Marketing communications ( MC , marcom (s) , marcomm (s) ) use different marketing channels and tools in combination: The marketing communications channel focuses on how a business communicates a message to the desired market, or the market in general. Marketing communication tools can be anything from: advertising, personal selling, direct marketing, sponsorship, communications, promotion, and public relations.
MC consists of a marketing mix consisting of 4P: Price, Promotion, Place and Product, for a business that sells goods, and consists of 7P: Price, Promotion, Place, Product, Person, Physical Evidence and Process, for a service-based business.
Video Marketing communications
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Marketing communications include advertising, promotions, sales, branding, and online promotions. This process allows the use of a public business to know or understand a brand. Successful branding involves targeting an audience that values ​​an organization's marketing program.
Advertising is a small but important part of marketing communications; marketing communication mix is ​​a set of tools that can be used to convey a clear and consistent message to the target audience. This is also commonly called promotional mix. Krosier (1990) states that all terms have the same meaning in the context of 4ps: Product, price, place and promotion. The price can send a message to the target audience. For example, comparing a $ 50 bag with a $ 10 bag, the first may look as a luxury item or more durable.
The marketing plan identifies key opportunities and threats, sets goals and develops action plans to achieve marketing objectives. Each part of 4P sets its own object; for example, possible pricing goals to increase sales in a given geographic market by setting their own product or service price lower than their competitors. This creates a significant change in the market as more people from the target market will aim to do business with your organization than your competitors, as price is one of the most significant aspects of marketing that can change the whole market positively and/or negatively.
Maps Marketing communications
Definition
- Communication Constraints: Communication barriers are factors that hinder the effectiveness of marketing communications. The main communication barriers are: Noise and chaos, consumer apathy, brand parity and weak creative ideas or strategies. Noise is an unrelated sensory stimulus that distracts consumers from marketing messages (for example, people talking nearby so it's hard to hear radio advertisements). Clutter is the amount and concentration of high ads served to the consumer at all times. Because attention can not be shared, there are limits to how much can be taken and processed, which means that strong marketing communications need to stand out from the chaos and be heard above the noise. (Ang, 2014. "Integrated Marketing Communications Principles".) Page 11.)
- Consumer attitudes are the consumer's tendency to avoid marketing communications. Consumers may not be interested, or consider themselves "on the market," and therefore attempt to close irrelevant marketing stimuli; this is known as selective attention. Alternatively, the consumer may be "on the market," but not aware of the existence of a brand or product or its prevalence. Consumers tend to buy familiar brands, and will not be inspired to investigate alternatives. One approach that marketers use to overcome apathy is to create incentives, such as price rewards or competitive loyalty. (Ang, 2014. "Integrated Marketing Communications Principles".) Page 11.)
- The brand's parity means a brand does not differ significantly from its competitors. Without a different value proposition, consumers do not develop brand or association preferences, rather than buying purely by price (Ang, 2014. "Integrated Marketing Communications Principles".). This is not ideal, because effective marketing communication increases brand equity. One of the important goals of marketing communications is to develop a strong and unique brand identity that allows brands to be positioned apart from their competitors.
- The marketing mix is ​​the most important part of a marketing strategy, which is "a framework for managing marketing and integrating it in a business context".
- Marketing strategy: how businesses achieve their marketing objectives. The first step to achieving a marketing strategy is to identify the target market and build a plan that can be applied by the business.
Communications
Communication is one of the important aspects of the marketing mix. Marketing communications are often the largest communications component within a company, which is likely to present company values, goals or specific products and services to investors, customers, or the general public. In the 21st century, communications goals focus on more customized messages, targeting customer groups or individuals to create a higher response and greater brand interaction.
As businesses become increasingly global with greater access to the Internet, mobile phones and social media, new challenges exist to inform people in targeted overseas markets. Shifts in the global economy and access to new markets also bring greater demand for the delivery of related products and services. To be effective, communication strategies must be integrated with marketing objectives while also accounting for local languages, dialects and cultural norms.
External communications may involve market research questionnaires, office websites, guarantees, company annual reports, and presentations for investors. Internal communications can include marketing materials, price lists, product catalogs, sales presentations, and management communications. On the other hand, each market demands a different kind of communication. For example, the industrial market demands more personal communication but the consumer market demands non-personal communication.
There are also 4 different types of basic communication.
- One-to-many: this type of communication is the most original communication. It's "generated from a single point broadcast and then available through airwaves or in bulk printing". This type of communication is usually tailored to a non-specific news distribution that is not even interactive. As in the urgent notice of playing over the airwaves from a broadcast in an industry, it is helpful for general announcements.
