Definition of marketing communications. Modern marketing requires more than just developing a good product, offering it at an attractive price, and making it accessible to target customers.
Companies must also communicate with existing and potential customers, retailers, suppliers, those with an interest in the company, and the general public.
Every company cannot escape its role as communicator and promoter. For most companies, the question is not whether or not to communicate, but rather what to communicate, to whom and how often.
Marketing communications mix The marketing
communications mix (also known as the promotional mix) consists of five main modes of communication:
- Advertising : all forms of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services paid for by an identified sponsor.
- Sales Promotion : various short-term incentives to encourage the desire to try or buy a product or service.
- Public relations and publicity : various programs to promote and/or protect the image of a company or its individual products.
- Personal selling : direct interaction with one or more prospects to make presentations, answer questions, and take orders.
- Direct marketing : the use of mail, telephone, facsimile, e-mail, and other non-personal means of communication to communicate directly with or solicit an immediate response from specific customers and prospects.
Thanks to technological breakthroughs, people are able to communicate through both traditional media (newspapers, press, radio, telephone, television) as well as newer forms of media (computers, fax machines, cell phones, and pagers).
The development of these new technologies lowered telecommunications costs so that more and more companies shifted from mass communication to more targeted communication and one-on-one dialogue. Marshall McLuhan stated that “The media is the message”, meaning that the communication media used influences the content of the message.
Read too Effect of price on consumer preferences
The price of the product, the shape and color of the packaging, the attitude and dress of the salesperson, the location of the business, the stationery used in the company communicate something to the buyer.
The entire marketing mix, not just the promotional mix, must be well designed to express and prepare for the company’s desired strategic positioning.
