Executive Summary Power-Point Presentation and Finalized IMC Plan Project

IMC Plan Project, IMC Strategy, Overview Memo Prince Onwuchekwa MKT/554 12- 05-11 Professor Anil Agarwal

Running head: IMC PLAN PROJECT, IMC STRATEGY, OVERVIEW MEMO IMC Plan Project, IMC Strategy, Overview Memo

From:

Prince Onwuchekwa Executive Officer, Googles Southwest- Division

To: Date: Subject: CC:

All Management and Employees. 11- 15- 2011 IMC Plan Project, IMC Strategy. Board of Directors

PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF YOUR IMC STRATEGY TO BUILD THE COMPANY BRAND. Effective immediately, the Googles South-west Division is adopting a new IMC strategy, under our proposed IMC Plan Project, to bring some new changes to our present strategies. The hard part for me is explaining the strategic changes we are making and the new directions we are taking as of today. The new plan and strategy that we are trying to change to is one that we hope will make our brand a powerful marketing tool and, help us create, sustain, and strengthen our brand relationship with other companies and customers. The reason we chose integrated marketing communication is its consistent messaging, which would help all parts of the company, especially the employees, who would now be well aware of any projects or initiatives in other departments. This would help the employees and staff suggests ideas and other refinements and, encourages consistent messaging, data sharing so that all of our employees are working with the same information as part of our marketing efforts to help the company stay ahead of schedule. This way, we will use the IMCs ideology to rely on strong relationship with customers and, adjust our strategies and plans based on their wants and needs. This will also help

IExecutiveSummary Power-Point Presentation and Finalized IMC Plan Project us interact and build relationships with our customers that will make them feel part of the team and, allow them to provide feedbacks that will help our brand react to changes in the

marketplace. This process would start with an intense look at the market, paying special attention to what our customer need, our main objectives, resources and various competitors, which will help us to identify new and unique opportunities. With an overview of our companys internal workings, we can now look to IMCs strategy as a narrowing down process, which states that if there is a marketing opportunity; there must also be a communication opportunity. We will also adapt the IMC strategy which states that, many people affect the buying process, so we will develop a program to reach all of them including the individuals who influence the customers purchase decision. We will adopt the IMCs standards for effectiveness, such as retention and likingthe standard should be identified in specific, quantitative terms. BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE BRAND POSITION AND MARKETING CHALLENGE OF YOUR COMPANY. The brand position is the one area we clamor to get right, because it is the most important part of the building process. This is where our brand fits within the galaxy of product choices. Brand positioning is an expression of how we want our prospects and customers to perceive us. Brand positioning is also a strategic management decision that determines the place our brand should occupy in a given market-niche. We position our product by attributes, price, by competitors, by application, by product user, product class or by services provided. Our brand position help differentiate us from the competition. It makes our product or experience different from all others including cementing a lifetime relationship with our customers. In order to ensure our success, our brand positioning also helps us to offer something that must meet the needs of what

IExecutiveSummary Power-Point Presentation and Finalized IMC Plan Project our customers want. Our customers want to believe that we assembled the best group of people to work on their products, and we have to position our company to show off our hard work.

The marketing challenge facing our company is the cost of TV advertising and our entry into the global market. They continue to escalate at a rate faster than the general price inflation today, the power of the consumer has grown considerably and we know that the future will be less profitable than the past. Our problem is that we cannot afford to be ready for it. The fragmentation of the media and the growth of new technologywe cannot keep up or keep up with the speed at which technology is moving unless we stay in stride with the rest Our company is affected by the power shift to the East. Whoever thought United States would be looking up to China It is very hard to get this point across, but we are indebted to them. Look at all the American companies that belong to India, Japan, China, Saudi-Arabia and you want to weep. You cannot keep any talented employees anymore, because most companies believe that if you need them, you just have to steal them. Make them an offer they cant refuse. DESCRIBE THE TARGET MARKET OR MARKETS AND ANY RELEVANT SEGMENTS WITHIN THESE TARGET MARKETS. Selecting a target market involves identifying a relevant organization and purchase situation variables beyond the core product variable, Collecting and analyzing other related data about potential segmentssize, price, perceptions, services, features, experience, and trends. Our marketing plans had helped us to identify a specific market and then deliver services and promotions that ultimately maximize the profit potential of our targeted market. It has made it much easier for us to generate business, and determine where and how to market our services. Right now, we can only find niche markets that are in a precisely demographic designed segmented target. This helps us figure out which media outlet to use and which one of our

