To expand, the content of each section should address the
following:
IMC Objectives
(Quantify)
Identify the brand and the principle objectives of the
campaign and quantify where possible:
·
Attract new customers
·
Retain existing customers
·
Branding objectives
·
Marketing and corporate objectives
Market Analysis
A detailed analysis will provide the specific details for
decision-making:
·
SWOT
·
Segmentation and
Targeting
·
Positioning
·
Product/Service
·
Customer Profile
·
Marketing Channels
Communications
Strategy Plans
Listed here are the typical options available that form the
communications strategy mix – marketers must think about how they need to match
competitors or provide novelty, each strategy requires a specific objective, a
media strategy, a media plan, and a budget, these are described more fully
below:
·
Traditional Media
·
Internet
·
Direct Marketing
·
Sales Promotion
·
Public Relations (PR)
Communications
Schedule
Using a calendar that covers the timeframe of the proposed
IMC indicate when the specific elements of the communications strategy mix will
occur – including:
·
Launch dates
·
Key events
Budget and Evaluation
Develop a list of the planned communications strategy mix
and estimate the costs of each component
To elaborate further on the Communications Strategy Section there are numerous options;
marketers should consider a mix of the following depending on the problem being
addressed – you may wish to provide additional strategies that you feel are
more relevant.
Each communications strategy (e.g. a traditional media
campaign involving a print ad in a magazine) requires:
·
Specific Objective
·
Media strategy: Big idea, Message, Copy, Visuals
·
Media Plan: Reach and Frequency
·
Budget: How much will this cost?
Traditional Media
A paid for,
mass-mediated, attempt to persuade, use to build brand identity, this is a big
investment:
·
Television, Print and Radio
Internet
As advertising became more expensive and the Internet grew –
online communications have become a cost effective option with the added
benefit of being measurable (closed-loop marketing) – this area has become
highly specialized:
·
Search engine optimization (SEO) strategy:
Google AdWords
·
Online advertising: Banners, reciprocal links
·
Social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,
Pinterest, Instagram…
·
Website
Direct Marketing
Direct marketing evolved from the catalog business, which
involved gathering customer information – this approach is data base driven and
is used to send personalized messages
either by mail, phone, email or text messages, inviting a direct response. There
is an important role for direct marketing in branding as it facilitates
relationship building and customer retention. This is becoming integrated into
a web campaign. Direct marketing might include:
·
Post cards
·
Personalized mailings
·
Emails concerning special offers
·
Newsletters
Sales Promotion
Alongside
traditional advertising, there are many options for communicating with
customers and building positive associations with the brand – sales promotion
is growing in popularity and can be incorporated into a direct marketing piece
such as a postcard or email.Sales promotion is instant demand
stimulation, it creates a perception of greater value through contests and
samples, it complements the longer term advertising campaign, it motivates
trial use, and encourages larger purchases or stimulates a repeat
purchase. Sales promotion is helpful
when launching new products and new product samples can be attached to existing
brands. Problems arise because frequent
sales promotions alter price perceptions and encourage consumers to become
“deal-prone”. Examples include:
·
Consumers:
Coupons, price-off, gift with purchase, contests, samples, mail
sampling, newspaper sampling, on-package sampling, mobile sampling
·
Trade/Business: Training, allowances,
incentives, trade shows
·
Internet: New opportunities for contests and
trial subscriptions
Public
Relations (PR)
PRis a communications function used to promote
understanding between an organization and its various stakeholder groups. PR is
a critical component of brand buildingand generates publicity for the
brand, helps solidify the public’s opinion of the brand and defines the brand;
seamlessly.
Public relations involves:
·
Creating publicity; buzz, viral messages
·
Building media relations
·
Corporate communication (issues management,
community relations, government relations, industry relations)
·
Building employee relations
·
Maintaining financial/investor relations
·
Crisis management
·
Image building
·
PR deals with what is difficult to control; but a
company can be prepared
·
PR amplifies the effects of other communications
strategies
The tools of PR include:
·
Press releases
·
Feature stories
·
Company newsletters
·
Press pack
·
Interviews and press conferences
·
Sponsored events
Your final report should
be about 10-15 pages, please use the APA format for your paper and references.
Keep in mind that you should use a professional writing style, this should be
based on business English, and involve the correct use of marketing
terminology. Use tables to summarize your information – a report is more likely
to be implemented effectively if it is brief, but sufficiently detailed, clear
and relevant. Remember to experiment with the Demand Metric Tools that are
included in the Week 6 lecture, these may give you some ideas for organizing
your campaign. For each of your communications strategy plans you should
identify a specific objective, a media strategy, a media plan, and a budget.
You are asked to provide the five typical options that form the communications
strategy mix – marketers must think about how they need to match competitors or
provide novelty, you may want to substitute a campaign for something different
– check this out with your
