Direct Marketing and Internet Marketing - Essay Example

Direct Marketing and Internet Marketing Name Unit name Assignment Topic Date Word Count: 2363 Introduction The advancement of technology and the increased competition in most industries have made marketing one of the ways that organisations are using to attract, create relationships and gain trust as well as loyalty to obtain large customer base, sell more and be highly competitive. Direct marketing and internet marketing are strategies that most companies have turned to in enhancing the marketing processes of their brands. This two marketing strategies are among the most used type of marketing in the current business environment. Direct marketing is marketing system where organisations directly communicate with their clients to generate transactions and responses. Internet marketing on the other hand is a marketing system that uses the web to advertise and market a brand to improve direct sales (Belch, Belch & Powell, 2014). This paper will discuss how each of the marketing systems, both direct and internet marketing can be utilised to improve and enhance marketing outcomes for a specific brand. The brand that this paper will focus its discussion on is Coca Cola. Direct Marketing Defined Direct marketing is type of marketing that involves direct communication between a company and its customers to enhance transactions and responses. Direct marketing uses various mediums, which include mail, interpersonal communication, telephones, internet, radio print and television. Through this mediums, several techniques are used in direct marketing that include direct email, catalogue selling, telemarketing, direct selling, text messages, electronic home shopping, direct response advertising and electronic interactive selling(Belch, Belch & Powell, 2014). Other techniques include door-to-door leafleting as well as inserts in newspapers and magazines. Direct marketing is connected to various elements of an organisation, it is has roles related to channels of logistics, relationship marketing and integrated marketing communication (IMC). The roles of direct marketing under IMC include sales promotion, support media, personal selling advertising and public relation. The objective of direct market is to gain as much direct responses and transactions from the target audience (Percy, 2014). To obtain this audience, the marketing department for the firm needs to have information on its client who can be contacted through telemarketing promotions and direct mails. Most of this information is usually saved within customers’ database and it is through the use of this information that marketers engage in database marketing (Tapp, Whitten & Housden, 2014). Database marketing is important in enhancing the selection of segments within the market, cross-selling, management of customer relations and stimulating repeated purchases. Many companies are increasingly preferring direct marketing due to several factors. These factors include the fragmentation of markets, which discourages mass marketing techniques and the advancement of computer technology that has increased the accessibility of the software that are sophisticated in creating personalised mails easing the process of direct marketing. The other factors that have led to increased direct market are list explosion that is caused by a rise in supply of diverse items, the increased coordination within marketing system and the analytical sophisticated techniques (Tapp, Whitten & Housden, 2014). Direct marketing is beneficial marketing system since it allows the organisation to engage in selective reach of clients, personalisation of orders, cost effective, assists in segmentation and is a flexible way of reaching out to clients. How Coca-Cola Uses Direct Marketing to Enhance Marketing Outcome Coca Cola Company is a renowned soft drink company globally. It is the largest soft and energy drink in the universe having most consumers all over the universe consuming its brands. For Coca cola, marketing is a crucial element that determines how well their brands will sell and be able to compete with their competitors effectively. One of the strategies that the company can use to ensure fruitful marketing outcome is direct marketing. Currently, Coca-Cola utilises direct marketing in many different ways to promote its coca cola brand. One of this ways is through the concept of public relation where the company creates sponsorship programmes for sporting events (Leintein, 2009). However, the company can still be able to improve its marketing through other community-based activities such as feeding programmes and healthy living programs through which they can create awareness of their brands and maintain customers The other concept that Coca Cola brands can use to enhance marketing is the concept of direct marketing campaigns through advertisements. One such campaign that the company is undertaking is the “share a coke” campaign that has gained popularity among coca cola brand consumers. The campaign uses direct marketing through personalisation of names ad messages on the coca cola bottles (Leintein, 2009). However, the company can improve through Electronic interactive direct marketing to enhanced marketing outcomes by creating interactive platform like blogs and website through which customers can