Marketing Communication Strategies

What is Marketing Communication?

Process of informing, reminding, and persuading the consumers about a particular product or service.

Comprises communications mix of an organization.

Instrumental in influencing the purchase decision of the consumer.

Integrated Marketing Communication:

Catching up with your customer

Tells About:

How To Compete

How To Survive

Building and reinforcing mutually profitable relationships with customers, consumers, prospects, other stakeholders and the general public by developing and coordinating a strategic communications program that enables them to make constructive contact with the company & brand though a variety of media.

Importance of communication strategies:

Help the companies to propagate information in a structured and controlled manner

Details the structure of information flow, the correct audience to address, potential vehicles to carry the message

Form the blueprint to build a campaign to inform

Expedite the flow of information in sudden, unfolding, but structured events

Help you to plan communication with your target audience, the stakeholders, and your colleagues.

The IMC Mix:

Advertizing

Publicity/Public Relations

Sales Promotion

Personal Selling

Direct Marketing

Advertising:

Defined as-

Paid, non-personal communication and Controlled, identifiable information and persuasion by means of the mass communication media.

The primary goal – to provide a “reason why” they should buy a product or service.

Television

Newspaper / Magazines

Radio

IMC

Advertising

PR

Personal Selling

direct marketing

Sales Promotion

Internet

Direct Mail

Billboards

Yellow Pages

Selection of Media:

Reach: Percentage of people exposed to ad

Frequency: Number of times a person is exposed to ad

Media Impact: The qualitative value of a message exposure through a given medium.

Models of Communication Strategies:

Two Basic models:

4-Cell Model

6-Cell Model

Complex Buying Behavior:

High value brand or product

Requires extensive collection of data

Based on facts and figures

Comparison

Analysis and Choice

Habitual Buying Behavior:

Low consumer involvement in buying

Consumer buys a product out of habit

Buying of cheap frequently purchased items

Few significant brand differences

Considerable brand loyalty based on high customer satisfaction with previous purchases of the brand

Little perceived difference between available offerings and no other incentive.

Postpurchase Dissonance Reassurance:

Expensive product purchase

Infrequent buying and less experience of product

High buyer involvement in purchase

Perception of high-risk purchase

Few perceived differences in brands

Reassurance by using some leadership advantage

Variety Seeking Buying Behavior:

Individual likes to shop around and experiment with different products

Low consumer involvement in purchase

Significant perceived brand differences

Consumers willing to try diversity of brands for variety and to avoid boredom

6-Cell Model:

Extensive Problem Solving Buying Behavior:

Buying situations which require considerable effort because the buyer has had no previous experience with the product or suppliers; also called Extensive Decision Making

Message must feature performance and economic benefits

Full and detailed information.

Sensual BuyingLimited Problem

Solving

Routine Problem Solving

Impulse buying behavior

Extensive Problem Solving

Image Buying Behavior

Limited Problem Solving Buying Behavior:

Purchaser has had some previous experience but is unfamiliar with suppliers, product options, prices, etc

A choice process involving a moderate degree of cognitive and behavioral effort

A purchase involves some degree of conscious information searching and analysis

Involves moderately high priced goods which are not purchased too frequently

Emphasis on USP of a product.

Routine Problem Solving:

A buying situation in which the buyer has had considerable past experience.

Also called Automatic Response Behavior or Habitual Response Behavior.

Habit is determinant.

Various Discounts given.

Image Buying Behavior:

Expensive products.

Products represents personality and lifestyle.

Status symbol.

Promotional strategy emphasizes on rich lifestyle of consumer.

Sensual Buying Behavior:

Desire for pleasure

Convey pleasure sensually

E.g: Perfumes, Exotic Scotch, fair and lovely.

Impulsive Buying Behavior:

Seeing is buying

Spontaneous See and Buy decisions

Communication must use creative idea to attract customers through display, posters

Less emphasis on factual information