home Business Features of marketing communications in Russia. Why marketing communications are needed The need for marketing communications

Features of marketing communications in Russia. Why marketing communications are needed The need for marketing communications

The complex of marketing communications (promotion) is the fourth element in the marketing mix and consists of four main means of influence fig. 1.2.

Rice. 1.2 - Place of marketing communications in the marketing mix

Goals of Marketing Communications stem from marketing objectives and can be formulated as follows:

Inform prospective consumers about your product, services, terms of sale, etc.;

Persuade the buyer to give preference to these particular products and brands, make purchases in certain stores, etc.;

To force the buyer to act, that is, to buy what the market offers at the moment, and not to postpone the purchase;

Direct the actions of the buyer, i.e., use their limited resources specifically for the product (service) that the company is promoting to the market - give preference to them.

Marketing communication, as well as other major components of the marketing mix, should have a clear target for its development over a relatively long period. Only under this condition can we expect a stable and high effect from it.

No firm is able to operate simultaneously in all markets, while satisfying the needs of all consumers. On the contrary, a company will only succeed if it targets the market whose customers are most likely to be interested in its marketing program.

The target audience is a group of people who receive marketing messages and have the opportunity to respond to them.

Simplified marketing communications are the process of transferring information about a product (service, idea, person, geographical location, etc.) to the target audience (consumers, suppliers, intermediaries, shareholders, public organizations, etc.).

Communications complex is a holistic set of managed communication elements, using which an organization has the opportunity to present a company, product or service in an attractive light for target audiences.

Member of the marketing process- this is any person (legal or natural) who influences the turnover and can contribute to the commercial success of the company or the promotion of its products on the market.

Companies seek to instill new thoughts into the creation of the target audience, achieve a change in attitudes or push for certain actions. On fig. Figure 1.3 presents four of the most well-known hierarchical response models (response), which suggest that the buyer sequentially passes through the cognitive, emotional and behavioral stages.

Rice. 1.2 - Hierarchical response models

(micromodel of consumer reactions)

To increase the chances of a successful marketing communication campaign, it is necessary to increase the likelihood of each individual step being completed.

The reactions described above can be divided into three main groups:

Informing: attracting attention, creating awareness, building knowledge – ie. goals aimed at achieving one of the effects at the cognitive stage of making a purchase decision;

· Formation of a certain attitude towards the brand: to generate interest, to form an attitude, preference or belief, to arouse a desire or intention to purchase a product - i.e. goals aimed at the effects of the emotional stage;

· Motivation to take action: trial purchase, product acceptance, repurchase, etc. – i.e. focus on the effects of the behavioral stage.

Modern researchers largely associate marketing communications with messages and appeals through appropriate channels. According to J. Burnet and S. Moriarty, such appeals have different sources depending on whether they are planned or not (Fig. 1.3).

Rice. 1.3 - Main sources of appeals in communications

In general, it can be noted that modern marketing communications are a set of technologies and forms of promoting goods and services, including numerous tools: advertising, sales promotion, sponsorship, public relations, personal sales, direct marketing, etc. emanating from companies to a variety of audiences, including customers, distributors, suppliers, shareholders, management bodies and their own staff.

Everyone is talking about the ineffectiveness of traditional advertising. The crisis in the advertising industry is obvious. However, despite the fact that the consumer ignores numerous advertising messages, manufacturers of goods and services continue to increase advertising budgets, habitually writing off tidy sums in the "costs" column. As a result, a unique phenomenon is being formed, when media products that are not in demand by the market continue to develop contrary to common sense, and the crisis in the perception of advertising stimulates the development of this industry thanks to new and new investments from advertisers.
The author offers several options for solving the problem using PR technologies and direct communications with narrow segments of the target audience.

Advertising industry crisis
What is the crisis in the advertising industry? It seems that we see how promotion technologies are developing dynamically, the volume of advertising messages is increasing, and traditional marketing tools are qualitatively changing. At the same time, advertising does not fulfill its main function: it does not influence the choice of the consumer, does not establish contact with the audience, and does not convince of the benefits of the product.
Indeed, advertising budgets are growing year by year, not only at the regional level, but also at the federal level. The data of the statistical analysis of the Association of Communication Agencies of Russia (ACAR) show that the financial costs of advertising in Russia increased in the following proportion: in 2002, television mastered 920 million dollars, in 2003 advertising air was sold in the amount of 1240 million dollars ., and in 2004 - by $ 1,700 million. Outdoor advertising in monetary terms increased from $ 400 million in 2002 to $ 710 million - in 2004. Advertising print media in 2002 collected ads worth $ 330 million, and in 2004 - already by $480 million. In 2002, social and political magazines published advertising materials worth $260 million, in 2004 their volume amounted to $470 million.
The effectiveness of advertising campaigns is falling, and the volume of advertising media is growing. The outer space of the metropolis turns into a single advertising structure, creating an industrial landscape of intricately curved pipes and heavy ceilings even in the central areas of the city.