communicate and interact with each other and the firm and be able to shopping, interact through games and contests (Belch, Belch & Powell, 2014) . The website can also allow consumers to identify ways in which they can contribute to programmes that the company is undertaking. Through this interaction, the firm is able to get ideas and opinions on the brand preference of their customers and identify strategies to take to fit into the consumers’ preference hence attracting customers and improving sales. Coca-Cola marketing can also be improved through the sales promotion direct marketing. Currently, the company sales promotion targeting consumers include acquiring shelves in stores and supermarkets, placing freezers in positions that are eye catching and under the crown strategies of give free caps, t-shirts and other items provide the company a chance to directly promote their product to products in stores and retail shops increasing their sales (Belch, Belch & Powell, 2014). However, the coca cola can also use other sales promotion strategies such as the push and the pull sales strategies. The firm can use the push strategy through discounts and premiums that motivate the middle meant to convince the next buyer in the supply chain to purchase the products. The pull strategy on the other hand would help coca cola attract more consumers by creating adverts on print and television that get customers excited about the coca cola brand (Lamb, Hair & McDaniel, 2012). Using these two sales promotion strategies, coca cola can greatly improve its marketing outcomes through increased sales. The company can also use public relation direct marketing to gain customers trust and loyalty by creating platforms on which clients can air their opinions, complaints and ideas on brands provided to them. this platform may include attending other public related exhibition rather than sporting exhibitions, applying viral marketing through online videos platform like You Tube, broadcasting and using print and press media for press release that promote the coca cola old and new brands and why consumers should buy them (Scott2009) . This strategy helps the company gain a lot of good publicity hence increasing customers and sales. Internet Marketing Defined Internet marketing is the system that allows a firm to make their products and services known to their customers through online techniques. These online techniques include email marketing, social media, digital media marketing, online advertising, Search engine optimisation among other techniques. According Failte Ireland (2012) report, it is important that before a firm decides to use internet marketing extensive research should be undertaken to identify how the people will respond and what works and does not work for customers. Other factors that need to be considered include branding, the content of the marketing items and identify the best strategy to use. Internet marketing is covered under two broad concepts Digital marketing and social media marketing. Digital marketing focuses on empowering, rewiring and creating relations with consumers. The platforms that are used for digital marketing include apps, online videos, advert games, emails, websites, search engine optimisation marketing, mobile and user generated content. The most used platform for digital internet marketing is the mobile. The mobile platform consists of phones, portable computers and tablets. Social media internet marketing involves marketing through plat forms such as Social Network Site (SNS), eWOM and Blogs. The theories associated to social media marketing include Knowledge sharing, Engagement and Social Capital (Belch, Belch & Powell, 2014). These two concepts of internet marketing are very crucial in enhancing the performance and outcome of marketing processes in organisations. How Can Coca-Cola Uses Internet Marketing to Enhance Marketing Outcome Internet marketing can be very beneficial for Coca cola Company in ensuring that it improves the performance of its marketing strategies. Currently, the company is taking advantage of the internet and using it in promoting and marketing their brands (Belch, Belch & Powell, 2016). For example, the company uses platforms such as Facebook and You Tube to create awareness and promote its products and services. However, there are no limits to what one can do with the internet when marketing a product and there is a lot that Coca cola can still do to enhance its marketing performance. Coca cola has used digital marketing in many different ways including the Coke Zone programme, which used on pack codes hat linked a customer to a website providing rewards including blockbuster film rentals, branded gifts and chances to get into competition. This campaign used personalised emails and texts messages that offered personalised rewards and offers. However, Coca cola still has numerous ways and opportunities through which it can use digital marketing to improve marketing. One way to do this is by taking advantage of the increased use of mobile phones, tablets and portable laptops to increase their sales and promote their brand. By using digital media, the company will empower customers in influence each other and marketers (Belch, Belch & Powell, 2016). According to Pride and Farrell (2016), empowering customers through online platforms can provide