Marketing Communication Tools

May 2, 2018 By Hitesh Bhasin Tagged With: Advertising articles

As we all know, marketing communication is a complex process which

makes use of numerous communication tools integrated together.
Simply put, these tools are a set of diversified programs designed to
communicate with the target audience effectively. While promoting a
particular product or service, companies must choose only those
communication tools that best suit their campaign, only then can they
generate optimum sales.

Page Contents

Most Prominent Communication Tools

1) Advertising
This is the one of most prominent and widely used communication tools
in a marketing campaign. It can be in both paid and unpaid forms. The
main driving force behind this tool is mass media such as the television,
radio, digital campaigns, print campaigns, etc.

More often than not, advertising makes use of ‘above the line (ATL)’
media campaigns because of the kind of reach it has. However,
companies that are running low on budget or companies that require
more exposure (apart from ATL marketing) use ‘below the line (BTL)’
advertising. Now let us have a close look at these two types of
advertising tools.

a) Above The Line Marketing: Brands that are after mass appeal often
opt for this type of marketing technique, because brands having mass
appeal do not generally have a genuine target market or a
particular demographic to aim for. They will have to aim for a huge and
diversified market in general. In such cases, above the line marketing or
mass media/digital marketing can prove to be the ideal techniques to run
the marketing campaign.

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Some examples of ATL marketing are mentioned below:

 TV
 Radio
 Print Media
 Cinemas
 Outdoor Media (Billboards, Transit Advertising, Commuter Displays, etc.)

b) Below The Line Marketing: Brands that do not have a great mass
appeal often opt for this BTL technique. They have genuine
target markets and small audiences to aim for. In this type of marketing,
the advertising agencies that are hired to run the campaign do not take
any commission but do send invoices for the services rendered. These
expenses typically appear below the line on the billing invoice sent to the
firm, hence the name BTL marketing.

Some examples of BTL marketing are mentioned below:

 Internet Marketing
 Social Media Marketing
 Email Marketing
 Outdoor Advertisements
 Sales Promotions
  Pamphlets and Brochures

2) Sales Promotions
This is a direct communication tool. It is used to communicate with the
consumer directly and effectively in an attempt to promote a product.
Sales promotions are widely used in FMCG and retail sectors. Some
techniques involved in these promotions are:

 Temporary Discounts
 Telemarketing
 Free Gift Vouchers
 Distributing free samples, etc.

3) Publicity
This is generally a free communication tool and the firm generally does
not pay for it. This kind of marketing campaign includes product reviews,
free surveys, newspaper articles, etc. However, with the rising
marketplace competition, even such free communication tools have
become paid platforms to promote products.

4) Personal Selling
Personal selling is a communication tool wherein a sales person gets
directly in touch with the potential consumer making him/her understand
the pro’s and con’s of the product. While doing so, the sales person has
to go through the key aspects of AIDAS(Attention, Interest, Desire,
Action and Satisfaction) cycle, which are primary requirements for a sale
to be considered as complete. Though this process is a bit time
consuming and costly, the outcome is generally positive, often leading to
a loyal customer.

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5) Public Relations
This communication tool primarily concentrates on increasing
the brand image of a business. Maintaining public relations with
influential persons across various industries, scholars, and celebrities
forms important part of this tool. However, making use of these relations
at the right time and in the right way is where the success of this
marketing technique lies in.

Note: Publicity is not an integral part of public relations; however, certain

PR campaigns may involve publicity.