Marketing Assignment Questions based on “A framework for Marketing Management” book by Philip Kotler.

Questions and Answers

Question 1

Name and describe the eight key elements of marketing communications mix. Check “A framework for Marketing Management” book by Kotler, Page 222-223(actual page 247-248)

Marketing communication mix consists of eight key elements, which include advertising, sales promotion, events and experiences, public relations and publicity, online and social media marketing. Mobile marketing, and personal selling. Companies utilize these essential elements to inform, persuade, and remind consumers about the company’s products, services, and brand.

Advertising is the core element of the marketing communication mix that deals with the creation of advertising messages aimed at presenting and promoting the brand, ideas, products, or services to the target segment. Advertising utilizes messages that appeal to and match the preferences of the target audience.

Advertising is aimed at grabbing the attention of the target audience. Advertising can be adopted by a particular sponsor and delivered via several media, such as electronic, display, network, broadcast, and print media.

Sales promotion includes the utilization of promotional tools aimed at encouraging the trial or purchase of a product or service, as well as enhancing branding and attracting new clients through short-term incentives. These incentives may include trade promotions (such as advertising and display allowances), business and sales force promotions (contests for sales representatives), and consumer promotions (such as coupons, free samples, bonus packs, and premiums).

Events and experiences: Companies may sponsor events, activities, or programs such as charities to enhance brand-related interactions with consumers. These may include entertainment, sports, arts, charities, and environmentally responsible activities such as tree planting and clean-up.

Public relations and publicity: Entails programs and activities aimed at promoting and protecting the brand and corporate image by creating publicity to the external environment, including customers, other firms, media, and the government, and internally to employees. Publicity and public relations intend to build a favorable impression of the company.

Online and social media marketing: Tailored to meet the online market segment, the company engages existing and potential customers directly or indirectly through online activities and programs to raise awareness, improve brand image, or make sales. This entails online updates and conversations on social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, Instagram, and Snapchat. It also includes the company’s messages posted on its websites and blogs.

Mobile marketing: An element of marketing that focuses on communicating with customers via cell phones, tablets, or smartphones. Mobile marketing includes communication via text messages, calls, and online communication through smartphones.

Direct and Database Marketing: Company communicates with the prospect and existing customers through mail, telephone, fax, e-mail, or Internet. The communication is aimed at soliciting dialogues and responses from target customer segments. The company keeps a database of current and potential customers and ensures frequent updates and communication of new products, offers, or company changes.

Personal selling: This entails the use of sales representatives for face-to-face interactions with existing and potential customers to present the brand image and incentive programs, handle complaints, answer questions, and make sales orders.

Question 2

What are the steps involved in developing effective marketing communications? Describe a little bit. Identify target audience; Set objectives; Design communications; Select channels; Establish budget; Decide on media mix; Measure results; Manage integrated marketing communications

Check “A framework for Marketing Management” book by Kotler, Page224-232 (actual page 249-256)

An effective marketing communication entails eight basic steps. They include identifying the target audience, setting the communications objectives, designing the communications, setting the communication channels, and establishing the total marketing communications budget.

Identifying the target audience– The target audience is critical in guiding the company on the advertising messages and the choice of marketing mix elements to utilize. The company analyzes to identify potential buyers, existing customers, influencers, and the public. Identifying the characteristics of the target audience and having a clear target audience in mind will guide the company’s communication strategy.

Setting the communications objectives– There are four basic objectives of communication, which include establishing the need for the category, building brand awareness, building brand attitude, and influencing brand purchase intention.

Design Communications– To achieve the desired response, the company needs to identify the message strategy by identifying what to say, the creative strategy by identifying how to say it, and the message source by identifying who should say it. The message strategy should be appealing and understandable to the target audience. The creative strategy will include a transformational appeal that elaborates on the benefits of the products or services. Also, it consists of a transformational appeal that describes the corporate and brand image. The message source focuses on how the target audience perceives the source of the message, the likeability of the message, and the expertise of the brand ambassador, sponsors, or sales representatives.

Select Channels– There are two basic communication channels to choose from, which include; personal and non-personal communication channels. Personal communications are directed to two or more people through face-to-face communication or online communication. Non-personal channels focus on a group of people through adverts, shows, fairs, public exhibitions, and advertisements.

Establish the budget– The Company needs to evaluate how much they are willing to spend on communication with consideration of the marginal profit accrued from the communications strategy.

Deciding the marketing communication mix– Companies need to decide on the marketing with consideration of the product lifecycle. In building awareness stage, advertising is an effective marketing communication mix. Personal selling is aimed at closing sales.

Measure results – After implementing the communication plan, the company conducts an analysis of the response of the customers towards the message, the likability of the message, the number of sales influenced by the marketing strategies, and the changes in response and attitudes of the customers towards the products, marketing, and brand image.

Manage integrated marketing communications– This entails the evaluation of the marketing interactions and message to ensure they are relevant to the target audience and maintain the marketing messages’ constancy.

Question 3

Under which conditions is advertising objective to stimulate more usage of a product most appropriate? Explain why and give an example.

Check “A framework for Marketing Management” book by Kotler, Page 237 (actual page 262).

The current marketing situation determines the impact of the advertising objective. The objectives aimed at stimulating more usage of a product can be achieved through persuasive advertising, reminder, and reinforcement advertising. Persuasive advertising, the objective is to create conviction in the customers.

Reminder advertising aims to stimulate more usage of the products or services, whereas reinforcement advertising will ensure the customers have made the right choice in purchasing and using the products and should continue using the products. The current marketing situation will influence the effectiveness of the advertising objective.

In a marketing situation where, the product class is mature, the company is the market leader, and the brand usage is low, the advertising objective is to stimulate more usage. For instance, for Samsung phones, the product class is mature, and the objective of advertising will be to stimulate more usage.

Question 4

What are the key pros and cons of online (including mobile) marketing? 

Check “A framework for Marketing Management” book by Kotler, Page 251 (actual page 276).

Online marketing communication has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of online marketing is that the the company designs tailored information or messages that engage the consumers by considering their interests and behavior.

Through online marketing, a company can easily track the impact of marketing by analyzing the number of visitors to the company websites, clicks on pages and ads, and the customer stays time on the website, and associated links visited. Consequently, it is easier for customers to trace products through keywords search. The firm has to leverage keyword on search engines to ensure they provide product descriptions that fit the customer’s expectations.

The disadvantage of online marketing is that wrong perception may be created when software software-powered website generates bogus clicks to the company ads, thus convincing the brand of its acceptability in the market. Also, customers can effectively screen out most messages. Lastly, online advertisements are vulnerable to vandalism and hacking which may ruin the brand’s image.

Question 5

How can companies carry out effective social media campaigns (and measure their effectiveness)?

Check “A framework for Marketing Management” book by Kotler, Page 255 (actual page 280)

Companies can measure the effectiveness of social media campaigns by leveraging what they are going to track and how to track online. This can be done by tracking how far the campaigns reached, how fast they spread, the relevance of the message, how the message was understood, and the spread of the message. The company can also track the share of the voice and the speed of sharing by monitoring customer clicks, comments, posts, share, uploads, friends, stream, write in social media walls, and profile updates.

Companies can create effective social media campaigns through creative buzz to ensure the company’s messages go viral. This can be achieved through the utilization of consumers who are interested in the company’s products and those customers who spread the message to other consumers. Considerably, the company can work with influential individuals on social media and supply the key products to such individuals. The social media campaigns should entail compelling information on what the company needs the customers to understand regarding the company’s product and services.