Promotion

Marketing communications, sometimes referred to as promotion, involve marketer

initiated techniques directed to target audiences in an attempt to influence attitudes and
behaviors.

Promotion Mix

The marketing communications mix, sometimes referred to as the promotional mix,

includes: advertising, public relations, sales promotion, personal selling, and direct
marketing communications.

Personal Selling
Personal selling is face-to-face selling where one person who is the salesman
tries to convince the customer to buy a product assigned by the company. It is a
promotional activity by which the salesperson uses his or her skills and abilities to
persuade people to buy the product thereby in an attempt to make a sale.

Here, the salesperson tries to highlight the features of the product to convince the
customer that the product will hold benefits in the long term. However, getting a
customer to buy a product is not always the motive behind personal selling, this
personal selling is also done to make the customers aware of new products in the
market.

PERSONAL SELLING Personal selling is the most effective tool at later stages of the
buying process, particularly in building up buyer preference, conviction, and action.
Personal selling has three notable qualities:

1. Personal interaction—Personal selling creates an immediate and interactive

episode between two or more persons. Each is able to observe the other’s reactions.

2. Cultivation—Personal selling also permits all kinds of relationships to spring up,

ranging from a matter-of-fact selling relationship to a deep personal friendship.

3. Response—The buyer is often given personal choices and encouraged to directly

respond.

Personal Selling Examples

Personal selling is where businesses use the sales force to sell the product after
meeting the customer face-to-face.
The sellers advertise these products through their skills such as attitude,
appearance, and specialist product knowledge. The salesperson informs and
encourages the customer to buy or at least try the product.

A unique example of personal selling is found in the department stores on the

perfume and cosmetic counters. A customer can get advice on how to apply the
product, its specialties and can try different related products, these all are guided
by the personal selling staff present there. Products with high prices, and with
complex features, are often sold using this type of technique. Examples: Cars
and many products that are sold by businesses to other industrial customers.

Retail Stores: Retail stores like Walmart, Ikea, etc. employ a sales staff that help
customers choose the best product according to their own needs and wants.

Door-to-Door Sales: Some B2C businesses (like Gillette) and B2B businesses
(like PayTM) employ sales staff that visit prospective customers homes and
offices to educate them about the company’s offerings and persuade them to use
or buy the same.

B2B Outreach: B2B salespersons often outreach prospective clients online or

offline and use person-to-person communication to close sales.

Importance of Personal Selling

The following points explain the importance of personal selling:
1. Two-Way Communication:

This is the best tool for personal selling. Salesmen can provide necessary
information to customers about the company's offer, and also can collect
feedback from customers. He can ask if there are any queries about the product
to the salesman present for personal selling.

2. Personal Attention:
Advertising and publicity are among mass communication tools, and thus
personal selling is concentrated and is focused on one individual, this will result in
ineffective results.

3. Detail Demonstration:
Television demonstrations are limited; thus, salesmen can provide a detailed
demonstration and can supervise the customer through personal selling.
4. Complementary to other Promotional Tools:
Personal selling supports advertising, sales promotion, and publicity. Personal
Selling even removes the drawbacks of advertising and its sales promotion.

5. Immediate Feedback:
This is the only market promotion technique that provides immediate feedback
from the customers.

Advantages of Personal Selling

The Advantages of Personal Selling are as follows -
∙ This is a two-way communication where the selling agent gets instant
feedback from the prospective buyer about their intention to buy.

∙ This is an interactive form of selling, which helps in building trust with the
customer. While selling high-value products like cars, the customer must
trust the product and thus personal selling is needed.

∙ Personal Selling is a persuasive form of selling as in this type of sale the

customers come face to face with the salesperson where it is not easy to
dismiss them, there is an effort of the customer to listen to them.

∙ Direct selling helps in reaching the audience.

Limitations of Personal Selling

∙ It is an expensive method of selling that requires high capital costs.
∙ Also, this method involves many labours as it is a labour-intensive method as
a large sales force is needed to carry out personal selling successfully.

∙ The training of the salesperson for personal selling is also a very time
consuming and costly process.

∙ The method can only reach a limited number of people, it does not provide
mass advertisements like TV or Radio ads.
Advertising—Any paid form of nonpersonal presentation and promotion of ideas,
goods, or services by an identified sponsor via print media (newspapers
and magazines), broadcast media (radio and television), network media
(telephone, cable, satellite, wireless), electronic media (audiotape, videotape,
videodisk, CD-ROM,Web page), and display media (billboards, signs, posters).

