Marketing Campaign for a Successful Product Launch - Essay Example

PROMOTIONAL TOOLS FOR NOKIA’S MARKETING CAMPAIGN Table of Contents Summary This present paper is a report that is assumed to be prepared by the general manager of Nokia’s Southern Africa market and it is intended to be submitted to the company’s senior management team. It is further assumed that the senior management team at the company’s headquarters will use the report as a basis of reference to judge whether they can validate the marketing campaign plan that is supposed to spearhead the successful launch of both Nokia Lumia 920 and Nokia Lumia 820 in the South Africa market. In this report, Nokia’s manager for the Southern Africa market will seek to inform the senior management team of the multinational company on how each of the selected promotional tool is appropriate in accomplishing the marketing objectives as well as the overall business objectives. Secondly, the manager in-charge of the South African market will demonstrate in this report how the recommended promotional tools will be implemented in order to make the marketing campaign successful. Introduction In most occasions when a business enterprise seeks to venture into a new market or it is about to release a new brand of product or service into the market, it usually engages in aggressive marketing campaigns. The marketing campaigns are mainly intended to create greater hype in the market, which will make the target audience eager to try or experience the newly released product and/ or service. In addition, the marketing campaign should be able to sustain the long-term growth of the business in the market or increased sales of the new product and/ or service. This therefore means that the marketing campaign should be devised properly in the first place to guarantee success of the entire process; this is according to Hollensen (2010). In this present report, Nokia’s manager for the Southern Africa market seeks to convince the company senior management team that the promotional tools he has picked are the most appropriate and effective in ensuring that both Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 record success in the South African market. The promotional tools For the purpose of carrying out a successful marketing campaign in South Africa, the manager in charge of the Southern Africa market picked four promotional tools that comprise of advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, and public relations. Hollensen (2010) in her studies described advertising, as any form of marketing communication that is used to reinforce what the target audience already knows about the product or service, and to convince, or encourage the target audience to purchase the product or service advertised. Armstrong and Kotler (2012), defined sales promoting as the act of giving consumers incentives, bonuses, or rewards upon making a purchase, and this act is mainly intended to generate high sales within a short period. Bird and Cassell (2012) in their writings defined direct marketing as the act of promoting and selling a good or service directly to the customer; it mainly involves face-to-face conversation with the target audiences. Wood (2010) described public relations as the act of maintaining a good image for the company. Appropriateness of the selected promotional tools According to Hollensen (2010), advertising is usually appropriate when seeking to have a successful marketing campaign because it is able to influence the imagination as well as the thinking of the target audience by its visual and oral messages. Advertising is also appropriate because it can be used to reach a wide audience using various mediums of communications. Armstrong and Kotler (2012) noted that sales promotion is an appropriate tool because of the fact that it will generate high sales for the two new brands when they are officially launched in South Africa. Furthermore, the rush for the two new Nokia brands because of the sales promotion will further create more awareness in South Africa about the two new brands. As for direct marketing, it is appropriate because it will enable the company’s representatives to meet with the target customers face-to-face and give them information that is not available on the advertisements and sales promotions. This is to say that, direct marketing will supplement the efforts of the other tools; this is according to (Bird and Cassell, 2012). Public relation is appropriate for creating a successful marketing campaign because it will positively influence the mindset of the target audience and they will relate the company with good and quality products. How the selected tools will be fully utilized The advertising activities for the successful launch of Nokia Lumia 920 and 820, will involve the company placing commercials that inform the South African people about the two new Nokia brands that are available in the market. The commercials or advertising messages will be relayed through popular television channels and radio stations, and even through billboards, and posters. In regards to sales promotion, the company will give a 10% percent discount and free 100MB data bundles for the phones that will be purchased in the first seven days immediately after the official launch. Sales representatives who will be hired by the company to teach customers how to use the phone will carry out the direct marketing. The sales representatives will be located at various outlets that stock the two new brands. The company will conduct public relations before the official launch of the two new brands by organising expos where they will highlight on the company’s profile, and its products and services. Conclusion From the report, it is evidently clear that the four promotional tools are more likely to make the marketing campaign a success. First, it is because they supplement each other thus ensuring that the marketing message reaches the target audience. Secondly, they will make the marketing campaign a success since they are geared towards generating sales for the two new brands. Recommendation The key recommendation is for the manager to ensure that each of these promotional tools are utilized or implemented in a synchronized manner. That is, the public relations should come first, then the advertisements, thirdly, the sales promotion alongside direct marketing. By following this format, it can be guaranteed that the marketing message will be reinforced and stuck on the customers. References Armstrong, G. and Kotler, P. (2012). Marketing: An Introduction, Global Edition. (11th edition). New Jersey: Pearson Education Publishers Bird, T. and Cassell, J. (2012). Brilliant Selling. (2nd edition). New Jersey: Pearson Education Publishers Hollensen, S. (2010). Global Marketing. (5th edition). New Jersey: Pearson Education Publishers Wood, M. (2010). Essential Guide to Marketing Planning. (2nd edition). New Jersey: Pearson Education Publishers Read More