Consumer resistance movement
What to do when the possibilities of classic marketing tools are almost exhausted in the competition?
Analyzing the current situation, in March 2005 in Yekaterinburg we carried out a number of measurements of the effectiveness of outdoor advertising on standard media - billboards 3x6 m in size and mobile banners on the central highways of the city. A survey of 86 consumers in four different target segments showed that the presence of a certain advertising message, replicated on 15-20 planes located in high traffic areas, was noticed by only 12 respondents. A similar study conducted in May 2003 showed the degree of recognition of a visual image from 54 to 75%, depending on the target segment. According to experts and advertisers, two years ago the placement of outdoor advertising in Yekaterinburg (a city with a population of 1370 thousand inhabitants) on standard 15-20 billboard planes left a significant visual imprint in the minds of consumers. Today, the advertiser does not get this effect even after doubling the number of advertising media.
In the struggle for consumer attention, the advertising industry uses new technologies, which mainly relate to increasing the area, volume, and duration of advertising exposure. Today, Yekaterinburg's highways are criss-crossed by gigantic advertising structures resembling railroad bridges, and potential buyers are tempted by plasma screens showing silent commercials. Are we surrounded by high-rise buildings covered in advertising sheets, and supermarket checkouts equipped with every possible kind of POS technology? How small and insignificant the consumer must feel among the monstrous giants - life-size puppets, endlessly flickering screens and predatory two-meter smiles hanging over their heads!
The crisis of advertising technologies is growing as the market matures, the consumer is satiated and the volume of advertising messages inevitably increases. One of the first to experience this crisis was the low-alcohol market, when an abundance of trademark advertising turned into a foamy stream of BEER. The consumer was not able to remember and prefer one or two brands out of 600 types on the market. Numerous advertising appeals from various manufacturers and various brands gave rise to one physiological desire - to drink beer and experience psychological comfort in accordance with the promoted lifestyle. Each brand worked for its competitor and developed the consumer's taste for affordable abundance.
Paradoxically, but the restriction of beer advertising benefited the advertisers themselves: firstly, the advertising budget was reduced and funds were freed up for development, secondly, the effectiveness of advertising increased, as it began to correspond to the format of its audience, and thirdly, beer consumption did not decrease after the introduction of prohibitive measures.
Branding costs are on the rise, and customer impact technologies are becoming more sophisticated. However, the fight against transcontinental brands is a priori doomed, and the life cycle of the "average" brand is so short that branding costs are not always economically justified. The abundance of information in the form of a variety of brands stimulates the activation of a protective mechanism in the mind of the consumer: he ignores the abundance of offers and chooses the "eternal" Coca-Cola.
Exploring the phenomenon of consumer behavior in conditions of oversupply on the example of vodka brands, we conducted a hall test, the content of which was as follows. Respondents were asked to rank five samples based on an anonymous tasting session, after which they were shown the trademarks behind each sample. The second rating, compiled on the basis of the information received, in 83 cases out of 100 differed from the results of the first tasting. As a result, two new, unfamiliar brands became outsiders of the second rating, despite their obvious leadership in the first stage of the experiment.
The results of research on consumer behavior show that a saturated market forms a conservative consumption pattern, when the buyer avoids the risk of having a negative experience in connection with the choice of a new product.
Another trend in the development of the modern consumer model is nihilism, or the denial of brand value. The modern consumer does not want to be the object of manipulation and deliberately avoids advertising exposure. He feels capable of making his own decisions. The modern consumer knows the rules of the game and does not want to pay the cost of a mega-brand war in the form of advertising campaigns that only increase the value of the product. As an alternative to expensive brands, there are duplicate trademarks, which basically do not participate in the advertising rotation. This is a product for smart and innovative consumers who make their purchase decisions based on a comparative analysis of the quality characteristics and capabilities of the product itself, and not on the values that the seller declares. The mobile communication market quickly responded to the new needs of its client, and samples with intricate, unpronounceable names sparkled on the windows of cell phones, which compare favorably in price and almost do not differ in design and equipment from well-known brands.
So, the consumer no longer believes in advertising, and marketing budgets go beyond the limit of economic expediency. But life in the post-industrial world develops according to its own laws, and marketing technologies change along with it.

Merging Marketing Communications
In order for marketing to emerge from the global advertising crisis, the very ideology of the advertising message must change. It must be transformed and move from indirect, impersonal appeal to the zone of personal communication with the target group through channels of direct two-way communication.
Achieving a marketing effect in modern conditions is possible due to the use of new professional tools and the modernization of communication channels.

Target audience segmentation
The first thing that needs to be done within the framework of the anti-crisis action program is to segment your target audience in detail and categorically according to significant criteria and fundamental characteristics. The more accurately and clearly the consumer "sub-segment" is defined, the more picturesque the client's portrait will look, the more realistic and brighter the complex and multifaceted nature of needs and expectations will be reflected. Individual consumer behavior goes beyond schemes and models, and narrow and detailed segmentation allows you to take into account personal characteristics and hidden expectations.
In the leisure and entertainment market, one of the most customer-oriented types of service, there is a clear trend towards narrow segmentation. Traditional coffee houses in the notorious chocolate-milk style are going out of fashion, democratic atmosphere and fast service are no longer valuable for the consumer who has mastered the philosophy of this tart drink. Coffee is a social drink that requires a special atmosphere that is comfortable for communication. But coffee is also a self-sufficient drink, which means that its connoisseurs are gourmets of a certain kind. Therefore, a modern coffee house should create a club atmosphere and attract coffee connoisseurs who feel the need to communicate with like-minded people. So there are art cafes showing silent films for fans of Charlie Chaplin, literary cafes combined with a second-hand bookstore for intellectuals, and for lovers of the exotic - tea ceremonies in an authentic style?