- Many-to-one: many-to-one is usually connected to one-to-many communication. For example, a reply button in your email box, a prepaid number purchased from Spark. All communication techniques are continued to the public with two-way communication from mass communication.
- One-to-one: this is the most intensive and interactive communication on a one-to-one level. There are many examples such as sales presentations; negotiation in the market or direct delivery based on one-to-one communication. Most of these communications are face-to-face. But in the development of the Internet, email and online shopping are taking the opportunity to come face-to-face with people. The opportunity given to sellers and buyers to speak more directly. Another important thing is instant messaging 'chat' channels like Wechat and Facebook, which are becoming very popular in business.
- Many-to-many: in the highly developed Internet background, many-to-many communication has evolved like an online chat room, a 'blogging' website. Many-to-many communication for participants can exchange their ideas and experiences.
One-to-one faster, while many-to-one channels may tend to be less urgent but with longer lifespan.
Communication psychology
One of the main goals of marketing communications is to persuade consumers, by changing their perception of a brand, product or service, or persuading them to buy (or feel motivated/tempted to buy) a product or service. "Elaboration Likelihood Model" is used to show how persuasion occurs. When marketing communications messages are delivered, it must first be recognized and attended by the recipient. By giving their attention to marketing communications, consumers will begin to process and understand the message. There are two routes to persuasion: Centers and devices. Central route processing is used in high-involvement purchasing decisions. It's rare, high-risk purchases, usually involving large amounts of money and significant time (for example, buying a home or car). Because these purchasing decisions are high risk, major cognitive efforts are expended to rationally select the most logical and valuable options available. In these marketing messages, information about the product or service itself is most valuable. Peripheral route processing is used in low-involvement purchasing decisions. These are frequent and low-risk purchases, generally at low or medium cost where choices are made more on affective (or emotion-based) values ​​than cognitive (or rational) values. Therefore, marketing messages will use more storytelling and imaging, focusing on how the product or service makes people feel, and the association it has, rather than the attributes and specifications it has.
Communication process
Communication can be defined as a process of use, words, sound or visual cues to provide information to one or more persons. The communication process is defined as shared information with the intent that the recipient understands the message the business wants to send. The communication process was once regarded as the source of the message, which was then encoded, entered through the selected communication channel, which was then translated by the recipient and then received. In the middle of the channel, there is a potential sound to distort the sent messages. Once the recipient has a message, they then provide feedback to the original source, where they then know whether the campaign has been successful or not.
With the use of technology in general, customers seek information about brands, products, and businesses before buying. This means that there is a need for additional channels in the communication process, so this is a more accurate representation of today's business environment. Businesses must now consider that both opinion leaders and opinion leaders have a big influence over the current society and their perceptions. So they should be put into the communication process before the recipient receives the message.
This model is more effective when there are similarities between the sender and the receiver so that they can communicate effectively. Choosing the right sources helps develop messages and attract targeted audiences. Resources will be more effective if they are connected to the target audience. This understanding realm is represented by an overlapping circle. The more knowledge the resource has about who they are targeting, the better they can understand how the recipient can interpret or react to the message.
Leaders of opinion are consumers who have a big influence on the behavior of other consumer purchases. These can be peers or celebrities, and often represent the "desired circumstances" in the eyes of affected consumers. By following the consumption patterns of opinion leaders, consumers aspire to achieve similar status or lifestyle, and project a similar image. Therefore, opinion leaders are a powerful factor in marketing communications. Having an opinion leader who supports a brand can increase brand awareness and sales. Because of this, large companies pay very influential celebrities to support their products.
You may receive opinions or feelings of opinion leaders on products/services through paid advertising, social media, blogs, or other written media forms. This can be a direct, or indirect, influence.
Opinion Makers are consumers who are considered by their peers as very knowledgeable and trustworthy. They are considered experts in selecting the best quality products because of their extensive knowledge, and thus can influence the buying behavior of other consumers even though they do not have celebrity status as opinion leaders. They have specialist knowledge of the areas that fit the product, service or business. For example, it could be a doctor who sponsors a form of treatment, or a personal trainer who recommends sports brands to customers. This means that both opinion leaders and opinion leaders have a big influence on consumers and their views on the business, product or service provided. If a brand specializes in the sale and manufacture of a makeup product, the business will want to see someone familiar with their knowledge of makeup as well as someone they know is very popular in the community, so the message is as wide spread across all their possible target market. The opinion leader adds another link in the communication process, acting as a "meaning filter" for the message recipient (Dahlen, 2010). Messages are sent from the sender and opinion leaders share their opinions with targeted audiences.
