- Role of integrated marketing communications in the marketing program of a product such as Gatorade and How can Gatorade use the various IMC tools to achieve its objective of expanding into the sports nutrition market
Gatorade products include energy drinks and protein bars. The integrated marketing communications play an important role in the marketing program of Gatarode as Gatarode can use the various marketing communication channels such as social media, traditional media such as television, radio, newspapers and magazines in order to target the consumers such as young kids to persuade them to buy the product.
Gatorade can utilize various integrated marketing communication tools such as social media so as to attract the target customers towards the brand through sports related social media updates, the brand can sponsor sports related events and can also advertise the brand through traditional media of radio, television and newspapers.
- Research methodologies to examine consumer behaviors. Discuss some of these, focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of each.
The various research methodologies that may be used to examine the consumer behavior include the exploratory research methods, causal research and the descriptive research methods. The exploratory research involves an initial research of ideas and concepts to formulate problems for the future research . The qualitative research methods include focus groups, in depth interviews, projective techniques and observations.
Focus groups consist of 8 to 10 participants in a group with a moderator that discuss about a particular topic and generate new ideas on the research topic . The advantages of the focus group is that these are highly flexible methods of research, they help in better understanding of the research problems and help in understanding the reason behind problems, they are best suited for the generation of new product ideas and also allow research to be conducted in a shorter time period . Some of the disadvantages of using focus group are that they are an expensive method of research and their success largely depends on the skills of the moderator to conduct focus group interviews .
In-depth Interviews: The in-depth interviews involve a detailed interview of a person regarding a research investigation. The advantages of in-depth interview are that it helps the researcher in gaining a better understanding of the problem being researched and also the person being interviewed and also allows close introspection of the interview through the questions that should be asked and the order of the questions . The disadvantages of in-depth interview is that it involves a high cost and greater time investment and also there is difficulty in reaching the person to be interviewed.
Projective techniques: Projective techniques are used to understand the root cause of the issues and may be used in cases such as the investigation of the brand associations and involve techniques such as word association, sentence completion, and expressive techniques. The advantages of projective techniques are that they help in understanding the emotional issues and sensitive matters that would be difficult to investigate through the other methods . The disadvantages of the projective techniques are that they are subjected to an interpretation bias, difficulty in coding and analysis and also non-availability of the trained interviewers for projective techniques .
- What is meant by encoding? Discuss how encoding differs for radio verses television commercials as well as for print ads.
Encoding method is used in communication process in which the communication process begins when the source selects words, symbols or pictures to represent the message that will be delivered to the receiver . In the encoding process for a radio commercials, the sender encodes or translates the message into audio format for the receiver, in the case of the television commercials the sender encodes the message in the audio as well as the visual format and in the case of print ads, the sender encodes the message in the form of words, symbols and pictures.
- Explain some of the reason marketers are shifting their budget allocations from traditional to digital and social media. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages with this reallocation?
Some of the reasons why marketers are shifting their budget allocations from the traditional to the digital and the social media are due to the fact that social media and digital media are that social media are much easier to measure in terms of their effectiveness and impact on the target audience and are an efficient and cost effective method of promotions in comparison to the traditional media . Some of the advantages of reallocating budget to the digital and social media are the availability of the target audience on the internet and social media, the effectiveness of social media marketing, measurement of return on investment and the increased ability to target the audience based on demography, age and other parameters . Some of the disadvantages of this reallocation include the sole dependence of the company on digital media strategists for the implementation of marketing strategies.
- As the media landscape continues to change, and advertisers shift more and more of their monies into media, there are those who predict that some traditional media like TV and newspapers may not survive at least in their present forms. Discuss whether you think this is an accurate statement and why or why not?
Some forms of traditional media may not survive in their present forms that include media such as television and newspapers. The television media has evolved over time with the emergence of television media that is integrated and powered with the social media that involves an interaction with the target audience. Newspapers continue to exist in the traditional forms in hard copies as well as in e-version that can be viewed on laptops and computers. The television programs are now shared via social media websites such as YouTube and can also be streamed via internet in the present age. Therefore the traditional forms may continue to exist with the evolution of modern media.
- Promotional products, often referred to as advertising specialties, constitute a multibillion-dollar industry. Explain some of the various forms of promotional products, and how they might be used.
Some of the forms of promotional products include pens, baseballs, clocks, mousepads, bookmarks, tissue wipes, pocket books, dictionaries, small blankets, watches and many more. The advantages of using promotional products are that they are an effective means of consumer branding, they help in attracting the target consumers towards the brand and they also open lines of communication with the brand .
- Direct marketing has been an effective tool for marketers for a long time. Provide some reasons why direct marketing has been so effective? Do you think this trend will continue?
The direct marketing has evolved to be an effective form of marketing for the marketers as well as the buyers. The most prominent form of direct marketing is the internet based digital marketing in which the marketers target the consumers directly over the internet to sell products and services. The direct marketing allows buyers to interact directly with the sellers to gain information about the products. The sellers find direct marketing as a cost-effective and efficient method of marketing that allows the marketers to quickly deal with the consumers and offer the products .
- Discuss the role of social media in an IMC program. What can these media best contribute with regard to helping marketers achieve communications objectives?
Social media has an important role in the integrated marketing communications program as these help in the decision making process of the marketers in devising strategies that can affect the brand promotion. The social media is an effective means for achieving the brand communication objectives as social media helps the brands in connecting directly with the customers and increasing brand awareness.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of coupons as a sales promotion tool. How would you respond to critics who argue that they are inefficient since less than 2 percent of coupons are redeemed?
Coupons are an effective sales promotion tool as they allow consumers to get instant discounts on the sale of certain products and imply savings for the customers . The critics may argue that coupons are an inefficient means of promotions as less than 2 percent of coupons may be redeemed. However, it is important to note that coupons are easy to measure as tools of customer acquisition and brand engagement and also are a means to reward existing customers and attract new customers towards the brand.
References
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