Forms of open communication
So, segments of the target audience are becoming more and more fractional, narrow and as close as possible to individual perception. Since impersonal advertising addressed to the broad masses of certain consumers is no longer effective, it is necessary to create a new advertising format - a model of live communication with the client. As part of this communicative transaction, there is a point distribution of advertising messages, which levels the distance between the source of information and the consumer.
Advertising media consisting of modular ads is a relic of the past, i.e., the twentieth century. The million circulation ceases to be the main advantage of the printed edition. Moreover, gigantomania is suspicious. Shipping costs are too high, and publishers are tempted to cut costs with a courier service. The uncut bundles of free newspapers are being replaced by thematic publications, special projects, deftly falling into the hands of the consumer through consultants, leading experts on the topic. The current format of print media is an industry catalog with prices, discount coupons and analytical comments. This is no longer advertising, but a tool for the consumer to develop the market space.
Advertising companies saw a personality in the buyer, recognized his active role in the process of communication with the seller. The very model of the communicative act has changed: the transaction "commodity-consumer" has been transformed into the "seller-buyer" setting. Sales are shifting from standard to flexible offerings, from straight deals to relationships. The trendy term "relationship marketing" concludes the following idea: we want to study what is called customer lifetime value - "customer lifetime value"

In Yekaterinburg, a unique situation has developed in the field of media. In terms of their number, the one and a half millionth city competes only with Moscow. TV air is shared by 16 TV companies, 12 local radio stations broadcast, more than 100 newspapers and about 40 magazines are published. Four universities annually supply fresh professionals to the media industry. Despite the fact that the market is close to saturation, new editions continue to appear.
Five years ago, the publishing house "Kit" published a full-color catalog of economy-class furniture. 100% of the area was made up of advertising modules paid for by furniture sellers. Entry into the market was determined by dumping advertising prices, and other successful media projects helped support the price war. Direct competitors decided to reposition their activities and gradually switched to narrower formats. In connection with the favorable market conditions - the construction boom, consumer loans, the growth of the furniture market - the magazine steadily grew fat from issue to issue, bringing a stable income to its owners.
However, two years ago, the positive dynamics slowed down and clouds gathered over the advertising magazine. The advertiser was no longer convinced by the gigantic circulation, courier distribution and impeccable print quality. The effect of advertising modules fell, the increase in the area of the message did not live up to expectations. The crisis of the concept of the edition has ripened.
The publishing house made an attempt to conduct an advertising campaign for the magazine: more than 800 video rentals on rating TV channels, 20 billboards and 12 banners, posters in the subway and public transport. As a result, it was possible to increase the level of trust of advertisers and the interest of the reader for six months.
The next test for the market of advertising publications was the drop in interest in advertising of potential consumers of the product. People stopped taking free newspapers out of mailboxes and letting distributors into the entrance. An excess of advertising press has formed a negative public opinion not only among consumers, but also among advertisers. The reason for the inefficiency of advertising has become clear - the uncirculated circulation is destroyed by the courier service.
After analyzing the situation, the publishing house "Kit" decided to radically change the concept of the publication. Instead of the notorious presentation of the updated magazine, the editors organized a problematic "round table" for furniture market operators. During the discussion of topical issues, "furniture makers" came to the conclusion: the consumer took the position of an expert who independently weighs the benefits and disadvantages of the proposal. In this case, he needs not a motley advertising guide, but a specialized catalog that allows him to adequately analyze all the market offers. And there is an opportunity to satisfy the client's need for information with the help of thematic special issues with detailed comments of specialists and analytical materials.
Today, the furniture catalog comes out on 90 pages and is distributed in shopping centers and specialized stores. The advertisers themselves are happy to take part in the implementation of the project, using the catalog as a tool for communicating with the buyer.

