elements center around four distinct functions, sometimes called the
Four Ps: product, price, place (of distribution), and promotion. All these functions
are considered in planning a marketing strategy, and any one may be enhanced,
deducted, or changed in some degree in order to create the strategy necessary
to efficiently and effectively sell a product.
The term “marketing mix“ was coined in 1953 by Neil Borden in his American
Marketing Association presidential address. However this was actually a
reformulation of an earlier idea by his associate, James Culliton, who in 1948
described the role of the marketing manager as a “mixer of ingredients”, who
sometimes follows recipes prepared by others, sometimes prepares his own
recipe as he goes along, sometimes adapts a recipe from immediately available
ingredients, and at other times invents new ingredients no one else has tried. A
prominent marketer, E. Jerome McCarthy, proposed a Four P classification in
1960, which has seen wide use. The Four P’s concept is explained in most
marketing textbooks and classes.
Elements of marketing mix
Product – A tangible object or an intangible service that is mass produced or
manufactured on a large scale with a specific volume of units. Intangible products
are service based like the tourism industry & the hotel industry or codes-based
products like cell phone load and credits. Typical examples of a mass produced
tangible object are the motor car and the disposable razor. A less obvious but
ubiquitous mass produced service is a computer operating system. Packaging
also needs to be taken into consideration. Every product is subject to a life-cycle
including a growth phase followed by an eventual period of decline as the
product approaches market saturation. To retain its competitiveness in the
market, product differentiation is required and is one of the strategies to
differentiate from its competitors.
Price – The price is the amount a customer pays for the product. The business
may increase or decrease the price of product if other stores have the same
product.
Place – Place represents the location where a product can be purchased. It is
often referred to as the distribution channel. It can include any physical store as
well as virtual stores on the Internet.
Promotion- represents all of the communications that a marketer may use in the
marketplace. Promotion has four distinct elements: advertising, public relations,
personal selling and sales promotion. A certain amount of crossover occurs when
promotion uses the four principal elements together, which is common in film
promotion. Advertising covers any communication that is paid for, from cinema
commercials, radio and Internet adverts through print media and billboards.
Public relations are where the communication is not directly paid for and includes
press releases, sponsorship deals, exhibitions, conferences, seminars or trade
fairs and events. Word of mouth is any apparently informal communication about
the product by ordinary individuals, satisfied customers or people specifically
engaged to create word of mouth momentum. Sales staff often plays an
important role in word of mouth and Public Relations.
Any organization, before introducing its products or services into the market;
conducts a market survey. The sequence of all ‘P’s as above is very much
important in every stage of product life cycle Introduction, Growth, Maturity and
Decline.
The history of measuring the performance of marketing in the firm. Organized
around three themes: the movement from financial to non-financial output
measures, the expansion from measuring only marketing outputs to measuring
marketing inputs as well, and the evolution from uni-dimensional to
multidimensional measures of performance. Evaluation of this history suggests a
need for the marketing community to develop a set of measures small enough to
be manageable but large enough to be comprehensive. The paper examines the
interrelationships among four important measures and suggests research issues
and approaches to aid in this task.
Measuring marketing performance is attracting academic and managerial
attention with an urgency and scope previously unprecedented in the field’s
history. This represents the convergence of four trends. First after a decade of
downsizing, major corporations are reaching the point of diminishing returns on
increasing profits by reducing headcount and increasing operational efficiency.
This has led to a refocusing on marketing as a driver of future sales, and
therefore profit growth (Sheth and Sisodia 1995). Second, there has been
increasing demand from investors for information related to the quality of the
marketing effort, which traditionally has been both under- and poorly reported in
firm financial statements (Mavrinac and Siesfeld 1997; Haigh 1998). Third,
popular new overall conceptions of business performance measurement such as
the Balanced Scorecard (Kaplan and Norton i992) have attracted attention to the
issue of which marketing measures should be included in overall assessments of
business performance. Finally, senior marketing managers themselves have
become frustrated with traditional performance measures that they believe,
undervalue what they do, leading to calls for research from a variety of quarters
(e.g. Marketing Science Institute 1998)
Marketing Mix Decisions in Expo Foam Industry
Product:
a. Range of Product and Variety
The range of the products of Expo foam industry can be classified in four
categories. They are:
Mattress
Foam
Pillow
acoustic foam
Mattress:
At present Expo is producing one category of mattress that has been named
Dream Plus Contour Mattress. This mattress is designed scientifically to remedy
rheumatic attack, sprain and strain on veins and ligaments.