IExecutiveSummary Power-Point Presentation and Finalized IMC Plan Project marketing messages will resonate with the segment, including how to define the market. This

had also helped us give consideration to the demographic characteristics such as age, sex, income and etc. This in essence has helped us save on marketing costs and ensure that we focus on our target market segments, by focusing all of our efforts on the narrow segment of an overall market, dominating it, and able to overcome the competition by aggressively protecting our market share and orienting our every action and decision. ANALYZE VIABLE BRAND MESSAGES THROUGH MARKET SEGMENTING THAT ALIGN WITH IMC OBJECTIVES. Integrated Marketing Communication, after all, is the coordination and integration of all marketing communications tools, avenues, and sources. For Google, there are effective ways to put these tools together-Ad words, social media, and their database direct response. In analyzing brand messages, we have come to realize that branding is all about sending a strong and consistent message, identifying viable target audiences or segments, assigning key drivers that influence buying in each segment, and taking into consideration existing competitive positioning. In analyzing a viable brand message through market segmenting, our company took important steps in realigning our brand, clipping our entire competitors ads, reviewing their public relations coverage, researching them online, and buying their products and services. This way, our staff can decide on what makes our product different from the competitors, and establish the platform from which our company can consistently articulate messages that resonates with our prospective customers and our regular customers in all of our companys marketing and sales efforts. Our consultants are also aware that our branding message is designed to focus on the positive aspects of our company to build a strong company reputation. The key elements of our reputation include skilled employees, financial stability, sound

IExecutiveSummary Power-Point Presentation and Finalized IMC Plan Project management, clear vision, market leadership, technical excellence, commitment to innovation, an excellent investment record, and relevant messages that speak to the head and heart connect audience on a personal level. Our analysis also reveals that our branding messages communicate the fact that our stakeholders and customers are reassured about our companys future direction and, and the positive changing customer perceptions in our base of operations

BRIEFLY ASSESS THE STRENGTHS OF THE COMPANY THAT WILL BE LEVERAGED AND THE WEAKNESSES OF THE COMPANY THAT WILL BE PROTECTED BY YOUR IMC PLAN. HOW DOES THE IMC PLAN LINK TO THE SWOT ANALYSIS? Targeting focuses on the I MC effort on current customers who are most likely to repurchase or influence purchases; Customers and prospects that need special attention for whatever reason; prospects who have never sought our services, but might buy into it, given their profile. Our companys strengths and weaknesses are the elements of a SWOT analysis over which the company has no control. Strengths are competitive advantages; weaknesses are competitive disadvantages. The strength s and weaknesses of an organization revolve around resources such as: sales and profitability, mission and vision, market share, organizations orientation, finances, technology, human resources, and sales trends. The opportunities and threats in an environment are those forces that may affect the organization and its IMC execution. A companys strength is the elements of a SWOT analysis over which the company has no control. Strengths should be leveraged and weaknesses should be fixed. Strengths and weaknesses related to the brand include such things as how customers and prospects perceive a brands innovativeness, the convenience of finding and buying the brand, its pricing compared to competitors, trust, consistency,

IExecutiveSummary Power-Point Presentation and Finalized IMC Plan Project satisfaction, accessibility, responsiveness, commitment, affinity, likeness. To determine the

strengths and weaknesses of a brand communications, a SWOT analysis should also include how the brand compares to its competitors in each of these areas among the target audience: Media presence; Appreciation of advertising; access to media; A strong sponsorship; and possession of an advertising property. PROVIDE THE OBJECTIVES OF YOUR IMC PLAN The key objective to our IMC plan is to satisfy our customerstheir needs and wants. The second one is geographic. 45% of our customers live in the United States; and about 35% live in Europe, including Western and Eastern Europe, which are growing at an alarming rate. The remaining 20% is by far the most important and live in the interesting parts of world: Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle-East. The rest are: Creating brand awareness to let our market know about our brand and its meaning. Brand Attitudecreating high intent to buy among our customers. Brand Loyaltydeveloping and maintaining loyal relationship with our customers, increasing database, extracting more business from core customers. Finding ways to change the belief and perception of our customers, and brand positioning our company to be ready for our competitors, increasing our customers desire for our services and doing everything we can to reinforce or change our image when the need occurs.

