Incorporating Integrated Marketing Communication - Essay Example

?Incorporating Integrated Marketing Communication to Value s Satisfaction Introduction With the emergence of new media technology, companies have utilized the coordination of traditional media and interactive media in their marketing campaign. The integration of different media approach is called integrated marketing communications (IMC). IMC booms in the 1990 due to the overloading information of sales messages that decrease its impact to the consumers. In retrospect, marketers view traditional media, sales promotion, direct marketing, and public relations as different entities with distinct purposes. However, with the incorporation of IMC, the marketers have perceived that an effective strategy relies on the integration of messages into various media. Nowadays, online marketing has been widely used by marketing teams due to the consumers’ demand for technology. Traditional media such as newspaper and magazine have low market share and audience reach when compared to interactive media. Thus, the advertisers rely mostly in online advertisements to reach diversified users as part of the company’s marketing goals. This paper analyzes the advertising strategy of Nike Incorporated in the IMC perspective. It examines the alignment of marketing goals to the marketing strategies of the company that aim to satisfy the consumers with their products and services. Furthermore, this will entail the method of measuring the effectiveness of advertising and the level of customer’s satisfaction. Organizational Background Nike is a Greek goddess that signifies victory. Indeed, the brand name is known for its high quality products in the area of sports. Before Nike originated, the business name was Blue Ribbon Sports which was established by American manufacturers in January 25, 1964. Nike is focused on marketing the sports categories including apparel, equipment, footwear, and accessory products. It has been associated with different trademarks such as Nike Golf, Nike Pro, Nike+, Air Jordan, and Nike Skateboarding, plus the brand extensions like Converse and Cole Haan. Moreover, Nike is known for the swoosh sign or the wing of Greek goddess where its name derived. The “Just do it” advertising slogan adds to the popularity of Nike in the sports section (Deng, 2009, p. 102). Media Plan Advertising Strategy Nike is known globally due to its marketing strategies in broadcast and print, and the recent innovation that enables to reach wide audience is the internet. Nike aims to “sell a global brand through marketing that appeals to local taste (Goldman & Papson, 1998, p. 4). That’s why, they have unified slogan, themes, and advertising message. Furthermore, to become the leading manufacturer of sports products, Nike envisions itself to carry the legacy of innovative thinking through creative modification of the message and services (Nike, 2011). For an instance, Nike has recognized of the male superiority imposed by the brand image of Nike; hence, they reach women’s athletes to erase the negative identification by creating fashionable footwear and using advertising to convey their message. Due to the successful assimilation of Nike’s slogan, it aims to continue the “Just Do It” principle into “Just Done It” which signifies the purpose of this company to persuade consumers. To sustain its brand image as the leading sportswear manufacturer, Nike advertises its products through partnership with the sports icons such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, and Lebron James that represent strength and determination. Nike communicates their message in TV commercials by using humor that appeals to consumers. In addition, sports magazines are ideal tools for Nike, since they have a specific target audience. Few examples are Runners World, Backpacker, and Midwest living. The low cost advertising strategy is outdoor advertising where Nike utilizes billboards located in a traffic area and bus stops. Moreover, the most innovative approach to consumers is interactive marketing wherein Nike launched the Air Cross Trainer II shoes. The Nike’s advertising agency partner entices audiences to visit the website “Whatever.Nike.Com.” The site contains seven possible endings of the commercial wherein readers are informed about the athletes featured in the TV adverts, or they could buy the shoes (G. Belch & M. Belch, 2003). Thus, the advertising strategy of Nike is an approach to create brand awareness, brand recall, and increase sales. Measuring the Effectiveness of Advertising In measuring the effectiveness of advertising, advertisers refer to the extent of the consumers’ exposure to a certain message. Media are the vehicles that allow advertisers to communicate with the consumers. There are five measures that advertisers use: reach, rating, frequency, gross ratings points, and share of voice. Reach and rating are computations that pertain to the number and percentage of households that are exposed to the Nike’s advertising message in a specified period. However, the most definite measurement of adverts intensity is ad exposure because