Product: Samsung Galaxy S4
For the promotion strategy, there should be defined several aspects that will lead to an efficient promotion of the product: the target audience (taking into consideration the socio – demographic aspects), the location where the product will be promoted, the channels of placing the promotion of the product and the advertising tools that will be used.
Target Audience: The product addresses to the mainstream audience, young and adult population, with mid and high incomes. The focus, however, will be on the younger population, more engaged into the gadget industry.
In this sense, the company needs to approach a standardized promotional strategy, aiming for the product to be received similarly in all the targeted countries. Nevertheless, it should consider the cultural and social differences that exist from country to country and adapt the product to the local markets in terms of promotion, without adjusting the price of the product, however. Therefore, from the marketing mix components (product, placement, promotion, price), the company could juggle with the promotion more, with the placement (distribution) a little but not with the product and with the price.
Channels: Being a brand dedicated to the mainstream consumers, it must benefit of an impressive promotion, buying time and space on television, radio, important printed press with high coverage, outdoor panels and of course, internet (ATL – above the line – strategy) and in – store promotions, games or street promotion (BTL – beyond the line – strategy) (Tymorek 71).
Advertising tools: There should be used a diversified range of tools to promote this product, such as the TV or radio spots, internet banners, printed advertisements. For the in – store promotion, part of the BTL strategy, there will be used merchandising strategies of emphasizing the boots or the stores where Samsung Galaxy S4 is being commercialized, by applying people stoppers and large plasma screens for presenting the qualities of the new product. In the same time, promoters will go around stores, dressed in cool, metallic - like uniforms, and customized make-ups, imitating the colors and the concept of the new smartphone.
Nevertheless, a big advertising tool that will promote the product will be to use the flies. Having in mind the idea of creating buzz around people, spreading the word that the new smartphone from Samsung is launched and can be purchased, there should be spread flies along the shopping areas where the product is commercialized. The flies need to have attached small banners to their feet, which must not harm them, but solely must inform the people about the product, and give them directions where to go for seeing the product. This is an advertisement strategy that can be used in store.
For the on street promotion, Samsung needs to do something big in order to catch the attention of the targeted audience and create awareness for the product, so that everybody learns about Samsung Galaxy S4, even if they will not buy the product. It should target the biggest buildings in the cities where the product will be launched and at night time it should play a story – like laser show, in a catchy manner, in order to attract audiences, to make them stop for a while and to see the story, being automatically exposed to the Samsung Galaxy S4 advertising campaign, hence, being made aware of the existence of this product.
For determining the on – street and in – store clients to go inside the stores where the new product is being sold, the company should use an advertising strategy to attract them. In this sense, they will be given a QR (Quick Response) code (“Samsung QR-Code reader”), which will be scanned only with the new smartphones, for seeing if the customers have won a Samsung product. This advertising strategy will be promoted on radio, TV, internet, social media, encouraging the potential consumers to come in Samsung stores with their QR code, which they will receive from promoters on the streets and inside the shopping centers. Once they will reach the stores where the new Samsung smartphone model is being commercialized, they will be welcomed by a voice controlled computer, such as in Star Trek, and they will be welcomed on board of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and asked to prepare for a new journey. They will be given a 3D pair of glasses for enjoying a short 3D presentation movie. At the end of this experience, the vouchers with the QR code will be checked with the new smartphones and as they are still having their 3D glasses on, they can see on screen whether they wan something or not. Either way, people who enter the store with the QR code will automatically get something from Samsung: a Samsung key chain or bracelet, or an application for their mobile. The lucky QR codes receive the new Smartphone (there should be two per city available during the entire promotional period). The winners will be announced at the end of the campaign, by placing their photos with their smartphones on the windows of all the Samsung stores. Nevertheless, the purpose of this strategy is to determine the customers to buy the product because of its qualities, presented in the movie.
The message: Should be challenging, engaging, entertaining, cool and short:
“Begin a new journey with Samsung Galaxy S4”
For an efficient response, the promotion strategy should be integrated: radio and TV spots send the audience to Facebook and Twitter, the internet (including social media) and classic media should send people to the city center for seeing the building light – up by Samsung, informing about the QR codes and sending the audience to the Samsung stores where the BTL action takes place.
Works Cited
Samsung QR-Code Reader. Accessed on 13 June, 2013, from http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/qr-code-software/samsung/. N.d. Web.
Tymorek, Stan. Advertising and Public Relations. New York: Infobase Publishing. 2010. Print.
