The Marketing Communication Mix – also called the Promotional Mix, is a specific mix of

advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations and direct marketing.
1.) ADVERTISING- any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of
ideas, goods or services by an identified sponsor.
Advantages
a. can reach masses of geographically dispersed buyers at a low cost per exposure, and
enables sellers to repeat a message many times.
b. its public nature suggest that the advertised product is standard and legitimate.
c. seller is able to repeat a message many times and the buyer is able to receive and compare
messages.
d. large scale advertising by a seller says something positive about the seller.
e. advertising is very expressive.
Disadvantages
a. Impersonal, it does not care who receives the message, even if inappropriate
b. not as persuasive as a sales person
c. a one-way communication
d. can be very costly, large budgets are usually required
DESIGNING THE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
A. SETTING ADVERTISING OBJECTIVES - a specific communication tasks to be
accomplished with a specific target audience during a specific period of time.
Classifications
1.1 Informative Advertising- used to inform consumers about a new product or feature and to
build primary demand.
1.2 Persuasive Advertising- used to build selective demand for a brand by persuading
customers that it offers the best quality for money.
1.3 Comparative Advertising- used to compare one brand directly or indirectly to one or more
brands.
1.4 Reminder Advertising- used to keep consumers thinking about the product.
B. DEVELOPING THE ADVERTISING STRATEGY
Major elements: Advertising message (based on the Ad objectives) and Media Vehicles
(type, reach, frequency and impact for money)
2.1 Media Type
Considerations
a. cost per thousand
b. The cost of producing the ad
c. balance between: audience quality, audience selection and attention, editorial quality
2.2 Media Timing
a. continuity- scheduling ads evenly within a year period
b. pulsing- scheduling ads unevenly or in bursts over a certain periods of time
2.3 Measuring Sales Effect
a. comparing sales with past advertising expenditures
b. design experiments with different expenditure levels

2.4 Types of Media

A. Traditional Media
1. Radio
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Relatively inexpensive Audio only
Target marketing possible Frequency required for effectiveness
Passive medium
2. Newspaper
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Credible spillage
Pass-on readership obsolescence
Target marketing possible Poor image quality
3. Magazine
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Good image quality Long lead time
Target marketing possible Difficult to time advertising
Pass-on readership More expensive than newspapers
Not subject to obsolescence

4. Television
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Audio, video and movement Very expensive
Target marketing possible Frequency necessary for effectiveness
B. Alternative Media and Techniques
1. Cinema
2. Billboard
3. Websites
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Low cost Must be upgraded regularly
High level of detail Clutter
Customized Risk of hacking
interactive Cyber squatting
4. Social Networking Sites
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Low cost May be ignored
High level of detail Risk of hacking
Well segmented audience Clutter and/or cyber squatting

2.) SALES PROMOTION – a mass communication technique that offers short term
incentives to encourage purchase or sales of a product or service.
Major Categories
a. Consumer promotions
b. Business promotions
c. Trade promotions
CONSUMER PROMOTION TOOLS
1. Free samples/ samples - offer consumers of a trial amount of a product.
2. coupons- certificates that give buyers a savings when they purchase a specified product.
3. cash refunds or rebates- offer to refund part of the purchase price of a product to
consumers who send proof of purchase to the manufacturer.
4. price packs/ cents-off deals- reduced prices that are marked by the producer directly on the
label or package.
5. premiums- goods offered either free or at low costs as an incentive to buy the product.
6. advertising specialties- useful articles imprinted with an advertiser’s name that are given as
gifts to customers.
7. Patronage rewards- cash or other rewards for the regular use of a certain company’s
products or services.
8. Point of Purchase (POP) promotions- displays and demonstrations that take place at the
point of purchase or sale.
9. Contest, sweepstakes and games- promotional events that give consumers the chance to
win something (e.g. cash, trips, goods) by luck or through extra effort.
 TRADE PROMOTION TOOLS
1. Discount- a straight reduction in price on purchases during a stated period of time.
2. Allowance- promotional money paid by manufacturers to retailers who agree to feature the
manufacturers products in some way.
3. Other forms such as Free goods, Push Money, Specialty Advertising Items (sign boards,
refrigerators etc.)
BUSINESS PROMOTION TOOLS
1. Trade Shows- demonstrations to stimulate purchases (e.g. car shows)
2. Conventions- Sponsored events (e.g. Medical Conferences)
3. Sales Contest- usually internal to the company, designed to motivate sales people

3.) PUBLIC RELATIONS- Involves building good relations with the company’s various
publics by obtaining favorable publicity, building a good “corporate image”, and
handling or heading off unfavorable rumors, stories and events.
Major Functions
1. press relations or press agentry
2. product publicity
3. public affairs
4. lobbying
5. investor relations
6. development

Major Tools
1. news
2. speeches
3. special events
4. written materials: annual reports, brochures, articles, company newsletters, magazines.
5. audiovisual materials: films, slides, video and audio distributions
6. Corporate identity materials: logos, stationery, signs, business cards, calendars, company
cars, buildings, uniforms
7. Public service activities: outreach programs in times of calamity, charities
4.) PERSONAL SELLING- involves two-way, personal communication between sales
people and individual customers.
Why personal selling is effective:
1. Salespeople can probe customers to learn ore about their needs or problems;
2. Sales people can adjust the marketing offer to fit the special needs of each customer.
4.1 DESIGNING SALES FORCE STRATEGY AND STRUCTURE
A. Territorial sales force structure- assigns each sales person to an exclusive geographical
area and sells all the company’s full line of products and services to all customers in that
territory.
B. Product sales force structure- sales people specialize in selling only a portion of the
company’s products or lines.
C. Customer sales force structure- sales people specialize in selling only to certain
customers or industries.
D. Complex sales force structure- a combination of the three previously mentioned
structures.
Steps in the personal selling process
1. Prospecting- identifying qualified potential customers
2. qualifying – screening of prospects based on:
a. financial ability
b. volume of business
c. special needs
d. location
e. possibilities for growth

3. Pre-approach – set call objectives, timing and strategy.

4. Approach- setting the appointment and actual meeting.

5. Presentation and demonstration

6. handling objections

7. closing

8. follow up and after sales service