Marketing Management, Millenium Edition - epiheirimatikotita.gr

294 CHAPTER 15 DESIGNING AND MANAGING INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONSTable 5.6Major Tools in Marketing PRPublications: Companies rely extensively on published materials to reach and influencetarget markets, including annual reports, brochures, articles, printed and on-line newslettersand magazines, and audiovisual materials.Events: Companies can draw attention to new products or other company activities byarranging special events like news conferences, on-line chats, seminars, exhibits, contests andcompetitions, and sport and cultural sponsorships that will reach the target publics.News: One of the major tasks of PR professionals is to find or create favorable news aboutthe company, its products, and its people.The next step—getting the media to accept pressreleases and attend press conferences—calls for marketing and interpersonal skills.Speeches: Speeches are another tool for creating product and company publicity andbuilding the company’s image.Public-Service Activities: Companies can build goodwill by contributing money and timeto good causes.Identity Media: To attract attention and spark recognition, the firm’s visual identity iscarried by its logos, stationery, brochures, signs, business forms, business cards,Web site,buildings, uniforms, and dress codes.➤newsworthy events to sponsor as a way of stimulating media coverage. For example,when Anheuser-Busch sponsored a Black World Championship Rodeo in Brooklyn,the event attracted more than 5,000 spectators.Implementing and evaluating the plan. PR implementation must be handled with care.A great story is easy to place, but other stories might not get past busy editors. One ofthe chief assets of publicists is their personal relationship with media editors. MPR’scontribution to the bottom line is difficult to measure because it is used along withother promotional tools. The easiest measure is the number of exposures obtained inthe media, including the audience size and the cost of that space and time ifpurchased at advertising rates. Other measures include changes in product awareness,comprehension, or attitude resulting from the MPR campaign (after allowing for theeffect of other promotional tools). The most satisfactory measure, however, is salesand-profitimpact, allowing the company to determine its return on MPR investment.EXECUTIVE SUMMARYModern marketing calls for more than developing a good product, pricing it attractively,and making it accessible to target customers. Companies must also communicatewith present and potential stakeholders, and with the general public. The marketingcommunications mix consists of five major modes of communication: advertising, salespromotion, public relations and publicity, personal selling, and direct marketing.Developing effective marketing communications involves eight steps: (1) Identifythe target audience, (2) determine the communication objectives, (3) design the message,(4) select the communication channels, (5) establish the total communicationsbudget, (6) decide on the communications mix, (7) measure the communications’results, and (8) manage the integrated marketing communication process.Managing the communications process calls for integrated marketing communications(IMC), a concept that recognizes the added value of a comprehensive plan