Citare / Citation

Călin, R.A. (2015). 15 Communication Reference Marks in the Successful Marketing, în volumul
Conferinţei Internaţionale EdProf 2015 - « Professionalism in Education », organizată de
D.P.P.D. din cadrul Academiei de Studii Economice Bucureşti, 05.06.2015, Editura ASE,
Bucureşti, pp. 39-46 (ISSN: 2285-0910).

15 Communication Reference Marks in the Successful Marketing

Răzvan-Alexandru Călin
Teacher’s Training Department / Craiova University
E-mail: calinrazvanalexandru@yahoo.com

Abstract

Regardless of the job we have or the position we occupy within the structure of an
organization, we permanently aim to induce a beneficiary that our product, project, idea or our own
person are the best of all.
We are therefore talking here about a communication process we are directly interested in its
success.
To provide real increased successful results to this communication process, the results of an
exploration study have identified series of causes the public does not generally pay attention for and
does not listen to the message of a presentation.
Subsequently, using it as a starting point, the present study intends to make a synthesis, in
personal manner, of some of the most important conditions for a successful communication in
marketing, grouped as a list of determinant factors. These factors have been selected as a consequence
of the systematic observation of 18 presentations that 12 marketing communication specialists have
shown.
Keywords: oral presentation, efficient communication, marketing communication

Anyone can provide a successful presentation!

1
 In spite of the fact that this could seem a hazardous assertion, having an obvious motivational
touch, this statement reflects and relies on several essential realities and truths.
In the first place, a memorable marketing presentation supposes, as we already shown in one of
our recent studies (Călin, 2014), a close and responsible planning of the communicational act, which
implies to take into account some action coordinates associated to the constituent elements of any
efficient communication (Pânișoară, 2004), such as: feedforward, speakers’ repertory, the communication
context (Călin & Bunăiașu, 2010).
Then, although we are not all of us extroverted persons, the required abilities for a successful
presentation rely on long systematical practice and training.
Joining and corroborating the two stages, on one side with the conclusions found after analyzing
the causes of the public indifference regarding the communication message and, on the other side, with
series of factors, determinant for an efficient presentation, are meant to induce us the conviction that their
operational performance only in a synergical manner can raise the chances of successful marketing
presentation.

Why the public does not listen to?

Any action having as a final goal to sell a product is addressed to a target public. As we already
shown (Călin, 2014), to know in advance the target public features is an essential condition for the
marketing speech planning.
We took here into consideration the general case of an adult target public, the most frequent
situation within the observed context.
One first specification that we have to do here is to discern the general features defining the adult
public. In this sense, Roger Mucchielli defined as adults the men and the women of 23 years old at least,
having a professional and an active social life, family responsibilities and a direct life experience
(Mucchielli, 1982).
According to the same author, these are persons who are generally able to organize their own
existence and social life (individual and social projects) and, being realistic and practical, they have a
sufficient awareness of their social position, situation, aspirations and possibilities.
The joy given by the discovery of the world, specific to the teen-age, is replaced in most of the
cases in the adult age, by everyday cares and by the preoccupation for a personal way consolidation, after
they realized that nobody can do anything, anyway and anytime.
The social positions put their marks on the personality and, under certain circumstances, they
deform it or suppress it, the motivations change, the plasticity of the ego, its unlimited adaptability power

2
restrict themselves, being replaced by a certain defensive balance; the resistance to changes becomes
stronger and stronger (Mucchielli, 1982).
All these, together with the data of the differentiated psychology of ages, become the premises of
our investigation research having in mind, in a first stage, to identify the causes leading to the lack of
attention and interest on the part of the adult public in receiving the message of a presentation.
With this goal in mind, 250 persons have been asked to enumerate the causes of their
dissatisfaction while participating in presentations performed by persons who tried to sell different
„products”, the satisfaction degree being low (1, 2 and 3 on the Likert scale with 7 steps) concerning the
way they received the message and how they felt during the presentation.
These answers have been centralized, the data having similar meanings have been put together
and those answers have been kept with the most frequent occurrence. Consequently, a list of items
resulted indicating as main causes of the lack of interest in listening to the message of a marketing public
communication, the following aspects:
1. Easy intuition of the message and the public loses the attention concentration;
2. The tone, the volume or the voice intonation are inconvenient or inadequate;
3. The public had not or was not introduced into the required „state” for a presentation hearing;
4. The speaker’s words were difficult to understand; the message was too complicated or too
theoretical and difficult to follow;
5. The phrases of the speaker’s presentation were too easy or even childish;
6. It is not clear what the „product” is useful for and what is the public’s benefit from its acquisition;
7. The person who is talking shows a lack of attitude, interest, credibility or confidence;
8. The environmental conditions in the room are not comfortable (uncomfortable chairs, inadequate
light or temperature).
Part of these inconveniences can be easily removed or corrected.
Others point out, once again, the importance of the careful preparation and planning of the
marketing presentation, keeping all the time in mind the specific coordinates for each essential element
of an efficient communication: Feedforward (Communication targets; Communication structure;
Communication Stages), Speakers’ repertories (Public structure; Public features; Public motivation) and
Communication context (Location characteristics; Location endowment; Communication moment
features) (Călin, 2014). In other words, all these could be, in a corporatist approach, the procedure
coordinates, previous to the communicational action, which should be respected in order to get a
successful marketing presentation.
The practice shows us that there is a difference between a correct presentation and a successful
one, this difference coming from a certain line of conduct and nuances which give „colour” to the

3
communicational act. All these depend exclusively by the presentation supplier behaviour, by the
speaker.