Based on public opinion
Today it looks like a utopia to expand a business without taking into account public opinion, identifying consumer expectations and developing modern trends. Marketing is increasingly shifting its focus from the mass market to the target market. Expensive advertising does not justify itself when it comes to attracting a narrowly segmented target group. There is a unification of marketing communications, where the leading role is played by public relations, elements of direct marketing.
The consumer industry has nurtured a generation of refined consumers who are insensitive to brand image, higher quality standards, and advertising slogans. However, these same consumers easily and actively enter into communication, participate in social events, and willingly act as experts. The phrase "send SMS" now appears in television commercials, perhaps even more often than "new improved product." A trivial advertising appeal can be used as a tool to draw attention to contests, drawings, promotions, and not just as an imperative requirement: "Buy!". Promotions are increasingly using new technologies, including SMS. The consumer, who remains indifferent to the call to collect wrappers, easily enters the game based on the use of fashionable technologies.
Of particular relevance are marketing communications at the level of forming a positive public opinion. One of the popular methods is the creation of a "community", a kind of consumer clubs, participation in which significantly increases customer loyalty and more closely ties them to a familiar brand. For example, there are clubs for lovers of the Mini car and the Land Rover SUV.
In defiance of declarative advertising communications, we can launch the opposite mechanism of an autonomous generator of marketing efforts by bringing together voluntary adherents and activists. "Community" gives the seller not just an alternative access to the consumer, but the possibility of full-fledged communication at a qualitatively new level. It is the work in the "community" that gives the marketer the opportunity to use the so-called how to marketing ("let's figure out how we can solve this problem" instead of "buy me"). It solves the problem of effective marketing for one of the basic needs: to be heard and recognized. If we argue that the future belongs to those marketing tools that can address the consumer in the right place and at the right time, then the "community" brings the goal of communication closer to this format.
Exhibitions, conferences, seminars, meetings of amateur clubs assume an online communication format, each participant in communication receives confirmation of his assessment, influences the formation of public opinion. In the process of communication, he independently develops his position and attitude towards the product/service. As a result, the seller receives either a loyal customer or a consumer who is not included in his target group.
Analysis of marketing communications helps to identify and control the dynamics of consumer expectations in order to form the best offer for each target group. After all, the ability to listen and understand the consumer becomes the key to the success of marketing innovations.

Today's consumers are skeptical of many marketing initiatives, so it is quite difficult to attract and retain consumer interest in any type of product. Even such recognized leaders as Procter & Gamble, General Motors or Microsoft cannot be absolutely sure of the reliability of their market positions. Nowadays, to ensure a successful sale of a product, a company needs to do more than just ensure its excellent quality, set the lowest price for it, or simply place the product in the best way on store shelves. The company must sell its products with original, informative and attractive messages that convince consumers that these products meet the needs and desires of consumers. The key factor in product marketing are communications which is reflected in the title of this chapter.

This chapter is devoted to explaining the basic concept of marketing communications. We start by looking at the concept of marketing. Next, we define BCIs and show why they are so important to business. Finally, we will demonstrate how BCIs can be incorporated into a firm's marketing program.

Marketing communications

Marketing communications are the process of transferring information about a product target audience. It should be understood that no firm is able to operate simultaneously in all markets, while satisfying the needs of all consumers. On the contrary, a company will only succeed if it targets the market whose customers are most likely to be interested in its marketing program. The target audience is a group of people who receive marketing messages and have the opportunity to respond to them. Even such market giants as Coca Cola and Pepsico to promote their new products target specific population groups. For example, the target market for "Diet Coke" consists of conscientious consumers of a beverage created using dietary ingredients. Thus, "Diet Coke" is intended for those who consciously prefer such soft drinks - young people aged 12 to 24 years of both sexes and women from 25 to 45 years old.

Company specialists must understand that a variety of means can be used to most effectively communicate a marketing message. So, the presence of a built-in CD player and natural leather interior trim is an example of a sustainable marketing message about the high quality of a car. The price of a product can also convey certain information to buyers - obviously, a 99-cent pen is unlikely to have the same respectable appearance and be as reliable as a $50 pen. A company that distributes its merchandise primarily through discount stores is already telling customers a lot about the status of its products.

Thus, the product, its price and distribution method can carry important market information to consumers. These three elements, along with marketing communications, form marketing mix. Marketing communications are used to demonstrate the important characteristics of the other three elements of the marketing mix in order to increase the consumer's interest in buying a product. If marketing communications are based on a comprehensive, thoughtful marketing plan, then they can generate a "big idea" that will be fully absorbed by the target audience. For example, "great idea" Microsoft t was to enable computer users to get the information of interest to them by pressing just a few keys on the keyboard. The implementation of this idea in relation to the Internet was embodied in the slogan "Where do you want to go today?" and a graphic representation of a hand pointing at a software product Microsoft, as an answer to the question.

Marketing communications, along with the other three elements of the marketing mix, are a key factor in making strategic decisions based on the marketing plan. marketing plan is a document that reflects an analysis of the current marketing situation, identifies market opportunities and associated dangers, sets development goals and outlines an action plan aimed at achieving them. Each area of the marketing mix has its own goals and strategies. For example, the goal and pricing strategy may be to increase sales in a certain territory by charging a lower price for a product than major competitors. Marketing communications are designed to give target audiences an idea of the overall marketing strategy of the company by sending them special messages about the product, its price and methods of sale in order to arouse their interest or convince them to accept a certain point of view.

Next, we will look at the five main elements that are present in all marketing communications: consumer persuasion, goals, contact points, participants in the marketing process, and various types of marketing communication activities.

Persuasion and information

All marketing communications are aimed at providing the target audience with certain information or persuading them to change their attitude or behavior. For example, a company Kraft would like to make consumers believe that its cheeses are superior in quality to those of all other producers. Firm hallmark strives to ensure that buyers remember her "whenever they would like to send the best postcard." Selling firms* use a variety of methods to convince consumers. They can use any information, arguments and incentives. It is also necessary to actively listen to the voice of buyers. For example, the Help Desk phone number on diaper packages is one of the most successful marketing communication tools, as new mothers can always use it to comment on a product or get advice on how to use it.

