IMC EXAM NOTES
Push and Pull Strategies
Push Strategies: involves personal selling and sales promotion activities to get
intermediaries to promote, recommend and sell the brand.
Pull strategies: marketing activities directed at end users to induce them to ask the
intermediaries for the product, thus induce the intermediaries to order the product form
manufacturer
Marketing Communications Tools:
Advertising: Mass mediated attempt to persuade
Sales Promotion: Any activity that offers incentives, such as trial or continued
purchase, for a limited time period to induce a desired response from a targeted
population.
Events and Experiences: Activity where by a sponsor contractually provides
financial and/or other support to an organization, an individual or team in return
for rights to associate the sponsor`s name, company, product or brand and logo
with the sponsored event or activity. Event marketing may be part of the
sponsorship deal.
Public Relation and Publicity: The management, through communication, of
perceptions and strategic relationships between an organization and its internal
and external shareholders.
Direct and Interactive Marketing: An interactive system of marketing that uses
one or more advertising media to effect a measurable response or transaction
at any location.
Personal Selling: Person to person process by which the seller learns about
prospective buyers wants and seeks to satisfy them by selling them suitable
goods/services.
Word-of-Mouth/eWOM Marketing: A non-paid form of communication, usually
interpersonal communication face-to-face or via digital means regarding
products, brands or services.
Digital Media Marketing: The use of the internet, world wide web, email and
mobile technology.
,Marketing Communication Planning Process
1. Define Problem/Challenge/Opportunity: Usually vaguely outlined by the
client. Starts as a business problem, however the cause may be different from
what the client thinks. Needs to determine whether problem is in fact a
advertising/sales promotional one. Must ask clients lots of questions.
2. Situational analysis: Collection of methods used to analyse an organisations
internal and external environment to understand the organization`s capabilities,
customers and business environment.
a. SWOT analysis: The information for this analysis will come directly from
the internal analysis (strengths and weaknesses) and external analysis
(opportunities and threats)
i. Internal Analysis-Porters 5 forces: Suppliers, Consumers,
Competition, Threat of Substitutes and Barrier to Entry.
ii. External Analysis-PESTLE: Political, Environmental, Social,
Technological, Legal, Economic (5-7 pages).
This SWOT is then broken down into strengths (monetary resources,
established policies, personnel skills, track record, etc.) and
opportunities which can be leveraged and weaknesses and threats
which need to be addressed. These inform the objectives, targets and
positioning of the strategy. Understand what market you are operating in
and to find insights.
3. Analyse targets and relationships: Define the target market by analysing the
market then deciding on a key segment. 4 techniques for segmenting:
Demographic, Psychographic, Behavioural and Geograhpic. Key questions
which should be answered are:
a. Who is the target audience and why?
b. What are their characteristics?
c. What are their thought processes?
d. What makes them choose a particular brand?
4. Define brand positioning and brand promise:
a. Brand Positioning: Begin by understanding the brands intrinsic and
extrinsic qualities. Why does the brand exist? What is its personality?
What is its competitive advantage? Does it have a healthy brand equity?
(Brand Awareness, Brand Associations, Perceived Brand Quality and
Brand Loyalty). For example, Volvo: values safety.
b. Brand Promise: Extension of company`s positioning. An expected
benefit that creates desire for the product. For example, Volvo: is selling
you a safe car.
5. Set Marketing Communication Objectives: These should be developed to
leverage and address the SWOT analysis. They should be Specific,
Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. Derived from objectives of
overall marketing department. There are two types:
, a. Communication: To create awareness or send some sort of message-
important and always first. Creates awareness, interest and desire.
b. Behavioural: Main goal to make consumer buy the product.
They focus on creating awareness, informing, establishing or reinforcing
attitudes and perceptions, image creation, liking and trust, integration of tools
and persuading the consumer. Can answer using bulletpoints
Note: Marketing objective are different they focus on sales, market share,
market growth, service and relationship issues.
6. Develop Strategies and Tactics: Determine marketing objectives. (eg need
to create awareness through advertising). Should be linked to objectives
a. Create Strategies: A method/plan to bring about a desired future, such
as achievement of a goal or solution to a problem. Ideas about how to
achieve objectives. What is the best blend of tools and how will they be
integrated.
b. Create Tactics: These will make up an action plan which is more
detailed than strategy (when, where, how you will advertise and what the
message is). The means by which a strategy is carried out.
7. Budgeting: Deciding how much money to spend on each element of the
marketing communication mix. Various techniques are used to decide what
percentage of the marketing budget is spent on marketing communications.
Approaches:
Top-down approach: Management sets out budget and gives to
marketing team.
Bottom-Up Approach: Marketing team decides on plan and then
requests the budget for it accordingly.
8. Timing and scheduling: MC activity roll out plan. It is important to consider
balance and to coordinate the timing between marketing, production and sales.
In assignment state the frequency required and justify. Example of schedule:
Program Time Rate Frequency Weekly Campaign Total
per week Cost Duration Costs
Uzalo 20:00- R 265 3 R 795 1 month R 3 180
20:30 000 000 000
9. Test the Marketing Mix: Does the campaign communicate your message
effectively? Depends on budget and time. Very unpredictable sometimes the
only way to know if it will work is to try it. Could use a pilot using a simulated
test market as a method.
10. Evaluate Effectiveness: Were the objectives met? How was the brand health
indicators affected? What marketing metrics can be measured? Were
relationships positively reinforced?
IMC in the Future: Due to digital media increased presence traditional media is losing
its grip. Multiple communication channels should be used, making it fragmented.
