MARKETING COMMUNICATION

 Marketing Communications (or MarCom or

Integrated Marketing Communications) are
messages and related media used to
communicate with a market.
 Those who practice advertising, branding,
direct marketing, graphic design , marketing,
packaging, promotion, publicity, sponsorship,
public relations, sales, sales promotion and
online marketing are termed marketing
communicators, marketing communication
managers, or more briefly as marcom
managers.
 Traditionally, marketing communication
practitioners focus on the creation and
execution of printed marketing collateral
 Marketing collateral is the collection of
media used to support the sales of a product
or service.
 These sales aids are intended to make the
sales effort easier and more effective.
 The brand of the company usually presents
itself by way of its collateral to enhance its
brand.
 The production of marketing collateral is important in
any business' marketing communication plan.
 Common examples include:
 Sales brochures and other printed product information
 Posters and signs
 Visual aids used in sales presentations
 Web content
 Sales scripts
 Demonstration scripts
 Product data sheets
 Product white papers
Integrated Marketing
Communications
 Integrated Marketing Communications is a
term used to describe a holistic approach to
marketing communication.

 It aims to ensure consistency of message and

the complementary use of media.

 The concept includes online and offline

marketing channels.
 Online marketing channels include any e-
marketing campaigns or programs, from
search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-
click, email, banner to latest web related
channels for webinar, blog, micro-blogging,
RSS, podcast, and Internet TV.
 Offline marketing channels are traditional
print (newspaper, magazine), mail order,
public relations, industry relations, billboard,
radio, and television.
 A company develops its integrated marketing
communication programme using all the
elements of the marketing mix (product,
price, place, and promotion).
 ntegrated marketing communication is
integration of all marketing tools,
approaches, and resources within a company
which maximizes impact on consumer mind
and which results into maximum profit at
minimum cost. Generally marketing starts
from "Marketing Mix".

 Promotion is one element of Marketing Mix.

 Promotional activities include Advertising(by
using different medium), sales promotion (sales
and trades promotion), and personal selling
activities. It also includes internet marketing,
sponsorship marketing, direct marketing,
database marketing and public relations. And
integration of all these promotional tools along
with other components of marketing mix to gain
edge over competitor is called Integrated
Marketing Communication.
Reasons for the Growing
Importance of IMC
 Several shifts in the advertising and media industry have caused IMC to
develop into a primary strategy for marketers:
 From media advertising to multiple forms of communication.
 From mass media to more specialized (niche) media, which are centered
around specific target audiences.
 From a manufacturer-dominated market to a retailer-dominated,
consumer-controlled market.
 From general-focus advertising and marketing to data-based marketing.
 From low agency accountability to greater agency accountability,
particularly in advertising.
 From traditional compensation to performance-based compensation
(increased sales or benefits to the company).
 From limited Internet access to 24/7 Internet availability and access to goods
and services.
MARKETING STRATEGY