Customized communication model
The core communication model has been criticized for its linearity - the sender, the message, the receiver and the absence of its structural perception. Since then the customized communication model has grown.
Customized communication models are developed in a marketing context, when marketers see that people are more influenced by influential homophilous groups (family and friends) and heterophilous groups (rather than one's network) than the mass media (Dahlen, 2010).
The customized model differs from the core communication model because it incorporates opinion leaders who are also known as gatekeepers.
Traditional media
Television
Since then, television has dominated the world of media advertising, due to a combination of visual and aural stimuli, allowing for greater attention and more effective message transmission than other forms of media. This has several disadvantages: television ads suffer from "zipped" and zapped "." Zipping "is a term given for fast forwarding commercial break sessions during pre-recording of the program.Often viewers will record a pure program so they can be viewed without commercial breaks." Zapping "is a term given to the habits of many consumers to change channels during commercial breaks. This is also done to avoid watching ads Using television advertising is useful because of its wide reach and the extent to which content can be segmented according to desired target market Ads are carefully paired with segments of time and/or associated with the appropriate programming, known as "vehicle media." This helps to ensure the intended audience is accomplished with a marketing message.
While the initial production costs of high television advertising, it is likely to reach a mass audience and, therefore, maintain a low cost per viewer, making it an efficient communication platform.
Radio
Radio by definition is the broadcasting of voice programs to the public and today can be broadcast live via a broadband connection or digitally transmitted to a person's car or home. Though the oldest form of transmission media still in use, radio marketing remains a popular and effective choice because of its relatively lower cost and convenience (radio exposure can occur during transit, at work, and during recreational activities). Due to the lack of visual aspects, radio advertising tries to create an image in the minds of consumers. Radio ads are also very effective for reinforcing messages encountered in other channels (such as television). The familiar voice or voice associated with a brand raises the brand and awareness of ads, which ultimately increases brand equity. This is an example of "Integrated Marketing Communications", where multiple marketing channels are used simultaneously to increase the strength and reach of marketing messages. Like television, radio marketing benefits from the ability to choose specific time slots and programs (in this case in the form of radio stations and inner segments).
Content et al. argues that radio communications promote "emotional consumer-centric associations" because each listener is forced to build a visual representation of words and sounds like music in their minds. The common technique used by companies is known as image transfers, in which complementary visual television advertising is used with a one-dimensional radio ad featuring the same audio tracks to stimulate visual associations between the two. Research shows this relational process of sub-conscience is very useful for the recognition and awareness of the brand in the future.
Infomercial Radio is often a simple script read by a presenter. This is fast and does not require extensive lead time due to poor production efforts.
Print media is the most basic form of media advertising. It is the most challenging to create a strong image with, due to the lack of sensory stimuli, but can be effective in efficient and clear information communication and messaging. Where consumers can lose messages in video or audio (maybe a loud interrupt, or someone blocking their view) in print messages remain unlimited. Aspects such as size, color, and style can be used to improve effectiveness compared to other print ads, which is important because even though it is a basic media communication channel, print is the second largest media after television (Ang, 2014. "Integrated Marketing Communications Principles"..).
Traditionally, marketing communications practitioners focus on the creation and implementation of printed marketing collaterals. Traditional media, or what some people call the old media, has been used in marketing and advertising for years. Traditional media includes forms of conventional advertising media, such as television, magazines, newspapers, radio, and direct and outdoor mail. For decades, this form of communication has been a major source for marketers to reach consumers and other companies. In a world without the internet and the vast world of social media, the roots of advertising and promotion lie within traditional media, where there is a more direct way of physical advertising.
Printed ads are used by businesses in the form of billboards, magazines, newspapers and posters, to convey their message to the target audience. Businesses will usually place billboards in areas that can be easily seen and where the target audience will spend their day-to-day activities. Newspapers, magazines and posters are smaller and can be found in many places that allow public availability in general to read them. Depending on the product or service being advertised, marketers can determine where most of their prints, such as a new shampoo ad may be more common in the salon.
Print media is highly customizable, varying in print size, font combinations, position and color. Newspapers typically use coarse paper and tend to have poor reproductive quality, while magazines can improve the appearance of certain products due to heavy gloss paper used to translate colors well and offer durable and preferred quality. Magazines serve as frames, psychological devices that manipulate perspectives and judgments. For example, Vogue, a leading paid-circle fashion magazine, publishes advertising efforts alongside beautiful images and elegant photography, the association of both communicates honor and sophistication and encourages brand credibility that appears in the same publication. Due to high-quality reproduction, magazines tend to last longer and are often found in hair salons and waiting rooms. Consumers often bypass individual images that further extend the message and increase potential exposure. Although message relevance may be lost during this extended time, brand awareness may still increase.
