Promotion Mix | Marketing Communications Mix

Promotion Mix | Marketing Communications Mix

The Promotion Mix, also called "Marketing Communications Mix", must not be confused with the Marketing Mix (4 Ps).
In fact, the Promotion Mix (PM) breaks down one of the 4 Ps: Promotion.

The PM can be defined as the specific blend of promotion tools that a company uses to engage prospects and customers, persuasively communicating customer value, and developing customer relationships.
It's important that a company not only creates but also communicates its value propositions to its prospects and customers in a planned and clear way to create and develop profitable customer relationships. This is what promotion and the promotion mix are all about.
The PM consists of a blend of 5 variables that a marketer can control:

1. ADVERTISING: Any paid form of (non-personal) communication and marketing used to convince or persuade viewers, readers or listeners about the benefits of certain products, services, a company or even ideas.
2. SALES PROMOTION: Short-term incentives to encourage the purchase or sale of a product or service. Examples: discounts, demonstrations, contests, coupons, displays.
3. SALES (PERSONAL SELLING): Personal interactions with and presentations to prospects and customers by a company's sales force in order to make sales and develop customer relationships. Typical sales tools are sales presentations, trade shows, and incentive programs.
4. PUBLIC RELATIONS: PR is somewhat special among the 5 variables in that it, besides its promotional function towards customers, also aims at building good relations with various other parties, such as: investors, the media (press), and the government (lobbying).
5. DIRECT MARKETING and DIGITAL MARKETING (INTERNET, MOBILE, SOCIAL MEDIA) : Addressing commercial messages towards targeted individual consumers to obtain an immediate response and/or develop customer relationships.

Note that coordinating / managing these 5 variables is just one major part of the entire marketing strategy and communication efforts, which also need to integrate the other 3 Ps: Product, Price and Place. And three more in the case of services: People, Process and Physical Evidence (see: Extended Marketing Mix).
This makes Integrated Marketing Communications such a complex, demanding yet interesting field.
Source: G. Armstrong and P. Kotler (2015) "Marketing: An Introduction"

		zacharia mwendwa Student (Other)
	Promotional Mix Includes PR I like the way Jonge brought PR into the promotion...

		Gandhi Heryanto Management Consultant, Indonesia
	Another Perspective on Integrated Marketing Communication The Journal of Integrated Marketing Communication ...

		Andrew Blaine Business Consultant, South Africa
	Measuring the Promotion Efforts To be successful, any marketing/promotional initia...

		Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	The Essence of Integrated Marketing Communication @Gandhi Heryanto: Thanks for sharing this perspect...

		Fidorra Manager, Germany
	Powerful Customer Interaction at the basis of the Promotion Mix From my experience, one of the most powerful custo...

		Helen Strong Business Consultant, South Africa
	Engagement Gearing There is absolutely no doubt that different types ...

		jorge anibal hoyos hoyos Manager, Colombia
	Understand the Profile of the Customers First Not only the customers’ needs but their entire pro...

		Jafeth Quintanilla Teacher, Peru
	Tools in the Promotion Mix can be Treated Separately too I believe that the five tools of the promotion mix...

		vijay Manager, India
	Sales Promotion Through Exhibitions Historically, exhibitions have been one of the maj...

		Sarah Daghman Lecturer, Russian Federation
	Integrated Marketing Communications WHAT IS INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS? DEFIN...

		A Kahnesky Manager, Denmark
	Another Summary of the Promotion Mix Here's another very similar summary of the marketi...

		Joy S. Pillejera Manager, Philippines
	Some Thoughts on the Promotional Mix The promotion mix is a very important component of...

		Helen Strong Business Consultant, South Africa
	Internal Element of Communication in Promotion Mix The above discussion is extremely useful when cons...

		Priyanka Buwe Manager, India
	Product Itself as a Part of the Promotion Mix I agree with the Venn diagram here explaining the ...