Corporate Communication, Ethics, and Operational Identity - Essay Example

IMC affiliation WEEK 2 Tangible and intangible resources are crucial for companies because they give opportunities and meaning to them. Tangible assets I this case can mean equipments or company’s products while intangible resources skills and knowledge about products. Places also have a brand that needs to be marketed. This has become one of the “hottest topics” today. Tangible and intangible resources are crucial in the overall growth and value of companies and markets. There are different marketing approaches highlighted in the article that can be used for tangible products and intangible places. It is not easy to market an intangible place because of the conflicting interests that come as a result of it having many stakeholders. However, one marketing approach that has been highlighted in the article is the use of brochures which create favorable images of places. Marketing approaches like media advertising and public relations can also be utilized especially if the target is to maximize the impact of communication (Skinner, 2005). Marketing approaches that are often used for tangible products include sales promotions, general media advertising, and public relations. These approaches aim at making the target consumers aware of the products being produced by a particular company. Some of these approaches are the same as those being utilized in marketing intangible places. The aim of marketing tangible products and intangible places is also the same. In the case of tangible products, the aim of marketing is to attract customers to want the products while in the case of intangible places the aim of marketing is to make a place in order for it to be a traveler’s choice. When looking at services businesses, it is crucial to understand that they are different from businesses that produce physical goods. When marketing, these businesses need to focus on the people who will benefit from the services, the physical evidence that can show the quality of the service being provided, and the process of delivering the services. Service businesses face the challenge of differentiating their services making this hard to gain a competitive advantage. The alternative way is to differentiate themselves through their marketing strategies. Some approaches which can be utilizes in service businesses include sales promotion and media advertising. Sales promotion can be by including innovative features. Apart from what the customer expect, a secondary service feature can be added. For example, an accounting firm can offer free consultation to its customers from time to time. Media advertising aims can be done through television and radio adverts, or through the internet. This aims at making the target group aware of the services being provided by the company. This also helps the company be able to differentiate itself from other companies. The approach chosen should not be based on whether it is being used for a product, service, or place because they are applicable to all. WEEK 2-1 The argument which I agree the most in the hospitality industry sectors is that the level of consumption changes as the economy of a market changes. When the market economy is not stable the tastes of consumers become convergent (De-Mooij, 2003). However, these changes as the market become more stable because people become more affluent and their tastes diverge. This argument is true in the hospitality industry because, for example, when the market economy is low, all the consumers will demand for the basics from a hotel which include meals and accommodation. However, when the market economy has improved, some customers will be more affluent than other. Those who have more money will also have different demands than other customers leading to a divergence. In most cases, the tastes of the affluent in the society will change. They will request for extra services on top of the basics like getting a spa treatment. They will also expect superior customer services. WEEK 3-1 Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is an approach that is used by organizations to coordinate and brand their communication efforts. According to the American Association of Advertising Agencies, IMC is a comprehensive plan which evaluates the strategic role of a variety of communication discipline and this combines the disciplines in order to provide consistency, maximum communication impact, and clarity. The main idea behind an integrated marketing communications (IMC) strategy is to come up with a seamless experience for consumers across many aspects of the marketing mix. The five-step strategic planning process is one of the most popular versions of the integrated marketing communications planning model (Bulearca, 2009). The five steps include the selection of the target audience, understanding the target audience decision-making, determining the best positioning, developing a communication strategy, and finally, setting up the media strategy. This process sets out the media strategy as the last step in the promotion step. This is crucial because the organization is able to determine the best promotional tool, from blogs, to webinars, and banner advertisements, after it has done its market analysis through the other steps of this process. This process also gives the marketers a way of deciding the appropriate combination of digital and traditional marketing communication like billboards, magazines, and newspapers in order to get maximum impact. Setting up the media strategy as the last step of this process makes sure that companies consider the relevance of the marketing communication tool to the consumers’ needs and wants. With many products in the market, consumers get overwhelmed by the amount of advertisements that are in the online and offline communication channels. There is a high risk for these marketing messages being irrelevant to the needs and wants of consumers. This method of communication is the most beneficial and effective way of communication that helps in creating brand awareness. This is the most cost effective way because consumers are able to attract with the brands in various digital interfaces and forums. This method also gives competitive advantage for companies that aim at increasing their market share and profits. This is especially for small and medium size companies that have limited finances in their marketing budget. WEEK 5-2 The 1984 Apple Super Bowl commercial was one of the most successful advertisements of all times. It had powerful images of tyrants, lone hero, and drones that captivated the audience (Apple.Inc, 1984). The main communication objective of this commercial was increase the credibility of the company among its target customers. In this advertisement, Apple created credibility by indirectly depicting its main competitor which is IBM as being an evil totalitarian power. This strategy of attacking a competing company was incredible and showed a new style of advertising. However, in the process the company ignored the benefits of its products. The company used bright colors to represent its company, its logo, and a girl which clearly differentiates the two companies. This advertisement was able to communicate the message that IBM is uninteresting and ordinary, in other words, the drones symbolized IBM as not being cool as compared to Apple. Americans are known for fearing of just being ordinary, and this became an advantage for Apple. These objectives are effective because they are SMART objectives. They are specific in terms of pin pointing the aim of the advertisement which is showing that Apple is better than IBM. The objectives are measurable because it improves the quality of the brand. By showing Apple as being cool, customer view the product as being of better quality than IBM. The objectives are actionable because the objectives are able to change the views of consumers concerning the product. The objectives are also relevant because there was tough competition between the two companies and Apple wanted to gain more market share. Finally, the objectives are time-related and they were able to relate with the trends at that time and therefore, the message was able to reach a wider target group. WEEK 7-2 Marketers need to concern themselves with ethics has become an emerging issue in businesses that has become crucial to every stakeholder. In business, what is considered ethical, are those actions which are in the best interest of the organization and the owners of the organization. The way marketers conduct their marketing strategies reflects on the integrity of the company and this can either attract or make investors shy away from the company. Benetton’s mass media campaigns have been given so much attention because of the visual aspects. This for example, has connected to social and ethical issues that form a crucial part of marketing communication. Benetton’s previous advertising campaign was ethically problematic because in the interview, managers indicated that they use posters to promote the company, however, they receive these pictures, and they are not able to know where the posters come from. The pictures also focus on one aspect of the organization and do not show the company’s ethical initiatives over the past 20 years. Managers were also not informed nor invited in the company’s Stockholm Benetton fashion show and this confused them. This is a great promotional event because they can be able o get a chance to communicate the company’s ethical values (Janet Borgerson, 2009). This is problematic because there is a high chance that what is being promoted is different from the actual. There is a high chance that the image of the company is presented differently and not based on what is factual in order to misguide the target audience. Bibliography Apple.Inc (Director). (1984). Apple 1984 SuperBowl Commercial [Motion Picture]. Borgerson, J. Et. Al. (2009). Corporate Communication, Ethics, and Operational Identity: A Case Study of Benetton . Business Ethics: A European Review, Volume 18. Bulearca, M. Bulearca, S. (2009). Is Media Planning the Driver or the End-Product of Promotional Strategy. Global Business and Management Research: An International Journal, Pg. 105-116. De-Mooij, M. (2003). Convergence and Divergence Consumer Behaviour: Implications for Global Advertising. International Journal of Advertising, Pg. 183-202. Skinner, H. (2005). Some Problems Associated with Integrating Marketing Communications when Promoting Place Brands. Place Branding, Pg. 299-315. Read More