Goals

All marketing communications are focused on solving certain problems, which, in turn, must correspond to the goals of the communication program. Typically, these goals include creating brand awareness among buyers, disseminating information, raising the culture of the market, creating a positive image of the company or its trademark. The ultimate goal of any marketing communications strategy is to help the firm sell its product and thus keep its business going.

Contact points

To be successful in the market, a company must deliver its marketing messages to any place where the target audience can come into contact with its brand. The places of such contacts can be very different: from a store that sells goods directly to a room where the buyer can watch commercials on TV or call the “hot” telephone line and get the information of interest to him. Marketers may plan some types of contacts in advance, such as those that arise during the course of an advertising campaign, but sometimes contacts take place regardless of the plans developed. Such unplanned contacts may occur as a result of the dissemination of certain information received by buyers. In particular, the general design of a trading establishment may indicate unambiguously that it sells only inexpensive goods, and a low level of service will indicate that the firm cares little about the interests of customers. In order to have the greatest effect on the target audience, the company must consider the problem of possible contacts with the consumer as an important part of its marketing program. For the successful implementation of the latter, it is necessary that the marketing message at each point of contact works to convince the buyer of the merits of the proposed product.

Participants in the marketing process

The target audience includes not only potential consumers. Participant in the marketing process refers to any person who contributes to the success of a company or the promotion of its products. Thus, the participants in the marketing process can include employees of the company, sellers of its products, suppliers, residents of the territories where goods are produced and sold, the media, state regulatory authorities for commercial activities, as well as buyers.

The target market for "Diet Coke" consists of populations that consciously consume diet drinks. One of the participants in the marketing process of this company is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Food and Drug Administration - FDA), as it regulates the sale of food and beverages to the public, including Diet Coke products. Other participants may include wholesalers and retailers who directly influence how and when a product finds its buyer, financial analysts who influence the behavior of the company's shareholders, as well as the population of the territories where Diet Coke plants are located.

The idea that participants in the marketing process, along with consumers, can play an important role in the implementation of the company's marketing program, is receiving more and more confirmation in the practice of modern business. For example, a Houston-based company Men's Wearhouse, which owns more than 260 department stores and has an annual turnover of over $430 million, attributes its success to its ability to work with people. Thus, in the list of the most important participants in its marketing process, the first place is occupied by its own employees, followed only by consumers, suppliers, local residents and shareholders. The company is convinced that its caring attitude towards its employees will provide better customer service.

A firm's competitors may also be included in its marketing process. For example, IBM and Apple at one time joined forces to create a new computer. Such partnerships are becoming more common as companies agree to partner with each other to maintain their market share. In particular, such Asian airlines as Cathay Pacific, Singapore International Airlines, Thai Airways International and Malaysian Airlines Systems developed a joint flight schedule to protect their market from the entry of larger, world-famous air carriers.

Business regulatory authorities can also have a major impact on many companies, from the leaders in the cigarette industry to Microsoft. When promoting some of its new products, the company Microsoft considered it necessary to issue special appeals to state bodies and to its competitors, in which it tried to dispel their fears about its intentions to monopolize the market.

Marketing communications messages

Hundreds of different types of communications can be used to spread marketing messages. This process can be carried out both with the help of a pre-designed marketing communications program, and through the unplanned use of marketing mix elements and other ways of establishing contact with the consumer. Thus, planned and unplanned marketing messages can be used to reach a marketing contact.

For delivery to the consumer scheduled calls The following communication tools are used:

Unscheduled calls include all other ways to communicate various information about the company and its trademark to potential customers. For example, a dirty delivery vehicle, lack of a safe parking space near a store, surly behavior of order takers, untidy appearance of the firm's office building, irritated employees, or constantly busy phones are some of the negative messages that can have a stronger effect on consumers. impact than planned marketing communications, including advertising and public relations. All employees of the firm, and especially those who directly deal with clients, may inadvertently become sources of unwanted information if they do not undergo special training, during which they become familiar with the communication effects of their actions and manner of communication. Although marketing communications professionals should not always be responsible for these unplanned messages, they should still anticipate and eliminate messages that are inconsistent with the overall communication strategy of the company, and stimulate the dissemination of information that fits into this strategy.

Depending on the circumstances, the various activities in the marketing mix can be either planned or unplanned messages. Mix marketing decisions, such as choosing where to sell a product, predicting its future success with buyers, and determining the right price, have the most direct impact on the level of consumer interest in a product. The main control levers of the marketing mix are in the hands of the head of marketing, and therefore many marketing decisions are controlled directly by him. However, these decisions are not always considered from the point of view of establishing marketing contacts, and communication specialists may not take part in planning the marketing mix. If marketing communications specialists do not participate in the development of the marketing mix and do not help evaluate the effectiveness of its messages, this mix can be considered as a source of unplanned messages. When marketing communications specialists participate in the development of the marketing mix and in the evaluation of the results of its appeals, then this mix is considered as a source of planned appeals.

Consider the distribution of planned and unplanned communication messages and their receipt by consumers and other participants in the marketing process. Obviously, both types of communications can be equally important. Ideally, they (public relations) contribute to informing and persuading consumers, who, through this, enter the store already knowing about the brand of the company and having a positive opinion about it. This type of sales promotion creates additional incentives for making purchases. In addition, it is necessary to remember some characteristics of the product and the store in which it will be sold. The appearance of the packaging, the presence of branded trademarks, the cleanliness of the sales area and the friendliness of the attendants can have a beneficial effect on customers. All these factors together affect the decision of consumers to buy a particular product.