Magazines are often segmented by subjects such as women's health, automotive or fashion and therefore effectively reach certain target markets while newspapers focus on geographic areas that tend to attract a broad sample of representative population and, therefore, offer low impact in selectivity. Newspapers are often run on weekly schedules that offer up-to-date information and coverage of local events and businesses as a lower-priced beach alternative. Such ads are in smaller, black and white letters.
Decline
Traditional media has gradually lost its effectiveness. This change is driven by two major factors: audience fragmentation and the ability to choose commercial content. Television, radio, magazines, and newspapers become more fragmented and reach smaller and more selective audiences. Rapid communication growth due to interactive media, especially the internet has led to changes in the use of communication through the media, with businesses preferring to use modern media over more traditional media methods. Consumers can not avoid new and innovative ways of communication. Many marketers believe that traditional advertising methods have become too costly and ineffective compared to modern media. Traditional forms of marketing communications such as advertising are one way in nature, while new media enable marketers to perform various functions.
Communications platform
Communication platforms such as Skype, Facebook or other types of media have become a very important means of communication. Although there are other communication methods that are not only related to social media, people can also be greatly influenced by their peers, this process is known as social mediation. The Marketing Communications Platform is a powerful ability to personalize and release marketing content automatically based on the recipient's profile.
The platform with the simplest definition is an elevated floor or stage. It serves as a common principle in marketing communications, providing awareness and information about a particular brand or product. The strategic selection of various communication platforms is known as a media strategy that aims to engage the audience in meaningful conversations and, as a result, create lasting relationships. Modern technology has expanded the use of platforms and the way in which consumers and brands can interact. As a result, the platform context and how they are defined have changed. There are various platforms in which communication is transmitted, and these can be categorized as paid, owned, acquired and shared, officially named as an integrated communications triangle by GrÃÆ'¶nroos and Lindberg-Repo. The model recognizes that communication must be credible and reliable to be effective. Studies reveal that many consumers look at review forums and ask friends or colleagues they trust to rank on products before making a purchase decision. Therefore, effective communication depends on an integrated approach of a one-dimensional and interactive platform.
The planned market content is explicitly communicated through non-personal communication platforms. This brand controls the platform, message content, frequency, and repetition of communication messages. This is usually done through traditional paid platforms, such as, print, electronic, outdoor and alternative media, aiming to target the bulk segment of the target market.
Another aspect of noise reduces the effectiveness of message penetration, for example, most paid communication platforms, print and electronic media are filled with marketing and advertising messages and are subject to chaos, often forcing brands to compete for attention. To eliminate the brand noise often choose to include inserts such as sample and scent strips in magazines while newspapers use "call-to-action" inserts such as coupons that encourage consumers to visit or try local services or goods.
Guerilla marketing
Due to the increasing ad chaos, there is a boost to non-traditional media such as guerrilla marketing. Guerrilla Marketing is usually a low-cost way to generate buzz through creative or unexpected communication platforms. Outdoor settings provide the potential for land to get the attention of a large audience. Examples are customizing the road infrastructure or creating an event like a flash mob. Research assesses guerilla ads have a higher perception value than other communication platforms, which tend to generate a positive consumer response. Examples of successful guerrilla marketing are created by Volkswagen (VW) in their "fun-driven" campaign, where consumers can use VW's "fast lane" instead of escalators to get to the bottom of the ladder faster.
Touch point
Every point of contact is a form of communication and therefore it is necessary to consider the points of contact as a communication platform. Touch points can be either physical or human interactions between brands and consumers that affect the customer's decision-making process during pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase.
There are many ways in which customers can interact with business. Interactions take place through direct customer service exchanges, corporate web sites, environmental points of purchase and packaging or product performance. All of this contributes to consumer perceptions of a particular brand. For example, a scape-service from a purchasing contact point such as a retail store may affect the perception of quality and service through lighting and other sensory layout or touchpoints, such as odors. Fine fashion retailers like Topshop retain the interior and exterior of a white shop that is considered luxury. Likewise, the higher price and packaging points of Ferrero Rocher can communicate better sophistication and quality. Visual appearance can have a significant effect on purchasing decisions, companies like Coke a Cola and Pepsi provide a free refrigerator for distributors to control how the product is displayed at the point of purchase.
