CONCEPTUAL STUDY OF PROMOTION MIX

People no longer buy shoes to keep there feet warm and dry. They buy them because of the way the shoes
make them feel masculine, feminine, rugged, different, sophisticated, young, glamorous, "in" buying shoes has
become an emotional experience . Our business now is selling excitement rather than shoes. - Francis C.
Rooney

Modern Marketing Trends :

What is communicated, however should not be left to change. To communicate effectively; companies hire
advertising agencies to develop effective ads; sales promotion specialists to design sales incentive
programmes and public relations firms to develop the corporate image. They train their sales people to be
friendly and knowledgeable. For most companies, the question is not whether to communicate but rather what
to say, to whom.

Promotion Technique :
Promotion influences demand by communicating product and company message to the market. A promotion
Techniques involves the co-ordination of all communication efforts aimed at a specific audience; consumer and
shareholder. The most critical promotional question is the proper mix of advertising, personal selling, sales
promotion and publicity. The promotion mix is usually co-ordinated on a campaign basis, taking the campaign
may efforts include a total campaign with one unified theme. All promotion messages tie in to this theme in one
way or the the, rather than conflicting with it.

ADVERTISING

What is Advertising :The word ‘Advertising’ has its origin from a Latin word ‘Adventure’ which means
to turn to. The dictionary meaning of the word is ‘to announce publicity or to give public concerned to a
specific thing which has been announced by the advertiser publicity in order to inform and influence
them with the ideas which the advertisement carries. In business world the terms in mainly used with
reference to selling the product of the concern.
The advertising, as Jones defines it is "a sort of machine made mass production method of selling which
supplements the voice and personality of the individual salesman, such as manufacturing the machine
supplements the hands of the craftsman." It is thus a process of buying/sponsor/identified media space or time
in order to promote a product or an idea. From a careful scrutiny of the above definition, the following points
emerge :

Advertising is a paid form and hence commercial in nature. This any sponsored communication designed to
influence buyer behaviour advertising.

Advertising is non-personal. Unlike personal selling, advertising is done in a non-personal manner through
intermediaries or media whatever the form of advertisement (Spoken, written or visual). It is directed at a mass
audience and not directed at the individual as in personal selling.

Advertising promotes idea, goods and services. Although most advertising is designed to help sell goods, it is
being used increasingly to further public interest goals.

Advertising is identifiable with its sponsoring authority and advertiser. It discloses or identifies the source of
opinions and ideas.

Advertising thus is :

1. Impersonal

2. A communication of ideas.

3. Aimed at mass audience

4. By a paying sponsor.

The two forms of mass communication that are something confused with advertising are publicity and
propaganda. If we eliminate the elements of the "paying sponsor" (The paid requirement) we would have the
element of publicity left : For publicity is technically speaking, advertisement without payment. In a similar
manner. If we eliminate the requirement of an "identified sponsor", the resulting communication is
propagandistic.

It is important for us to emphasize that advertising may involve the communication of ideas or goods of service.
We are all aware that advertising attempts to sell goods and services. But we may overlook the more important
fact that it often sells ideas. Advertising may persuade with information; it may persuade with emotion: more
frequently, it endeavours to persuade with some mixture of both.

(1) Electronic Media

Advertisers use two types of media to reach target consumers over the airwaves; radio or T.V.

(A) Radio Advertising :

Advertisers using the medium of radio may also be classified as National or Local advertisers. The radio is a
prominent vehicle of advertising in our country and accounts for a large sum of the total advertising budget.

The radio serves principally local rather than national or large regional markets. Many small advertisers use the
radio. So do some large organizations.

When T.V. became a factor in the advertising scene, some industry observers felt that radio advertising might
become insignificant or even disappear. This has not been so, for radio operators have responded to the
challenge by offering programmes that features music etc. which appeal to local audience consumers have
responded very favourably to this approach. Moreover TV does not have much coverage in our country.

(B) Television Advertising :

T.V. - Advertising Media :Late in India, a growing class of advertising media has been the TV. In our country,
commercial advertising on TV is severely limited because broadcast timings are only in the evenings. The TV is
a unique combination timing of sight and sound and achieves a deeper impact than the other media do. This is
particularly advantageous for advertisers whose product require demonstration. TV advertising offers
advantage of impact, mass coverage, repetition, flexibility and prestigious. In our country not everyone has a
TV set; therefore it does not reach everyone. Moreover, in rural India where 76.31% of our population lives.
There are hardly any TV sets, except at the community centres where electricity is available. Moreover, TV
programmes in our country do not offer much selectivity. The translation is limited, any centers do not have TV
towers.

TV appeals to both the senses of sound and of sight . As a result is combines the two to produce high-impact
commercials. Finally, the fact that product or service is promoted on TV may build a prestigious image of the
product and its sponsor. The pleasure derived from watching TV is at least potentially transferable to the
advertising message delivered through the medium.

