Integrated marketing and advertisement are tactics that unify multiple marketing systems. However, they carry out marketing across both the traditional marketing channels and the non-traditional channels (Iacobucci and Calder 24). This Marketing approach is designed to build a robust and seamless know how for buyers to relate to the product. The approach tries to combine all components of marketing that include; promotions, direct marketing public associations, advertising, via their particular mix of procedures, media, mechanisms, channels, and happenings, to ensure they function as a unified force (Iacobucci and Calder 19). It is a process engineered to confirm that all communications methods are steady in all the channels and are customer centered (Iacobucci and Calder 24). This method is used to reinforce and complement each other. The method enables business to get data that is going to be used in product development, price determination, distribution channel determination and finally in determination of how to provide customer service. Integrated marketing employs multi-channel methods to reach to the target customer while relying on one or two marketing channels to do the job. It also involves the above and below line marketing channels which include the television, newspapers, radio, direct marketing, just to mention but a few while the tradition marketing is all about line advertising (Pickton and Broderick, pg n.d).
Many methods of marketing analysis are available for the business organization to gather required information for the target market. Mostly, the commonly used marketing analysis options include surveys, setting up a focus group, observation, carrying out field trials. Regardless of the method or the approach used, a marketing analysis tool should provide relevant information that business did not have before (Pickton and Broderick 10). Most companies use survey as a market analysis tool. Telephones, questionnaire, interviews, e-mails and mailer are usually used to gather information. The outcome of the marketing tool used is the information that is meant to help a business organization to develop products that meet their target market needs. For example, a company may want to determine why the sales of its product have gone down. It can select a market analysis tools to analyze the situation and be able to gather information that is going to help it to consider a change in development and distribution of their product (Pickton and Broderick 6).
Competitive advantage is used when explaining features that permit a company to outshine its competitors (Barney and Hesterl 119). The properties include; admittance to natural production materials, like high-rating ores or little energy, skilled workers, geographic location, and the high entrance barriers. Current technologies that include robotics and computer technology can also offer a competitive benefit. In invention itself, can also provide manufacturing advantage of the commodity, or a competitive benefit in the operational process. It is necessary that for a company in any industry to have a unique competitive advantage. It should produce something unique even when homogenous products are affected. For example, if two same companies are producing computers, one company can generate machines at half the price due to its investment in a particular technology. The company will have a competitive advantage over the other due to price. According to Barney and Hesterly, an organization should have something unique that can either be the price of its product or the quality of its product to gain competitive advantage.
Southwest Airlines has a competitive edge over the other airline due to significant investment in planes with big carrying capacity and advanced technology, therefore; reducing their operation cost.
A target market is the explicit group of customers that a company aims to sell its product and services to after the processing is done. The market subdivision is a marketing policy that involves the division of a large consumer market into small groups of customers, companies, or nation, which have, or ought to have, similar needs, priorities, and interests, and later engineering and putting in place plans to win them. Market division’s plans are applied to determine and define the aim of customers and offer valuable information for the marketing policy basics like strategizing to attain individual marketing goals. Firms may come up with goods differentiation mechanisms (Iacobucci and Calder 24), or a complementary tactic, involve specific products or production lines depending on the exact demand and characteristics of the target unit. A company must define it target market as its first step in the formulation of a marketing strategy. A market can be segmented based on the geographical location, that is, the location and climatic conditions of the region or using the socio-economic factors which include the age, education, household size, occupation, and income.
Psychographic segmentation refers to a segmentation based on similarity attitude, values, and lifestyles. Other segmentation includes behavioral that is occasions and the notch of loyalty and commodity –related breakdown that is the relation to the product.
Identifying a highly potential target market for a product or service is paramount. This help in resisting the temptation to be general while doing marketing. If a company identify it as a target, it will be able to get a handle and serve the customers’ needs appropriately (Iacobucci and Calder 24).