In the story we told at the beginning of the chapter about bringing Windows 95 to market, the company Microsoft used a variety of marketing communications tools to deliver planned messages to its target audience: advertising, personal selling, public relations, sales promotion, direct marketing, and specialty packaging. The concept of BCI, which we will consider in the next section, will help to more accurately explain the features of using each of these tools.

Marketing communications can create a positive experience that will increase customer satisfaction with the purchased product and add value to the company's products in the eyes of consumers. For example, for many boys and girls, buying Levi's jeans means more than just a wardrobe addition, as the firm Levi's Strauss & Co. has managed to create a particularly attractive image of its products through the skillful use of advertising and thoughtful organization of trade. However, no amount of marketing communications effort will ever help a company that produces low-quality products. As experience shows, the easiest way to "bury" any low-quality product is to create and implement a good communication program for it, since it is such a program that will quickly show the target audience all its shortcomings.

Marketing Complex.

Forms of promotion of goods and services on the market

Types of marketing communications.

Marketing communications are an integral part of mass communication and have a number of distinctive features from the latter.

First, marketing communications are precisely aimed at the target audience, which indicates their purposeful nature.

Secondly, they are characterized by the periodic repetition of messages to ensure a certain level of memorization.

And, thirdly, marketing communications have the character of a complex

th impact on the target audience.

Thus, it can be noted that Marketing communications–

these are methods and forms of presenting information and influencing the target audience.

It should be noted that so far it has not been possible to create an exhaustive classification of the forms of marketing communications. And yet today, when the role of marketing is increasing, the role of marketing communications has increased and more clearly defined. Indeed, effective communication with customers has become key to the success of any organization.

Various kinds of enterprises are constantly promoting their activities to consumers and customers, trying to realize several goals:

Inform prospective consumers about your product, services, terms of sale;

Convince the buyer to give preference to these particular products and brands, to attend these entertainment events, etc.;

Force the buyer to act, i.e. direct consumer behavior to immediate purchase.

The marketing communications mix consists of four main means of influence (elements) - advertising, sales promotion, personal selling and public relations.

Advertising– any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services on behalf of a specific customer; these are events aimed at creating wide popularity for something, attracting consumers, buyers.

Sales promotion- These are short-term incentive measures to encourage purchases.

Personal sales a- verbal presentation of goods and during a conversation with one or more potential buyers with the aim of making a sale.

Public Relations (PR)– formation of a favorable image of the company, i.е. maintaining a reputation for reliability, solidity, commitment; friendly dialogue with consumers, suppliers; the formation of a sense of interest in the results of marketing among their own employees.

Each element of the communication complex has its own specific techniques and methods. However, they all pursue common goals - the implementation of the socio-economic objectives of the manufacturer's marketing policy, the presentation and promotion of goods and services on the market, the formation of a "social order" for new goods (services) and the study of demand for them, ensuring objective awareness of the activities of business circles, socio-political and government institutions.

Thanks to the correct combination and use of all four constituent elements of the complex, the so-called promotion of goods on the market is ensured.

FEATURES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Types of communications	the main objective	Target group	Communication carrier	Measuring Success	Propagation loss	Communication with the target	Communicative content
Advertising	Encouraging a customer to buy	Target groups, segments	TV, radio, print, outdoor media	Relatively difficult	Large or medium	clear	Mainly about the use of goods and services
ETC	Positive reputation of the company	The whole public or its sections	TV, radio, print, press conferences, individuals	Hardly possible	Often very significant	Often not clear	Applies to the company as a whole
Personal Selling	Information, deal making	Potential customers, interested persons, clients	Own sales staff, sales agents	Relatively easy	Mostly small	clear	Concerns the benefit in connection with the purchase of goods
Sales promotion	Help your sales, trade, customers	Customers, their employees of sales, trade	Fairs, exhibitions, sales training, contests, brochures, samples	Partially possible	Mostly small	clear	Defined in relation to specific products

Introduction

Marketing communications

The concept and essence of marketing communications
Types of marketing communications
Marketing Communications Promotion Complex

Development of a complex of marketing communications

Criteria for selecting marketing communications
Stages of development of marketing communications

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

Recently, we have witnessed significant changes in the process of bringing products to market. With increased competition and the saturation of many markets with goods, it is no longer enough to have good products and services. To increase sales and make a profit, it is necessary to convey to the consumer the benefits of using a product or service. Today, it is necessary to clearly position the product on the market, taking into account the desires of the consumer and designate the value of the customer's trademark relative to the competitor's brands. Moreover, behavioral attitudes are constantly changing.

Therefore, a company in a competitive market that does not take these factors into account, and, consequently, does not pursue an active communication policy, is doomed to failure.

Marketing communications allow a firm to:

provide reliable information to prospective consumers about your product, services, terms of sale;

to convince the buyer to give preference to these particular goods and brands, to shop in certain stores;

force the buyer to act - to direct the consumer's attention to those goods and services that the market offers at the moment;

to direct the actions of the consumer, that is, to use their limited financial resources precisely for the product or service that the company is promoting to the market.

