Discussion Assignment Instructions Instructions The student must post 2 replies of at least 250 words.  Threads For each thread, students must support their assertions with at least 2 sc

Jeffrey Karlberg

MondayFeb 5 at 11:41am

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Jeffrey

Promotion  

Promotion is a crucial component of the marketing mix, which refers to a company's tactics and strategies to reach its target audience and generate interest in its products or services (Osiri, 2013). Unlike other elements such as product, price, and place, promotion is geared towards informing, persuading, and reminding potential and existing customers of the company's brand and offerings (Jager, 2007). The ultimate objective of promotion is to enhance visibility, establish a positive image, and drive sales (Kumar et al., 2012).

Promotional activities can take many forms, including advertising, sales promotions, public relations, direct marketing, and personal selling (Osiri, 2013). Advertising, one of the most visible forms of promotion, involves paying for space or time in various media to deliver a controlled message to a large audience. Sales promotions, such as coupons, contests, and discounts, offer immediate buying incentives. Public relations activities aim to build and maintain a positive image of the company or brand through media coverage and other non-paid forms of communication (Jager, 2007). Direct marketing reaches customers personally through email or mail, while personal selling involves one-on-one interactions between a salesperson and a customer (Osiri, 2013).

Strategy for disruptive marketing plan

Effective promotion requires a well-planned strategy that integrates various promotional tools to communicate a consistent message about the value of the company's offerings (Marino & Lo Presti, 2019). By understanding the needs and preferences of their target audience, marketers can select the most appropriate promotional mix to achieve their marketing objectives (Jager, 2007). Incorporating many principles into a disruptive marketing plan requires a deep understanding of the essence of disruptive marketing itself. Disruptive marketing does not just follow the conventional paths of advertising and promotion. It seeks to break norms, create new categories, or significantly alter consumer perceptions and behaviors in existing market offerings (Marino & Lo Presti, 2019). This approach necessitates a blend of creativity, insight, and a communications perspective to effectively shake up the market and capture attention in a way that traditional methods may not.

Understanding the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Approach

The core of the IMC approach is that all communication and messages about a brand or product are carefully linked. This ensures consistency across all marketing channels, enhancing the overall impact of the marketing efforts (Rehman et al., 2022). For a disruptive marketing plan, the IMC approach emphasizes the importance of a unified message that resonates with the audience across all touchpoints, whether through social media, traditional advertising, direct marketing, or public relations. It is about creating a narrative so compelling and uniquely different that it disrupts consumer expectations and experiences (Rehman).

Crafting a Disruptive Message

The first step in developing a disruptive marketing plan is to craft a message that challenges the status quo. This involves deep market research to identify gaps in consumer satisfaction, overlooked needs, or emerging trends that competitors have not yet addressed (Marino & Lo Presti, 2019). The goal is to find a unique selling proposition that differentiates the brand and challenges consumers' thinking about the product category (Marino & Lo Presti). This could involve highlighting a neglected benefit, introducing a novel product use, or even creating a new category.

Leveraging Emerging Media and Technologies

Disruptive marketing thrives on innovation in messaging and the mediums used to convey that message. Leveraging emerging media and technologies can provide new avenues to reach and engage with audiences in ways that competitors might not utilize effectively (Rehman et al., 2022). This could involve augmented reality experiences, immersive interactive campaigns, or leveraging data analytics for hyper-targeted advertising (Jager, 2007). The key is to use these technologies not just for novelty's sake but to enhance the communication of the disruptive message to amplify its impact. Adopt a strategic approach to content creation and distribution across social media platforms (Kumar et al., 2021). This involves promoting the brand’s message and engaging in meaningful consumer interactions. The marketing plan can turn social media into a powerful tool for building relationships, fostering brand loyalty, and driving advocacy (Jager, 2007).