 Written plan (usually a part of the overall

corporate plan) which combines product
development, promotion, distribution and
pricing approach, identifies the firm's marketing
goals, and explains how they will be achieved
within a stated timeframe. Marketing strategy
determines the choice of target market
segment, positioning, marketing mix, and
allocation of resources. See also strategic plan.
 Marketing communication is a strategic part
of the marketing process and not merely a
single part thereof. Communication is the
message that is relayed to the customer
rather than the nuts and bolts of the
technology that delivers it. Communicating
with the customers enables to deliver the
message to them so that they will react to it.
ROLE OF MARKETING
COMMUNICATION
 Marketing communication plays a major role
in influencing consumer purchases in new
product categories.
 It plays an informative and a persuasive role
over the life cycle of the new product
category.
 The informative role of marketing
communication is likely to have a much larger
effect with uninformed consumers than with
consumers who are better informed.
 Always strive to create consistent, reliable,
and sustainable messages.
 Business communicators should reinforce
marketing messages in every piece of
communication issued, and repeat that
message in a consistent manner.
 Whether the message is about new products,
or dependable customer service, or
announcing a new promotion, the story
needs to be told over and over again in
emails, on the company website, in
magazines and newspapers, on radio and
television broadcast channels, and in every
single piece of marketing collateral.
 is to deliver a sustainable message that frames a
company, or brand, in the best light possible by giving
customers trustworthy communications on which they
can rely.
 If customers are exposed to the same message often
enough, the message will resonate over time. Consistent,
believable messages, reinforced through direct media
outlets, will turn customers into loyal, co-marketers:
They will tell friends and recommend the product
through word of mouth. Always tell the same story to
customers and they will always believe in the brand.
 Effective marketing communication is
communication that gets to the point, plain
and simple. It doesn't meander and it doesn't
go off on tangents. The message is not
complex nor is it vague. Because people are
busier than ever these days, their time is
much more valuable and precious.
 To win the attention of potential customers in
an era when businesses are competing
against a multitude of message delivery
vehicles (mobile, cable, Internet, print),
customer communication must be sharply
tuned and succinctly expressed.
 Nuggets of essential information work better
at retaining customer attention than long,
drawn-out messages.
 Keep communications at sound bite length
with punchy, memorable phrases that
highlight just the most relevant and pivotal
points.
 Customers respond best to clear, concise and
specific data that is dispensed in easily,
digestible sizes.
 It means interacting with customers in a virtual
conversation where the customer feels fully
engaged.
 It means communicating with customers within
the media channels they frequent (television
spots, online advertising, social networks,
popular magazines, etc).
 It also means presenting a communication that
not only adds value to the customer experience,
but puts the needs and interests of the customer
first.
 Customer-centric marketing is successful
marketing because customers need to feel
that they are more than just another sale.

 Customers today are more likely to respond

to marketing communications that involve
them, allow their participation and encourage
feedback.
 This can be accomplished with online forums,
user surveys, and customer testimonials.
 Customer-centric communication focuses on
fulfilling customer needs, and engages the
customer as a brand advocate.
 It's a win-win strategy for successful
communications.
 Increasing the prospect of repeat customers
and growing an expanded customer base.
Messages that adhere to these principles
(consistent, reliable, concise, focused and
customer-centric) will attract and retain loyal
customers for years to come.
 Marketing communications (marcomm) extends
well beyond the common items of public
relations and advertising.
 Marketing communications encompasses all of
the information that is put forth about a product,
sometimes including internal information.
 Price lists, catalogs, promotional pieces,
collateral material and a host of other types of
marketing literature are all part of marketing
communications and represent one of the most
important aspects of the marketing of a product
or service.
 Marketing communications are an integral part
of the marketing mix, and although marcomm is
most closely associated with promotion, it is
dependent on (and can greatly affect) other
areas of the marketing mix.
 http://www.mmclearning.com/elearningdem
o/professionalcertificateinmarketing/tutorials
/c9t11/index.html
IMC is the development of an Integrated
Comprehensive Marketing Communication
(Promotion) Plan that links the marketing
function with the communication function to
deliver Effective Marketing Messages capable
of (1) informing, (2) convincing and (3)
persuading people to buy.
IMC makes use of such Promotion Elements as (1)
Advertising, (2) Sales Promotion, (3) Public
Relations, (4) Publicity, (5) Direct Marketing, (6)
Networking, (7) Personal Selling, and other non-
conventional elements like (8) On-line
communications to develop and deliver clear,
consistent, and impact-full communications
capable of informing, convincing, and
persuading customers to buy.
(2) The Integrated
Marketing Communication MIX

A dver t i s i n g D i r e ct M ar k et i n g S al e s P r o m ot i o n P ubl i c R el a t i o ns P ubl i c i t y P er s onal S el l i n g C ybber M ar k et i n g

