What are the major functions performed by marketing public relations? Illustrate with examples
Marketing public relations (MPR) is one of the most powerful tools for creating awareness of products or services as it focuses on sales and creates good brand images of goods or services. This method allows an organization to win a bigger and more correct target market by eliminating barriers that are caused by media fragmentation. Besides, as this method uses and supports other marketing communication tools, it can help reposition a business unit in the right market. By doing this, a business’s credibility is enhanced and this, in turn, creates loyal customers. Moreover, MPR is an important tool for reducing the cost of marketing and advertising, because of its ability to create more awareness and reach many consumers. On the other hand, because presently most companies are faced with the problem of advertising clutter, this method can help such organizations gain more from any advertising and marketing ventures, as it offers a better mechanism of receiving customers’ reactions and feedback. Some of the common examples of MPR techniques that are used to increase product or service sales include doing media tours or celebrity product endorsements. Another example is creating stories of products and using the press to seek an audience for such products (Satawedin, n.d., pp. 5-6).
What is Integrated Marketing Communications? What is its significance in the present marketing environment?
Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is a planning process that is adapted to help organizations achieve the goals of a marketing campaign using well organized and synchronized promotional methods. One of the primary reasons why IMC is important is because it creates more contact points. Through the use of both traditional media such as the television and radio, and non-traditional methods such as the internet (SEOs, blogs, and podcasts), an organization can reach a large target audience. Also, as a result of the increasing advertising clutter and resistance to ads, this method gives an organization an added advantage of convincing a bigger audience. Moreover, this method is cost-effective and efficient, because its messages are normally conveyed straight to customers and other interested businesses, and it encourages duplication of content and graphics. On the other hand, unlike most traditional marketing strategies which main aim is to get new customers, when using this method, an organization can promote customer loyalty as it encourages the use of two-way communication channels and the creation of a consumer-controlled market. Finally, because IMC’s messages encourage consistency, this process can greatly help reduce customers’ doubt; hence, increase a brand’s credibility and acceptance (Burgmann & Kitchen, 2010, pp. 1-3).
What are the Elements of the marketing communications mix?
This is a technique of combining marketing tools or elements of marketing communication (advertising, public relations, direct marketing, sales promotion, and personal selling) to convey the marketer’s goals to achieve certain objectives and satisfy a target market. Advertising is a mass-media approach to promoting ideas, goods, or services using a certain media. When using this method, one can use magazines, newspapers, radio, television, or any other form of media which time or space should be paid for. “Public relations” is the use of different methods to enhance and manage the organizations’ relationship or social consciousness with the general public. Personal selling is the oral presentation in form of a conversation, which is aimed at making an individual or an organization purchase the products that are being promoted. This method is normally dyadic, flexible, personalized, and in most cases, it results in direct sales promotion. Sales promotion is the use of marketing activities, other than the elements of the marketing communication mix to promote consumer purchasing. Common examples of marketing activities that are used here include the use of coupons, mailers, and internet coupons. Lastly, direct marketing is the use of techniques such as direct mailing, catalogs, electronic retaining, and telemarketing to encourage buyers to purchase from their local stores or any other non-retail settings (Fill & Jamieson, 2011, pp. 6-16).
Reference List
Burgmann, I., & Kitchen, P. J. (2010). Integrated Marketing Communications. Web.
Fill, C., & Jamieson, B. (2011). Marketing Communications. Web.
Satawedin, P. (n.d). Marketing Public Relations (MPR): The Unbelievable Integrated Marketing Communication. Web.