Multiplier effect
While boarding a United Airlines plane, Dave Carroll saw the luggage officer in tarmak ruin his guitar "Taylor". After unsuccessful attempts to solve the problem through customer service, Carroll uploaded a funny YouTube video entitled "United breaks guitars", which has experienced significant views and currently holds over 15 million views. Reportedly, United faced a significant decline in the stock market. YouTube Carroll videos are examples of the effects of multipliers , and how consumer attributes are shared via the user-generated content network (UGC) and word of mouth communication. Research shows that customers are more likely to convey negative experiences, and therefore, such interactive communication platforms have a significant impact on purchasing decisions and brand views.
This is related to new trends in consumer behavior and marketing communications integration, where technological developments have enabled socially mediated communication. The dynamics of communication platforms have changed from a one-way flow where companies control the message to a continuum dialog in which businesses interact with consumers in a co-creative process. Like Andy Lark, CMO of the Commonwealth Bank declares "the forces have shifted, we are now entering a transparent era where there is no secret".
Traditional models view paid media platforms as a primary source of information; however, this has changed because of technological developments in communication platforms that enable dialogue among consumers in consumer-centered communication from where meaning is built. This multi-dimensional non-linear communication flow enables a lot of information exchange through platforms such as UGC. UGC covers all the ways in which people publicly publish creative content online through blogs, chats, forums, online platforms for product reviews, and social media websites like Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, known as media acquisition and sharing.
Co-creation
Nike is an example of how such acquired and shared media create a shared creation because of a shift in customer relationships through customer empowerment. Nike ID is an online application that allows customers to design their shoes and therefore "Just do it online". The market-generated media is still an important communication platform and information resource. Consumers tend to consider the resulting market and UGC when making purchasing decisions, in particular, for higher involvement products such as vinyl albums. However, the movement of traditional media to various forms of online marketing and UGC is an increasing trend, and academics recognize that marketing communications is an open system and customer attributes are affected by various aspects of the business environment through various communication platforms. brand supporters who contribute to positive outcomes and share the media, through online and offline product recommendations.
Internet
The Internet displays both non-personal and personal forms of communication. It has become one of the most dominant sources of information for most consumers. Belch & amp; Belch (2012) explains that the internet is largely a form of non-personal communication because consumers absorb information provided online without personal contact between consumers and organizations that provide information on their websites. However, as the internet continues to grow, it is now progressively transforming into a form of personal communication as consumers have the ability to interact with online marketers as well as communicate and share information with one another through the use of social media.
The Internet allows many multimedia documents to be shared among its users. In 2003, about 30 million websites were registered worldwide and 650 million were connected to the Internet. The Internet as a marketing tool can be used to reach customers directly, inform customers, create brand loyalty, build relationships, and all be used as marketing communications platforms. Online advertising can be used to build brand attitudes, including techniques such as: graphic images as website banners, pop-up ads, homepage restyling and supply anchors (collaboration between two organizations).
Interactivity
Interactivity is a typical Internet feature first proposed by John Deighton. He argues that in an internet business environment clients rather than marketers usually initiate interactions and they will actively seek out the information they need. In addition, customer's personal responses will be collected by the company and their individual demands will be met according to their personal desires.
On the one hand, traditional media is a "push" medium where marketers send their broadcast messages to customers, where consumers rarely have a chance to give their feedback. Therefore, the interaction between two parts is remote and slightly intermediate. On the other hand, Internet media has a "pull" attribute in which customers on the Internet have the freedom to search for their wishes goods. For example, whenever a consumer type "flower" in a Google search engine, a particular florist's ad may occur at the top or bottom of the search results page by the Google Adword program. The Internet allows Google to find the right time to place the right ads to the appropriate potential customers who may need them. In this way traditional one-way "push" communication becomes two-way "push and pull" more active interaction than before.
Individualization
Compared to traditional media where the same piece of information sent by the company is accepted by all consumers, the Internet media can send "customized" information according to the personal needs of a particular consumer. This is another advantage of the two-way interaction of Internet media. One of the first and most famous examples of these attributes is the personal service provided by Amazon where consumers are called by their names and "special" recommendations are provided according to their previous purchase records. Furthermore, in addition to "special" individual services, with the development and accumulation of consumer information on the Internet, mass customization becomes possible where companies provide "special" content for specific consumer segments with similar interests. Douban is a Chinese social networking service website that allows users to rate movies, TV dramas, music, and concerts. It quickly grew to 200 million registered users in 2013 (founded in 2005). In addition, people who love the same TV dramas, like Games of Thrones, or fans of the same movie stars, like Tom Cruise, will group together to discuss and share their feelings. This is where companies can take advantage of mass customization to sell their products or strengthen their brand equity to the appropriate consumer targets. We can see that by doing so, corporate and consumer interactions and cooperation deepen, widened and multiplied in various ways.