I n t e r n et M ar k et i n g
 http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/vi
ew.php?id=213116
 communication objectives - Goals that an
organization seeks to achieve through its
promotional program in terms of
communication effects such as creating
awareness, knowledge, images, attitudes,
preferences, or purchase intentions.
 What your organization wants the
communication to do (for example: raise
awareness, get people to change their
attitudes, move people to action, buy a
ticket, buy season tickets, etc.)
Objectives of Marketing
Promotions
 The most obvious objective marketers have
for promotional activities is to convince
customers to make a decision that benefits
the marketer
 * Keep your company speaking with one voice
across a vast number of products, regions, and
customer interactions.
* Enable diverse teams of people to create
integrated communications vehicles.
* Help your messages rise above the din of the
marketplace and consistently resonate with their
target audiences.
* Give you better results for your expenditures of
time and money.
 Marcom plans are the confluence of substantial
research and shrewd decision-making. Build
effectiveness by thoroughly understanding your:
* Target audience profiles Who are your existing
and potential customers? What is the best way
to communicate with them?
* Buying, selling, and communications processes
How do your customers prefer to buy? How are
you set up to sell? What communications best
facilitate buying and selling?
 Armed with a solid understanding of the terrain, you
then need to make a number of decisions:

* Objectives What do you want to happen as a result of

your marcom activities? What customer behaviors do
you hope to inspire?
* Messages What do you want customers to know?
* Vehicles Which communication vehicles best convey
your messages?
* Budget and schedule How much do these vehicles cost
to develop? What is your budget? When should the
vehicles be released?
 http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Integrated-
Marketing-Communications/200724
Types of Promotion
Objectives
 Build Awareness – New products and new
companies are often unknown to a market,
which means initial promotional efforts must
focus on establishing an identity.
 In this situation the marketer must focus
promotion to: 1) effectively reach customers,
and 2) tell the market who they are and what
they have to offer.
 Create Interest – Moving a customer from awareness of a
product to making a purchase can present a significant
challenge.
 As we saw with our discussion of consumer and business
buying behavior, customers must first recognize they
have a need before they actively start to consider a
purchase.
 The focus on creating messages that convince customers
that a need exists has been the hallmark of marketing for
a long time with promotional appeals targeted at basic
human characteristics such as emotions, fears, sex, and
humor.
 Provide Information – Some promotion is designed to assist
customers in the search stage of the purchasing process.
 In some cases, such as when a product is so novel it creates a new
category of product and has few competitors, the information is
simply intended to explain what the product is and may not mention
any competitors.
 In other situations, where the product competes in an existing
market, informational promotion may be used to help with a
product positioning strategy.
 As we discuss in the Targeting Markets tutorial, marketers may use
promotional means, including direct comparisons with competitor’s
products, in an effort to get customers to mentally distinguish the
marketer’s product from those of competitors.
 Stimulate Demand – The right promotion can drive customers to
make a purchase. In the case of products that a customer has not
previously purchased or has not purchased in a long time, the
promotional efforts may be directed at getting the customer to try
the product.
 This is often seen on the Internet where software companies allow
for free demonstrations or even free downloadable trials of their
products.
 For products with an established customer-base, promotion can
encourage customers to increase their purchasing by providing a
reason to purchase products sooner or purchase in greater quantities
than they normally do. For example, a pre-holiday newspaper
advertisement may remind customers to stock up for the holiday by
purchasing more than they typically purchase during non-holiday
periods.
 Reinforce the Brand – Once a purchase is made,
a marketer can use promotion to help build a
strong relationship that can lead to the
purchaser becoming a loyal customer.
 For instance, many retail stores now ask for a
customer’s email address so that follow-up
emails containing additional product information
or even an incentive to purchase other products
from the retailer can be sent in order to
strengthen the customer-marketer relationship.
 Enough of it yaaaaaaar!!!!!!!!!!
 http://www.knowthis.com/principles-of-
marketing-tutorials/promotion-
decisions/types-of-promotion-objectives/
 http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/vi
ew.php?id=213118