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0 INTRODUCTION Marketing is defined as an organizational function and set of process for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders (Kotler, 2007) Marketing mix consists of a range of activities /tools that an organization combines and implements to generate a response from its target audience. It consists of the 4 Ps namely Product, Price, Place and Promotion. The marketing mix is designed as marketing strategy to achieve marketing goals such as sales, market shares, or consumer base. These goals are achievable only when buyers, customers, or consumers in the market behave favorably towards a firms offerings. Promotional activities are a fundamental part of marketing. Promotion is a term which is used interchangeably with marketing communications and refers to communications with a target audience on all matters affecting marketing performance. The marketing communication mix is a range of activities which an organization uses to communicate with its target audiences on all matters affecting marketing performance. It generally consists of advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations &publicity, interactive marketing, word-of-mouth marketing, event and experiences and direct marketing. The role each element takes in a marketing communication program relies in part on whether a company employs a push strategy or a pull strategy. A pull strategy relies more on consumer demand than personal selling for the product to travel from the manufacturer to the end user. The demand generated by advertising, public relations, and sales promotion "pulls" the good or service through the channels of distribution. A push strategy, on the other hand, emphasizes personal selling to push the product through these channels.

For the greatest marketing communications impact, all the elements of the communication mix should be integrated into a unified whole. By integrating the range of the range of promotional mix elements so that they work in harmony with each other, opportunities are created to improve the effectiveness of the communication effort. Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is recognized generally as the process of integrating all the elements of the marketing communication mix. It is defined as the concept under which a company carefully integrates and
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coordinates its many communication channels to deliver clear, consistent, and compelling message about the organization and its products and services (kotler et al, 1999).

2.0 FACTORS IN SETTING THE MARKETING COMMUNICATION MIX 2.1Type of Product Market Communication-mix allocations vary between consumer and business markets. Consumer markets tend to spend more on sales promotion and advertising; business marketers spend more on personal selling. In general personal selling is used for more complex expensive and risky goods and in markets with fewer and larger sellers (business markets). 3.0 Buyer Readiness stage The different stages are awareness-building stage, closing the sale and reordering. Awarenessbuilding stages requires the use of advertising and publicity; closing the sale is influenced mostly by personal selling and sales promotion; Reordering stage is also affected by personal selling, sales promotion and somewhat by reminder advertising. 4.0 Product life-cycle stage Communication tools vary in cost effectiveness at the different stages of the product life cycle. In the introductory stage, advertising, events and experiences and publicity have the highest cost effectiveness followed by personal selling to gain distribution coverage and sales promotions and direct marketing to induce trials. In the growth stage, demand has its own momentum via word of mouth. In the maturity stage, advertising, events and experiences and personal selling become more important. In the decline stage, sales promotion continues strong, other communications tools are reduced and sales persons give the product minimal attention 2.0 IMC STRATEGIES Strategies are pathways to achieve goals. Every good marketing strategy is comprised of the identification of the target market and pathway to the market. IMC strategies identify the

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audience and how to reach the audience. different IMC elements

They also involve deciding the mix and level of

The type of IMC strategy selected usually depends on Type of product; market Channel objectives, Buyer readiness stage, Product Lifecycle, Focus and Cost. Three key IMC strategies considered in this write-up are the push, pull and profile strategies. The push and pull strategies deal with promotional efforts by the seller directed to members of the marketing channel (intermediaries) and final-user respectively. The profile strategy however addresses the needs of how the corporate entity e.g. investors and financial institutions are perceived by a range of stakeholder audience. The IMC strategy involves: Defining target audiences this can vary from customers to employees to distribution partners.These markets need to be understood in as much detail as possible so as to help shape the message and hence choosing of an appropriate tool Establishing objectives and a budget - Objectives can be related to influencing beliefs, influencing feelings, or influencing behaviors. For setting the budget, factors to be considered include the overall marketing budget, competitive circumstances and potential Return On Investment Analyzing pertinent issues type of issues that can impact IMC strategy include legal, regulatory, technological.Ethical, cultural and competitive issues. Selecting appropriate IMC tools this involves appropriate choice of the IMC tools of Advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations &publicity, interactive marketing, word-of-mouth marketing, event and experiences and direct marketing. Careful consideration should be given to the overall effect of the use of these tools on the overall IMC program Planning appropriate pre- and post- implementation research to evaluate effectiveness.

