Communication Marketing

Introduction

The marketing and communication are the main influencing elements of the organization, which it uses to connect itself with the market by conveying its ideas and messages about products, services and brands to the consumers. Marketing communication forms one of the most vital parts of marketing mix. The successful communication is essential for all companies related to different business sectors. They need effective communication to send their messages to shareholders, and consumers in order to maintain as well as expand their market presence. (Richards, J.V. 2002). Communication marketing basically serves the Promotionpart out of four Ps of marketing mix, that are Price, Product, Promotion and Place. It is all about communicating all required messages of the organization to the market through different media. This is also known as Integrated Communication Marketing (IMC). The main purpose of communication marketing in the organization is to make its all interested parties (stakeholders and consumers) understand its intentions and also appreciate the goods and products it offers. This encourages the consumers to give attitudinal and behavioural responses to the organization. The main focus of the companies is to use communication for convincing and persuading people for buying their goods and services.

In the recent scenario, the electronic media has emerged enormously over the traditional printed media. Now, the companies communicate their messages to their consumers via E-mails, SMS, television, company websites etc. These all have become the modern way of communication between the companies and their consumers. The marketing communication is a management process comprising a cycle of various stages, as shown in the given figure.

Obtaining, Recording and Maintaining data

Capturing responses

Analyzing and evaluating database information

Creating Marketing Communication Program

Allocating the Marketing Communication budget

Figure 1 : Integrated Marketing Communication Process This process emphasises on identifying the allocation of investments and what can bring more return on investment. The cycle starts with strategic development stage. This involves the creation of marketing communication program. Here, the organization decides what the various things are, that would come under its advertising bracket. In next stage, the responses of consumers are captured. After this, the captured responses are recorded and maintained as advertising data. The collected data is analyzed and evaluated in the next stage. In the final stage, all the relevant reports that can help in allocating the marketing communication budget are generated by the executives of the organization (Smith, P.R. & Taylor, J. 2004).

The IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications) is a strategic approach which is driven by data. The approach is developed to identify the consumersinsights, and by combining the appropriate mix of online and offline communication channels a strategy is developed. This strategy is developed in such a way so that it would result in strengthening product-consumer relationship (Fill, C. 2002). The success of the business of a company depends majorly on its selection of the most important communication elements. The organizations advertising campaign needs to be effective across every platform.

Mobile Television

Watching television at home has remained a favourite pass time of the households. However, the traditional pattern of day to day living is changing. Gradually it has been witnessed that the younger generation spends more time on lap top, pc, smart phones or tablets. The internet access in smart phones in penetrating in the society, and this has a severe effect on the consumer behaviour. Therefore, this has become a major concern to the companies that how they should adapt this change, and inculcate marketing communication through mobile television. The new business models are converting mobile phones into a market-exclusive platform for the mobile communication. The marketing strategists can create such kind of mobile portals that are customised for their business and brands. The mobile television is the television that is watched on a mini handset or a mobile device. It involves multiple steps to create and implement mobile marketing in strategic management of the organization. It takes efforts for the organization in finding the right use of mobile marketing for its brand. But implementing the mobile marketing in communication marketing can be proved as a long term benefit. The reason of mobile communication being effective is its capability of reaching the targeted audience throughout the day, instead of reaching them at a particular period of time, as they carry their communication device along with them all the time (Richards, J.V. 2002). In the present time, there has remained no difference between the web and internet. There are several factors that should be considered while developing mobile communication campaign, such as identifying the number of audience having smart phone based applications, analyzing the case studies of other brands that how they targeted the audience, calculating the cost of implementing this process and evaluating the technological limitations in communication. Although the mobile marketing has seen the success, yet due to its beginning phase of development it faces certain difficulties that need to be solved. There is still not complete acceptance of mobile marketing among consumers. They hesitate in receiving emails or text messages from unknown sources, and sometimes these messages become source of disturbance. Another challenge is to reach particular demographic consumer, and it needs a huge research. As the mobile numbers are not registered, so it gets difficult to reach right audience.

