1. [/b]Explain Integrated Marketing Communication and discuss the nature the tools of marketing [/b]communication. Cite suitable examples.[/b]
IMC - The company carefully integrates and message about the organisation and its products. It builds a strong brand identity in the marketplace by tying together and reinforcing all the company’s messages, positioning and images, and identity, coordinating these across all its marketing communications venues. It means that your PR materials say the same thing as your direct mail campaign, and your advertising has the same ‘look and feel’ as your website coordinates its many communications channels to deliver a clear, consistent and compelling
ADVERTISING reaches geographically dispersed buyers. It can build up a long -term image for a product (Coca-Cola ads) or trigger quick sales. Just the presence of advertising might have an effect on sales: Consumers might believe that a heavily advertised brand must offer "good value. Because of the many forms and uses of advertising, it's difficult to make generalizations about it.
Pervasivenes[/b]s-Advertising permits the seller to repeat a message many times - compare the messages of various competitors. Large scale advertising says something positive about the seller's size, power, and success.
Amplified expressiveness-Advertising provides opportunities for dramatizing the company and its products through the artful use of print, sound, and colour.
Impersonality---The audience does not feel obligated to pay attention or respond to advertising. Advertising is a monologue in front of, not a dialogue with, the audience.
SALES PROMOTION Companies use sales promotion tools-coupons, contests, premiums, and the like-to draw a stronger and quicker buyer response, including short-run effects such as highlighting product offers and boosting sagging sales. Sales promotion tools offer three distinctive benefits:
Communication-They gain attention and may lead the consumer to the product.
Incentive[/b]-They incorporate some concession, inducement, or contribution that gives value to the consumer.
Invitation-They include a distinct invitation to engage in the transaction now.
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PUBLIC RELATIONS AND PUBLlCI1Y Marketers tend to underuse public relations, yet a well-thought-out program coordinated with the other communications-mix elements can be extremely effective, especially if a company needs to challenge consumers' misconceptions.
The appeal of public relations and publicity is based on three distinctive qualities:
High credibility [/b]- News stories and features are more authentic and credible to readers than ads.
Ability to catch buyers offguard[/b] -Public relations can reach prospects who prefer to avoid salespeople and advertisements.
Dramatization[/b] -Public relations has the potential for dramatizing a company or product.
EVENTS AND EXPERIENCE There are many advantages to events and experiences:
Relevant[/b] –A well-chosen event or experience can be seen as highly relevant because the consumer gets personally involved.
Involving [/i][/b]- Given their live, real-time quality, events and experiences are more actively engaging for consumers.
Implicit -[/b] Events are an indirect "soft sell."
DIRECT AND INTERACTIVE MARKETING Direct and interactive marketing takes many forms-over the phone, online, or in person. They share three distinctive characteristics. Direct and interactive marketing messages are:
Customized [/b]- The message can be prepared to appeal to the addressed individual.
Up-to-date [/b]- A message can be prepared very quickly.
Interactiv[/b]e - The message can be changed depending on the person's response.
Word of mouth marketing - Word of mouth also takes many forms online or off-line.
Credible[/b] - Because people trust others they know and respect, word of mouth can be highly influential.
Personal - [/b]can be a very intimate dialogue that reflects personal facts, opinions, and experiences.
Timely[/b] - occurs when people want it to and when they are most interested, and it often follows noteworthy or meaningful events or experiences.
Personal selling is the most effective tool at later stages of the buying process, particularly in building up buyer preference, conviction, and action. Personal selling has three distinctive qualities:
Personal interaction[/b]-Personal selling creates an immediate and interactive episode between two or more persons. Each party is able to observe the other's reactions.
Cultivation[/b]-Personal selling also permits all kinds of relationships to spring up, ranging from a matter-of-fact selling relationship to a deep personal friendship.
Response[/b]-The buyer may feel under some obligation for having listened to the sales talk.