Chapter 18: Integrated Marketing Communications

What is the Promotional Mix?

The combination of communication tools used to inform, persuade, and remind prospective buyers about a product.

What are the five components of the Promotional Mix?

Advertising, Personal Selling, Public Relations, Sales Promotion, and Direct Marketing.

What is Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)?

The concept of coordinating all promotional tools to provide a consistent message across all audiences.

What is advertising?

A paid form of nonpersonal communication about an organization, product, service, or idea by an identified sponsor.

What are the advantages of advertising?

Attention-getting, communicates product benefits, and allows control over the message.

What are the disadvantages of advertising?

Expensive and hard to measure results.

What is personal selling?

A two-way flow of communication between a buyer and seller, often face-to-face, designed to influence purchase decisions.

What are the advantages of personal selling?

Precise targeting, persuasive communication, and ability to convey complex information.

What are the disadvantages of personal selling?

Message variability and high cost-per-contact.

What is public relations?

Efforts to influence the feelings, opinions, or beliefs of stakeholders about a company and its products.

What are the advantages of public relations?

High credibility, cost-effective, and can influence a wide range of stakeholders.

What are the disadvantages of public relations?

Lack of control over the message.

What is sales promotion?

A short-term incentive offered to increase interest in buying a product or service.

What are examples of sales promotion?

Coupons, discounts, samples, and contests.

What are the advantages of sales promotion?

Stimulates short-term sales and can attract competitor's customers.

What are the disadvantages of sales promotion?

Temporary sales gains and potential for easy replication by competitors.

What is direct marketing?

Direct communication with consumers to generate a response, such as an order or request for information.

What are the advantages of direct marketing?

Interactive communication, customization for target audiences, and quick adaptation.

What are the disadvantages of direct marketing?

Need for an up-to-date database, potential high costs, and lower response rates.

What factors determine the promotional mix elements?

Product characteristics, including complexity, risk, and degree of after-sales service required.

What are the stages of the consumer buying decision process?

Pre-purchase, Purchase, and Post-purchase stages.

What is a push strategy in marketing?

Directing the promotional mix to channel members to gain their cooperation in ordering and stocking the product.

What is a pull strategy in marketing?

Directing the promotional mix at ultimate consumers to encourage them to ask for the product.

What are the four Ws to consider when developing an IMC program?

Who is the target audience? What are the objectives, budget, and kinds of promotion? Where and when should the promotion run?

What is the hierarchy of effects in promotion objectives?

Stages from awareness to adoption: Awareness, Interest, Evaluation, Trial, and Adoption.

What are common budgeting methods for promotions?

Percentage of sales, competitive parity, all-you-can-afford, and objective and task budgeting.

What is the importance of testing communication elements in an IMC program?

To ensure effectiveness and facilitate design and use of promotional strategies.

What is an IMC audit?

An evaluation process to assess the effectiveness of the IMC strategies implemented.