Marketing communication mix - Assignment Example

? MARKETING COMMUNICATION MIX Part A According to Kotler (1991, p. 566), marketing communication mix is a subset of marketing which involves a combination five aspects of marketing goods and services. These are sales promotion, advertising, direct marketing, personal selling and public relations. Marketing and communication mix is a tool used by business organizations and companies to meet their objectives in marketing and advertising of the products and services that they offer. The mix in marketing communication is comprised of promotion, product, price and place which are usually referred to as the four Ps in marketing. Hughes and Fill (2007, p. 45), says that companies which market services also include processes, physical evidence and people among the Ps and thus making a mix of seven Ps in marketing. Lee and Park (2007, p. 223), explains that marketing communication falls under the promotion aspect of the seven Ps of communication. Integrated marketing communication is defined by Keller (2001, p. 819) as a plan of marketing which links the communication function with the components of marketing and it aims at informing and persuading potential customers to buy goods and services. In addition to the promotion elements of marketing, the integrated marketing communication mix may use online tools in the developing a clear message and passing it to the consumers so that they can be persuaded to purchase and use a specific product or service. Finne and Gronroos (2009, p. 179) say that the product within the marketing mix is the goods or services that a company provides. In marketing communication, companies aim at creating awareness to the consumers of the products on their availability and qualities. The price represents the cost of the products and this includes specific features of the price such as discounts. The price of a product influences the willingness of the customers to purchase and consume a good or service. Within the marketing mix, the place represents where the consumers can obtain the product to satisfy their needs while promotion is the process of telling consumers about the product using various strategies to convince the consumer to perchance and use the good or service. Therefore marketing communication mix is the marketing of a company’s services and goods to the consumers with due considerations of the Ps in marketing because they are closely related in determining the success of the marketing strategy in general. Hughes and Fill (2007, p. 55), assert that integration of marketing communication mix means that the aspects and components of the marketing mix are merged or combined so that the marketing communication relays a single message to the consumers. Lee & Park (2007, p. 222), explains that marketing communication mix is necessary because when different messages are communicated to customers, they become confusing and as results the reputation of the brand of a company is damaged. Integration in the marketing communication mix can be illustrated by a company which uses the same logo, messages and images in al communication media such as newspapers, TV and point of sale. This therefore demonstrates the important role of marketing communication mix in building the brand of a company within the target market through the integration of the messages communicated to the consumers. With the advent of modern technology and its wide application in marketing various goods and services, it must be integrated to make it parallel to the broader promotion mix. Keller (2001, p. 829) says that the need for integration of the marketing communication mix is necessitated by the interactivity capabilities of marketing media which is a characteristic of communication via the internet via the social media. This demonstrates that there is a necessity to harmonize the traditional marketing approaches with the new media. Moreover, integration of marketing efforts enables a company t coordinate various communication media so that the message passed through the promotional tools is consistent and thus compels the customers to purchase its products and eventually remain loyal to them. The linking together of all communication forms in integrated marketing communication mix is motivated by the fact that communication tools produce bigger results when combined as opposed to the isolation of these tools. Hughes and Fill (2007, p. 49), emphasize that in marketing communication mix, integration may take any of the five levels of integration. These are vertical, horizontal, data, internal and external integration. Horizontal integration of the marketing mix runs across the various functional areas of a business such as finance, production, communication and distribution. Data integration involves the application of information systems in marketing while data is shared among the functional areas of the business. In vertical integration, the higher corporate mission and objectives are the targets of the various functions of the business and they therefore work together with an aim of attaining the common mission. Finne and Gronroos (2009, p. 187) say that internal integration in marketing communication mix is the marketing which involves the internal staff members of a company while external integration involves partners from the external environment being involved in the marketing strategies. Washington and Miller (2010, p. 104) explains that integration in marketing communication mix means that the five aspects of markets are designed in a manner which ensures that they work in harmony and pass the same or similar images or messages to the target market of a products and services. Advertising as one of the aspects of marketing within the communication is the presentation of ideas, services or goods through a specific media. Advertising is usually in form of non-personal presentation which is paid by a sponsor that a company identifies. Personal selling is described by Kotler (1991, p.586) as a strategy of building good relationships with the consumers and making sales for a product or service through personal presentation. Sales promotion is also an aspect of marketing communication mix and it includes giving consumers short term incentives which are aimed at encouraging them buy a good or service. Keller (2001, p. 832) describes public relations as an aspect of marketing which involves promoting the company image and enhancing publicity. This is aimed at promoting the relationship of the firm with its customers and stakeholders and may involve publicity events and inhibiting unfavorable stories and rumors. Within the marketing communication mix there is also the aspect of direct marketing which is defined by Washington and Miller (2010, p. 103) as communicating ideas, images and messages directly to target consumers. Direct selling involves obtaining immediate customer response and is aimed at creating a lasting and positive relationship between the company and its customers. In integrated marketing communication mix, advertising presents the ideas and images to consumers which aim at the attainment of the general objective of the marketing function of a company. Finne and Gronroos (2009, p. 182), explains that advertising in various media integrates with other elements of the promotional mix and the marketing mix in passing a persuasive message to the customers. For example, advertising may include the place where a product can be obtained in addition to details on price. An advertisement of a brand uses same logos and images as those presented by direct sales and sales promotion. Therefore advertising products and services in a marketing communication mix ensures that there is harmony among the elements of promotion mix. According to Hughes and Fill (2007, p. 45), the elements of the promotion mix in integrated marketing communication mix must integrate the four Ps in the marketing mix. During advertising, sales promotion, public selling or public relation efforts, the needs of the consumers are considered first. This means that the characteristics of the product must be presented in a manner that matches the needs of the consumers. Furthermore, the price of the product should be affordable and yet meet the production costs so that the firm does not incur losses. In marketing, all elements within the promotion mix present the desirable prices which are meant to persuade the consumers to purchase the products. Additionally, the promotion mix communicates attractive elements of price such as discounts during an integrated marketing communication mix process. Integration in the marketing communication mix means that the place where products and services must be communicated by all elements of the promotion mix. This means that the place as presented by messages of an advertisement should not conflict with the messages passed during personal selling or sales promotion. Kotler (1991, p. 578) asserts that an integrated marketing communication mix involves promoting a product or service using a unified message regardless of the communication medium used during the marketing process. The messages of publicity, advertising and personal selling must be harmonized in an integrated marketing communication mix. This is because integration means that all efforts, mediums and tools of promotion are aimed at attaining common goals. According to Lee & Park (2007, p. 222), the goals promotion include informing, persuading and reminding customers about a certain product or service. Therefore in an integrated marketing communication mix, the message of all media should be harmonized or unified to serve a single role. The integrated marketing communication is an advantageous approach to marketing because it leads to increased sales and therefore more profits for a company. In addition, Washington and Miller (2010, p. 102) says that that integrated approach of marketing communication saves money and time in addition t enabling a company have a competitive advantage over its rivals in the market. Furthermore integrating the elements of the marketing mix helps a company to establish a loyal customer base due to convincing communication about the qualities of a brand and the promotion of the company image via various media. The credibility of the promotion messages in attained through the integration of the marketing communication due to their consistency. According to Finne & Gronroos (2009, p. 179), the advantages of integrated marketing communication do not mean that the approach has no barriers. There is difficulty in the management of an integrated marketing communication. Additionally, there are problems associated with communication of a single message to diverse audience which is likely to have different preferences and tastes. The rigidity in the organizational structure within a firm may limit the success of integrating marketing communication and therefore a proper marketing plan is necessary to enable a company meet its marketing goals by overcoming the barriers which are associated with integration. Part B The lack of integration in the marketing communication leads to un-integrated messages and images which confuse the consumers as explained by Kramer (1998). The consumers may be frustrated by being unable to pick the actual communication about a product or service and therefore leading to anxiety and lack of faith in the product and the company in general. The McDonald’s is an example of a corporation which used a marketing approach which lacked integration but later integrated the marketing strategies because it realized the benefits of integrating the marketing communication mix. Keller (2001, p. 819) says that each of the corporation’s functional parts in the food industry used unique media and messages in communicating marketing information to the consumers of the food products and services within the company’s fast restaurants. The integration of the marketing communication by McDonald’s was termed