Applying the Promotion Blend to Real World Products and Services

Selected Marketing Questions and Answers
Although views differ about optimal strategies, there is a near universal consensus that effective marketing practices are the lifeblood of any commercial operation (Rasul, 2018). The purpose of this paper is to provide timely and informed answers to a series of guiding questions concerning marketing and promotion methods. The paper begins by briefly explaining the nature of the three basic promotion methods and continues with a discussion concerning the three basic objectives to the four jobs (AIDA) of promotion and a salient example. Finally, an explanation concerning how an understanding of the adoption process would help develop a promotion blend is followed by a summary of the research and important findings concerning the foregoing issues in the conclusion.
Briefly explain the nature of the three basic promotion methods available to a marketing manager. What are the main strengths and limitations of each?
Personal selling. This basic promotion method uses verbal and nonverbal communication by the seller to persuade prospective customers to make a positive purchase decision. Because personal selling involves face-to-face communications, the overarching strength of this method is the fact that sellers have the opportunity to provide instantaneous and individualized feedback concerning consumer questions which can facilitate closing the sale (Perrault & McCarthy, 2002). For instance, according to Olumoko and Abass (2012), “Personal selling is a unique element of marketing, it does not only create awareness and provide information about the features of the products; it also adopts individualistic approach that is designed to meet specific need of prospects and specific market segments” (p. 147). The main limitation of this promotion method, however, is its highly limited range that typically involves just one or a few potential customers.
Mass selling. Far more common today compared to personal selling in most developed countries, this basic promotion method communicates a marketing message to large numbers of prospective customers simultaneously (Perrault & McCarthy, 2002). The main limitation of this promotion method is the lack of opportunities to provide instant feedback to customers’ questions which is not available with mass selling in the same fashion as with personal selling, its main strength is its ability to reach large numbers of prospective customers in a highly cost effective manner (Collins & Schumacher, 2009).
Sales promotion: Finally, this basic promotion method involves the use of conventional promotional activities that are intended to sufficiently pique potential customers’ interest to convince them to give the product a try (Perrault & McCarthy, 2002). This promotion method, however, does not include advertising, personal selling or publicity. The main strength of this promotion method is its ability to attract significant amounts of short-term interest in a product or service in ways that can help persuade customers to give a product or service a trial and subsequently engage in a positive purchase decision.
Relate the three basic promotion objectives to the four jobs (AIDA) of promotion using a specific example.
The three basic promotion objectives (informing, persuading, and reminding) of the four AIDA jobs (get attention, maintain interest, arouse desire, and secure action) (Perrault & McCarthy, 2002) are discussed below.
Informing. Even the world’s best product (or service) will not gain and sustain a competitive advantage unless potential customers are aware of its existence and how it can improve their lives (Perrault & McCarthy, 2002). This promotion objective is focused on educating prospective consumers about the attributes of a product or service that will motivate them to learn more. In this regard, Ohumoko and Abass (2012) emphasize that, “A product that is well conceived and produced through the combination of the most modern technologies and the best of inputs cannot sell itself. There is the need for the existence of such product to be made known to the target market” (p. 148).
A specific example of this type of objective is the extensive educational material that Tesla (2018) provides its prospective consumers concerning the basics of hybrid and all-electric vehicles on its corporate Web site at https://www.tesla. com/blog/hybrids-plug-or-otherwise. It is important to note that both mass communication and personal selling provide a valuable long-term framework in which this promotion objective can be achieved, while sales promotions represent a short-term strategy for this objective.
Persuading: Simply stated, this promotion objective involves creating and maintaining favorable attitudes about products or services in order to motivate consumers to make an initial and – where applicable – repeat purchases (Perrault & McCarthy, 2002). A good example of this type of promotion objective is Canon’s “stabilizer” feature print advertisement shown in Figure 1 below. As can be readily discerned from this graphic, Canon has dramatically captured the primary advantage of using photographers using its image stabilizing feature by creating a three-legged man who enjoys rock-solid stability despite his precarious position.