Advertising is a means of creating awareness and promoting a product or service

in the market. It is a paid form of communication to inform the public about an
idea, good or service. Advertising is a market communication intended to
influence people’s actions and persuading them to buy or try the product.

This is one of the effective promotional tool of an organization for promoting its
product among the target audience. It spreads the promotional message
containing full details about the product among the customers. Advertising is a
one-way communication by which organizations communicate with people by
paying charges to an advertising company.

Advertising is of different kinds depending upon the type of medium used for
communication such as print advertising, social advertising, outside advertising,
broadcasting advertising, etc. There are three main motives of advertising:
informing potential customers about brand, persuading people for buying brand
products and reminding customers from time to time about brand message and
vision.

Advantages of Advertisement

Advertisement has a lot of advantages. It provides information about products

and services to companies, people, and consumers. It’s often used to promote
sales or even public service announcements that can help the community. Other
advantages of advertising are as follows:

1. Useful when introducing a new product/ service in the market – When

introducing a new product to the market, advertisements are helpful in
getting the word out. These ads can be useful for finding an audience and
promoting the product. Advertisements can also help to boost market share
for products that are on the market. It also helps to advertise the
 manufacturer’s brand. Therefore, advertising can be considered a vital tool
for businesses and marketers to use in their marketing strategy.
2. Beneficial for market expansion – Expanding the market is one of the many
advantages of advertising. Even though the economy has been slow
for some time now, advertising can help to expand its market and bring
new customers into a company’s business. Advertising also allows
companies to give their products or services more exposure than they
could otherwise afford to do so.
3. Helps to increase sales – In order to stay in business, companies must be
able to grow their sales. Advertising is the best way for a business to
increase sales. Many businesses rely on advertising in order to grow their
market share and stay afloat financially.
4. Fights competition – Advertising is important for companies, but it also
helps to fight competitors. Advertising brings people in and gives them a
way to interact with your company. If you market your company well, then
people will buy from you because they like what you are offering. When
your competitors start advertising, it can put more pressure on the market
that makes customers want to switch over to a different brand.
5. Builds good-will – Advertising builds good-will in the minds of the people.
When a company advertises with a positive message, it spreads hope and
confidence to its target audience. People are willing to buy what they see
advertised because they believe that if the product is so great, then other
people must feel the same way.
6. Educates the customer – Advertising educates the customer about different
products on the market. It helps them make a decision about what is best
for them. For example, if an advertisement for a product says that it’s great
for people with dry skin, then it may be something to consider purchasing.
7. Promotes salesmanship – One of the main benefits of advertising is that it
promotes salesmanship. To make a sale, people will have to be persuaded
to purchase the product or service. Advertising helps sellers convince
potential customers that their product or service is worth purchasing. This
is especially important for companies with higher prices because they must
persuade buyers to purchase their products or services instead of cheaper
products and services from competitors.
8. Can generate employment opportunities – Advertising is a way for
companies to create awareness about their products and services through
word of mouth. It also stimulates economic activity through the creation of
 new jobs that may not otherwise exist.

Disadvantages of Advertising
Advertising has a lot of disadvantages such as invading people’s privacy,
stealing information and creating addiction. Other disadvantages of advertising
are as follows

1. Advertising does not promise sales – While advertising serves as a great

way to get the word out about your product, it is not a guarantee of sales. It
can create a positive buzz around your company but will not necessarily
lead to any sales unless you put in the work.
2. Risk of misrepresenting facts – Ads are a risk for companies because they
must sometimes misrepresent facts to make their product seem more
appealing. This can lead to the company being sued. For example, in
2013, Volkswagen paid billions of dollars to settle claims that it had
knowingly emitted illegal pollutants with its diesel cars and deceived
consumers.
3. Can create negative brand awareness – Advertising can create a negative
brand awareness. For example, if you have a product with a design that is
too similar to other competitors, then potential customers may think the
product is pointless because it does not offer anything different from the
others.
4. Increased Cost for company – As a business, advertising is an important
way to promote your brand. However, it could also be expensive if the
company doesn’t know how to measure its return on investment and
manage its costs.
5. Compels people to buy products or services they do not need – The
internet has made buying goods and services easy, but it also can be bad
for people. For example, advertisers know that if they successfully
introduce an item to consumers, they will likely buy it. In other words,
advertising encourages mindless spending. People are bombarded with
ads on a daily basis and the more they see them, the less likely they are to
think before purchasing a product.
6. Adds to the Cost of Product or service – Advertising can be a good thing for
a company that’s trying to sell something. It can help spread the word
about a product or service and make it more popular overall. However, the
cost associated with the advertising can add up to the cost of the product
 or service in the end.
7. Advertising can get deceptive – One of the biggest downsides to advertising
is that it can be deceptive. Companies are able to put out ads
that make products seem like they are the best value when, in fact, they
may not be.
8. May create a Monopoly – Advertising has the potential to create a
monopoly. This means advertising can price consumers out of the market
and limit their choices. Even worse, advertisers can use their power to
make low-quality products seem like valid options, and this is why people
should be wary about advertising.