Engaging with the Community and Building Advocacy

A significant part of disruptive marketing is creating a movement around the brand or product. This involves engaging with the community through social media, events, and other platforms to build a base of advocates who believe in the disruptive message. Edelman (2010) highlights the importance of public relations and direct marketing for building consumer relationships. For a disruptive marketing plan, these tools can be instrumental in mobilizing a community of brand advocates who can amplify the disruptive message through word-of-mouth and social sharing (Marino & Lo Presti, 2019). To effectively disrupt the market, brands must identify and engage with consumers at new touchpoints, particularly during the evaluate and enjoy-advocate-bond stages (Edelman, 2010). Encourage and harness consumer-generated content to influence consumer behavior significantly. This can be achieved by creating campaigns that inspire consumers to share their experiences, reviews, and content related to the brand, thereby enhancing brand visibility and trustworthiness through peer endorsements (Keller, 2000).

Evaluating and Adapting the Approach

Finally, a disruptive marketing plan must be flexible and adaptive. The market's response to a disruptive campaign can be unpredictable, and marketers must be ready to adjust their strategies based on real-time feedback and performance metrics (Jager, 2007). This means closely monitoring the effectiveness of different communication channels, the resonance of the message with the target audience, and the overall impact on market perceptions and behaviors. To stay ahead in a disruptive marketing landscape, brands must continually analyze consumer behavior and preferences, adapting real-time strategies based on data analytics insights (Marino & Lo Presti, 2019). This involves tracking sales and website traffic and monitoring social media sentiment, engagement patterns, and the effectiveness of different content.

The IMC approach emphasizes the importance of evaluation and feedback in refining and improving marketing communications, which is especially critical in disruptive marketing. Utilize social media platforms to create a trilateral relationship between the company, consumers, and the community (Rehman et al., 2022). This approach fosters a comprehensive brand engagement, enabling a consistent and unified message across all platforms (Keller, 2000). By implementing this strategy, a disruptive marketing plan can leverage social media to amplify brand identity, image, and company performance.

A disruptive marketing plan involves crafting a unified and compelling narrative that challenges market norms, leveraging innovative media and technologies, engaging deeply with the community to build advocacy, and remaining adaptable in the face of market feedback (Marino & Lo Presti, 2019). Integrating IMC and social media offers a transformative approach to marketing communications, enabling brands to engage with consumers in more meaningful, personalized, and impactful ways (Kumar et al., 2021). A disruptive marketing plan that leverages these insights can achieve significant competitive advantages, driving brand awareness, loyalty, and business success. By doing so, marketers can effectively disrupt the market, capturing attention and driving significant changes in consumer behavior and market dynamics.

 

 

References:

Edelman, D. C. (2010). Branding in The Digital Age.  Harvard Business Review,  88(12), 62–69.

Jager, W. (2007). The four P's in social simulation, a perspective on how marketing could benefit from the use of social simulation. Journal of Business Research, 60(8), 868-875. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2007.02.003

Keller, K. L. (2000). The Brand Report Card.  Harvard Business Review,  78(1), 147–157.

Kumar, V., Ramachandran, D., & Kumar, B. (2021). Influence of new-age technologies on marketing: A research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 125, 864-877. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.01.007

Osiri, J. K. (2013). ENTREPRENEURIAL MARKETING: ACTIVATING THE FOUR P'S OF MARKETING STRATEGY IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP.  The Entrepreneurial Executive, 18, 1-6.  https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/entrepreneurial-marketing-activating-four-ps/docview/1368593812/se-2Links to an external site.

Rehman, S. u., Gulzar, R., & Aslam, W. (2022). Developing the integrated marketing communication (IMC) through social media (SM): The modern marketing communication approach. SAGE Open, 12(2), 215824402210999. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221099936

Marino, V., & Lo Presti, L. (2019). Disruptive marketing communication for customer engagement. the new frontiers of mobile instant messaging. International Journal on Media Management (Saint Gall, Switzerland), 21(1), 3-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/14241277.2019.1590837

Akishia

Discussion Thread: 4Ps – Promotion

       Promotion is one of the four elements of the marketing mix framework. Promotion refers to explaining a product's value to existing and potential clients to generate interest, educate, and spur product buying. Promotion is vital as it increases sales by expanding product awareness to purchasers and its benefits to potential clients. Additionally, product promotion plays a critical role in deepening customer relationships by rewarding clients through loyalty programs, referrals, or special deals, which increase sales. This synopsis focuses on the Promotion approaches, with a greater emphasis on public relations.

