Integrated Marketing Communication for M&Ms Candy Company - Case Study Example

M&M’s Candy Company Name Course Name and Code Instructor’s Name Date Marketing communication is the communication of information that has a singular objective of facilitating or expediting the exchange of process. The main role of marketing communication is to inform, persuade, remind, and reassure customers and differentiate the company in the minds of customers (Ferrell, et al, 2012). Integrated Marketing Communication boasts of combining different communication tools and media to transmit marketing messages to the targeted audience. Through combination of different marketing tools, marketers are empowered to they identify the target audience; develop marketing messages that are aligned to the customer’s needs and effective communication media to reach them. Integrated marketing Communication is mainly derived from the power of traditional advertising and public relations coupled with the extensive of online communication to influence customers (Ferrell, et al, 2012). In essence, IMC links up different marketing communication tools to effectively reach the target market. IMC comes with vast benefits to the organization including competitive advantage, increased revenues and profitability, increased customer loyalty, and it is a cost effective way of communicating with customers. IMC approach seeks to have a company’s entire marketing and marketing communication activities project a consistent, unified image to the marketplace and internally within the company (Belch, Belch, Kerr and Powell, 2009, p.41). Integrated Marketing Communication is an essential marketing tool in any company; it plays an integral role in communicating company’s brand message to the larger audience. As already mentioned, it helps in integrating essential marketing components thus communicating the same message across all existing and potential customers. This tool is highly effective as compared to traditional modes of marketing communication since it focuses on not only winning new customers but also maintaining a long-term health relationship with them. This paper discusses Integrated Marketing Communication strategies of M&M Candy Company and the degree of their strategic message integration. Similarly, the paper investigates whether the company communications are in line with its business activities. Specifically, the paper will discuss the various marketing communication tools, messages, and the medium through which the company communicates to its chosen audience. In the same line of discussion, the paper will discuss different obstacles that the company has encountered by using IMC as one of their marketing strategies. Brand promotion by any business organization gives the company tremendous abilities to influence end-users to not only outshine the competitors but also help the company to survive even in the off-peak seasons. It increases product and service awareness, which on the other hand increases company’s revenues coupled with high profits (Riggs, 2006). Brand communication is an initiative undertaken by the company to popularize their products or services among the end users. In this regard, brand communication one of the main goals of product or service promotion among the target markets. It involves identifying individuals that are best suited to the purchase of the products or services. Promotion employs the use marketing tools including advertising, sales promotion, public relations, direct selling, interactive/internet marketing and personal selling. These tools will be discussed independently. Advertising is regarded as any paid form of non-personal communication about the organization, products, services and/or ideas by an identified sponsor. Companies that are inclined to grow and diversify their business operations use aggressive advertising techniques to promote their product. It one of highly embraced marketing tools for the company since it transmits the company’s marketing messages to a wider customer audience simultaneously (Riggs, 2006). By using this tool, the company can flexibly control the marketing messages, spends less in communicating with a large audience, it is also an effective way through which the company can create brand images which have symbolic appeals to customers. It is also important to note that if advertisement is not conducted in an appropriate manner it can be costly and detrimental to the company. For example, it can be extremely expensive to produce and run adverts using media like newspapers, and television. It can also cause credibility issues and thus making customer sceptical. The mediums for advertisement include print media such as newspapers, magazines, posters, and billboards. TV and radio commercials aired during prime times to reach a wider audience. Direct marketing is referred to as a system of marketing that business organizations use to communicate directly with the target consumers to generate response or transaction. Direct marketing involves the use of direct selling, direct response adverts, telemarketing, catalogues, and direct mails (Riggs, 2006). Advantages of direct marketing include: it is readily received by target audience, this tool also empowers marketers to be very selective thus have the ability to choose a target market segment and design marketing messages