Coca-Cola’s customers with a chance to voice their opinions and a medium to instantly communicate and connect internationally this way it is easier to create awareness about the firms brand to clients and even promote the brands which translates to higher sales. If Coca cola empowers their customers, they rewire them to different cognitive perspectives and behaviour. Coca cola should also strengthen their marketers’ relationship with their customers through online interaction by allowing them to air their ideas on what kind of soft drink brands they would want to see in the market. Mobile devices are personal and most people will have them whenever they are. Coca cola can use this digital platform for marketing by applying techniques such as emails and text messages on promotions, coupons, in game adverts, video adverts and banner ads. This strategy can help the consumers connect to the marketer and engage in utilising and responding to these opportunities sent to them via mobile devices. The reason why Coca cola should consider using mobile devices to market their brand is that it provides various interaction platforms including e-mail marketing, search engine and optimisation marketing where adverts and marketing promotion appear on Goggle search if searched on the internet (Failte Ireland, 2012). Additionally creating an app that promotes coca cola products through YouTube and other online video platforms and brand website to promote old brands and create awareness of new ones in an interactive and fun way is also another way to enhance marketing results. Coca cola can also enhance their marketing systems by improving the use of social media internet marketing. In the mordent world of business, most companies have taken into the use of social media to promote and market their products. Coca Cola Company has done this by creating fun pages for their consumers on platforms such as Facebook, twitter and You Tube. However, there are more ways that coca cola can use social media to enhance their marketing strategy. Social media marketing is embedded on three theories that include Knowledge sharing, Engagement and Social capital (Belch, Belch & Powell, 2014). Coca cola can use the concepts behind these three theories to attract more customers. Knowledge sharing indicates that an individual is able to express their sense of self through what they buy and that when the meaning of a brand becomes consistent to one’s self identity the meaning is transferred to self. In this case, Coca cola should look for ways of creating brands that are at par with the self-identity of their consumer to attract more clients and increase sales. It is also important for coca cola to engage their clients through the social media by creating brands that relate to people. For example, developing energy drinks that are healthier would attract customers given that there has been an increased change where people want to live and eat healthy (Brodie et al., 2016). The engagement does not only include consumers but also stakeholders and through the social media, ideas and opinions can be shared on how the company should approach the market. There are three categories of social media platforms that Coca cola can use to improve its marketing strategy, some of which include SNS, Blogs and eWOM. Examples of platforms that three categories provide are twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Blogs and micro blogs. Coca cola has been able to tap into social media marketing greatly using twitter, Facebook and Instagram. However, the company can take advantage of adding blogs as marketing platforms. Blogs allow eWOM communication just like other social Medias, where Coca cola brands opinions and information can be spread from consumers to consumers allowing personal recommendations (Benckendroff, Sheldon & Fesenmaier, 2014). These concepts encourage personalised interaction increasing sales. Conclusion Direct and internet marketing are the most common forms of marketing that allow personal interaction between the customers and the marketers in creating a relationship that encourage customers to remain royal to a brand and attract more customers. Considering Coca cola’s case, enhancing these two forms of marketing strategies can greatly help improve marketing for the company. Given the fact that Coca cola is a renowned company with several competitors it is important that they consider enhancing their already existing direct and internet marketing through the personal selling, digital marketing, public relations marketing, social media, broadcasting , direct mails among other platforms. Through these platforms the company will largely increase customers’ engagement and attract new customers hence increasing sales and profitability. Reference Belch, G. E., Belch, M.A., Kerr, G. F. & Powell, I. (2014). Advertising: An integrated marketing communication perspective. North Ryde: Mc-Graw Hill Education. Benckendroff, P. J. Sheldon, P. J. & Fesenmaier, D. R. (2014). Tourism information technology (2nd ed.). Wallingford: CABI. Brodie, R. J., Hollebeek, L. D. & Conduit, J. (2016). Customer engagement: Contemporary issues and challenges. Oxon: Roudlege. Failte Ireland. (2012). Overview of Internet Marketing. Dubline: Failte Ireland. Laitinen, J. M. (2009). 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