Com365 week 3

Messages

To achieve its marketing objectives, the organization has to communicate with existing and potential customers. It can do this directly, face-to-face, generally using a sales force, or call centers or indirectly, using advertising, promotion, electronic media, and point-of-sale displays.

Habit? Follow the leader? No. Instead, try one of the following three options:

1. Match the Communications tools strength with the purpose of the communication

What do we wish to achieve?Differentiation? (Advertising)Reinforcement? (Advertising)Information? (Direct Marketing)Persuasion? (Personal selling)

2. Match Communications to Segment Media Consumption

An advantage of good segmentation is that you can pick the vehicles that cater to each specific segment and it allows the flexibility to change messaging as appropriate.

3. Combine Communications tools in the Customer Journey.Customer journey: Unawareness to Awareness to Comprehension to Conviction to Action

Integrated campaigns work better than single-channel campaigns, even when targeting a specific segment (#2 above). - (THIS IS WHAT WE FOCUS ON IN THIS CLASS.)

The choice of communications mix should be determined on the basis of what is going to be the most cost effective in terms of achieving the objectives. What gets the best results per given cost?

1. More than one person (per household) has influence on what is bought

2. Salespeople will not see all of the influencers

3. Companies get info on which they base decisions from many sources – only ONE of whom is the salesperson.

There are many advertising objectives Do not pick objectives that are unreasonable:

“Annihilate the enemy” is not a good objective

Pick objectives that are more reasonable: To convey information; to alter perceptions; to alter

attitudes; to create desires; to establish connections (eggs and bacon); to direct actions; to provide reassurance; to remind; to give reasons for buying; to demonstrate; to generate inquiries

Search engine marketing Social media Advertisements Email and viral marketing

Non-face-to-face activity concerned with the promotion of sales; involves the making of a featured offer to defined customers within a specific time limit

News generation Events Publications Causes Expert opinion Visual identity

Existing activity review Policy and strategy development Negotiation Activation of the sponsorship Return on investment (ROI)

Getting the Marketing Mix Righthttp://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6828.html