EXPLAIN HOW DATA AND DATABASES INFLUENCE YOUR IMC PLAN. The consumer databases are mostly geared towards companies that sell to consumers. A lot of companies use databases to increase the efficiency of their marketing communications and for strategic planning and managing their brand relationship. Some companies use their database to track how customers are responding to their campaigns and promotional offers. This way, the

IExecutiveSummary Power-Point Presentation and Finalized IMC Plan Project company is better able to cause and effect, and to calculate the return on their investment. There are four ways in which customer databases contribute to organizational learning: by capturing and making available information about customers ensures that relationships extend beyond individual sales or customer service interactions. By collecting and analyzing information on

how consumers use products, companies can gain insight into consumer behavior. By constantly monitoring its customer, a company can pick up on their consumers changing tastes and interests. Databases compiled from timely information gives the company the opportunity to change their presentation to match the rapidly developing markets. Because databases are valuable assets, and the primary purpose of business is to create customers, the databases that contain the profiles of these customers are more valuable than capital From: To: Date: Subject: Prince Onwuchekwa All Managers and Employees 11-16-11 Database Influence on your IMC Plan

The cost of collecting data depends on the amount collected. Data collecting is an expense. Data storage is similar to inventory storage. The only way to minimize the cost is to have the data provider to do as much of the data entry as possible. Our marketing people uses the data information to determine lifetime customer value, calculate customer profitability, measure the extent of cross category buying, profile heavy buyers, track frequency of complaints, injuries and compliments. The database is managed by the marketing department. The number depends on the number of interactions with customers.

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Google is a mission driven company, whose credibility is often the most sacred asset. Their brand is more than just a mission statement: it is the part of value proposition actively communicated to their target audiences and, that also projects an advantage over their competing companies. Googles target audience is a group of customers, world-wide who has always been receptive to their marketing efforts, their ads, and, is randomly selected based on their various

IExecutiveSummary Power-Point Presentation and Finalized IMC Plan Project characteristics that describe who they are, their taste, why they use our services and why they prefer us to other search engines. Googles like to communicate value, comfort, good service, cozy atmosphere, and from there, determine what message strategies would best work for our customers and clients. The companys brand personality holds the emotional resonance of the offering. It establishes the feel, the essence of how they want customers to understand them, relate to them, and do business with them. (knol.google.com). So far, Googles have been

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successful in adapting their promotions to different target markets, which helps them to identify which media can be used to reach their target customers. In order for Googles to achieve

their marketing goals, they have to know their target markets in and out. . Most times when they decide on their message strategy, their priority is to consider who their audience is- which is critical, the objectives of their promotion-what they are trying to accomplish, the media being utilized, the budget set for the media plan, the selling point-building a selective brand, and building awareness for it - and the services they provide Google has spent money on what type of appeal to use and how to structure the messages. Most of the companys commercial are very entertaining, but most consumers cannot remember the product or the product. Googles message strategy is positioned to provide a more consistent and repeated image to the target audience. The message strategy is like a foundation for all their marketing. The purpose of the IMC plan is the same as a traditional marketing plan.IMC is still an ongoing circular process that requires continual communication between the company and its target markets. IMC strategically searches and selects premium long-term relationships to simultaneously build premium services and maximize profitability, making it a superior marketing method for acquiring, retaining, and nurturing profitable relationships...

IExecutiveSummary Power-Point Presentation and Finalized IMC Plan Project Brainstorming has been one of the most effective ideas generation in a long time, but

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today, even the most intelligent people are thrown in with others to enable them to benefit from different perspectives, experiences, thought processes and to build enthusiasm, excitement and enjoyment in the whole proceedings. This is achieved by shaking things up in a new location, lighting or other elements designed to change perspectives, selecting a neutral and nonjudgmental facilitator, Encouraging participants to build on the ideas of others, using the resulting list of ideas for a later refinement process based budget, logistics, timing, uniqueness target market and other factors, set agreement that all participants are considered equals during the duration of the program, no matter what their status in the organization. The reason why Googles message have been more effective than other approaches is because they created a message that works in any medium or situation, that is unique, important and believable, and their target audiences can relate to it, as if they were tailored for them, which it is.