(ii) Print Media

(A) Newspaper Advertising :

A sizable share of the total advertising budget is spent on advertising in newspapers. Newspapers in our
country virtually reach most of the homes in the cities. Since newspapers are local, marketers can easily use
them to reach particular markets. This selectivity is easily rigorous. Some are in the twelve-hour range. From
the viewpoint of the advertiser, newspaper offers several advantage, they are local in content and appeal and
provide opportunity for direct communication between a product and its local dealers or distributors. Because
newspapers supply news, they offer an atmosphere of factual information and of currency that may be
favourable for some advertising situations. Advertisers can reach a very broad audience through newspapers
which offer great flexibility. The advertisers may choose the specific area to be covered and the advertisement
can be placed in newspapers at very short notice as compared with other media.

(B) Magazines Advertising :

Magazines are also mean of reaching different market, both original and matinal and of general and specific
interest. An organisation may approach national markets through such publication as Business India, Famina,
Sportsweek, India Today, Business World and Filmfare. Some marketers divide their market on the basis of
such variable as age, educational level and interest magazines. Magazines are divided into those parts that
serve business, industrial consumers, ladies, sports etc. The diversity of magazines is tremendous. Some offer
news or together "General Interest" content to huge audience. Others are highly specialised, technical or even
exotic. In general, magazines offer advertiser the opportunity to reach highly selective audience.

The primary advantage of magazine advertising are selectivity of market targets; quantity reproduction long life;
the prestige associated with some magazines; and the extra service offered by many publications. The quality
of magazines reproduction is usually high. Consumers sometime keep individual copies for long period of time;
reread them or pass them on to other. Some magazines have prestige value. The marketer can cover national
or large regional markets at a low cost per contract (per individual reached). Magazines generally offer high-
quality printing of advertisement.

(iii) OUTDOOR AND TRANSIT MEDIA

(A) Outdoor Advertising :

Outdoor Advertising :Outdoor advertising involves the use of sign and bill-boards, posters or displays (such
as those that appear on a building’s wall) and electric spectacular (large, illuminated, sometime animated sign
and display). The marketers may purchase billboards on the basis of showings. A showing indicates the
percentage of the total population of a particular geographic area that will be exposed to it during one month
period. The highest showing is 100. Here the number of billboards is would attract approximately 50% of the
local population about 20 times during a month. Sings are usually smaller than billboards and are erected and
maintained by the marketer rather than by the advertising media.

This form of advertising has the advantage of communication quick and simply ideas of repetition and of the
ability to promote products that are available for sales. Outdoor advertising is particularly effective in
metropolitan and other can use this medium to bring the products to the attention of consumers or to remaining
them of the product, while they are on shopping trips or area disposed towards shopping. Advertisers may
utilize this medium to economically reach a large mass of people or small local markets.

(B) Transport Advertising :

Transport advertising appears on the inside or outside of taxis, buses, railways and other modes of passenger
transportation. Marketers may use transit advertisement to attain high exposure to particular groups consumers
on theory way to and from work and tourists. Repeat exposure is possible for a majority of the people in our
country use public transport basis. Transport advertising is useful in reaching consumers at an advantageous
point which they are embarking on a shopping trip. This medium is a low cost medium.

SALES PROMOTION

According to the American Marketing Association, Sales Promotion consists of those marketing activities other
than personal advertising and publicity that stimulate consumer purchasing and dealer effectiveness, such as
displays shows and expositions, demonstration and various non-recurrent selling efforts not in the ordinary
routine.

Sales promotion activities are impersonal and usually non-recurring and are directed at the ultimate
consumers, industrial consumers and middlemen. These activities tend to supplement the advertising
and personal selling efforts. Examples of sales promotion are free product samples, trading stamps, store
displays, premiums, coupons and trade shows. For many organisations, including the marketers of food, toys
and clothing, store displays are an important sales promotion device. Display exposes the promotion messages
to consumers at the time and place of purchase. Such exposure is especially important for items that are
bought on impulse. Numerous consumers products are purchased in stores that use self-service selling
method's. Marketers of such items need effective display in order to distinguish their products from those of
their rivals.

PUBLICITY
Publicity is a means of promoting the mass market and is similar to advertising, except that it is free, is found in
the editorial portion of news media and pertains to newsworthy events. The most common type of publicity are
news release (also know as press release), photographs and feature stories. Marketers have less control over
the nature of the publicity that their organisation and products receive than they have over their
advertising, personal selling and sales promotions messages. Upon receiving a news release, for instance, the
editor or broadcast station programme director may choose to throw the release in the waste paper basket,
change the hording, or print or broadcast it in the original form. The disposition of the news release is entirely in
the hands of the media and cannot be dictated by the marketer. Publicity may be negative as well as positive.
Some products and brands have received bad publicity; for example cigarettes, wings, artificial sweeteners
have been branded unsafe or unhealthy in the publicity which they would rather have done without. Many a
companies and trade association officials attempt to develop favourable working relationships, with the media
in order to minimise bad publicity. They realize that such communications to the public may have every adverse
impact upon the image of the organisation.