Advertisements, Promotions and Communications

The decision of selecting right communication media is very important in developing marketing strategy. The organization has to make the best mix of cost-benefit ratio in reaching their consumers. Taking Wal Marts example, its marketing mission is to provide consumers a greater support team in the store. The process involves the different available media options, selection of the right media, developing promotional strategies, financial analysis and the marketing regulatory environment. The marketing communication channels of Wal Mart are primarily based on television, radio, internet and direct mails. Media in this form can be used to express consumers values and behaviorism to the company while shopping in their stores. The different communication channels comprise mass media, niche media, addressable media and interactive media. Mass media communications are the communication channels that deliver messages to large number of people. These are not direct messages, and reach a diverse audience. Television is the example of mass media communications, and it is a main source of sending Wal Mart messages to masses. It telecasts its messages at times of day when majority of its target audience watches television, determines the television channel that is watched the most and identifies which shows are most popular in the market. The intense market research assists Wal Mart and help in using successful mass media channels for marketing communication. Therefore, the television advertisement is a potential element in Wal Mart marketing plans. The communication through television has immense influence, as it reaches large masses, and has strong impact through the sound and sight effects. Another important communication channel is niche media. The messages of the organization can be sent to specific community of audience. The magazine targeting some distinct audience is an example of niche media. Magazines are efficient enough in influencing the selective audience, high quality reproduction for life long. With the use of addressable media the company can reach to the audience through the individual directed communication. Internet, telephone calling and postal mails are the example of addressable media. This enables company to identify the target market more effectively (Smith, P.R. & Taylor, J. 2004). At present, Wal Mart focuses on addressable media through internet and by sending direct mails in the form of daily, weekly or monthly advertisements. This form of media aware

the audience regularly about the new product launched or introduction of new services. The interactive media can be seen as the most productive form of media as with the use of this, the company as well as consumers can share information with each other. However, it an expensive in the development, usage and reviewing for market planning this type of communication is not beneficial for the new services. Wal Mart doest use interactive media commonly.

Internal and External Marketing Communication Campaign

The process of effective communication is the motto of every company that aims at long term success. At organizational level, the communication is divided into internal and external communication (Fill, C. 2002). Today, the organizations communicate with both of the internal as well as external audience with the help of varied tools. The internal communication is the communication among stakeholders, employees and management of the organization. On the other side, external communication focuses on audience outside the organization to whom it has to serve its products and services. Internal and external communication together is termed as corporate communication. The communications of an organization should be integrated so as to coordinate that all messages are internally consistent. The internal communication has its own importance. It has been observed that employees should be regarded as customers. For an organization, the employees are its first market. Internal communication is as much relevant as the external communication. As an organization operates on the basis of collaboration, its various departments are relate and dependent on each other in order to attain the common objectives. Therefore, all the employees in the organization need to understand its mission, vision, and goals of the organization. The employees who have direct interaction with the consumers should convey the values and philosophy of the company (Richards, J.V. 2002). The outcome of the effective internal communication is the harmonization and good coordination among different departments. This phenomenon makes employees more flexible and therefore more productive. The organization plan and establish the formal communication channels in hierarchical or lateral form. The communication may flow from top to bottom or vice versa. When recipient gets the message, it transmits it in a specific form to the other lower level of management or

employees. With the establishment of formal communication, the informal communication also prevails in the organization among the staff. This can be used in the organization to strengthen the formal relationship among employees. Informal communication is generally termed as grapevine communication. It most of the time takes place among the employees belong to same hierarchy level. The organization needs to have a positively structured culture that supports both formal and informal channels, as it helps in developing high morale and performance as well. The external communication is related with branding of products and services, advertising and public relations. The external marketing is directly linked with internal branding. The employees should be well educated and aware of the brand. Internal branding consists of translating the external brand values to internal organizational values. In order to have maximum impact of the marketing campaign, the relevant material like brochure, campaign kits of DVD, music CD, banners, etc. should be available (Smith, P.R. & Taylor, J. 2004). It has been surveyed that the material used in the campaigns or seminars have received a positive feedback from the audience. The organization should have a proper plan for campaign communication to approach the targeted audience. The internal marketing focuses mainly on relationships development among the employees all across the organization. The objective of developing relations is to add value to its customers. This accelerates and enhances the related external marketing activities. Management, human resource personnel and employees are the key players in internal marketing communication.