Industrial restructuring
Restructuring followed by disintermediation and reintermediation is one of the important features of the transition from traditional marketing communications to the Internet. The Internet can make traditional distributors or retailers out of business simply because Internet communications are cheaper than they are. JD.com significantly changed China's personal computer sales distribution channel by letting consumers order different parts of the computer and then work together online before 2009, leaving tens of thousands of retailers in that field out of their jobs. By 2015, JD.com accounts for 22.9% of China's online shopping market share. Again, according to the Financial Times , with the trend of mobile phone use for online purchases in China, people using mobile phones to log on to the Internet more than those who use PCs, the next wave of restructuring faced by JD. com and its main competitors such as Alibaba. In 2014, JD.com orders coming from mobile phones increased to 543%, compared to last year's quarter in the same period. Haoyu Shen, JD.com's chief executive, attributes this result to his company's own app instead of working with Tecent, China's second-largest online company, despite investing in JD.com in March 2014. We can see that as a company doing e-commerce business, JD.com continues to face challenges and reintermediation opportunities with the rapidly changing development of Internet technology.
Social media
The share of the social media market is increasing thanks to services like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. To personally engage with existing and upcoming customers, reinforce brand messages, influence customer opinions, offer targeted offers, and serve customers more efficiently, companies begin to use external social media platforms.
Email marketing is directly marketing a commercial message to a group of people using email. In a broad sense, any email sent to potential or current customers can be considered email marketing. It usually involves using email to post ads, soliciting businesses, or soliciting sales or donations, and is intended to build brand loyalty, trust or awareness. Email marketing can be done for a list of sold or current customer databases. In general, the term is commonly used to refer to the delivery of email messages with the aim of enhancing the merchant relationship with his current or previous customers, to encourage customer loyalty and repeat business, gain new customers or convince current customers to buy something immediately, and add ads to email messages sent by other companies to their customers.
Communication in product
Another channel for direct digital marketing is communications within a product (or marketing within a product), which provides direct marketing content to a device or software application connected to the user's internet. In-product marketing content is often very similar to an email marketing campaign, but segmentation and delivery are more targeted. Since email has become a standard tool in digital marketing tools, email channels are often overloaded and overused, leading to much lower open rates, lower engagement rates, lower clickthrough rates (CTRs), and lower conversions. The emergence of Internet-connected devices (IOT) allows more and more consumer product manufacturers to take advantage of this marketing communications channel, to complement other digital marketing channels.
Direct Marketing
Direct marketing is defined as the process by which individual customer responses and transactions are recorded. Direct marketing has improved over the last decade and is an important aspect for Marketing Communications. The greatest strength of direct marketing is that communication tools are designed to build relationships between customers and brands. Much of this area is Customer Relations marketing. organizations use customer accounts to provide specific experiences to meet their needs. It is the process of managing detailed information about customer contact points in order to maximize satisfaction and loyalty. This type of communication can be transmitted directly, by phone, mail, email or website. An important part of direct marketing is that of interaction between the organization and the customer and is largely a two-way communication. Direct marketing is highly dependent on the database, which contains valuable information about customers. organizations must understand that the database can provide a competitive advantage and in turn improve profitability. Errors made by the organization are treating the database as a cost rather than an investment and not maintaining or updating them adequately.
Direct mail
This form of direct marketing is usually a letter, catalog, or sample. These items are sent by post, e-mail, fax, and courier. This communication indicates that the recipient has indicated an interest or has previously purchased from the organization. The advantages of direct mail are personalization, careful targeting, creativity and flexibility. Low cost emails, but can be lost through spam and junk email filters. Direct mail is highly dependent on databases that should always be updated.
Telemarketing
Telemarketing is a type of marketing communication that is transmitted over the phone. There are 2 types of telemarketing: Outbound and Inbound. Outbound telemarketing is used by organizations to reach potential customers, generate sales, make appointments with sellers and introduce new products. Inbound telemarketing is where people call organizations to complain or inquire about a product. Both in and out can be used as a customer service strategy to increase sales and receive suggestions for improvement. The advantage of telemarketing is that it enables targeted communication, it is a flexible and direct interaction between the organization and the customer, can accompany the personal sales platform well and cost effective per contact compared to personal sales. The disadvantage is that call centers are typically used to handle outbound and inbound telemarketing, which need to be implemented, managed and financed.