Companies. Googles target audience is a group of customers, world-wide who has always been receptive to their marketing efforts, their ads, and, is randomly selected based on their various characteristics that describe who they are, their taste, why they use our services and why they prefer us to other search engines. Googles like to communicate value, comfort, good service,

IExecutiveSummary Power-Point Presentation and Finalized IMC Plan Project cozy atmosphere, and from there, determine what message strategies would best work for our customers and clients. The companys brand personality holds the emotional resonance of the offering. It establishes the feel, the essence of how they want customers to understand them, relate to them, and do business with them. (knol.google.com). So far, Googles have been

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successful in adapting their promotions to different target markets, which helps them to identify which media can be used to reach their target customers. In order for Googles to achieve

their marketing goals, they have to know their target markets in and out. . Most times when they decide on their message strategy, their priority is to consider who their audience is- which is critical, the objectives of their promotion-what they are trying to accomplish, the media being utilized, the budget set for the media plan, the selling point-building a selective brand, and building awareness for it - and the services they provide Google has spent money on what type of appeal to use and how to structure the messages. Most of the companys commercial are very entertaining, but most consumers cannot remember the product or the product. Googles message strategy is positioned to provide a more consistent and repeated image to the target audience. The message strategy is like a foundation for all their marketing. The purpose of the IMC plan is the same as a traditional marketing plan.IMC is still an ongoing circular process that requires continual communication between the company and its target markets. IMC strategically searches and selects premium long-term relationships to simultaneously build premium services and maximize profitability, making it a superior marketing method for acquiring, retaining, and nurturing profitable relationships... Brainstorming has been one of the most effective ideas generation in a long time, but today, even the most intelligent people are thrown in with others to enable them to benefit from

IExecutiveSummary Power-Point Presentation and Finalized IMC Plan Project different perspectives, experiences, thought processes and to build enthusiasm, excitement and enjoyment in the whole proceedings. This is achieved by shaking things up in a new location, lighting or other elements designed to change perspectives, selecting a neutral and nonjudgmental facilitator, Encouraging participants to build on the ideas of others, using the resulting list of ideas for a later refinement process based budget, logistics, timing, uniqueness target market and other factors, set agreement that all participants are considered equals during the duration of the program, no matter what their status in the organization. The reason why Googles message have been more effective than other approaches is

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because they created a message that works in any medium or situation, that is unique, important and believable, and their target audiences can relate to it, as if they were tailored for them, which it is. Companies. Googles target audience is a group of customers, world-wide who has always been receptive to their marketing efforts, their ads, and, is randomly selected based on their various characteristics that describe who they are, their taste, why they use our services and why they prefer us to other search engines. Googles like to communicate value, comfort, good service, cozy atmosphere, and from there, determine what message strategies would best work for our customers and clients. The companys brand personality holds the emotional resonance of the offering. It establishes the feel, the essence of how they want customers to understand them, relate to them, and do business with them. (knol.google.com). So far, Googles have been successful in adapting their promotions to different target markets, which helps them to identify which media can be used to reach their target customers. In order for Googles to achieve

their marketing goals, they have to know their target markets in and out. .

IExecutiveSummary Power-Point Presentation and Finalized IMC Plan Project Most times when they decide on their message strategy, their priority is to consider who their audience is- which is critical, the objectives of their promotion-what they are trying to

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accomplish, the media being utilized, the budget set for the media plan, the selling point-building a selective brand, and building awareness for it - and the services they provide Google has spent money on what type of appeal to use and how to structure the messages. Most of the companys commercial are very entertaining, but most consumers cannot remember the product or the product. Googles message strategy is positioned to provide a more consistent and repeated image to the target audience. The message strategy is like a foundation for all their marketing. The purpose of the IMC plan is the same as a traditional marketing plan.IMC is still an ongoing circular process that requires continual communication between the company and its target markets. IMC strategically searches and selects premium long-term relationships to simultaneously build premium services and maximize profitability, making it a superior marketing method for acquiring, retaining, and nurturing profitable relationships... Brainstorming has been one of the most effective ideas generation in a long time, but today, even the most intelligent people are thrown in with others to enable them to benefit from different perspectives, experiences, thought processes and to build enthusiasm, excitement and enjoyment in the whole proceedings. This is achieved by shaking things up in a new location, lighting or other elements designed to change perspectives, selecting a neutral and nonjudgmental facilitator, Encouraging participants to build on the ideas of others, using the resulting list of ideas for a later refinement process based budget, logistics, timing, uniqueness target market and other factors, set agreement that all participants are considered equals during the duration of the program, no matter what their status in the organization.