that will specifically target that particular target. It easy to use and hence its effectiveness is easier to measure. Contrary to this, if not designed and executed properly, direct marketing can result into lack of response from the target market, can result into many messages (clutter) that can easily confuse customers. Similarly, it can tarnish the company’s image particularly if the company extensively uses telemarketing. Interactive Marketing is a form of marketing that involves the use of the internet to interactively communicate with the target audience. Interactive online media like social media tools, which allow for a two-way flow of information, is used; for this matter, customers and prospective customers have an opportunity to participate in the marketing message formation. This is usually done in real time. Accordingly, the internet can be used as an advertising medium where customers are informed, educated and persuaded to buy company products. The company can also interact directly with the buyers, very essential in the building of the customer database, good in building and maintaining customer relationship, and it can be used as a tool for implementing the company’s publicity/public relations programs (MMC Learning, 2009). Advantages of interactive marketing include the company can tailor specific marketing messages to meet the interests and needs of specific customers, there is higher customer involvement, and it provides substantial amount of company information to the consumers (Madura, 2006). However, this marketing tool can also be disadvantageous to the company in the following ways: the attention to internet ads is minimal and hence cannot make massive impact; in the same line, few people have access to the internet and thus many customers are locked out, and the company cannot comprehensively measure its effectiveness (Barker, et al, 2012). The communication media here is mainly the internet where social media sites like Facebook, You Tube, and twiter are extensively used to interactively communicate in real time (Madura, 2006). Sales promotion is an activity that is mostly implemented by a company to boost the sales of its products and services temporarily (Madura, 2006). They are marketing activities that provide extra incentives to the sales force, distributors, and customers to stimulate immediate sales. There are two categories of sales promotion: Consumer-oriented that target ultimate customers of the product or service and media used here include: coupons, premiums, contests sweepstakes, and sampling. The second category is Trade-oriented sales promotion that inclined towards marketing intermediaries like retailers, distributors, and wholesalers (Madura, 2006). The techniques used in trade-oriented sales promotion include promotional and merchandise allowances, price deals, sales contests and trade shows (Barker, et al, 2012). Sales promotions can be used by the company for different purposes including: introduction of new products or services, attracting new customers, influence existing customers to buy more, increasing retail inventories, and combat competition (Madura, 2006). Publicity or public relation refers to the non-personal communications regarding an organization, product, service, or idea not directly paid for or run under an identified sponsor (Madura, 2006). Similarly, it is the management function that evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or organization with the public interest, and executes a program of actions to earn public understanding and acceptance (Madura, 2006). Tools such as special publications, community activities, and fund-raising and special events sponsorship play a big role in creating the company’s public awareness. With regard to publicity, press conferences, special events, news releases, and feature articles are used (Pride & Ferrell, 2010). These tools have the capabilities of earning the company credibility. Personal selling involves person-to-person communication whereby the seller attempts to assist or persuade buyers to purchase a product or service (MMC Learning, 2009). Personal selling allow the company marketers to have direct contact with buyers and sellers which allows for more flexibility in communicating the marketing message, similarly, it allows marketers to tailor sales messages to specific needs of consumers, it allows for direct and immediate response, and also sales efforts can be directed to a specific target market (Pride & Ferrell, 2010). Despite of the stated advantages, personal selling has the following disadvantages: it is expensive particularly when targeting a larger audience and it is difficult to have consistent and uniform message delivered to all customers. Integrated Marketing Communication are always effective when the following mediums of communications are used: Mass media such as broadcast both TV and Radio, Newspapers, and Magazines, the internet, brochures, sales literature, events/sponsorship; local, regional and international, product placement in movies and television shows, and using other promotional products (Pride & Ferrell, 2010). Communication is a process that involves the use of different entities and media for it to be complete and successful. For this matter, there is the sender, encoding, media, decoding, receiver, response, feedback and noise (MMC