Mail order
Mail order as a direct marketing form is a catalog of products that customers can order for receipt by mail. This form of direct marketing has been around for more than 100 years. Home shopping, online shopping and teleshopping are now accompanying it. With mail order technology has now improved. Now there could be a larger range in catalogs, faster delivery, and complaints handled professionally. The advantage of mail order is that they provide less pressure to customers than telemarketing and easy to manage sales, but expensive infrastructure is required in maintaining the back-end.
Direct response ads
Direct response ads are messages sent through traditional media communications that require readers, viewers, listeners, or customers to respond directly to the organization. Viewers can respond to receive more information or purchase products. A common example of direct response advertising is on television "home shopping". Viewers are asked to purchase products immediately to receive certain offers or discounts. The downside is that the focus can be lost because the medium of communication and targeting can be less narrow than direct mail. organizational messages can become cluttered and overcrowded. By using radio and magazine advertising organizations can narrow down on their target audience.
Mobile marketing
Mobile marketing uses cell phones and SMS audiences to promote a product or brand. The advantage is that there is a high degree of flexibility and can be easily integrated via computer systems using the Internet to send bulk text messages. Using this data base, this marketing communications platform allows organizations to target customers directly and remember important information like their name. The use to send bulk SMS messages to customers can remind them to renew magazine subscriptions, provide exclusive product discounts, or build a brand reputation through competition or sweepstakes. When using a personal information license the customer must be given.
CD/DVD technology
CDs and DVDs can be used as part of e-communication. All marketing presentations, catalogs, brochures, and price lists can be saved on CD. CDs are small and simple to share with target audiences and most modern computers have CD drive readers, but most of the information mentioned above can be presented on websites or emails.
Integrated marketing communications
Integrated marketing communications ( IMC ) is the use of a marketing strategy to optimize the consistent message communications of a company's brand to its stakeholders. The coupling method together improves communication because it utilizes the benefits of each channel, which when combined together build a clearer and wider impact than if used individually. IMC requires marketers to identify constraints around promotional mix elements and consider the effectiveness of campaign messages.
In the mid to late 1980s, the marketing environment underwent profound environmental changes with implications for marketing communications. Media proliferation, audience fragmentation, market globalization, the emergence of new communications technologies, widespread use of databases mean that old methods, and practices used in mass marketing are no longer relevant. In particular, the rise of digital and interactive media means that marketers rely less on advertising as the dominant form of marketing communications. Among the practitioners and scholars, there is an increasing recognition that a new approach to marketing communications is needed. The new approach will be known as integrated marketing communications. A number of empirical studies, conducted in the early 1990s, found that the new IMC is far from "short-term managerial mode," but rather a very clear reaction by advertisers and marketers to the changing external environment.
Integrated marketing communications is a holistic planning process that focuses on integrating messages across the disciplines of communication, creative execution, media, time and stakeholders. An integrated approach has emerged as the dominant approach used by companies to plan and implement their marketing communications program and has been described as a paradigm shift.
IMC brings together and coordinates organizational marketing communications to promote a consistent brand message. Coordinating brand communication makes the brand look more trustworthy and sounds as seen as 'whole' rather than a mixture of messages sent out. The IMC perspective sees the 'big picture' in marketing, advertising, and promotion.
History
The drive to rethink marketing communications came from a number of increasingly visible environmental changes in the mid to late 1980s. The media reproduce and at the same time converge, the audience is divided and many new communication disciplines emerge. Few advertising agencies provide a full range of services in terms of diverse disciplines of communication. Companies rely on the number of service providers for advertising, public relations, branding, packaging, sales promotion, event organizers and other promotional activities. Each of these communication disciplines is treated as a "silo"; with little thought for the synergies between them, with the result that many different stakeholders are involved in presenting the company's external image across the breadth and length of the campaign. In that environment, both practitioners and theorists realize the potential of a confusing or inconsistent brand image to flourish across different media and across disciplines. Fragmentation of the audience presents marketers with specific challenges. They can no longer communicate with the mass market through mass media; instead they need to communicate with an increasingly tight market segment, using highly specialized media and communications disciplines. New media and database usage allow marketers to communicate with customers on a one-to-one basis. Old methods and practices associated with mass communication fail to serve the realities of the new era. The necessity to present a clear, coherent and integrated narrative in internal and external communications became increasingly apparent in the late 1980s.