The artificial creation of shortage can be a drive to pushing up the demand for goods and service. Shortage is defined as a state in which the demand for a products or service is more than the supply available. Some of the causes of a deficiency may include inaccuracy in the request by a company manufacturing a product or service (Peng&Wang 8). When a company creates an artificial shortage of a product, the demands for the product is likely to go up. The rise in demand is associated by the speculations of more shortage. A government-set price ceiling can also cause shortage. When the state does not allow a free market to determine the price of a product based on its supply and demand, some buyers may decide to buy products when the price is very low for holding purposes. An example is for producers of cabbages who decide to create artificial shortage to families that consume cabbages, the families may opt to buy and store more as they anticipate that more shortage is going to be experienced.
The effectiveness of advertising is high influence by the current trends in this field. As opposed to the tradition adverting methods that included: newspaper, radio, television and other classical methods, most companies have turned to cheaper and more available social media and website for advertisements. The return on capital of tradition advertising agency has drastically reduced due to the adoption of social media marketing which it more effective in this age of technology (Peng and Wang 8). Companies can also advertise and make quick sales from their web sites as it is possible to make an online purchase.
After producing a product, it is very important to choose a distribution channel to make sure that the product reaches the consumer or the target market (Forsyth 112). Some of the factor one should consider when selecting a distribution channel includes: range where the channel chosen should enable the seller to reach to target market. Consider also the length of the distribution channel. When a channel is too long the cost of the product before it reaches the consumer will be to high hence, discourage the consumers goods from buying your product. The channel hence, should be made with few levels as possible. The perishability of a product should be considered, a perishable product such as vegetable should have a very short canal (Forsyth 8).
When selecting a distribution channel for a new product consider the following, brand positioning, the nature of the product to be distributed, the value of the product that is being distributed, high valued products will require a short and a secure channel of distribution and finally consider the on-shelf competition (Forsyth 8).
The vertical distribution channel is a distribution channel in which the outstanding plays are the producer, wholesaler, and retailers they usually work together to satisfy consumers’ wants. In conventional systems for marketing, manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers are isolated entities making considerable efforts to maximize their return on capital. When the energy of one network member to exploit returns on capital is considered at the expense of the colleagues, disagreements can arise that limit profits for the whole canal. To solve the above issue, multiple business organizations are coming up with vertical marketing setups.
Horizontal distribution channel involves agreement by two or more business group at the same level working together for the purpose of buying and taking over of a new market. Horizontal distribution signifies attempt to influence a large, diverse group. The product or service is for all those involved, or almost everyone, and is easy to comprehend and utilize (Forsyth, pg 9).
A post assessment of the integrated way of marketing, communication allows business owners to identify the strengths and weaknesses that happen in the campaign (Pickton and Broderick 38). After carrying out integrated marketing evaluation is necessary for an organization to get the adequate information about the marketing effectiveness of their marketing team. This information is critical for strategic planning for future campaigns, with the ultimate objective of reducing the identifiable weaknesses to zero and focusing on the strengths identified. The information gotten after the evaluation is paramount to an organization as it used to determine the strategies that are doing to be employed in future marketing.
Integrated Marketing Communications ensures all means of communications and messaging are put in one place. Besides, it signifies integrating all the promotion methods and tools to ensure they function together as a single unit. The post-examination procedure is vibrant; it supposed to be repetitively done to make sure its efficiency. However, most of the time, it is worked out to a certain point, when the communication was done shortly after that. But it is necessary to look at how the communications platform impacts the attribute of buyers and viewpoints at different points in a particular period that explains, it should be practiced at all times when the promotion is over.
Work Cited
Barney, Jay B, and William S Hesterly.Strategic Management and the Competitive advantage. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall,pg 119 (2006). Print.
Forsyth &Patrick. “Channel Management”. Oxford, U.K.: Capstone Pub.,pg 112 (2002). Print.
Iacobucci, Dawn, and Bobby J Calder.Kellogg Onthe Integrated Marketing. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, pg 19-24 (2003).
Peng, Qiyuan, and Kelvin C. P Wang.ICTE 2013. Print.
Pickton, David, and Amanda Broderick.The Integrated Marketing Communications. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall,(pg 35-39) 2001. Print.
Pickton, David, and Amanda Broderick.The Integrated Marketing Communications. Harlow, UK: Prentice Hall/Financial Times,(pg 5-10) 2005. Print.
Thompson, Arthur A, A. J Strickland, and John Gamble.Crafting and Executing Strategy. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2008. Print.