Factors in Communication Planning Process The communication plan can be considered as a tool that converts strategic intent of the organization into execution. Communication plan is basically an implementation strategy. The various communication interventions, such as communication programme, advertising project and campaign can be developed with the help of series of logical planning steps provided by communication plan (Richards, J.V. 2002). Moreover, a communication plan is a written document that provides the roadmap for structuring the communication process in the organization so that the messages can be

delivered to audience. When the communication plan is developed, the target audience is identified, key messages to be delivered are determined, best methods of communication channels are analyzed and the scale of measuring success are also developed. The communication plan emphasizes on reaching out the objectives set by the organization. A proper strategic communication plan with set goals makes the organization to utilize its resources more efficiently (Fill, C. 2002). With the change in social media and electronics media, the rules and standards of marketing and personal relationship should be changed. Following are the factors which are used in formulating, communicating and implementing the communication plan:

SWOT Analysis: Before developing a communication plan, it is important to access the organizations internal factors Strengths and Weaknesses, and external factors Opportunities and Threats. While doing the SWOT Analysis, the areas where communication has been successful and areas of ineffective communication should be recorded. It is also to be determined that what the communication efficiencies and deficits are. In addition to this, other external factors, such as impact of current political, social and economical scenarios on the communication activities of the organization.

Target Audience: Selecting the specific group of people is the most important process for the organization. Understanding the audience plays an important role in choosing right communications channels. It is important to know that what kind of audience is associated with the organization, what are their needs, media habits, their opinions their values and their participation in the event. In Addition to this, it is necessary to determine the engagement level of the target group.

Budget and Resources: The objectives are to be associated with the cost they bear. The cost that may incur in attaining the objectives via communication marketing is to be determined. The various cost factors, such as resources, fees to consultants, designers, writers for material, software cost, travelling expenses are to be estimated.

Timeliness: This factor is important, regarding when to perform a certain activity. The time chosen for the communication must match with the desired objectives e.g., coincidence of activities with national holidays. The production timeliness should also be included as a factor while deciding right time of advertisement and communication with consumers.

Defining key messages: This is to be decided that what the main message or points are there which are to be conveyed to the consumers. It is important to summarize the key points of briefly. The communication objectives must harmonize with the mission of organization. The perspective and thinking of the audience should also be considered.

Tactics: Here, the plan takes its proper shape. The method of communication, its frequency, choice of key message, the right time for strategize the communication are all evaluated. The effective communication campaigns include large number of tactics in order to deliver an impression that lasts for a long time. The communication message to be delivered should be simple, clear, direct, specific and consumerfocused.

From this study we can conclude that the integrated marketing communication plan enforces various methods of advertising and promoting a brand are all combined for maximum benefits and optimal results. (Fill, C. 2002)

References Richards J.V. 2002, Marketing Communication: Principles and Practices, Routlege, London and New York. Smith, P.R. & Taylor, J. 2004, Marketing Communication: An Integrated Approach 4th Edition, Gutenberg Press, Malta. Fill, C. 2002, Marketing Communications: Contexts, Strategies and Applications, Fianancial Times Prentice Hall.

Jennifer Chase 2009, Selecting Media For Marketing Communication, viewed on 16th May, 2013, http://voices.yahoo.com/selecting-media-marketing-communications-

walmart-4555933.html Holland, J. 2010, The role of mobile marketing communications in media strategy, Volume 6, Issue 2, 2010. Wild Apricot, Getting started with communication planning, viewed on 16th May, 2013, http://www.wildapricot.com/membership-articles/communication-planning/