In 1989, two separate events were presented to draw attention to the fact that the industry's attitude toward marketing communications shifted. First, consulting firm Shearson-Lehman Hutton publishes a report on consumer advertising, indicating that a number of marketplace changes will force packaged goods marketers to adopt a more integrated approach to marketing communications. Their report also notes that high-end manufacturers (eg cars) and services on the market (eg cruise vacations) are more likely to use integrated promotions. Second, the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's), instituted a task force to investigate integrated marketing communications (IMC), with the result that the first official definition was published. The AAAA defined IMC as, "the concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of comprehensive plans that evaluate the strategic roles of various communication disciplines (eg public advertising, direct response, sales promotion, and public relations) and incorporate this discipline to provide clarity, consistency , and the impact of maximum communication. "At this stage, IMC development, especially focuses on the organization's need to offer more than just standard advertising and to integrate various communication disciplines. The 4A originally coined the term "new advertising"; However, this title does not precisely include many other aspects included in the term "IMC" - especially, those who are outside of traditional advertising processes aside from simply advertising.
In 1991, the faculty of Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University in conjunction with AAAA, began the first empirical research study designed to investigate how IMC is used. This study focuses on understanding the concepts and importance of IMC and also to analyze the extent to which IMC is practiced in all US advertising agencies. This preliminary study was then replicated by other studies with a view to examining how IMC is used in other countries; New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, Australia, India, Thailand, South Africa and Philippines, etc. The findings of this study indicate that the new IMC is far from "short-term managerial mode" but rather a "very clear reaction by agencies and their clients because they are influenced by many factors such as new forms of information technology including the development and use of data bases, media fragmentation , the client's desire for interaction/synergy, and global and regional coordination. "This is the second stage of IMC development, where the focus shifts to documenting IMC practices as a global phenomenon. In other words, the researchers tried to codify the practice that has been used for some time.
In 1993, Don Schultz and his team published the first textbook dedicated to IMC. Their work, titled, Integrated Marketing Communications, illustrates IMC as a completely new way of looking at overall marketing communications, rather than looking at each section separately. And, in the same year, the Medill School at Northwestern University changed their curriculum to include a focus on new ideas about integrated marketing communications rather than traditional programs that emphasize advertising. IMC emerged from an "academic department that, for decades, has been recognized as the number one advertising program." Since the mid-1990s, almost every textbook on marketing communications issues has adopted an integrated perspective or has added a chapter on IMC in a new edition of standard work. Collectively these books focus on the IMC planning process and this is a different third stage in the evolution of IMC - an emphasis on IMC management and regulation.
Over time, scholars have proposed different IMC definitions, with each definition showing slightly different emphases. However, despite the various definitions in circulation, there is a general consensus that integrated marketing communications should be viewed as a planning process. Some experts have pointed out that because IMC is a process and a concept, it is very difficult to define.
Some key definitions that have been proposed during the evolution of IMC are outlined here:
- "IMC is the process of all sources and information managed so that consumers or prospects are exposed that behaviorally moves customers more toward sales." (Schultz, 1991)
- "Strategic coordination of all messages and media used by organizations to influence perceived brand value." (Duncan and Everett, 1993)
- "The process of strategically controlling or influencing all messages and creating dialogue aimed at creating and maintaining profitable relationships with consumers and other stakeholders." (Duncan & Caywood, 1996)
- "[Three-pronged definition] One-voice marketing communication is an integration that creates clear, consistent images, positions, messages, and/or themes across all disciplines or marketing communication tools. the creation of brand image and behavioral responses originating directly from marketing communications materials such as advertisements.Communication marketing is coordinated with 'concepts' integrated with the concept of 'coordination'. (Nowak & Phelps, 1994)
- "IMC is a strategic business process used to plan, develop, implement and evaluate the coordination of measurable persuasive brand communications programs over time with targeted, internal, targeted customers, customers and prospects, and others relevant and external audiences. "(Schultz & Schultz, 1998)
- "IMC is a concept and process that strategically manages a channel-focused, brand-focused communications program, and results over time." (Kliatchko, 2005)
- "The IMC program plans and executes various marketing activities with consistency so that the total impact exceeds the number of each activity.This is a strategy where different communication tools such as advertising, public relations, sales promotion, direct marketing and personal sales work together to maximize the impact of communication on target consumers. "(Saeed et al., 2013)
- "IMC is the planning and execution of all types of promotional and advertising-like messages selected for brands, services, or companies, to meet a set of general communications goals, or more specifically, to support 'positioning' single. "(Larry Percy, 2008)
Today, there is general agreement among practitioners and scholars that the emergence of the IMC represents "a significant example of development in the marketing discipline... [that] has influenced thinking and acting among all types of companies and organizations that face the realities of competition.. "Belch and Belch argue that IMC has become the dominant approach used by companies to plan and implement their marketing communications programs while other scholars have described IMC as a paradigm shift. Larry Percy argues that "planning and implementation all marketing communications should be integrated ".
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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