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3.0 PUSH IMC STRATEGY Push through communications target channel intermediaries to motivate them to become more aggressive in customer communications. The overall objective is to motivate channel intermediaries to carry the product/brand making it more available to customers. This strategy is used when; Brands may be undifferentiated in the marketplace or in categories where consumer brand preferences are difficult to generate and sustain. Where the distributor plays an important role by providing information or some expertise. High involvement with product category Choice made prior to shopping

Promotional elements of the marketing communications mix to use include 3.1Sales promotions (trade promotions) targeted at the trade. Makes use of a variety of formats: premiums, coupons, contests etc; attracts attention, offers strong purchase incentives; dramatizes offers, boosts sagging sales; stimulates quick response; short-lived; not effective at building long term brand preferences Advantages Communication gain attention and may lead consumer to the product Incentive Incorporate some concession, inducement or contribution that gives value to the consumer Invitation include a distinct invitation to engage in the transaction now Sales promotion generally does not necessary require the services of an outside agency, like advertising does. It is also easier to administer. Sales promotion re- enforces sales by gaining attention of the consumers. It increases sales, no matter how good a companys advertising.

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A retailer, wholesaler, or manufacturer can retain customer loyalty by giving incentives to frequent shoppers. It can be less costly than advertising and personal selling.

Disadvantages Sales promotion is easy for others to imitate. Sales promotion is a short-term programme. The image of the firm may be diminished if it runs promotions constantly. For example consumers may view discounts as representing a decline in product quality and believe the firm could not sell its offerings without them. Profits margins are often lower for a firm when a sales promotion is used.

3.2Public relations the deliberate planned and sustained efforts to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organization and its public. Public Relations is concerned with the behavior of the organization, its products, services and individuals which give rise to publicity. It uses tools such as Press Release, Press Conference Special Event, Public service activities, Speeches and Sponsorship Advantages It is that it has a greater credibility, than advertisements among consumers because news stories appear more objective. Can reach prospects that prefer to avoid salespeople and advertisements. It helps organization and firms to create and maintain favorable relations between the organizations and its publics. When publicity is involved there is no cost for media time or space, hence relatively inexpensive.

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It can be used in cases where advertising for a product is prohibited (e.g. Cigarettes), public relations activities can be useful Disadvantages The negative impact of unfavorable publicity can be quick and dramatic. Lack of control over airtime and space, and content

3.3Personal selling This is the oral presentation in a conversation with one or more prospective buyers by paid representatives for the purpose of marking sale. The face to face contact offers interaction, which is interactive, responsive and flexible as it provides two-way communication
Personal selling has three distinctive qualities: Personal Confrontation -Personal selling

involves an immediate and interactive relationship between two or more persons. Cultivation Personal selling permits all kinds of relationships to spring up, ranging as a matter of fact selling relationships to a deep personal friendship. . Response Personal selling can make the buyer feel and understand some obligation for having listened to the sales talk. Advantages Personal selling involves a lively immediate interaction with the target group. This allows the development of all kinds of relationships, from selling relationship to personal friendship. Personal Selling permits flexible presentation. Messages can be tailor made to suit a particular client or consumer. Personal Selling provides producers or marketers the opportunity to immediately receive and evaluate feedback. Personal Selling creates demand by arousing, stimulating, or directing a buyer either consciously or subconsciously to desire the product or service.
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Personal Selling also helps service providers to overcome strong resistance to the product or service, or bring into existence something that did not exist prior to the selling performed by the buyers. Disadvantages Cost per contact is more than all other forms of promotion, and some service providers or producers do not have enough resources to cover the expenses of sales personnel. It is not a good method of creating consumer awareness. This is because sales personnel can only interact with a limited number of consumers at a time. Sales persons or sale force may not live up to standard. This may be due to their inability to ascertain the particular needs of a particular consumer. It creates inconsistency in messages and service delivery.

4.0 PULL IMC STRATEGY Promotional effort by the seller to stimulate final-user demand, which then exerts pressure on the distribution channel. Purpose of the Communications is to generate and sustain a dialogue with end user or customers. The overall objective is to build awareness, attraction and loyalty and reduce search costs. This strategy is used when; There is low brand loyalty Impulse purchasing Low perceived risk Benefits of products were understood Choice of purchase made in store

Promotional elements of the marketing communications mix to use include ; 4.1 Advertising It is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services by an identified sponsor

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i.Advantages Pervasiveness-Reaches many buyers, expressive and. Low cost per exposure, though overall cost is high. Large-scale advertising says something about the companys size,power and success. Consumer perceive advertised goods as more legitimate; Amplified expressiveness -Dramatizes company/brand through the artful use of print, sound and color; may stimulate short-term sales Ii Disadvantages Impersonality - communication is one way. The audience does not feel obligated to pay attention or respond. Feedback difficult to obtain. Advertising offers very brief expanse. The cost of airtime and air makes it impossible for producers or service provider to purchase longer time and space for advert Most advertising messages are false and misleading and is usually exaggerated. Advertising can be very expensive, in terms of buying advertising air space and time as well as getting outside agency to develop an effective advertising campaign

4.2 Sales promotions(consumer promotions) - Sales promotion comprises various marketing techniques, which are often used tactically to provide added value to an offering, with the aim of accelerating sales and gathering marketing information. For consumer promotions it is targeted to the ultimate product/service. use is made of coupons,contests,premiums and rebates