SALES PROMOTION

Companies use sales promotion tools—coupons, contests, premiums, and the

like—to draw a stronger and quicker buyer response, including short-run
effects such as highlighting product offers and boosting sagging sales. Sales
promotion tools offer three distinctive benefits:

1. Ability to be attention-getting—They draw attention and may lead the

consumer to the product.
2. Incentive—They incorporate some concession, inducement, or
contribution that gives value to the consumer.
3. Invitation—They include a distinct invitation to engage in the transaction
now.

What is a Push Promotional Strategy?

A push promotional strategy is a marketing strategy that sees companies takes

its products to its consumers. The goal of this strategy is to get the product
directly in front of the customers, in the form of trade shows and point of sale
displays. These are the most common push promotion strategies used today:

∙ Direct selling to customers in showrooms

∙ Point of Sale (POS) displays
∙ Trade show promotions
∙ Package or display design

Advantages of Push Marketing Strategy

There are many advantages to using a push marketing strategy including:
∙ The ability to establish a sales channel
∙ Create product exposure, demand, and consumer awareness about a
product
∙ Able to forecast and predict demand

What is a Pull Promotional Strategy?

A pull promotional strategy also called a pull marketing strategy, is the opposite of
a push strategy. Instead of directly attempting to get products in front of
customers, a pull strategy aims to get the customers to come to the product
(hence the term ―pull‖).

A pull strategy is all about getting the customer to come to you. There are six
widely used pull marketing strategies employed today:

∙ Advertising and mass media production

∙ Word-of-mouth referrals
∙ Customer relationship management
∙ Sales promotions and discounts
∙ Social media coverage
∙ Email marketing

Pull marketing strategies have gained momentum in the mobile-based world.

With geofencing, geotargeting, and similar technologies, pull strategies are
becoming increasingly easier and more relevant.

Advantages of Pull Marketing Strategy

There are many advantages of using a pull marketing strategy, including:

∙ Establishing direct contact with your customers

∙ Building consumer loyalty
∙ Stronger bargaining power with retailers or distributors
 ∙ No pressure to conduct outbound marketing
∙ Ability to test a product’s acceptance in the market and gain feedback on the
product

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND PUBLICITY

A variety of programs directed internally to employees of the company or

externally to consumers, other firms, the government, and media to promote or
protect a company’s image or its individual product communications.

The appeal of public relations and publicity is based on three distinctive qualities:

1. High credibility—News stories and features are more authentic and

credible to readers than ads.

2. Ability to reach hard-to-fin buyers—Public relations can reach

prospects who prefer to avoid mass media and targeted promotions.

3. Dramatization—Public relations can tell the story behind a company,

brand, or product.

DIRECT MARKETING Direct and interactive marketing messages take many

forms—over the phone, online, or in person. They share three characteristics:

1. Customized— The message can be prepared to appeal to the addressed

individual.

2. Up-to-date— A message can be prepared very quickly.

3. Interactive— The message can be changed depending on the person’s

response.

Recent Trends in Promotion and Advertising

1. Influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing that depends on product

evaluations, suggestions, and mentions from bloggers with a significant social following
who are considered experts in the subject.

TYPES OF SOCIALMEDIA INFLUENCERS

Nano-influencers:-10,000followers or fewer

Micro-influencers:-10,000 to100,000 followers

 Macro-influencers:-100,000 to 1million followers
Mega-influencers:-1 million+ followers

Examples - Influencer Marketing

1. Gymshark

Campaign type: Challenge / contest

Platforms: TikTok and Instagram

Gymshark is one of the most active gym wear brands using influencer marketing
throughout the past years. Their campaign — 66 Days: Change Your Life challenge —
was a massive hit on TikTok and Instagram.