15 Tips for a 10 mark presentation

Going further with our investigative research, we propose ourselves to identify the most
important 15 coordinates and their operation manner according to the aimed target, respectively to
increase the chances of a successful marketing presentation.
The 250 subjects previously mentioned have been asked to draw up a list containing the speaker’s
behaviours which, in their opinion, should contribute to the success of the presentations they have taken
part in. After the lists have been centralized and the similar items have been corroborated, the first 25
behaviour features have been kept, which had the most frequent appearance/mentioning.
This list, including the 25 behaviour features, represented the grid of indicators to be observed
(on the present/absent coordinates) within 18 „school like presentations”, filmed or existing under a
video form, performed by 12 marketing communication experts. This fact made also easier to identify
some other behaviours having a contribution to the communicational expressivity increase, the statistical
further processing of these behaviours being therefore deprived of the subjectivism specific to a „live”
applied observation grid.
15 speaker’s behaviours resulted, their presence being associated in a significant manner with the
success of a marketing presentation that we organized in a „corporatist” way, as a list of
recommendations:
1. Be visual ! – researches have shown that messages between individuals are transmitted in proportion
of 55% by the body, 38% by the voice – inflexion, intonation, volume – and 7% by the words
(Mehrabian, quoted in Calero, 2005);
2. Make the difference between the spoken and the written languages! – the expression level and
the phrase organizing rules in the written language make difficult to follow the message without the
text;
3. Be convinced of what you are saying! - even if you are not, convince yourself! You must not fail to
mention any argument that could be invoked, especially those having an applicable-practical
character;
4. Be enthusiastic in your communication! – the energy and the enthusiasm are contagious;
5. Be honest to your public! – a discovered lie, even it dwells on less important aspects, transfers its
devastating negative effect over the whole speech and, certainly, you don’t want that this happen!;
6. Tell! Tell! Tell! – Tell them what you will tell them!; Tell them!; Tell them what you already told
them! (***, Presentation- Skills & Questions mgt.);

4
7. Catch and keep public interest and attention! – use „attention catchers” like: a question, a saying,
an adage, a joke, a „shock” opening, a short history of the theme;
8. Make a spontaneous communication! – don’t read!; don’t recite the memorized text!;
9. Smile! – enjoy together with your public the happiness of this appointment;
10. Keep the eye contact with every person from the public! – move your eyes to each person for 2-3
seconds!;
11. Stand upright! Don’t sit down! Stand the face to the public!
12. Make sure the public is hearing you! Be intelligible! Have a varied language! – Use the
expressivity and the voice modulation!;
13. Be interactive! – give the public the opportunity to ask questions!;
14. Be relaxed and natural!;
15. Use examples! Reformulate! Summarize!

Conclusions
Several works include recommendations or theoretical and practical requirements of a successful
marketing presentation (Storz, Carl et al., 2002; ***, How to Do Public Speaking and Presentation; ***,
Presentation-Skills & Questions mgt etc.). Some of them can be also found among those that we have
identified.
Our research however aimed more than just taking them again; it also tried to organize them in an
applicative manner, as well as a certain „calibration” of those requirements to the public of Romania
having psycho-social and cultural characteristics different from the Western public, which is the
geographic area where the majority of the works in this field are coming from.
There are „perfect” works from the procedure point of view, but with a doubtful impact over the
audience, the main cause being this sensation of „impersonal”, of theater performance, of a part played
by a character where the public can’t find himself in.
The identified items, corroborated with the conclusions found at the end of the observation as
participant of some speakers and of the reactions their public had, lead us towards an integrative
conclusion, formulated again as an imperative sentence: Be as your public is, be one of them! Come
down from the stage and explain to him, in a friendly manner, what is his benefit and what does he need
for the „product” you „sell”.

Bibliography
1. Calero, H.H., (2005), The power of nonverbal communication, Silver Lake Publishing, Los Angeles.

5
2. Călin, R.A. & Bunăiaşu. C.M., (2010), Communication and Mass-media - from information to
formation, în Buletinul Universităţii Petrol – Gaze din Ploieşti, Vol. LXII, Nr. 1A/2010, pp. 230-238.
3. Călin, R.A., (2014), Planning in successful verbal marketing communication - A descriptive study, în
volumul Conferinţei Internaţionale EdProf 2014 - « Professionalism in Education », organizată de
D.P.P.D. din cadrul Academiei de Studii Economice Bucureşti, 06.06.2014, Editura ASE, Bucureşti,
pp. 57-62.
4. Cioclov, Roxana, (2013), Ghid de comunicare şi discurs public, Editura Artpress, Timişoara.
http://www.practica-ta.ro/files_to_download/proiect/Ghid%20de%20Comunicare%20si%20 discurs
%20public.pdf, accessed on 30 March 2015.
5. Laskowsky, Lenny, (1998), How to Handle That dreaded Question & Answer Period, LJL Seminars.
http://www.ljlseminars.com/question.pdf, accessed on 30 March 2015.
6. Mucchielli, Roger, (1982), Metode active în pedagogia adulților, Editura Didactică și Pedagogică,
București.
7. Pânişoară, Ion-Ovidiu. (2004), Comunicarea eficientă, Editura Polirom, Iaşi.
8. Pitariu, H.D, (2000), Managementul resurselor umane: Evaluarea performanţelor profesionale,
Editura All Beck, Bucureşti.
9. Storz, Carl et al., (2002), Oral Presentation Skills. http://people.engr.ncsu.edu/txie/publications
/oral_presentation_skills.pdf, accessed on 30 March 2015.
10. ***, How to Do Public Speaking and Presentation, Online Integrated Library for Personal,
Professional and Organizational Development. http://managementhelp.org/communicationsskills/
public-speaking.htm, accessed on 30 March 2015.
11. ***, Presentation-Skills & Questions mgt. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/111377571/Presentation-
Skills-_-Questions-mgt, accessed on 30 March 2015.