Advertisement and Sales Promotion

Advertisement and Sales Promotion

Introduction to IMC (Integrated Marketing Communication)

1.What is Marketing?

Think of marketing for some seconds. Two things would come to your mind:

1. Sales

2. Advertisement

Marketing is the process of maximizing the profitability and sales of the organization by identifying the needs and wants of the customers and convincing them how they can fulfill their needs though our product.

2.Past Marketing:

In past advertisement used to be done on the mass media like televisions, newspapers,etc. Mass media was very popular and useful as the marketing medium till late 80s butafter that it lost its grip.

3.21st Century Marketing:

The advertisement done today is far more different then the old era. Now, the emergence of new technology, the growth in the internet usage, rapidly changing environment, changing way of communications, fragmentation of mass markets, growing economies, and globalization has changed the overall marketing to use different other communication mediums and techniques with the old ones (newspapers, TV, Radio, etc.).

These new techniques are as follow:

1.                 Relationship Marketing

2.                 Advertisement on Internet

3. Event Sponsorships

4. Direct Marketing

5. Sales Promotion

6.Publicity (Press Releases, Public Relation, Reviews)

4.What is Marketing Mix (4 Ps)?

Marketing is basically exchange process and development of  good relationship with customer. Marketing mix is to providing value to the customer. Providing right product, at right price, at right time at right place and to right customer is the marketing mix. Basically these are the elements of marketing mix:

1.                 Product

2.                 Price

3.                 Place

4.                 Promotion

5.What is IMC (Integrated Marketing Communication)?

IMC is a plan through which we check and analyze different communication disciplines(like direct marketing, sales promotion etc) according to our product target market andstrategy so that we could get maximum communication impact. In IMC we don‗t rely only on one media. We choose

different variety of promotional tools. The American Association for Advertising Agencies (4A) definition for IMC is as follow:

―A marketing communication plan that evaluates the strategic role of different communication disciplines and combines these disciplines to provide clarity, consistency, and maximum communication impact‖

The above definition tells us two things: a)Identify the best fit of advertisement disciplines

b)Build positive and consistent relationship to the customers and take holders

c)Build and sustain brand identity and equity IMC requires that firm should develop the overall marketing strategy that requires how all of a firm‗s marketing activities, not just promotion, communicates with its customers. (Don Schultz)

6.Brand Identity:

Brand Identity is the brand impression that comes in the customer‗s mind while thinking about that very brand. Its basically logo, symbols, organization culture, design, and performance of the product.

7.Brand Equity:

Brand Equity is the status of the brand with respect to other brands available in the market. So, generally, IMC is basically identifying the best communication method and building relationships with the stakeholders and customers. There are a lot of choices available for the customers but limited time to think. Therefore IMC builds the impression of the brand in the mind of the customer. Because of this positive brand impression, customers take no time and choose the product with brand image in his mind.

IMC is being vastly adopted by almost all of the marketers because it makes the marketers to answer the changing environments, trends, globalization, customer priorities and a lot more. A recent survey showed that these advancements are effecting the mass media a lot so that Newspapers, TV, Radios are getting to smaller and smaller audiences. On top of all it is also proved that new people are very less responsive to the TV, newspapers, radio ads. Now here comes the IMC. You know the way how PUMA advertise? Yes, PUMA is advertised by the big players as its printed on their shirts. People love to buy their favorite match winning player brand.

8.What is Successful IMC?

In IMC the main thing is to choose the effective promotion discipline efficiently and coordinate their use. For this better understanding of the IMC tools is required. What is Promotional Mix?

Promotion is dissemination of information about the product, product line, brand or company

Promotion mix is the process of making channels of information and persuasion to sell a product, service or an idea. We can also say that Promotion Mix is basically the tool that helps organization in getting its communication objectives. Following are the items of Promotion Mix:

1. Advertising

2.Direct Marketing (Not traditional part but important part of IMC)

3.Internet Marketing

Sales Promotion

Publicity

Personal Selling

Advertising is basically paid form of non personal communication about the product, organization, service or idea. Always remember that the nature of advertisement differs from one industry to another. Non personal communication means that getting the immediate feedback from the audience is not possible. But second thing that favors advertisement is its ―Cost Effectiveness‖. Its cost is very low if we calculate the number of people watching the advertisement and getting the information.

Advertisement is very useful in creating the positive brand images in the mind of customers when differentiation between the products is very low.

If you see that there is very little you can do in terms of Marketing Mix (Price, Product, Distribution, and Promotion) for a product then you use the special advertisement strategy to differentiate your product from other products and compel the customer to buy your product.

9.Direct Marketing:

In direct marketing the marketers communicate directly with the customers to sell their products. Traditionally its not included in Promotion Mix but now its becoming an important part of IMC (Integrated Marketing Communication). In direct marketing the main thing is not only have direct mailing to the customer but also database management, contact management, telemarketing, direct response, direct mail, direct email, shopping through company catalog list, and websites are also included.

The most important thing in Direct Marketing is Direct Personal Response where manufacturers compel the customers to buy the products directly from them. Customer watches the ad on TV, or Newspaper and contacts the manufacturer for the product. Direct Mail used to be the primarily medium for the Direct Personal Response but now email, Internet, TVs has taken its place.

Direct Marketing is very helpful for the people those have money and they don't have the time to go to the store and buy the thing. Direct Marketing provides them a way to directly contact the manufacturer and buy the thing at convenience.

Internet/Interactive Marketing:

Internet market differs from all the markets because it provides everything on the click of the mouse. It provides the customer with the double sided flow of information. Internet Marketing gives the customer a lot of options:

Customer who wants to buy a product can check a lot of other online stores for the same product in no time.

Customer can check the reviews from the other users of the product. Customer can directly talk to the sales representative of the company.

With huge number of stores online, customer gets best offers from the manufacturers

Customer can get online promotions

Internet Marketing has combined all the elements of promotional mix. From purchasing of products to getting discounts, everything is on the customer‗s finger tips. It conducts direct marketing, advertisement, publicity, public relation, and personal selling at one place.

Sales Promotion:

Whenever we talk about sales promotion different things come to our minds, like Product

Samples, Coupons, Rebates, Discounts, Free Stuff and lot more. Basically all of these benefits are given to the consumer side. It doesn‗t mean that there is no part of retailers and wholesalers in sales promotion. Retailers and distributors also take their cut in the form of Price Deals, Sales Contests, Discounts, and different allowances. So, we can say that sales promotion is of two types. First one is the Customer Oriented Sales Promotion that deals with the customer and second is the Trade oriented Sales promotion that deals with the Retailers, Distributors, and Wholesalers.

Publicity:

Publicity is the important part of promotional mix. In publicity no payment is made to the publisher. Basically publicity is done in the form of: Product Reviews Discussions about the product in different forums In local Events

News and Editorials

Publicity is actually the type of non personal communication regarding the product or the service. Publicities do an important role to make the decisions of the people about any product because the one who is publicizing a product is not directly involved with the company. In publicity the product is directly criticized and/or appreciated.

10.Personal Selling:

In personal selling there is a direct contact between the buyer of the product and the seller of the product. Feedback is received very quickly and the seller can change the message according to the needs of the consumer. This is basically used in Business to Business models.