The idea behind #Gymshark66 was more than a trend. It was built on engaging the
community in the most meaningful way.

The campaign asked the audience to challenge themselves for 66 days through positive
habits and an active lifestyle.

For this campaign, Gymshark partnered with six sports and athlete influencers with a
strong presence on TikTok and Instagram to raise awareness around the challenge.
Influencers Twin Melody shared the following video promoting Gymshark activewear
with #Gymshark66 — the video has 751k+ likes and 4950 shares. Apart from TikTok,
Gymshark used Instagram's IGTV for the "Stories of the 66" video series highlighting
individuals and their experience of adopting healthier habits in 66 days.

Campaign statistics
With a focus on video content, #Gymshark66 has 252.6 million views on TikTok
and 785,000+ posts on Instagram.

2.HelloFresh
Campaign Type: Sponsored posts, celebrity collaboration
Platform: Instagram
HelloFresh, a home-delivery meal kit subscription service, has heavily relied on
collaborating with celebrities and macro-influencers to get their brand in front of their
target audience.
The Refresh with HelloFresh campaign won the 2020 Influencer Marketing Awards for
Best Food and Drink Campaign. It was launched in 2019, and the face of the campaign
was Davina McCall.
HelloFresh worked with 15 micro-influencers to participate in a 21-day challenge to cook
healthy meals from scratch and try out various HelloFresh recipes.
The influencers posted a series of cooking videos and photos throughout the three week
campaign with the tag #RefreshWithHelloFresh. The campaign goal was to target the
UK market, and with their audience being 80% women, primarily between the ages of
30 and 50, HelloFresh strategically collaborated with influencers to target busy moms
and young professionals.
Jenna, a lifestyle blogger and mom of three, shared her experience with HelloFresh and
encouraged her followers to try it out using her exclusive discount code.

Campaign statistics
With 461 influencer posts, the campaign generated 5.5 million impressions, and 20% of
the influencers' followers mentioned HelloFresh on Instagram. The branded hashtag
#HelloFreshPics has generated over 260,000 Instagram posts.

3.Digital Marketing
Digital marketing can be described as actively promoting products and services using digital
distribution channels as an alternative to the more traditional mediums such as television, print
and radio.

The goal for digital marketers is to focus on interactive elements, encouraging consumers to
participate in the marketing process

Examples

1) Oreo – “You Can Still Dunk in The Dark” wins Hearts:

Oreo has always stayed ahead in terms of social media marketing. It creates
witty yet sentimental campaigns that instantly grab its audience‟s attention,
i.e., children.

One of its smart moves includes the 2013 Twitter campaign. They utilized the
Superbowl power outage by generating a tweet, “You can still dunk in the
Dark.” AdAge reported that the tweet was designed, written, and approved in
just a few minutes.
Highlights from Oreo’s Campaign:

∙ Oreo has become a social media king with its fun, whimsical tone, and
cultural relevance.
∙ Oreo made the best of the opportunity. While several companies would have
fretted about the power outage, Oreo took a step forward with its smart
tweet.
∙ The campaign proved that a brand does not need paid or complex strategies
to promote its content. A simple post with organic hashtags can do wonders.

2) McDonald’s – Stay Ahead Through Innovation:

If you are looking for a practical answer to the question, “what is digital
marketing?” McDonald‟s has a long list of examples for you. Its unique digital
marketing campaigns have not only made large profits for the fast-food chain
but have also boosted customer loyalty and engagement.

One of its major campaigns was #SearchIt in 2017, in which the famous actress
Mindy Kaling insisted viewers to Google “a place where Coke tastes best.” The
campaign was a bold move as the brand had to be in the number one spot
when the users searched for the place.

Similarly, in 2018, McDonald‟s released three ads showing how the brand makes
a customer journey easy with technology. The ads were titled „Hands Full,‟
„Grownup,‟ and „It Must Be,‟ with each showcasing a different McDonald‟s
innovation, such as a mobile app, ordering screens, and table service. Likewise,
its #GoodToKnow campaign in 2015 to clear up the misconceptions regarding
how their chicken nuggets are made.