Figure 1. Persuasive advertisement for Canon’s image stabilizer feature
Source: http://indulgd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/brilliant-print-ads-7.jpg
Reminding: In sum, this promotion objective involves keeping a brand name in front of the public in order to remind them of their past positive experiences in order to motivate them to remain loyal customers and to prevent them from trying competitors’ brands (Perrault & McCarthy, 2002). Perhaps the most famous examples of this type of promotion objective are Coca-Cola’s advertisements that consistently highlight the fabulous lifestyle that drinking this soft drink confers by focusing on nostalgic memories from the past (“Code Adds Life” and “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke”), including most especially the graphic depicted in Figure 2 below.
Figure 2. Iconic Coke advertisement using reminding
Source: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/content/dam/journey/us/en/global/2012/10/CocaColaStoriesAdvertisingStories-604-st-604-337-6eb7ecd9.rendition.598.336.jpg
Explain how an understanding of the adoption process would help you develop a promotion blend for digital tape recorders, a new consumer electronics product that produces high-quality recordings.
Developing a comprehensive understanding of the adoption process and so-called “adoption curve” depicted in Figure 3 below can help marketing managers identify the point at which consumers have accepted new ideas as well as what point promotional efforts should be modified in response to changes in consumer preferences (Khan & Ruhi, 2013).
Figure 3. Adoption Curve
Source: http://updopt.com/gfx/curve.png
As can be seen from the curve described in Figure 3 above, the series of stages that are involved in the adoption process contribute to a cumulative linear increase in consumers’ interest and willingness to pay real money for a given product such as a superior quality digital tape recorder. In this regard, Perrault and McCarthy (2002) report that, “The ‘adoption curve’ shows when different groups accept ideas. It also shows the need to change the promotion effort as time passes” (p. 383). In the context of digital tape recorders capable of producing high quality recordings, the adoption process would involve applying the five stages described below.
Stage One -- Product Awareness: This initial stage involves developing consumer awareness of the product using the most effective communication platforms available (Chandra, 2014). As noted above, though, even the world’s best products or services will remain unsold unless consumers know about them, but there are a wide array of methods available that can help achieve this first stage, including social media and other IT platforms where product information can be updated easily and new features can be promoted (Lorenzo-Romero & Alarcon-del-Amo, 2014).
Stage Two -- Product Interest: Once consumers are sufficiently educated concerning a product or service, their next step is to provide them with any additional information they need to formulate the decision to give the product or service a trial. This stage may overlap with the first stage with respect to educating consumers, but stage two is focused more on convincing consumers that they cannot live without a product or service while the first stage is intended to move them on to the second stage (Chandra, 2014).
Stage Three – Product Evaluation: At this stage, consumers are sufficiently educated and interested to want to evaluate the product or service by examining it and, when possible (such as in brick-and-mortar stores), thereby determining its “look and feel” qualities and aspects (Higgins, 2014). The look and feel qualities may be far more important in some instances (i.e., a hammer or dress) but regardless of the communication platform that is used for this stage, consumers evaluate the product or services according to their individual preferences and tastes (Chandra, 2014) prior to moving to the penultimate stage discussed below.
Stage Four – Product Trial: This is the “make or break” stage where consumers gain firsthand experience with a product or service by giving it a trial run. For example, Chandra (2014) notes that, “This is the stage where the consumer ‘kicks the tires.’ Nothing helps a consumer make a decision about your product more than actually trying your product out!” (para. 5). Besides offering a free trial period, companies can also provide customers with an unconditional money-back guarantee for a specified period (i.e., one month) to encourage them to trial the product or service (Chandra, 2014). An important point made by Chandra, though, is that, “In this stage it is very important to set the customer expectations correctly and deliver on said expectations” (para. 5). Therefore, this stage should not be used unless and until marketing managers are absolutely certain of their product or service’s performance and are prepared to spend the money needed when customer expectations are not satisfied (Gilligan & Wilson, 2009).
