Promotion Strategy

This text discusses several objectives to be met when creating promotional messages and provides the components of the promotional mix. Promotional objectives and decisions concerning the promotional mix largely depend upon the stage in the product's lifecycle.

Integrated Marketing Communications

This disjointed approach to promotion has propelled many companies to adopt the concept of integrated marketing communications (IMC). IMC involves carefully coordinating all promotional activities - traditional advertising (including direct marketing), sales promotion, personal selling, public relations, social media and e-commerce, packaging, and other forms of promotion - to produce a consistent, unified message that is customer focused. Following the concept of IMC, marketing managers carefully work out the roles the various promotional elements will play in the marketing mix. Timing of promotional activities is coordinated, and the results of each campaign are carefully monitored to improve future use of the promotional mix tools. Typically, a company appoints a marketing communications director who has overall responsibility for integrating the company's marketing communications.

When Weight Watchers signed up DJ Khaled to be one of its celebrity endorsers, many were surprised by the choice. Khaled will broadcast his quest to slim down across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat in a bid to attract more men to sign up for the program. Khaled is not the usual choice for a Weight Watchers spokesperson, but once you scratch below the surface, he's actually a great brand fit. Authenticity and relevance are words bandied about like the gospel in influencer marketing, but they are the most important ingredients when it comes to working with any level of influencer. What challenges and payoffs are associated with integrated marketing communications?

Southwest Airlines relied on IMC to launch its "Transfarency" campaign. The campaign integrated and promoted the concept on its website, as well as through advertising and airport signage. The campaign has resonated with consumers because most competitors add extra fees for baggage and premium seats. One of the taglines Southwest uses is "Reward seats only on days ending with the letter 'y'". The integrated marketing campaign was created in collaboration with Southwest's advertising agency, GSD&M, based in Dallas, Texas". 

The sections that follow examine the elements of the promotional mix in more detail.

  1. What is the objective of a promotional campaign?
  2. What is the promotional mix?
  3. What are the features of an integrated marketing communications campaign?