Highlights from McDonald’s Campaigns:

∙ The brand made a bold yet unique move to grab the cold audience. Those
who were not fans of McDonald‟s but Coke were also urged to try them.
∙ McDonald maintained its brand image using the #GoodToKnow campaign by
dispelling any myth associated with it.

3. Cause Marketing
Cause marketing is a marketing strategy that involves partnering with a non-profit
organization or supporting a social cause to promote a product or service. The
goal of cause marketing is to not only generate sales, but also create social
impact and build brand reputation.

The partnership between the brand and the non-profit organization can take
various forms, such as a percentage of the profits from a product or service being
donated to the non-profit organization or a campaign to raise awareness for a
specific social issue. The cause that the brand supports should align with the
brand's values and mission.

Cause marketing campaigns can benefit both the brand and the non-profit
organization. The brand can enhance its reputation, create brand loyalty, and
differentiate itself from competitors by showing its commitment to social
responsibility. The non-profit organization can benefit from increased exposure
and funding to support its cause.

Examples of cause marketing campaigns

1. Dove - Real Beauty Campaign: Dove's Real Beauty Campaign aimed to

challenge traditional beauty standards and promote body positivity. The
company used real women of different ages, races, and sizes in their
advertising campaigns to showcase natural beauty.

2. TOMS - One for One: TOMS shoes pioneered the one-for-one business
model, where for every pair of shoes purchased, another pair is donated to a
child in need. The company has expanded the program to include other
products such as eyewear and bags.

3. Nike - Dream Crazier: Nike's Dream Crazier campaign highlighted the

accomplishments of female athletes and challenged gender stereotypes in
sports. The campaign featured a commercial narrated by tennis star Serena
Williams and showcased female athletes breaking down barriers and
achieving success.
4. Airbnb - Open Homes: Airbnb launched a program called Open Homes, which
allows hosts to provide free temporary housing to people affected by natural
 disasters or other crises. Airbnb covers the cost of stays and provides support
for hosts and guests.

4. Personalization: Many brands are now using data-driven strategies to tailor

their promotions and advertising to individual customers.

Personalization can help brands create a more meaningful and relevant

experience for their customers, leading to higher engagement and loyalty.

Some examples of personalization in marketing are :

1. Netflix - Recommendations: Netflix uses algorithms to personalize movie and

TV show recommendations based on a user's viewing history, ratings, and
preferences. This helps users discover new content that is tailored to their
interests.
2. Amazon - Product Recommendations: Amazon uses a similar algorithm to
recommend products to customers based on their purchase history and
browsing behavior. This makes it easier for customers to find products they
are interested in and can increase the chances of making a purchase.
3. Spotify - Personalized Playlists: Spotify creates personalized playlists for
users based on their listening habits, such as Discover Weekly, which
recommends new music every week. This helps users discover new artists
and songs that align with their musical preferences.
4. Coca-Cola - Personalized Bottles: Coca-Cola launched a campaign where
customers could personalize their Coke bottles with their names. This created
a personalized experience for customers and increased brand engagement.

5. Interactive Advertising: Brands are using interactive advertising to engage

customers and create a memorable experience. This includes augmented
reality, virtual reality, and gamification. For example, IKEA created an
augmented reality app that allows customers to visualize how furniture will
look in their home before making a purchase.

6. User-Generated Content: Brands are encouraging customers to create and

share their own content related to the brand, such as reviews, photos, and
videos. This creates a sense of community and authenticity around the brand.
For example, Airbnb encourages guests to share photos and reviews of their
 stays.

7. Sustainability: Brands are incorporating sustainability and eco-friendliness

into their promotions and advertising. This includes using sustainable
materials, promoting recycling and reuse, and showcasing environmental
initiatives. For example, Patagonia's "Don't Buy This Jacket" campaign
encouraged customers to reduce their consumption and reuse existing
products.

Adidas - Parley for the Oceans: Adidas partnered with Parley for the Oceans,
a nonprofit organization that raises awareness about ocean pollution, to create
a line of shoes made from recycled ocean plastic. Adidas promoted the
partnership through advertising campaigns and social media, highlighting the
environmental impact of their products and encouraging consumers to make
more sustainable choices.

This campaign demonstrates how brands can use their advertising and
promotions to not only sell products, but also raise awareness and drive action
towards environmental sustainability. By partnering with a nonprofit
organization and using recycled materials, Adidas was able to showcase their
commitment to sustainability and inspire consumers to make more eco
friendly choices.