4.3 Direct Marketing - is an interactive system of marketing, which uses various advertising media to communicate directly with consumers. It consists of direct communications with carefully targeted consumers to obtain an immediate response. It uses forms such as Direct mail and catalog,Telemarketing,Television marketing and On-line shopping Advantages Customized the message can be prepared to appeal to the addressed individual Up-to date A message can be prepared quickly

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Interactive the message can be changed depending on the target persons response It can be useful for reaching specific target market and those that are difficult to reach the mass media-example, doctors and other professionals can often be reached most effectively in this manner

Cost: The ability of direct mail to specifically target the audience eliminates waste and lowers costs. It is convenient and time saving to buy through direct mail or by telephone. Direct Marketing leads to the creation of relationships between the company and its prospect (customer retention and loyalty)

Disadvantages Direct marketing has been criticized for invading peoples privacy and also its activities can be irritating for customers. Directing marketing could be costly. Accuracy: as a result of movement of people, change of name, occupation and etc, the list obtained by the company may not be accurate. Many people are still not comfortable with shopping without being able to handle the products, and also shopping maybe a form of relaxation for some people.

5.0PROFILE IMC STRATEGIES Addresses the needs of how the corporate entity is perceived by a range of stakeholder audience. For example, it is quite common for an organization to develop a communication campaign that is targeted at the financial markets and the stock markets in particular. This is referred to as Investor Communications. This happens because the company feels the share price undervalues the organization or fails to reflect the true worth. It may be that the communicator wants to inform the financial markets of profits results, changes in senior management or prepare the way

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for merger and acquisition activities, all of which can seriously affect a company's standing unless handled in the appropriate way. This can be accomplished through continual dialogue via public relations which will lead to the development of trust and commitment and enable relationships to grow. This is necessary in order that stakeholders act favourably towards an organisation and enable strategies to flourish and objectives to be achieved. 6.0EVALUATIONS Evaluating an IMC programme is critical to future improvements. The programme must be evaluated in the light of its objectives. Common objectives of IMC program include Generating awareness Communicating differentiation Persuasion Reminder

Measuring the effectiveness of the marketing communication mix involves asking members of the target audience whether they recognize or recall the communication, how many times they saw it, what they recall, how they felt about the communication, and their previous and current attitudes towards the product and company. Revenue inflows pre and post programme should also be assessed

6.1Advantages of integrated marketing commmunications IMC offers many advantages including; Opportunity to cut communication costs and/or reassign budgets. Potential for synergistic and more efficient communication. Delivers competitive advantage through clearer positioning.

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Encourages coordinated brand development with internal and external customers. Provides for increased employee participation and motivation. Causes management to review its promotional strategy. Requires a change in culture, and fosters customer focus. Provides a benchmark for the development of more effective communication activities. Can lead to a cut in the number of agencies supporting the brand.

6.2Some disadvantages include; Encourages centralisation and formal bureaucratic procedures Requires increased management time, seeking agreement from all involved parties. Suggests uniformity and single message. This might be difficult and expensive. Tendency to standardization might negate or dilute creative opportunities in international markets. Growth of global brands restricted as a result of local adaptation. Cultural change required of employees is likely to engender resistance. Damages a brands reputation if incorrectly or incompetently managed

6.3limitations / barriers to IMC Despite its many benefits, Integrated Marketing Communications, or IMC, has many barriers. In addition to the usual resistance to change and the special problems of communicating with a wide variety of target audiences, there are many other obstacles which restrict IMC. These include: Functional Silos; Stifled Creativity; Time Scale Conflicts and a lack of Management know-how.

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Functional silos refer to rigid organisational structures infested with managers who protect both their budgets and their power base. Sadly, some organisational structures isolate communications, data, and even managers from each other. For example the PR department often doesn't report to marketing. The sales force rarely meets the advertising or sales promotion people and so on. Imagine what can happen when sales reps are not told about a new promotional offer! And all of this can be aggravated by turf wars or internal power battles where specific managers resist having some of their decisions (and budgets) determined or even influenced by someone from another department. IMC can restrict creativity. No more wild and wacky sales promotions unless they fit into the overall marketing communications strategy. The joy of rampant creativity may be stifled, but the creative challenge may be greater and ultimately more satisfying when operating within a tighter, integrated, creative brief. 7.0 CONCLUSION Although Integrated Marketing Communications requires a lot of effort as well as a number of barriers, it delivers many benefits. It can create competitive advantage, boost sales and profits, while saving money, time and stress. IMC wraps communications around customers and helps them move through the various stages of the buying process. The organization simultaneously consolidates its image, develops a dialogue and nurtures its relationship with customers.

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REFRENCES Belch G. Ph.D and M. Belch Ph.D, Advertising and Promotions, Sixth Edition, McGraw Hill,2003. Fill Chris, Marketing Communication, Harlow, FT Prentice Hill,2005 P.R. Smith, Marketing Communications: an Integrated Marketing Approach (KOGAN Page,1997)

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