Marketing Communication Plan: Contemporary Marketing Communication
Marketing Communication Tools
Advertising
Advertising is a typical component of the communication mix for many businesses. It encompasses a variety of messages that the business will deliver using a particular medium to reach a targeted audience; the medium is usually paid for (Kelly, Lawlor & O’Donhue, 2005). This method would be effective for the introduction of the Samsung S6 product into the Irish market as it would inform the targeted customers of the availability of the brand in their location. Advertisements are usually made on radio or television stations, print media as well as through website placement (Fill, 2013). An online presence allows potential buyers who might have heard, seen, or read offline advertisements of the phone to check the specific features of the phone such as its size and operating system type as well as examine reviews by other users to determine whether they would wish to purchase the Samsung S6.
New products require memorable and attention-grabbing advertisements suited to the target market. For instance, the Samsung S6 has a front camera of five mega pixels and 18.1 mega pixels for the back camera (Wee, 2015). An advertisement of this phone in Ireland can center on this feature to attract youngsters who are involved in the "selfie" culture. To properly advertise the phone, it is essential to consider socio-economic and cultural factors of the Irish people as phones have become representations of personal taste and social class. Targeting young customers will entail promoting a particular lifestyle through the advertisement. Using advertisement to introduce the Samsung S6 to the Irish electronics market is a defensible strategy as this tool allows the company to control the message delivered to target markets (Kelly, Lawlor & O’Donhue, 2005). On the negative side, quality advertisements are costly concerning designing and airing.
Discounts and Promotions
Discounts and promotions are also an effective tool for marketing a new product. A combination of discounts or sales promotions with an advertisement on online and offline media is more effective than discounts or promotions on their own. The logic for discounts and promotions is similar to that of advertisement as targeted customers will receive the information of a new product in the market through paid communication and controlled messages. Discounts and promotions can be intertwined in that sales promotions often entail offering the product at a discounted price. This can take the form of percent-off deals and coupons (Kelly, Lawlor & O’Donhue, 2005). The main aim of using discounts or promotions as communication tools in the case of the Samsung S6 strategy would be to attract new customers; however, these methods are also useful in augmenting revenue and finishing extra inventory of phones in the case newer models.
Direct Marketing
Direct marketing involves interactive communication with the target market. This method focuses on the acquiring response from customers for instance through direct mail and e-mail. Smartphones are a unique aspect of culture and social reputation; introducing the Samsung S6 into the Irish market would thus entail understanding the tastes, preferences, trends, and perspectives of the Irish people. This information can be received through expensive research or simply through increased interactions with target customers. Online and print surveys, mail-order clubs, and infomercials exemplify direct marketing communication (Kelly, Lawlor & O’Donhue, 2005). The response received from customers is invaluable which implies the need for this tool in the marketing communication mix for Samsung S6.
Integration Marketing and the DRIP Framework
Integrated Communication Marketing
This is the process of merging a variety of media to improve the outcome of a marketing strategy. The Samsung S6 marketing communication mix of advertising, discounts, and promotions and direct marketing can be integrated into a comprehensive campaign that would increase the popularity, sales, and ultimately the revenue from selling this smartphone in Ireland. Case in point, introducing an advertisement campaign matched with sales promotions that entail discounted prices of the phone for a proportion of the first few buyers followed by a direct marketing strategy such as using infomercials with a link to the Samsung S6 website page would be a comprehensive, integrated communication strategy.
An integrated marketing strategy is evidently more effective than using the various media separately. A variety of media can be used to influence customers as every single communication tool plays a different role in marketing at the various stages of a consumer’s decision making process. Advertising creates awareness of the availability of a particular product in a certain market, such as the Samsung S6 in Ireland, as well as ignites an interest in customers of the new flashy product. This makes it an effective initial tool of communication especially because it is the initial message a customer receives about the product which will leave a good impression. Direct mail serves well as a subsequent communication tool to advertising. It provides a reliable follow-up mechanism that allows interested customers to gain more detailed and affirmative information about the product through website links and brochures (Kelly, Lawlor & O’Donhue, 2005). This integrated marketing communication strategy is likely to succeed in introducing the Samsung S6 to the Irish market for many reasons. First, a consistent message is relayed through the different media, a consistent design – same visual elements across media for example using a particular color or set of colors to represent the brand, and introducing reinforcements such as discounts and promotions to boost sales (Fill, 2013).
DRIP Framework
The Differentiate-Reinforce-Inform-Persuade (DRIP) framework can be extremely useful in planning the communication strategy for the Samsung S6. The DRIP model is a supportive tool for setting communication objectives. It is applicable in the case of new product launches as well as to reposition a business thus making it suitable for this strategy (Fill, 2013).
The first step is to differentiate the product; this can be accomplished by defining its positioning in the market. The Samsung Galaxy S6 can be differentiated by its fast charging feature, dazzling display as a result of its 5.1 Quad HD Super AMOLED display, and new associated applications such as the Smart Manager (Wee, 2015). Second is to reinforce the message depicting the brand. By consolidating and building up the messages in advertisements and direct mail, it is possible to convince the customer is different concerning superiority, ease of use, or even price (Fill, 2013). In application, partnering with other companies to enhance the features of the smartphone, such as the camera lens could help improve the message in advertisements and promotions. The aspect of DRIP involves creating awareness of the availability of a new product. Giving Samsung S6 trials for instance for two weeks by encouraging bloggers to write about the product could help improve consumer's awareness on the phone and its features. Finally, persuading involves promoting behavior that encourages further purchase (Fill, 2013). In application, using the Samsung S6 exquisite finish as an illustration of sophistication, it is possible to start a social media campaign convincing customers to switch phones to seem more sophisticated (Wee, 2015).
In conclusion, an effective marketing communication plan must constitute an adequate marketing communication mix. The communication mix is defined as the methods and tools employed in promote company products to specific customers. These include placing an advertisement on different media, affording discounts and promotions to customers, and direct marketing. Integrating these methods is an important practice to influence customers. A successful marketing communication plan is characterized by effective and unique marketing tools which are seamlessly integrated to influence targeted customers.
Reference List
Kelly, A. Lawlor, K. & O’donhue, S. (2005). Encoding advertisements: The creative perspective. Journal of Marketing Management, 21, 505-528.
Fill, C. (2013). Marketing Communications. Harlow: Pearson Education.
Wee, A. (2015). Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge review. King Gadget.
