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:
- 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.
- SALES PROMOTION: Short-term incentives to encourage the purchase or sale of a product or service. Examples: discounts, demonstrations, contests, coupons, displays.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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"
X
Welcome to the Marketing Mix | The 4Ps forum. The topic being discussed here is: "Promotion Mix | Marketing Communications Mix".
Sign up now to gain access. It's easy and 100% free.
Log in
|