Promotional Tools in Marketing - Essay Example

?Executive Summary There are three different promotional tools including personal selling, advertising as well as the sales promotion. All three elements of the promotional mix have their own effectiveness and can provide different desired results under different circumstances. In order to successfully launch the product, it is important that all three elements must be combined together in an effective manner so that overall objectives of the promotional activities provide the desired results. As a part of the product launch, we will be executing all three tools by designing an effective advertising campaign besides ensuring that our sales force approach the visitors in the exhibition for direct sales. Sales promotion will involve offering free samples of ice cream to children and other customers to improve the overall visibility of the product. Introduction Promotional activities play critical part in increasing the overall brand value and the firms should take into consideration the impact of such events on the overall revenue generation capability of such products. Our Camborne Ices range is one of our emerging products which can get an important sales boost if right kind of promotional tools and techniques are employed to market the product to its target market. Last year’s success at the International Food and Drink Exhibition has proved that an effective promotional policy can really help our products to get desired exposure to our target market. The overall impact of the promotional activities on creating brand value besides allowing the company to gain sufficient publicity is therefore huge and an effective campaign can really create such results. As such creating an effective promotional campaign and combining all the elements of promotion in effective manner can really provide the desired results while at the same time allowing marketers to better expose their product to their target market. Next year’s International Food and Drink Exhibition can also provide the firm a unique opportunity to further consolidate the position of our brand in the market. Considering this objective in mind, this report will provide an evaluation of the effectiveness of different promotional tools to be employed in order to successfully launch the product besides discussing as to how different tools can be mixed together in order to ensure that the product is successfully launched? Effectiveness of the Promotional tools There are different tools which would be actually employed in order to successfully launch the product and get maximum exposure. Some of the tools and their effectiveness are discussed below: Sales Promotion Sales Promotion is considered as one of the most effective methods of promoting the product to the desired target market. Through the sales promotion, marketers often utilize the media as well as non- media based sales promotional tools to improve the product visibility as well as the product demand in the market. (Kotler,2007). Sales promotion is quite effective in the initial stages of the product launch because it can effectively boost the overall visibility of the product in the market. It is important to note that the overall message delivered through sales promotion can be different for different types of customers i.e. for retail chain distributors this can be different whereas the same can be different if it is consumer based sales promotion. Advertising Advertising is another important promotional tool which can be effectively deployed in order to generate the desired level of results and improve the product visibility. Advertising is considered as the most effective promotional tool because of its ability to reach the maximum number of customers. Besides a well designed advertising message can actually allow the marketers to generate the desired level of interest within the customers. (Cook, 2001). Different advertising media vehicles can have different impact on the consumers and their overall effectiveness is judged by the manner in which these media vehicles are used. For example, TV advertising can be effective when the overall purpose is to improve the overall product visibility and generate the desired level of interest in the consumers to actually act to purchase the product. Direct or Personal Selling Personal selling is also an effective promotional tool which can be effectively used by the marketers to achieve the desired results. Direct selling can be most effective when the firm attempt to improve the customer relationships and tend to develop better and more forging relationships with the customers. It is also because of this reason that personal selling is often expensive and may not be suitable under all the circumstances. (Kurtz, 2010). Personal selling however can be effective when executed through the promotional events as by utilizing such events, marketers can actually improve the product visibility by directly approaching the customers. Personal selling can also be effective because personal selling can effectively allow the marketers to understand the customers and their needs in effective manner and subsequently design and develop the strategies and changes in the product to better suit the customers. (Mitchell, 2005). Time Schedule and devising of promotional Mix The first phase will involve devising of an effective personal selling campaign for the launch of the product. This will be because of the fact that product will be launched at an international event where consumers as well as distributors will be visiting the event. This will allow us to actually better pitch our product to our desired target market as well as get a first hand impression about the quality of our product. Personal selling will also be supported through the creation of an in-house advertising activity which will involve designing of small billboards to be placed inside the exhibition halls besides projecting our ads on the large screens in the hall. Advertising through this method will actually help us to improve the overall product visibility within the exhibition event besides ensuring that our target market is getting our desired message. Last tool to be mixed with the above tools will be personal selling which will be administrated through personal contacts with the customers visiting the exhibition. This would mean that our sales force will individually approach the visitors and offer them our products. It is also important to note that our personal selling activities will be duly supported by the distribution of free samples to children and other customers to improve the goodwill for the product. References 1. Cook, G (2001). The Discourse of Advertising. 2nd. ed. London: Routledge. 2. Kotler, P (2007). Principles of Marketing. 12TH. ed. New York: Prentice Hall. 3. Kurtz, D (2010). Contemporary Marketing Mason. First. ed. Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning. 4. Mitchell, S (2005). Resale price maintenance and the character of resistance in the conservative party: 1949-64. Canadian Journal of History . 40 (2), pp.259-289. Read More