The element of Promotion

       To reach a target audience and boost sales, product promotion requires innovative marketing techniques. One of the steps firms take to increase sales and foster customer loyalty is launching and advertising a product. Understanding product promotion can aid in learning marketing strategies that boost sales and build brand recognition (Dibb et al., 2019). A practical marketing approach takes into consideration four key factors. One of them is product. Marketing personnel must familiarize themselves with and consider the customer's viewpoint when a company creates a new product or updates an existing one. The first stage in selling a good or service is figuring out its salient characteristics, determining the product's target market, and writing content about it.

       The second key factor is price. Determining how much a product will cost customers is crucial in selling it. A product's pricing is set by several criteria, such as the cost of manufacture, its market value, and how much it costs to compete with other brands. The third aspect is placement. Employees in marketing think about the ideal locations for the product to be placed or sold to reach as many customers as possible (Dibb et al., 2019). Lastly, marketers plan out where and how to advertise a product. It may be necessary to run many campaigns in various media types to advertise a product or service. Innovative product introductions can draw in new clients and win back the interest of existing ones.

Public Relations

       A company's ability to build relationships with consumers, market its offerings, and enhance sales can all be facilitated by effective public relations campaigns. Because a large portion of public relations content is designed to appear as though it was produced by a third party independent of the seller, it can be seen as having a more objective and unbiased slant than other forms of advertising (Gregory, 2020). News conferences, publicity, and press releases are examples of items used in PR. Generally, businesses utilize public relations to enhance their sales efforts and to promote their products.

       A company's success is frequently influenced by how its customers perceive it. Therefore, many businesses handle public relations to get positive press for themselves and their goods. The public relations division may release a news release to publicize an event when the organization does something notable, such as supporting a fundraising effort. Additionally, the public relations department will attempt to limit the harm to the company if it commits a mistake, such as marketing a prescription medication with unanticipated side effects (Gregory, 2020). Notably, publicity is free advertising and can be generated through sponsorships, press releases, community activities, and newsletters. You might recall the buying frenzy surrounding the fuzzy red doll known as "Tickle Me Elmo" over the holiday season. The company delivered a doll-to-talk show presenter Rosie O'Donnell's one-year-old son, which was the big break for this product (Twombly & Twombly, 2019). O'Donnell began throwing dolls into the audience two months before Christmas each time a guest used the word "wall." Marketers had to spend a few hundred dollars on the Promotion, but the product took off.

       Public relations is associated with multiple advantages. One of them is believability. Most people believe that press coverage is more reliable and authentic than paid advertising. Any product claim is permissible while advertising. Customers are aware of this and typically respond with distrust. However, you are not required to be highlighted by reporters in their shows or publications and to have them talk favorably about your company. Another advantage is the practical education of the potential clients on the product (Grunig, 2020). Press releases can now be written and posted on the company website. The company can still gain competitive value even though this might reach fewer people than having a reporter incorporate the company's press release into a news article.

Conclusion

       Promotion is an essential marketing component since it raises consumer knowledge of the product's benefits and increases sales. Innovative marketing strategies are needed for product promotion to reach a target demographic and increase sales. Effective public relations strategies can help a business sell its products, cultivate customer relationships, and increase revenue. 

For this reason, many companies manage their PR to garner favorable coverage for their products and themselves. Furthermore, if the company makes a mistake, the public relations staff will work to minimize the damage to the business.

 

References

Dibb, S., Simkin, L., Pride, W. M., & Ferrell, O. C. (2019).  Marketing: Concepts and strategies. Cengage Learning EMEA.

Gregory, A. (2020).  Planning and managing public relations campaigns: A strategic approach. Kogan Page Publishers.

Grunig, L. A. (2020). Power in the public relations department. In  Public Relations Research Annual (pp. 115-156). Routledge.

Twombly, J., & Twombly, J. (2019). Introduction and Definitions.  Political Scandal and American Pop Culture: Sex, Power, and Cover-Ups, pp. 1–12.