Advertising in the Canadian HR Reporter - Case Study Example

I. Memo In deciding which option should Kaminsky use in his second promotional campaign, he should consider the various factors that would contributeto the success or failure of his intended marketing campaign. He should take into account the prior experience in direct mail campaign where the customers did not see the connection of the mailed CD to the products that Malkam offers them. The CD was even mistaken as a CD-ROM that contained more detailed information about Malkam’s services. Now Kaminsky is contemplating of sending prospective customers eyeglasses with emphasis on the gift rather than the attached literature. In this proposed direct mail campaign, Kaminsky is not even sure which group of clients he would send it. Having enumerated these factors against the direct mail campaign, this campaign is likely to fail just like its predecessor even with the catchy phrases that Kaminsky has to consider as they do not relate to the business and are corny to say the least. Advertising in the industry’s national journal of human resource management in Canada through the Canadian HR Reporter is more appropriate in Kaminsky’s second promotional attempt. True, Kaminsky have already advertised in magazines before but it was not focused on his target clientele which are HR professionals so it had a lower chance of success. In advertising to a human resource journal, Kaminky’s chance of success is higher in advertising in Canadian HR Reporter considering that 72% of its subscribers are decision makers of his target market. It is also an efficient use of marketing budget considering that he will be hitting directly the group of people that avails of their service. Compared to the direct mail which Kaminsky is not even sure which group of prospective customers he should the eyeglasses. Kaminsky therefore should push for advertising in the Canadian HR Reporter for a full page for a month. He could reduce the exposure as well as the expenditure in the succeeding campaign by reducing it to a half page as a follow through to his initial advertisement of one full page. II. Executive summary Malkam is a Cross Cultural Training Company founded by Laraine Kaminsky in 1989 as a home based business that provided English as a second language (ESL) training. The company eventually grow that by 1999, Malkam employed 10 full time staff with a database of approximately 65 consultants. Competition however is also growing strong and Malkam had to exert promotional marketing efforts to expand its clientele base and continue the growth of the company. Malkam’s clientele are composed of two groups: government and private firms or organizations. These clientele are willing to pay for a premium for professionalism and reputation and thus price is not always a deciding factor during a bidding process. Competition are composed of Professional Service Firms such as Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Hombe-Based Cross-Cultural Consulting Businesses also known as “basement operations” and Colleges and Global Language-Training Companies. This competition compelled Malkam to embark on advertising and promotional effort to unearth and cultivate the present roster of clients. In April 2000, Malkam developed a marketing strategy and embarked on a promotional campaign with the aid of an advertising firm. The campaign involved a direct mail campaign to 100 companies or organizations a Latin jazz compact disc with informational literature that described the many services offered by Malkam. The campaign was a costly failure because it did not elicit the kind of response that Malkam wanted from its clients and potential clients. The recipients have mistaken the CD for a CD-ROM that contained more detailed information on Malkam’s services and could not relate it to the services offered by Malkam. Kaminsky then decided to embark on another promotional campaign. He first thought of sending a small gift of beaded eyeglass holders made by Zulu women. In this campaign, the emphasis would be more on the gift being sent rather than the literature that would accompany it. These eyeglasses will be mailed to 400 companies and organizations. Kaminsky however is torn on which catch-phrases would be used and had three choices which are 1) Cultural diversity, common vision. We can help you see eye to eye 2) The Global Marketplace has no borders, and neither should your company. 3) Culture makes people unique. What’s unique creates a competitive advantage. Malkam is not sure which phrase to use and to which clientele to send it to. This campaign would would cost $10,000 which close to half of the overall marketing budget of $23,000. Suffice to say that if Malkam will choose this campaign, he could not afford to fail. Another option considered is the placement of magazine advertisement in the Canadian HR Reporter. The Canadian HR Reporter targeted senior level human resource professional in Canada. It has an approximately 9,000 subscribers and 46,800 readers publishing biweekly. 72% of its subscribers were in senior management positions in human resources. Kaminsky has to decide which of the two option he would use for his promotional campaign. He has to get it right this time because he could no longer afford to make a mistake. Read More