as a new tactic which was aimed at promoting its food products using unified messages and images. As a result the customers of the corporation’s restaurants were able to identify its products because of the integration of the marketing communication and therefore remove confusion among the consumers. Kotler (1991, p.569) says that lack of an integrated marketing communication mix leads to increased duration of the search process of various goods by the consumers. This is due to the disjointed messages on products which are produced and supplied by the same company. To remove this barrier, McDonald’s restructured its marketing teams into an integrated strategy. This was achieved through reorganizing the marketing staff into annual marketing programs. This is opposed to the previous ineffective approach to marketing where the specific promotional programs were used to market various products. The buyers of food products were exposed to risk buying when the company had not integrated its marketing communication programs. Kramer (1998) explains that lack of integration leads to communication problems which makes the consumer decide to risk during purchase which leads to the buying of products of lower quality or high prices. The communication challenges which result from lack of an integrated marketing communication mix therefore led to the loss of customers of various products of McDonald’s. The lack of integration of the marketing communication leads to poor communication to consumers about the touch, feel and taste of various products causing to randomly buy goods without sufficient information. Before McDonald’s integrated its marketing communication mix, its various functional parts and subsidiaries promoted products using diverse approaches, images and messages. As a result of this the functional parts of the corporation did not aim at promoting the general image of the company and its products. According to Kotler (1991, p.567) the main goal in integrating the marketing communication strategy by McDonald’s was to unify all of its programs to enable the look of the company’s supply chain convey a single image and message. The change of the marketing tactic by the company was focused at all of the outlets of the chain across the US. The lack of integrated marketing programs leads to a diluted company and product image leading to minimal impact of the marketing on the consumers. Customers of McDonald’s outlets were not motivated to eat at the corporation’s restaurants when it had not integrated its marketing efforts. Lack of motivation is due to disjointed messages which are not strong enough to convince the consumers about the products. Kramer (1998) emphasizes that the motivation of McDonald’s to integrate its marketing programs was to create synergy in its programs and thus unified marketing messages which created a strong appeal for the food products within the target market. As a result of integration, the company’s positioning in the market was promoted and a larger market share is now enjoyed by the restaurant chain. When there is no integration in the marketing communication mix, there is poor communication and understanding between the company and its customers. Kotler (1991, p.566) explains that lack of integration leads to poor relationships between the company and consumers and thus causing loss of loyalty of the customers. To enhance communication and the relationship with its customers, McDonald’s therefore decided to integrate its marketing tactics. These changes involved unifying the advertising agencies of the company such as the Leo Burnett and DDB Needham as said by Keller (2001, p. 819). The aim of bringing the advertising agencies together is to unify the message so that the customers are given contradictory information which would lead to a wrong impression about the company. The benefits of integrating McDonald’s marketing communication mix are being demonstrated by the good relationship and loyalty of customers to its many food outlets within the US. Kramer (1998) assets that apart from the problems of communication which are caused by lack of integrating marketing tactics, there is duplication of functional areas of a company such as photography and graphics. As a result these areas produce diverse images which communicate different ideas about products instead of aiming at reaching a common marketing goal. With integration, McDonald’s restructured its staff and functional units into a unified are such as advertising, sales and exhibitions. The advantage of unifying the functional areas which perform similar marketing functions is enhanced promotional communication in addition to the reducing the costs which are associated with marketing the brands of a company. With integration of the marketing tactics, McDonald’s solved major problems in marketing which justifies its success, competitiveness and large market share in the US food industry. References Kramer L. 1998, “McDonald’s Reorganizes Marketing: New Structure Will Set up Teams Based on Annual Promo Calendar, Advertising Age, p. 1 Finne, A, & Gronroos, C. 2009, 'Rethinking marketing communication: From integrated marketing communication to relationship communication', Journal of Marketing Communications, 15, 2/3, pp. 179-195 Hughes, G, & Fill, C. 2007, 'Redefining the nature and format of the marketing communications mix', Marketing Review, 7, 1, pp. 45-57 Keller, K. 2001, 'Mastering the Marketing Communications Mix: Micro and Macro Perspectives on Integrated Marketing Communication Programs', Journal of Marketing Management, 17, 7/8, pp. 819-847 Kotler, P. 1991, 'Chapter 21: Designing Communication and Promotion-Mix Strategies', Marketing Management, pp. 566-594 Lee, D, & Park, C. 2007, 'Conceptualization and Measurement of Multidimensionality of Integrated Marketing Communications', Journal of Advertising Research, 47, 3, pp. 222-236 Washington, K, & Miller, R. 2010, 'Chapter 22: Marketing Priorities', Consumer Marketing pp. 102-104 Read More