Integrated marketing refers to the combined total effort
of a company to inform, persuade, or remind customers directly or indirectly about the
products and brands of the company.
Marketing
communications are carried out by a company using the following six modes of
communications which constitute its communication
mix.
- Advertising: This
refers to any paid form of communication through a medium of mass
communication. - Sales promotion: This
refers to any short term incentive to encourage trial purchase or any other specific
customer action. - Events and experiences:Company sponsored
events or activities that create special experiences for the company.
- Public Relations and publicity:
Like advertising this form of communication also makes use of mass media to spread
information designed to promote and protect image and reputation of company and its
product. However these are more in form of news and other non-paid
communications. - Direct marketing:
Communicating with individual customers through means of one-to-one distance
communication such as mail, telephone, e-mail and Internet selling
system. - Personal selling: Primarily face-to-face
interaction with one or more prospective customer. This includes personal selling
activities such as making presentations, handling objections, and closing
sales.
The marketing communication system of
most big companies incorporate all these types of communication methods. Take for
example an automobile companies. They release advertisement in newspapers, special auto
journals, TV and hoardings.
They also organize sales
promotions campaigns in which customers are offered special deals such as reduced price
or additional guarantee and free servicing for purchases made within a specified period.
Auto companies also run program of demonstrating their products which encourage
prospective customers to test drive the vehicles creating physical experience of driving
their vehicles.
We also see so many articles and news items
about auto companies and their products appearing in various mediums of mass
communication. All efforts of a company to influence such communications constitutes
their public relation and publicity program.
Auto companies
frequently also engage in direct marketing, especially to convince their existing
customer to use car servicing and facilities authorized or operated by the
company.
The company also provides information about their
products on company's Internet selling sites. These site enable the customer to choose
and configure a product they want to buy, get information on the prices and available
financing scheme, and contact information of nearest dealer able to supply the
car.
Finally the auto companies have a large network of
dealership that performs the personal selling function.
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