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Part Four Objectives and Budgeting for Integrated Marketing
Communications Programs
Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
Exhibit 7-7 Hitachi
creates an image of speed
and reliability
IV. Objectives and
Budgeting for Integrated
Marketing
Communications Programs
7. Establishing Objectives
and Budgeting for the
Promotional Program
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
campaigns designed to create and enhance favorable perceptions of their stores. In this
case, sales-oriented objectives would not be appropriate; the effectiveness of the campaign
would be based on its ability to create or change consumers’ image of the store.
Sales-oriented objectives are also used when advertising plays a dominant role in a
firm’s marketing program and other factors are relatively stable. For example, many
packaged-goods companies compete in mature markets with established channels of
distribution, stable competitive prices and promotional budgets, and products of similar
quality. They view advertising and sales promotion as the key determinants of a
brand’s sales or market share, so it may be possible to isolate the effects of these promotional
mix variables. 9 Many companies have accumulated enough market knowledge
with their advertising, sales promotion, and direct-marketing programs to have
considerable insight into the sales levels that should result from their promotional
efforts. Referring to the cereal companies, mentioned earlier, Jeff Montie, president of
Kellogg’s Morning Foods Division, now believes that it takes at least $20 million to
“do it right” in promoting a cereal brand. 10 Thus, many companies believe it is reasonable
to set objectives and evaluate the success of their promotional efforts in terms of
sales results. Established brands are often repositioned (as discussed in Chapter 2)
with the goal of improving their sales or relative market share.
Advertising and promotional programs tend to be evaluated in terms of sales, particularly
when expectations are not being met. Marketing and brand managers under
pressure to show sales results often take a short-term perspective in evaluating advertising
and sales promotion programs. They are often looking for a quick fix for declining
sales or loss of market share. They ignore the pitfalls of making direct links
between advertising and sales, and campaigns, as well as ad agencies, may be changed
if sales expectations are not being met. As discussed in Chapter 3, many companies
want their agencies to accept incentive-based compensation systems tied to sales performance.
Thus, while sales may not be an appropriate objective in many advertising
and promotional situations, managers are inclined to keep a close eye on sales and
market share figures and make changes in the promotional program when these numbers
become stagnant.
Communications Objectives
Some marketers do recognize the problems associated
with sales-oriented objectives. They recognize that the
primary role of an IMC program is to communicate and
that planning should be based on communications objectives.
Advertising and other promotional efforts are
designed to achieve such communications as brand
knowledge and interest, favorable attitudes and image,
and purchase intentions. Consumers are not expected to
respond immediately; rather, advertisers realize they
must provide relevant information and create favorable
predispositions toward the brand before purchase behavior
will occur.
For example, the ad for Hitachi in Exhibit 7-7 is
designed to inform consumers of the speed and reliability
of the company’s products and technologies. While there
is no call for immediate action, the ad creates favorable
impressions about the company by creating a distinct
image. Consumers will consider it when they enter the
market for products in this category.
Advocates of communications-based objectives generally
use some form of the hierarchical models discussed
in Chapter 5 when setting advertising and promotion
objectives. In all these models, consumers pass through
three successive stages: cognitive, affective, and conative.
As consumers proceed through the three stages, they
move closer to making a purchase. Figure 7-2 shows the