Tutorial Preparation Task 7: Promotion

Student Learning Objectives:

 Familiarise students with the bases of promotional theory and practice.

 Facilitate a critical, reflective understanding of promotion management.
 Encourage a more critical appreciation of promotion within the marketing process.
 Encourage the use of a more formal, evidence based approach to the exposition of
personal knowledge.

Student Task:

Task a: (No need to submit answers to task a). You may like to search for additional
information to help formulate your ideas and potential insights. Whilst this is not
compulsory, it would be a useful starting point and a valuable future resource for you .

Task b: (Submission required) Complete the ‘boxed’ questions overleaf to form a basis for
this understanding.

 Submit your answers via CANVAS before the next Tutorial

with your name and student number clearly marked below.
 All weekly prep tasks must be submitted to qualify for the exam
 You will receive standardised feedback for the exam/essay style question.
 Keep these safe and use as a revision tool for the assessments.

This topic will form the basis of discussion in your next Tutorial.

Your Name : Hammad Nafis Khandwani

Matriculation Number : H00452962
Date Submitted : 11/23/2023

Promotion PREP TASK 7

This prep task formalises your learning by asking a series of questions relating to the exam
style question below. Provide brief answers to these questions within the boxes.
‘Discuss the value of promotion within effective marketing’

Now outline answers to the following questions within the boxes:

Provide at least one definition of ‘promotion’ (or ‘marketing communciations’)

According to Philip Kotler, “Promotion includes all the activities the company undertakes to
communicate and promote its products to the target market.”

Identify 4 or more purposes of promotion

There are various purposes for promotion but the ones I found the most important are;
Creating Awareness: Spreading the word about a product, service, brand, or event is one of
the main goals of promotion. Businesses can make sure that customers are aware of what
they have to offer and present themselves to the target audience by using public relations,
advertising, and other promotional efforts.
Creating Interest: The goal of promotion is to pique prospective shoppers' curiosity and
arouse their desire for the good or service. To make the service interesting and appealing to
the target audience, marketers employ a variety of strategies, such as stunning images,
persuasive language, and others.
Boosting Sales and Revenue: One of the main factors boosting sales and revenue is
promotion. Businesses can boost demand and persuade customers to make purchases by
providing discounts, holding exclusive promotions, or employing other incentives.
Building Brand Loyalty: By expressing favorable opinions about the brand, promotional
activities help to develop brand loyalty. Businesses may establish enduring relationships with
customers by providing consistent messages and satisfying customer experience.

Identify the elements of a ‘traditional’ comms model and offer a marketing example for
each element
Sender: The thing or person who sent the message.
Example: In a television commercial for a new toothpaste, the sender is the toothpaste
company delivering promotional messages about the product.
Message: The information or idea being conveyed by the sender.
Example: The message in a print advertisement for a luxury product includes visuals of the
product, accompanied by text highlighting its craftsmanship
Encoding: the process of translating a message into a form that may be transmitted
symbolically.
Example: In a social media post, a business uses the appropriate visual
and linguistic combinations to convey its message successfully.
Decoding: The method by which the communication is decoded and understood by the
recipient.
Example: When a customer reads a billboard promoting a clothing sale, they interpret the
information to know that there is a clothing discount.
Receiver: The person or audience who is supposed to receive and understand the message.
Example: in an email marketing campaign, the recipients are the company's newsletter
subscribers who get and peruse promotional emails about impending promotions.

Identify at least one ‘pro’ and one ‘con’ of each promotional mix element and provide
an example of where we could see these mix elements in action.
Advertising:
Pro: advertising allows brands to reach large and diverse masses of people.
Con: it can miss looking into Individual customer needs.
Example: Worldwide advertising campaigns for Coca-Cola run during important athletic
events like the FIFA World Cup.
Personal Selling:
Pro: unlike advertising personal selling allows one-on-one interactions with customers.
Con: it can be time-consuming and not as efficient.
Example: Real estate brokers using personal selling to help potential purchasers.

Public Relations:
Pro: Helps build trust and creditability among old and potential customers.
Con: Public relations campaigns might not provide total control over the message, unlike
advertising, because other influences can affect how the message is covered by the media.
Example: Apple's public image is improved by favorable media coverage generated by its
press conferences and product launches.

Sales Promotion:
Pro: Discounts and other time-limited offers, together with other sales promotions, can
generate a sense of urgency and quickly increase sales.
Con: Customers might expect these discounts regularly leading to devaluation of the brand.
Example: Sales events like Black Friday or White Wednesday, where shops give big
discounts for a short time, encourage more spending from customers.

Direct Marketing:
Pro: helps to reach the specific target market with personalized niches.
Con: If used frequently, direct marketing can raise privacy concerns among customers.
Example: Facebook displays related ads of the products we search on the net for.

Identify and describe one instance of viral marketing (and say where we can
access/find evidence of it (e.g. web-address)
The 2014 social media craze that was the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a prime example of
viral marketing. The challenge was to cover their heads with a bucket of ice-cold water,
record the deed, and post it on platforms like Instagram and Facebook, and then urge others
to follow suit or make a donation to the ALS Association in order to assist research into
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Donations to the ALS Association increased significantly during the campaign, according to
their reports. In addition to the cash gifts, the Ice Bucket Challenge brought ALS to the
public's attention and demonstrated the power of viral marketing to promote social change.

Link: https://www.als.org/IBC

Identify and describe stages of the IMC process

The Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) process involves:

Market Analysis:
Understand the target audience and market dynamics.

Setting Objectives:
Establish clear and measurable communication goals.

Developing the Marketing Communication Mix:

Select and blend communication tools for a cohesive strategy.

Message Design and Content Creation:

Craft compelling and consistent messages.
Selecting Communication Channels:
Choose appropriate channels based on audience behavior.

Implementation:
Execute the communication plan across chosen channels.

Recall the most effective promotion experience of your life so far and explain why it
was effective (not restricted to advertising)
I usually buy my clothes from H&M and so far I've noticed these features that just impress
me so much as a marketing student:
Personalized Experience:
H&M tailors the loyalty program to your shopping habits, suggesting items based on your
previous purchases. This personalized approach makes you feel valued and understood as a
customer.

Exclusive Benefits:
The program provides exclusive benefits that go beyond regular discounts, such as early
access to sales. This exclusivity encourages you to stay loyal to H&M to enjoy these perks.

Birthday Discount:
The birthday discount is a thoughtful touch that adds a personal connection to the promotion.
It enhances the positive association with the brand, making you feel appreciated on your
special day.

Explore the value/usefulness of understanding Promotion:

Businesses need to understand promotion since it is critical to increasing sales, influencing
consumer behavior, and brand awareness. Here are a few examples of why it's important to
comprehend promotion:
Brand Awareness:
Promotion raises consumer knowledge of goods and services, which improves the visibility of
the brand. Adequate marketing tactics guarantee that the target market is aware of the
brand, its products, and its unique selling point.
Attracting Customers: Promotion draws in new clients by presenting goods or services in
an eye-catching manner.
Uniqueness:
Promotion helps in setting a product or brand apart from rivals. Promotional messaging and
USPs convey what makes a company unique, affecting the opinions and tastes of
customers.

Well done … now, I wonder if you have noticed any changes in the ads you see online since
starting out on this course....

A relevant link below!