The relevance of this topic is beyond doubt, because in order to achieve all of the above goals, an enterprise needs much more than just creating a product, setting a suitable price for it and making it available to target audiences, the company must communicate with its customers. And it is on the effectiveness of the latter that today the volume of sales and profits depends.

1. Marketing communications

1.1 The concept of marketing communications and their essence

Marketing communications is a concept in which a company carefully considers and coordinates its many communication channels to develop a clear, consistent, and compelling message about the company and its products. Creating integrated marketing communications involves identifying the target audience and developing a carefully coordinated promotional program to get the desired consumer response. Too often marketing communications are aimed at solving acute problems of the target market related to consumer awareness, company image or buying preferences. This approach to information transfer limits the process in time and makes it too expensive; in addition, most marketing messages are sent to the wrong people. Today, marketers are beginning to view communications as a long-term management of the buying and selling process. In other words, management begins in the period preceding the purchase and extends to the time of purchase, to the period of use of the purchased product and to the subsequent period. Since all customers are different, a company must develop separate communications programs for each of the market segments, for each niche segment, and even for each individual customer. Especially given the advances in the latest technologies in interactive communications, companies should be asking themselves not only the question "How to get their information to the consumer?", but also "How to make it so that consumers can send their information to us?" The main elements of marketing communications are advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, direct marketing, public relations, packaging, retail promotions, special events, souvenirs, trade shows, and other planned and unscheduled messages.

At the same time, it is necessary to emphasize that the role of the marketing communications system is constantly increasing. Obviously, in a saturated market, it is no longer enough to create a great product. Success can be achieved only in those cases when the seller establishes a relationship, mutual understanding with the buyer, creates an atmosphere of openness and mutually beneficial cooperation. Thus, marketing communications are carried out to strengthen the consumer's commitment to the company and product. The main element in such activities is the promotion complex.

Types of marketing communications

Let's now take a closer look at what types of marketing communications exist.

We classify marketing communications - we divide them into two main groups according to the type of organization of the process: direct communications and communications through an intermediary.

1.)Direct communications- this is a communication between two or more people for the purpose of familiarizing, discussing and / or promoting a product or idea. The effectiveness of marketing communication in personal selling is determined only by the desire and skills of the seller, since the reactions of the buyer are observed directly, and the seller can change his communication tactics in accordance with the individual characteristics of each buyer.

2.)Marketing communications with the participation of communication intermediaries.

This type of marketing communications has a number of disadvantages and features:

There is no possibility to "adjust" to a specific buyer,

The perception of information about the product depends on the attitude towards the "transmitter" of information, the degree of trust in him;

The bulk of the information the consumer receives before planning or making a purchase, this must be taken into account in proper media planning.

Despite these limitations, intermediary communications are nevertheless an effective marketing tool along with personal selling, which is determined by the following reasons:

The consumer is affected by all the information that he perceives, without even realizing it;

Marketing communication through intermediaries allows you to "fill" empty spaces in the consumer's RAM and include the advertised brand in the "choice list".

An additional goal of communication through an intermediary is to provide the consumer with the necessary and sufficient number of arguments to form a preference for a particular brand.

The considered main communication groups can, in turn, be divided into subgroups according to a number of additional criteria.

It is not possible, and even necessary, to compile a complete list of such criteria, since marketing communications are an open system that is constantly changing under the influence of external factors.

A common mistake is to reduce the entire complex of marketing communications (KMC) to only four components of the promotion system (Promotion):

Direct marketing (Direct Marketing);

Sales promotion (Sales Promotion);

Public Relations.

In fact, marketing communications are not limited to one P (Promotion) of the marketing mix. They are present in every one of the five P's of marketing.

1.) Product (Product). The packaging of any product is one of the most important types of marketing communication. The name of the product or manufacturer itself is also a form of MK.

2.) Price (Price). Like packaging, it can be a form of marketing communication.

3.) Place / distribution channels (Place). One of the most important types of MK is the design of points of sale: POS-materials (from the English. Point of Sale), facing (Facing) - arranging products on shelves, branded commercial equipment.

4.) Promotion (Promotion). Naturally, all four elements that make up the promotion are types of marketing communications. At the same time, each of these elements includes quite independent processes, which can also be distinguished into separate types of marketing communications.

5.) People (People). Company employees, dealers, shop assistants, and even consumers themselves are somehow involved in the process of creating marketing communications.

So, marketing communications permeate the entire marketing mix, not limited to the promotion system. It has already been noted above that it is difficult to give a clear classification of the types of marketing communications due to the constant variability of their nature. Nevertheless, it is advisable to list 11 main types of marketing communications that reflect almost all communication activities of companies:

direct marketing;
sales promotion;
package;
registration of points of sale;
corporate identity of the company/brand;
event marketing;
sports marketing;
information presence on the Internet;
participation in exhibitions, fairs;
personal selling.

1.3 Marketing Communications Promotion Complex

Promotion is a set of techniques and activities aimed at establishing and maintaining certain relationships planned by the organization with target audiences to form and stimulate demand and improve the company's image in the eyes of these audiences. This complex includes advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, PR. Each element of the promotion complex has specific techniques and methods. However, they all have one goal - to contribute to the successful solution of strategic and tactical tasks of implementing the concept of marketing. Thanks to the correct combination and use of all four constituent elements of the complex, the so-called promotion of goods on the market is ensured.