PERSONAL SELLING

Personal selling consists of persons to communication between the sales persons and their prospects. Unlike
advertising, it involves personal interactions between the sources and the destination. Advertising aims at
grouping the shotgun approach, while personal selling aims at individuals the right approach. Sales persons
are in the position to tailor their messages according to the unique characteristics of each prospect. Further, by
observing and listening, sales persons receive immediate feedback on the extent to which their messages are
getting across. If feedback indicates that the message is not getting across, the sales person may quickly
adjust it or the method of its presentation.

Personal Selling :
Personal selling may be a very intense means of promotion. Consumers can easily leave the room-during a TV
commercial, ignore a store display. The most effective method of promotion probably is to have sales person
provided that the organisation has sufficient funds. The most effective method of promotion probably is to have
sales person call upon every target consumers, for many institutions, especially those that appeal to the mass
market, this would be terribly inefficient. As a result, they employ mass marketing techniques such as
advertising, personal selling is very important in industrial marketing.

PUBLIC RELATIONS
Marketers engage in public relations in order to develop a favourable image of their organisation and products
join the eyes of the public. They direct this activity to parties other than target consumers. These "other" include
the public at large labour unions, the press and environmental groups. Public relations activities include
sponsoring, lobbying and using promotion message to persuade members of the public to take up a desired
position. The term public relations refers to a firm's communication and relationships with the various sections
of the public. These sections include the organisation customers, suppliers, share holders, employees, the
government, the general public and the society in which the organisation operates. Public relations programme
may higher be formal or informal. The critical point is that every organisation, whether or not it has a formalized
(organised, programme, should be concerned about its public relations.

ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS

Advertising is an art not a science. Effectiveness of which cannot be measured with a mathematical or
empirical formula some advertisers argue that advertising efforts go to waste, but every advertiser is keenly
interested in measuring or in evaluation of ad. effectiveness. Testing for the effectiveness of ad. will lead
advertisement testing must be done either before or after the ad has done in the media. It is of two types,
pretesting which is done before the ad. has been launched and one is referred to as cost testing which is done
before the ad. has been launched and one is referred to as cost testing which is done after launching the
advertising campaign. The basic purpose of advertising effectiveness is to avoid costly mistakes, to predict the
relative strength of alternative strength of alternative advertising strategies and to increase their efficiency. In
measurement of ad. effectiveness feed back is always useful even if it costs some extra expenditure to the
advertiser.

Sales-Effect :

Communication-effect advertising research helps advertisers assess advertising's communication effects but
reveals little about its sales impact. What sales are generated by an ad that increases brand awareness by
20% and brand preference by 10%?

Advertising's sales effect is generally harder to measure than its communication effect. Sales are influenced by
many factors besides advertising, such as the product's features, price, availability and competitors' actions.
The fewer or more controllable these other factors are, the easier it is to measure advertising's effect on sales.
The sales impact is easiest to measure in direct-marketing's effect on sales. The sales impact is easiest it is to
measure in direct-marketing situations and hardest measure in brand or corporate-image-building advertising.

PROGRESS TESTS
These assess the various stages of buyer awareness, preference, buying intention and the actual purchase in
relation to ad. effort. They are called sales effect tests.

Measuring Sales Response to Advertising :

Though increase in sales in the true measure of advertising effectiveness, in reality it is difficult to measure the
increase that is due to a particular advertisement. It is rather difficult to correlate the response in sales with the
advertising programme. However, a few methods have ben discalled in the following paragraphs which are
generally used to measure the sales response to advertising.

The Netapps Method :

The term Netapps has been framed from the term net-ad-produce-purchases. This method, which has been
developed by Daniel Starch and Staff company, requires the measurement of both readers and non-readers
who purchased and who did not purchase the brand under investigation. The netapps method is useful in the
relative measurement of the sales-effectiveness of various advertising approaches. But the method is subject
to a high level of false reporting and open to interviewer bias. Moreover, we have considered advertising
influence as the only factor which results in a purchase. There may be, and often are, other variables which
affect purchases.

Sales Results Tests :

The additional sales generated by the ads are recorded, taking several routes.

Past Sales before the ad and sales after the ad are noted. The difference is attributed to ad impact.

Controlled Experiment : In experimental market, any one element of marketing mix is changed. It is compared
with the sales of another similar market. The element's presence observance is a reason for difference in sales.

Instead of two markets, the experiment can be carried on the two groups of consumers.

The inventory audit is dealers inventory before and after the ad is run.

Attitude Tests

This is an indirect measurement of the post-testing effects of ads on attitudes towards the advertised product or
brands. The change in attitude as a result of advertising is assessed. The assumption is that favourable attitude
towards the product may lead to purchases.
Most ads are designed to either reinforce or change existing attitudes. An attitude is a favourable or
unfavourable feeling about a product.