CMA Marketing Planning & Budgeting

Question 1

What is the primary purpose of a formal marketing plan?

Accepted Answer

To provide a structured roadmap aligning marketing activities with business objectives

Answer

A marketing plan serves as a strategic roadmap that aligns marketing activities, resources, and timelines with overarching business goals.

Question 2

Which budgeting method determines the marketing budget by allocating a fixed percentage of projected or past sales revenue?

Accepted Answer

Percentage-of-sales method

Answer

The percentage-of-sales method sets the marketing budget as a fixed proportion of either past or forecasted sales revenue, making it straightforward but potentially counterproductive in downturns.

Question 3

In a SWOT analysis used for marketing planning, which element refers to external factors that could benefit the organization?

Accepted Answer

Opportunities

Answer

Opportunities in SWOT analysis represent favorable external conditions—such as market trends, regulatory changes, or competitor weaknesses—that the organization can exploit.

Question 4

What does zero-based budgeting (ZBB) require marketers to do each planning cycle?

Accepted Answer

Justify every line-item expense from scratch regardless of prior spending

Answer

Zero-based budgeting requires every expense to be justified anew each cycle, preventing the automatic roll-over of inefficient prior-year spending.

Question 5

Which component of a marketing plan specifies measurable, time-bound targets the marketing team aims to achieve?

Accepted Answer

Marketing objectives

Answer

Marketing objectives define the specific, measurable outcomes (e.g., increase market share by 5% in 12 months) that all subsequent strategies and tactics are designed to accomplish.

CMA - Certified Marketing Analyst Practice Test

CMA - Certified Marketing Analyst Practice Test

CMA Marketing Planning & Budgeting