Marketing Communications Notes

Introduction to Marketing Communications

• Marketing communications aim to effectively convey messages to target audiences.
• Understanding marketing concepts forms the basis for successful outreach.

Promotion and Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)

• Two approaches:
  • Outbound Marketing: Broadcasts messages broadly using various means:
  • Advertising (TV, radio, print, OOH)
  • Direct mail, e-mail, telemarketing
  • Public relations and personal selling.
  • Inbound Marketing: Consumers discover products through online techniques:
  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Pay-per-click ads
  • Social media and microsites.

Components of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)

• IMC includes:
  • Social media marketing
  • Advertising
  • Mobile marketing
  • Personal selling
  • Public relations
  • Event marketing and sponsorship
  • Sales promotions
  • Direct response marketing.

Types of Marketing Strategies

• Paid Media: Promotional channels paid for by the sponsor (e.g., traditional & digital media).
• Owned Media: Channels owned/controlled by the company (e.g., websites, social media pages).
• Earned Media: PR channels not directly paid for that gain traction due to interest (e.g., news articles, blogs).
• Shared Media: Media shared by consumers with others (e.g., social media posts, word of mouth).

Steps in the Marketing Communications Process

• Key factors include:
  • Promotional mix
  • Reach and frequency
  • Touch points
  • Competitor analysis
  • Budget considerations
  • Objectives and tasks.

Outbound IMC Promotion Mix

• Tools include:
  • Advertising
  • Sales promotion
  • Public relations
  • Personal selling
  • Direct marketing.

Advertising

• Definition: Any paid form of media for mass communication, including:
  • TV, radio, print, online/digital, and out-of-home media (e.g., billboards).

Advantages of Advertising

• Broad reach at low cost per exposure.
• Repeated message reinforces awareness.
• Builds consumer trust and legitimacy.

Disadvantages of Advertising

• Impersonal communication, one-way.
• High costs for certain media types.

Advertising Objectives

• Typical objectives include:
  • To inform, persuade, and remind consumers.
  • To increase demand and differentiate products.
  • To build a positive corporate image.
  • SMART objectives must be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.

Advertising Budget

• Budget strategies include:
  • Affordable, percent of sales, competitive, or objective & task-based.

Advertising Strategy

• Focus on:
  • Message strategy: Attention, interest, desire, action (AIDA).
  • Message characteristics: Meaningful, believable, distinctive.

Appeals in Advertising

• Rational: Functional benefits.
• Emotional: Evoke positive or negative feelings.
• Moral: Based on ethical considerations.

Types of Advertising Strategies

• Animation, comparison, demonstration, dramatization, humor, mood/image, personality symbol, scientific evidence, testimonial, slice of life.

Media in Advertising

• Media types include:
  • Newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, billboards, online, guerilla marketing, social media, direct mail.

Key Metrics in Advertising

• Reach: Percentage of target audience exposed to the campaign.
• Frequency: Average number of times a consumer sees the campaign.
• Impact: Qualitative value of the campaign.

Advertising Evaluation

• Techniques include:
  • Copy testing (pre-test vs. post-test).
  • Direct sales results.
  • Consumer/market research.

Public Relations (PR)

• Advantages:
  • Enhances credibility and believability.
  • Engages audiences resistant to advertising.
  • Cost-effective if proactive.

Personal Selling

• Pros: Personal two-way communication, builds relationships.
• Cons: Long-term commitment, high cost of sales force.

Sales Promotion

• Pros: Wide range of tools, captures consumer attention, encourages quick responses.
• Cons: Short-lived impact.

Direct Marketing

• Pros: Tailored messages, interactive, builds direct relationships.
• Cons: May be perceived as spam.

Integrated Marketing Campaigns

• Rely on multiple channels to convey the same message through diverse formats.
• Increases familiarity and recall with the audience.

Case Study: Sick Kids Campaign

• Capital campaign necessitating a shift in narrative.
• Used consistent messaging across various media, including social, video, and traditional media.
• Leveraged celebrity endorsements and community partnerships to enhance engagement.