Social Marketing

Marketing Mix
The Promotion P
The promotion P is the P most people think of when they think of marketing. You now know that
it comes at the end of a long chain of research, thinking, analysis, testing, and decision-making
and that it is only one piece of the marketing mix. The fundamental purpose of the promotion P
is to ensure that target consumers know about, understand, and are pre-disposed to believing
that 1) the benefits offered by the new products and services; 2) the benefits offered by educational
advice; and 3) the barriers or benefits offered by the proposed regulatory systems are
credible, personally applicable to the consumer, and real.
We do not, however want to neglect promotion; it can be a wonderful blend of artistry, science,
and organization. Indeed, there are dozens of promotion tactics open to you – ranging from
mass media advertising to one-on-one sales techniques. And, given the explosion of e-marketing
there are new tactics opening almost every day.
Beware however. In all the excitement about messaging, persuasion, emotional appeals and
magic, don’t forget the fundamental goal of the promotion P. The promotion P exists to ensure
that priority consumers:
• repeatedly hear the message,
• understand the message,
• can remember the message,
• believe that the messages are directed at them,
• believe that the message is from a credible source, and
• are pre-disposed to believing that the benefits of the products and services being
promoted are real.
That’s a lot to accomplish in a market crowded with messages, filled with contradictory claims,
full of discredited spokespersons, and prone to exaggeration and hype. For this reason, the success
of the promotion P rests on the:
• truth of the claims,
• timing of the communication,
• effectiveness of the message to break through the clutter,
• ability to remain memorable, and the
• credibility of the spokesperson.