it caters to individual consumers (Tellis, 2004, p. 45). The second measure pertains to the market outcomes projected in the consumers’ behavior. Advertising shapes the cognitive, affective, and conative aspects of consumers because of exposure. The consumers will buy the brand for a trial basis, then repurchased after the experience, and switch brand which means that Nike has established customer’s loyalty. The purchase intensity of consumers is measured through the number of incidence, frequency, and quantity that impacts the sales, or profits of a company. Other Promotional Strategies Sponsorship To be visible in the sports area, Nike uses the strategy of sponsoring major events such as Olympic Games (Lee, n.d.). Nike imposes ambush marketing to combat the promotional strategy of Adidas as the official sponsor of Olympic Games in 1996. The company provides the athletes with equipments, clothes, or outfits that carry the advertising message. Sweney (2010) reported that Nike wins the battle against the official sponsors of World Cup with the use of ambush marketing. Direct Marketing In an attempt to reach women, Nike sent mail that contains a print catalog of the products and services intended for them. It informs women of the location of retail outlets where they could buy the newest products available (del Franco, 2005). Furthermore, Nike and Apple inform their customers of the human race through e-mail that is initiated by the two giant companies. Public Relations Public relations is the approach used by Nike after the negative publicity implicated by their labor practices and environmental responsibility (Landrum, 2001). They counteract the accusations of anti-Nike supporters through compliance of their corporate social responsibility. Nike publishes reports through media usage of the changes in their HR practices; hence, the company regains its positive impression. Customer’s Satisfaction The target markets of Nike range from high class to low class levels, but it is perceived as manufacturer that sells high quality products, regardless of the price. The company ensures that innovation of sportswear is Nike’s priority; hence, it contributes to a higher level of customer’s satisfaction. Customer’s satisfaction is measured through the survey method (Peterson & Wilson, 1992, p. 61). The research team prepares questionnaires that evaluate the customer’s satisfaction in terms of quality and services rendered by Nike. The data are analyzed and interpreted to be utilized as the company’s basis for improving the gaps between customer’s expectations and experiences. Nike assures that customers get what they want; hence, it launches Nike Next Day which delivers the specific Nike shoe to them if it’s not available in stores (Dodds, 2003, p. 7). In addition, online marketing allows customers to personalize their Nike shoe, to design and choose colors that customers preferred (Boone & Kurtz, 2012, p. 112). Conclusion Through IMC, the companies could maximize the impact of their marketing strategies to wide audiences. It depends on the tactics employed by marketers that determine the effectiveness of their message. For an instance, Nike used advertising (broadcast, print, & online), sponsorship, direct marketing, and public relations to communicate with the customers for the realization of marketing goals. The goals are aligned with the encapsulation of message presented in mass media. Thus, it creates positive impact with the swoosh brand. References Belch, G. E., & Belch, M. A. (2003). Advertising and promotion: An integrated marketing communications perspective (6th ed.). USA: McGraw-Hill. Boone, L. E., & Kurtz, D. L. (2012). Contemporary Marketing. USA: Cengage Learning. del Franco, M. (2005). Nike competing now in the mail. Multichannel Merchant. Retrieved from http://multichannelmerchant.com/news/marketing_nike_competing_mail/ Deng, T. (2009). “Just done it.” --- Nike’s new advertising plan facing global economic crisis. International Journal of Business Management, 4 (3), 102-105. Dodds, B. (2003). Managing customer value: Essentials of product quality, customer service, and price decisions. USA: University Press of America. Goldman, R., & Papson, S. (1998). Nike culture: The sign of the swoosh. London: Sage Publications. Landrum, N. (2001). Environmental and social responsibility rhetoric of Nike and Reebok. Journal of Critical Postmodern Organization Science, 1 (2), 48- 63. Lee, J. K. (n.d.). Marketing and Promotion of the Olympic games. Retrieved from http://www.thesportjournal.org/article/marketing-and-promotion-olympic-games Nike. (2011). Company overview. Retrieved from http://www.nikebiz.com/company_overview/ Peterson, R. A., & Wilson, W. R. (1992). Measuring customer satisfaction: Fact and artifact. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 20 (1), 61-71. Sweney, M. (2010). World Cup 2010: Nike ad beats official sponsors for online buzz. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jun/11/world-cup-2010-nike-ad-buzz Tellis, G. (2004). Effective advertising: Understanding when, how, and why advertising works. USA: Sage Publications. Read More