Integrated Marketing Communications – Promotional Tools Notes

Learning Objectives

• Describe the promotional mix and the uniqueness of each component.
• Explore advertising design and the different types of advertising.
• Describe product placement and branded entertainment as tactics within the promotional mix.
• Outline the different consumer and trade sales promotional approaches.
• Detail personal selling and the stages of the personal selling process.

Promotional Mix Overview

• Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC): A strategic approach to deliver a consistent message across different promotional tools to various stakeholders.
• Key Components of Promotional Mix:
  • Advertising
  • Public relations
  • Sales promotions
  • Direct response marketing
  • Personal selling
  • Event marketing and sponsorship
  • Product placement and branded entertainment
  • Mobile and social media marketing

Advertising

• Definition: Paid form of non-personal communication used to promote an organization, product, or service.
• Types of Media:
  • Television: Wide reach, engaging, but high costs and short-lived.
  • Newspapers: Good local coverage, quick placement, often low costs but short lifespan and competition for attention.
  • Search Engine Marketing: Real-time measurement, cost-effective, but can interrupt user experience.
  • Social Media: Highly targeted, fosters engagement, but can allow negative audience reactions.
  • Email Marketing: Cost-effective, but can be seen as Spam.

Advertising Media Strengths & Weaknesses

1. Television:
   • Strengths: Large audience, combines various media.
   • Weaknesses: Expensive, difficult to convey complexity.
2. Newspapers:
   • Strengths: Quick updates, good local reach.
   • Weaknesses: Short lifespan, poor color quality.
3. Online Display:
   • Strengths: Good targeting, raises brand awareness.
   • Weaknesses: Low click-through rates.

Designing Advertisements

• Message Focus: Key benefits to entice buyers.
  • Appeal types include:
  • Informational
  • Fear-based
  • Humorous
  • Sexual
• Logic vs. Emotion Appeals: Message can target logical reasoning or emotional responses.

Types of Advertising Content Appeals

• Rational appeals: Encourage decisions based on facts.
• Emotional appeals: Drive feelings to enhance brand loyalty.

Personal Selling

• Definition: Two-way communication to influence purchase decisions, often involves direct interaction.
• Stages of the Selling Process include: Prospecting, pre-approach, presentation, closing, and follow-up.
• Benefits of Personal Selling: Builds lasting relationships, strong differentiation for high-ticket items.

Public Relations (PR)

• Definition: Aims to influence public opinion and attitudes through unpaid media exposure.
• Tools Used: Press releases, press conferences, special events, social media releases.
• Publicity: Non-paid efforts to attract attention and reach target audiences.

Sales Promotions

• Definition: Short-term incentives to encourage purchase or support. Includes consumer promotions (directly aimed at customers) and trade promotions (targeting wholesalers and retailers).
• Common Techniques: Discounts, contests, and loyalty programs.

Event Marketing & Sponsorship

• Event Marketing: Involvement in events to create awareness and positive brand associations.
• Sponsorship: Financial support for events in exchange for advertising opportunities.

Product Placement and Branded Entertainment

• Product Placement: Integrating products into movies/TV shows for promotion.
• Branded Entertainment: Creating entertainment content that prominently features a brand.

Digital Marketing Approaches

• Social Media Marketing: Using platforms for engaging with audiences. Content should be user-generated and encourage sharing.
• Mobile Marketing: Engages users through devices for personalized communication.
• Email Campaigning: Communicates directly with audiences based on interests and behaviors.
• Search Engine Marketing: Optimizing web content for better visibility and engagement.

Best Practices in Marketing Communications

• Understand consumer behavior and adapt messages accordingly.
• Leverage analytics for ongoing optimization of campaigns.
• Aim for a consistent voice across channels.
• Be prepared to handle public feedback, both positive and negative.