IExecutiveSummary Power-Point Presentation and Finalized IMC Plan Project The reason why Googles message have been more effective than other approaches is

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because they created a message that works in any medium or situation, that is unique, important and believable, and their target audiences can relate to it, as if they were tailored for them, which it is. Today, Google is one of the worlds largest search engines, but the promotion strategy of the company, you may not believe it, still relies heavily on viral or referral marketing. While viral marketing has been Googles predominant form of promotion, the company does use advertising while most of Googles advertising is done online, with a few exceptions, Google promotes its services and products by purchasing its own Ad Words internet ads and through its own Google channel on YouTube. When it comes to Google apps, Google has gone a little further in their advertising campaign through the use of television ads, the most notable being those for the Android mobile phone platform., using sales promotion and other public installations. In 2009 Google used sparse billboards advertisements to increase public awareness about Going Google. The Billboards were changed each day to entice commuters through direct marketing to go Google by visiting a special website designed specifically to showcase Google applications. Google also used a form of sales promotions to give away Google fare when users who have gone Google fill out a Google doc describing their experiences. Google also have its own public relations division that releases and monitors press on product announcements and reviews, furthering the squeaky clean image Google have managed to establish and maintain.

While most companies has strayed from its low key promotional strategy at times, Googles reputation has gained clout because of their dedication to simplicity. Message

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strategies Google uses are mainly informational and persuasive advertisements when designing their messages to the public. Since the company is relatively new and constantly releasing new products, informative advertisements are often placed on internet sites using Googles own Ad Words. These advertisements are simple and in keeping with the Google image undemanding. Most of Googles advertisement offers a slice of life view, with emphasis on showcasing how Google products can fit into the customers every day internet life. Google capitalizes on the consumer want for a highly productive internet experience by deeming Google Chrome Clean, lightning fast, and simple. While Google promotion has taken many forms, from twitter to television commercials, the message strategy of Google is clear--less is more. By keeping their promotions simple and honest, the company has managed to create a very dependable and trustworthy brand in the eye of the consumer. With sales promotion, Google manages an extensive product line, most of which are free to the public. While most of Google customers generally do not have to purchase any product, the company still manages to give to the public incentives for their loyalty and promote how great the Google brand truly is. Google also sponsored a $30 million competition for an unmanned lunar landing. The winner had to land a rover on the moon; the rover had to travel 500 meters and then send back a video back to earth. While the competition was held for private firms, it lent itself to massive news coverage that the everyday Google user was exposed to. Google promotes to organization that has a need for internet media solutions to benefit that organizations customers. Google has also managed to become a single staple in the lives of 1.75 million organizations that use Google apps. However, Google has ingeniously created ways to attract media attention and the attention of consumers. Googles performance measurement include simple and easy to use measures, fast feedback, relationship to both long-term and short-term objectives by the company, focus on

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what is important to the company, and focus on what the competition is doing, A clearly defined companys mission statement and the performance measurement systems used by the Google managers are continually reviewed and revised as the environment and economy changes. The company prides itself on its dedication to a seamless internet experience and in keeping with the idea; the majority of Google internet promotions see are unobtrusive to the consumers internet experience. The strengths of event marketing include: enhancing brand image through positive association, Involving and building relationship with stockholders measuring some events, superior ability to help maintain long lasting relationships with customers showing that one to one nature is more persuasive than mass media. The weaknesses include: cost of big events, advertising clutter, effectiveness hard to measure, and ambush marketing. For Google, with its minimalist homepage and a knack for gaining consumer trust, Google has also gained consumer loyalty, and in turn Google customers recommend their friends and family to Google...

REFERENCES: Tom Duncan, (2004) Principles of Advertising and IMC, Consumer Sales Promotion and Packaging. The McGraW-Hill Cos.

IExecutiveSummary Power-Point Presentation and Finalized IMC Plan Project Tom Duncan (2004) Principles of Advertising and IMC, Message Execution, The McGraW Hill Cos. Tom Duncan, Sandra Moriaty (1997) Driving Brand Value: Using Integrated Marketing To Manage Profitable Stockholder Relationship, McGraWHill, New York. Tom Duncan And Steve Everett (1991) Client perceptions of Integral Marketing Communications; Journal of Advertising Research Tom Duncan (2004) Data Driven Communication, The McGraWHill Cos. Tom Duncan (2004) Principles of Advertising, 12th Edition, McGrawHill/Irwin Baker S and Mitchell S (2000) Integrated Marketing Communication: Implications for Managers. Tom Duncan (2004) Using Advertising and Promotions to build brands, The McGraWHill Cos. G Colvin (2006) The 100 best companies to Work For, Fortune Magazine, Jan. 11, 2006 www.ehow.com http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com http:faculty.fullerton.edu http://radar.ngesu.edu http://knoll.google.com/k/integrated Day. P. (2005) BBC Business News, Nov. 15. 2005. Say, Its Ray, Xooglers, Dec 4th, 2005

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