Expo Spring Mattress: It is produced out of mostly nature origin raw materials such as
:Steel Springs; Coir Sheets; Cotton Felts; Steel Edge Guards etc; it again ensures air
circulation and your entire body weight (heavy or light) is being distributed thoroughly
on the Mattress.
Expo Re-Bonded Mattress:
It is produced and reprocessed by special technology. It is stick & hard. Those who feel
pain in Back/Backbone or Doctor advise to sleep on hard bedding or those who are
interested to use Hard Mattress Swan Re-Bonded Mattress is the only solutionfor them.
Expo Coir Mattress:
It is produced with thick Coir Sheets & Quilted Cloths. All over the world, Cotton
Mattress have become obsolete due to the unscientific body posture it creates when you
sleep on it for 8 hours, this results into irreparable orthopedic problems; alternatively
people needs uninterrupted sound sleep to be 100% relaxed to start next day activities
with full energy = Expo Mattress is the best option. Moreover, international statistical
data shows that during last 25 years demand & use of costly mattresses have increased
tremendously.

Expo acoustic Mattress:

Expo acoustic mattress produced for the recording studios.

It is very comfortable and easy to use.it also help to reduse the tiredness Which
is produced by heavy work.
b. Quality Maintainance:
Expo strictly believes in maintaining the product quality. Customer satisfaction is
the center of focus of maintaining their product quality. To ensure the best quality
product to their customers they always use the latest technology available in our
country in producing foam. According to their customer needs they do production
by using the latest technology available at hand.

Foam:
Available Category of Apex Foams are:
EXPO GOLD
EXPO 2014
EXPO-280
EXPO REGULAR
VIP 280
VIP 180

Product FOAM

Commercial 2013
Production

Brand EXPO

Grade VIP 180, VIP 280, EXPO REGULAR, EXPO

GOLD

Field of Garments, chemical Industry etc.

Application

Quality of APEX FOAM is judged on the basis of Density, Weight and Resilience.
Pillow:
At present Expo is producing one category of pillow that has been named Dream
Plus Contour Pillow. This scientifically designed pillow helps to remedy troubled
breathing, headache, throat and neck burn, localized muscular pain and to
diminish habitual snoring. Dream Plus Contour pillow conforms with nature health
care & pain relieving.
c. New Product Development:
As mentioned earlier, customer satisfaction is the center of focus for Expo
mattress Industry. On the basis of new product needs of customers, Expo
always try to develop new product for their customers. Again with the pace of
competition, Expo is always on the track of developing new products.
Price
a. Cost Based Pricing versus Market Based Pricing
Both cost based and market based pricing is equally important for Expo mattress
Industry. Expo definitely prices products according to their cost. They also keep
in mind, what price the competitors are offering to their product category.
Considering the both pricing methods they set up reasonable price for their
customers. This is because if they only focus on cost based pricing, it will be very
difficult for them to stay in the competition. And if they only focus on market
based pricing they wont always be able to satisfy their customers.
b. Discounts
Expo mattress Industry offers discounts for their customers at different times.
These discounts are given in the percentage basis. The discount rate varies from
time to time and is not always same. Again this discount varies in the different
marketing channels.
c. Margin and Markup
Expo definitely have margin and markups in setting their product price for their
different customer levels. Price of the products varies from one customer level to
another.
Place(distribution)
a. Structure of Distribution
The distribution channel structure of Expo mattress Industry is same as the
normal distribution structure. Products get available to the final consumers in the
sixth step of the distribution structure. After production, the manufacturers supply
to the distributors, then distributors supply the product to the dealers, then the
dealers supply the products to the wholesalers, then the wholesalers supply
products to the retailers and then finally the retailers make the products available
for the final consumers.
b. Distribution coverage in the country
With the help of the channel members, Expo mattress is now available in almost
every district of Bangladesh. It is the hard work of the company and channel
members which made it easily available to the customers in remotest parts of the
country.
c. Channel Motivation
In order to motivate the channel members and customers Expo offers a wide
variety of promotions. These motivational arrangements are offered during
different times of the year. Channel motivational activities vary from time to time.
It includes monthly commission on sales, yearly commission on sales, instant
discounts, incentives, giving gift items with the products. Commission rates and
gift items vary from time to time. Gift items include T-shirts, caps, wall-clocks,
umbrella, key rings and pens etc.
Promotion:
a. Advertising
In order to advertise their products Expo mattress Industry uses different
advertising forms at different times. The advertising forms that are commonly
used include TV commercials, news paper advertisements, bill-board advertising.
They also use sign boards, festoons, leaflets, brochures for advertising their
products.
b. Other Communications Forms
Other communication form for promotion of Expo mattress Industry includes
dealer conference, product campaigns, participating in fairs etc.
Methodology
To prepare the report I have collected information from two sources. They are:
1. Primary Sources
2. Secondary Sources
1. Primary Sources:
The primary data collected from the following sources:

