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Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
V. Developing the
Integrated Marketing
Communications Program
16. Sales Promotion © The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
When a brand moves to the maturity stage, advertising is primarily a reminder to
keep consumers aware of the brand. Consumer-oriented sales promotions such as
coupons, price-offs, premiums, and bonus packs may be needed periodically to maintain
consumer loyalty, attract new users, and protect against competition. Tradeoriented
promotions are needed to maintain shelf space and accommodate retailers’
demands for better margins as well as encourage them to promote the brand. A study
on the synergistic effects of advertising and promotion examined a brand in the mature
phase of its life cycle and found that 80 percent of its sales at this stage were due to
sales promotions. When a brand enters the decline stage of the product life cycle, most
of the promotional support will probably be removed and expenditures on sales promotion
are unlikely.
Coordination of Ad and Promotion Themes
To integrate the advertising and sales promotion programs successfully, the theme of
consumer promotions should be tied in with the advertising and positioning theme
wherever possible. Sales promotion tools should attempt to communicate a brand’s
unique attributes or benefits and to reinforce the sales message or campaign theme. In
this way, the sales promotion effort contributes to the consumer franchise-building
effort for the brand.
At the same time, media advertising should be used to draw attention to a sales promotion
program such as a contest, sweepstakes, or event or to a special promotion
offer such as a price reduction or rebate program. An example of this is the ad shown
in Exhibit 16-30 for WD-40, which promotes the Search for 2000 Uses Sweepstakes
that was discussed earlier and shown in Exhibit 16-8. Note how both the magazine ad
and the sweepstakes promotion integrate the variety-of-uses positioning theme used
for WD-40.
Media Support and Timing
Media support for a sales promotion program is critical and should be coordinated with
the media program for the ad campaign. Media advertising is often needed to deliver
such sales promotion materials as coupons, sweepstakes, contest entry forms, premium
offers, and even samples. It is also needed to inform consumers of a promotional offer
as well as to create awareness, interest, and favorable attitudes toward the brand.
By using advertising in conjunction with a sales promotion program, marketers can
make consumers aware of the brand and its benefits and increase their responsiveness
to the promotion. Consumers are more likely to redeem a coupon or respond to a
price-off deal for a brand they are familiar with than one they know nothing about.
Exhibit 16-30 This WD-40
ad promotes the 2000 Uses
Sweepstakes and is
consistent with the
positioning theme used for
the brand
555
Chapter Sixteen Sales Promotion