Stage Five: Product Adoption: This is the final stage of the adoption curve in which consumers are fully prepared to purchase a product or service, but in order to “seal the deal,” companies must ensure that their offerings are readily available and easily accessible and that payment terms are streamlined to the maximum extent possible (Chandra, 2014).
Explain why you might change the promotion blend during the course of the adoption process.
There are an infinite number of eventualities that would require changing the promotion blend during the above-described stages. A representative sampling of such eventualities according to the stage of the adoption curve is set forth in Table 1 below.
Table 1
Sample eventualities that might require changes in the promotion blend during the adoption process
Stage
Description
Stage One: Product Awareness
Changes to the promotion blend may be needed during the first stage if the selected basic promotion method is failing to achieve the marketing manager’s expectations and objectives. For instance, a company may elect to pursue a personal selling strategy that focuses on raising consumer awareness of a product by demonstrating it at large public gatherings. This strategy, however, may not succeed in achieving the full range of objectives required by the promotion blend, necessitating a change in strategy to more effectively promote consumer awareness.
Stage Two: Product Interest
In the event the promotion blend is failing to translate a sufficient percentage of consumers who have been educated concerning a product or service into interested consumers, changes to the promotion blend may be needed in order to ensure that consumers remain engaged in the purchasing decision process. For example, it may be necessary to develop a frequently asked question and answer online resource based on the most commonly requested information.
Stage Three: Product Evaluation
Changes to the promotion blend may be required during this stage in the event consumers are not responding to the types of evaluation opportunities provided. For example, consumers may want the chance to gain the “look and feel” of a product prior to giving it a formal trial as noted below.
Stage Four: Product Trial
During this stage, changes to the promotion blend may be required to respond to consumer dissatisfaction with the limited amount of time allowed for a free trial period or the offer of free return shipping in the event they want to return the product for a full refund.
Stage Five: Product Adoption
The final stage is no time for complacency, and marketing managers must remain vigilant to identify changes in consumer preferences that would necessitate changes to the promotion blend.
Conclusion
Once aspiring practitioners learn that marketing involves far more than just advertising, the next step is to learn the fundamentals that are involved in developing an effective marketing mix and promotion blend. The research was consistent in showing that there are a number of proven methods and strategies available to help marketing managers develop and implement effective marketing initiatives that are based on the three basic promotion methods and corresponding objectives. Achieving optimal outcomes, however, demands careful due diligence and ongoing market analysis to ensure that the marketing program remains on target and provides the best return on corporate investments in marketing.
References
Chandra, N. (2014, October 27). Five stages to consumer adoption process. WeLink. Retrieved from https://welink.com/blog/2014/10/27/the-consumer-adoption-process-never-changes/.
Collins, S. & Schumacher, J. (2009, October). Unleashing the partnership marketing opportunity: Create better products and more effective marketing campaigns at lower cost. CRM Magazine, 9(10), 56.
Gilligan, C. & Wilson, R. M. (2009). Strategic marketing planning. London: Routledge.
Higgins, B. (2014, October). Brand: What really defines your brand? ABA Banking Journal, 106(10), 16-20.
Khan, S. & Rohi, S. (2013, April). Investigating the factors affecting youth brand choice for mobile phones purchase. Management & Marketing, 8(2), 369-371.
Lorenzo-Romero, C. & Alarcón-del-Amo, M. (2014, January). Determinants of use of social media tools in retailing sector. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 9(1), 44-47.
Olumoko, T. A. & Abass, O. A. (2012, April). The role of personal selling in enhancing client satisfaction in Nigerian insurance market. Journal of Emerging Trends in Economics and Management Sciences, 3(2), 147-151.
Perrault, W. D. & McCarthy, J. (2002). Basic marketing: A global managerial approach. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Rasul, T. (2018, Winter). Relationship marketing's importance in modern corporate culture. The Journal of Developing Areas, 52(1), 261.