Face to face conversation

Telephone conversation

Oral interview of the responsible officers

2. Secondary Source:
The secondary data is collected from the following sources:

Website of Expo Group

Findings and analysis

1.SWOT Analysis of Expo Group:
As a part of the study I have found both positive and negative sides of the organization. I
have
pointed out the points and on that basis I have made a SWOT analysis of Expo Group. I
have
discussed it below:
2. Strengths of Expo Group:

Well organized Team

Training and development opportunity is provided to every employee

Effective communication between internal departments

Loyal employees who are working for a long time

Low employee turnover rate

 Strong and well differentiated HRMs with leading market shares

Well diversified product portfolio. Efficient supply chain

Distribution structure that allows wide reach and coverage in the target markets

Capable and committed human resources.

3.Weaknesses of Expo Group:

Salary Structure

Manipulation of other Department

There are only few sales center of Expo outside the Dhaka

4.Opportunities of Expo Group:

Effective market Strategy

Expansion to rural areas

Potential for growth through increased penetration

Skilled workforce

New HR strategy

5.Threats of Expo Group:

Competitive environment with diverse players

Rising prices of raw materials and fuels

Lacking in the marketing policy, Customers can go for alternatives.

Recommendation:
After completing the study I have found that Expo group is a potential organization.
Though it has some negative sides but still it can resolve it weaknesses and by using its
opportunity overcome its threats. Here I have provided with some recommendation that
would be helpful for the organization;
Marketing Audits
Industry&CompetitorAnalysis
MarketAssessmentStudies
Marketing / Sales Organization Analysis
Conclusion:
Internship increases the efficiency and quality of the trainee because internship is the
Practical implementation of theoretical knowledge. After achieving practical knowledge,
it acts as a guideline during the service period. Basically, Global competition has
increased the importance of organizations improving the productivity of their workforce
and looking globally for the bestqualified workers.

MARKETING IS the most exciting of all business sports. It is the heartbeat of

every successful business. It is continually changing in response to the explosion
of information, the expansion of technology, and the aggressiveness of
competition, at all levels and everywhere.
All business strategy is marketing strategy. Your ability to think clearly and well
about the very best marketing strategies, and to continually change and upgrade
your activities, is the key to the future of your business.
Moving forward, I have found that Expo has a very good Brand Personality. Expo is
committed to continue to improve products to attract its loyal customers. Expo is paying
attention to making the brand more attractive to the foam and mattress market by fixing
the priority on two objectives. One is to provide more comfort to the clients and the other
is to upgrade quality regularly. Keeping pace with trends and technology of the time
along with a perspective plan for the future which embraces all aspects of the industry
and overall improvement in situation the carrier is now confidently looking forward to
the future.
References:
http:// www.expogroup-bd.com
http://www.expo-family.com
http://www.expo-family.com/index.php
http://www.expo-family.com/Expo _foam.php
http://www.expo-family.com/Expo_metterss.php
http://www.expo-family.com/Expo_chemecals.php
http://www.expo-family.com/Expo_properties.php
http://www.expo-family.com/saller_office.php
http://www.google.com/\
Principles Of Marketing ( 15th Edition) By Philip Kotler & Gary Armstrong"
http://www.wikipedia.en
Expo Industries Limited, Annual Report