Learning, 2009). To be more precise, the sender formulates the message, encodes it into a format the receiver will be able to decode, choose the appropriate media to transmit the message, sent the message via the chosen media, the receiver receives the message, decodes it and after reading he/she responds to the sent message or provides the feedback (MMC Learning, 2009). However, if the message is distorted along the transmission route before it gets to its indented destination and the receiver does not get what was originally sent; this is regarded as noise. M&M Candy Company was founded in the year 1941 and is dedicated towards manufacturing or producing a variety of candy products including, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, mint chocolate, almonds, orange chocolate, coconut, pretzel, raspberry, peanut butter, cinnamon among others. The company’s origin is rooted in US; however, it currently operates in more than 100 countries across the world (M&M’s LA Team, 2010). The company’s products have evolved over years and are produced in different colours. Like any other multinationals that is focused on increasing its competitive advantage in the marketplace, M&M has marketing strategies that are incorporated with Integrated Marketing Communication tools to ensure it earns the need market share coupled with increased revenues and profitability. The company use aggressive marketing communication methods that continue to anchor the company’s position in the market (M&M’s LA Team, 2010). The company heavily invests in advertisement spending substantial millions of dollars to make sure that they win new customers as well as maintain the existing ones. TV commercials mainly target young people, as they are an easy target to influence. For instance, M&M’s brand uses the same age rank with a singular objective to attract individuals belonging to that age group. Examples of M&M’s advertising messages include “The Official Candy of the Millennium,” “All that razz,” “Eat Drink & Be Cherry,” “A Day at the Peach” and “Nut What You Think” among others (M&M’s LA Team, 2010). Cinema is another vital way that M&M’s use to promote its products. This method is extensively used by the company because the cinema is perceived as a place for fun where people go to get entertained; this one of the principle values of the M&M’s brand. For this matter in some TV ads, cinema characters are used instead of the real products. Similarly, the company has perfected the use of fiction movies to communicate their brand to the target market by adapting the product to the movie that could attract many consumers. The release of Star wars Episode III, Revenge of the Sith (M&M’s LA Team, 2010). This marketing promotional strategy reached a larger audience across the globe, which on the other hand influenced increased revenues. The company has a strong internet presence, which has extensively helped the company to develop interactive communication with its audience. The M&M’s website is an effective tool; the brand has managed to make an influential impression on a wider audience. The internet has helped the company to promote its sweets, and for instance, it is eluded that the consumer population can indeed participate actively in voting for a new M&M’s colour (M&M’s LA Team, 2010). Similarly, the company has extensive public relations events in and outside the US. For example the company sponsors various vents including the cancer foundation; for instance the supporters of the foundation can purchase a bag of M&M’s Milk Chocolate candies where the benefits are given to the funds of the organization that support research against cancer (M&M’s LA Team, 2010). Like advertisement, the company has invested heavily in publicity, which as discussed above is a critical venture to popularize the company activities (M&M’s LA Team, 2010). Briefly, Integrated Marketing Communication is a vitally important marketing strategy for businesses and companies that are inclined to increase their dominance in the marketplace. The IMC tools including advertisement, publicity/public relations, interactive marketing, sales promotion, and personal selling are key tools that when correctly adopted and implemented within the company’s marketing strategy, will earn the company tremendous benefits. As established in the case of M&M’s candy, the company has managed to diversify its operations across the world due to its extensive use of IMC too across all its subsidiaries the world over. Integrated marketing communication is a marketing tool that no company can afford to neglect. Bibliography Barker, N., Valos, M. and Shimp, T (2012) Integrated Marketing Communication. Melbourne: Cengage Learning. 229 Ferrell, O. C. Lukas, B. and Schembri, S. (2012) Marketing Principles. Sydney: Cengage learning. 510 M&M’s LA Team (2010) The marketing Communication of M&M’s. Retrieved on, 24/08/2013, from; http://mandmlateam.over-blog.com/ Madura, J. (2006) Introduction to Business. New York: Cengage Learning p.211 MMC Learning (2009) Marketing Communications. Retrieved on 22/08/2013, from; http://www.multimediamarketing.com/mkc/marketingcommunications/ Pride, W.M, and Ferrell, O.C (2010) Marketing. London: Cengage Learning p.319 Riggs, T. (2006) Encyclopaedia of major Marketing campaigns – Volume 2. Pennsylvania State University. Gale group p.939 Read More