It should be borne in mind that the proper impact of the communication system - a change in the behavior of the buyer in favor of the company - can only be achieved if the following conditions are met:

activities are carried out systematically, and not on a case-by-case basis;

when developing the structure of the communications complex, the features of the product and the stages of its life cycle are taken into account.

From the point of view of the communication marketing strategy, the division of goods into two large groups is of fundamental importance: consumer goods and industrial goods. Goods purchased for personal or family use without the purpose of further resale are called consumer goods. Goods purchased by organizations or individuals for the purpose of using them for the manufacture of new products, resale or other commercial purposes are called industrial goods.

The main efforts of marketing communications should be directed to the following actions:

Personal selling;

Sales promotion measures, especially if they involve representatives of the selling firm;

Advertising in special publications, providing complete information about the product, and the use of hot telephone lines or Internet addresses, by which the buyer can clarify the technical parameters of interest to him.

Marketing communications aimed at consumers of consumer goods tend to use more emotional appeals. They often focus on mass selling through television and print advertising, point-of-purchase promotions, and strengthening public relations to build consumer confidence and remind them of the product's positive image. Personal selling is more appropriate when the consumer product is expensive or technically complex and therefore requires a demonstration of its use and explanation by a specialist.

Development of a complex of marketing communications

Criteria for selecting marketing communications

The choice of means of marketing communications in a particular situation is determined by factors such as the nature of the market; promotion goals; the nature of the product; product life cycle stage; price; financial resources available for promotion.

1. The nature of the market. If the market is a limited number of buyers, personal selling can be effective. However, if there are many potential customers and they are geographically dispersed over a large area, the cost of personal selling can be unacceptably high. For such markets, extensive use of advertising makes sense.

The type of consumer also influences the choice of means of communication. Personal selling works better in a target market made up of organizations than in a target market made up of end consumers.

2. Goals of promotion. The purpose of communication may be to communicate factual information through cognitive appeal. In this case, Public Relations, an analytical article, a press release can be used. If the purpose of the promotion is to achieve a positioning effect, then sales promotion can be used. The purpose of the promotion may be to consolidate the consumer's buying habit, for which repetitive advertising, sales promotion is used.

3. The nature of the product. Standard products with minimal maintenance requirements typically rely less on personal sales than custom-made products or products that require frequent support and maintenance. Consumer products are more advertised than business products.

4. Stage of the product life cycle. At the stage of introduction to the market, it is necessary to inform potential consumers about a new product. Sales people contact marketing intermediaries, encouraging them to take the product. Trade shows showcase products to potential dealers and end users. Advertising and sales promotion at this stage creates awareness and stimulates initial purchases.

5. Price. Advertising dominates the low-price promotion toolbox because personal selling has a high cost per contact. These costs make personal selling an unacceptable means of promoting low-price goods and services. When reaching a mass audience with the help of advertising, the cost of contact is low. Therefore, advertising is often used to promote chewing gum, carbonated drinks, beer, snacks.

6. Financial resources available for promotion. Showing a 30-second commercial on television during the broadcast of the Super Bowl in the United States costs two million dollars. While the cost per contact may be low, a promotion budget of this size is out of reach for most companies. However, broadcasting a video report on local or cable television can be within the budget of many large and medium-sized companies.

To decide on the choice of means of promotion, marketers seek to evaluate their significance in generating sales. Consider which aspect of the promotional mix leads a customer to the decision to buy a particular brand of computer. Perhaps one factor, such as the seller's qualifications, had the most impact. However, the fact is that all the elements of the complex did their part in making the sale. The advertisement has been effective in creating general awareness and possibly a positive attitude towards the brand. Sales promotion - free software - led to the decision to visit the store. Personal selling turned out to be the most spectacular, effective in completing the sale.

Stages of development of marketing communications

According to the theory of communication, its main goal is to influence the recipient, which will provide a favorable reaction for the communicator. The communicator must accurately imagine the most important characteristics of the audience to which he intends to address.

Based on this, we can distinguish the stages of developing marketing communications:

Definition of the target audience.

Determination of the purpose of information transfer and possible reaction.

Preparation and creation of a communication message (impact).

The choice of the means of transmission of the message (implementation of the impact).

Tracking feedback - getting the reaction of the target audience.

Definition of the target audience. Target audience - a set of potential or actually existing (actual) consumers who make purchasing decisions or influence them. In addition, the target audience includes people who do not buy products themselves, but make a purchase decision, or those who can influence this decision. The communicator's decision about what, how, when, where to say and who should say it depends on the correct choice of the target audience. This is important for correctly identifying the degree of purchasing readiness, i.e. distribution of consumers according to the steps of the previously defined hierarchy of communication effects, which correspond to the already listed states of the buyer before making a purchase decision.

The target audience can be in any of the seven states of purchasing readiness: awareness, knowledge, predisposition, preference, conviction, purchase, purchase approval.

Let's take a look at the first five of the seven named buying states.

Awareness. First of all, the marketer must find out how the target audience is aware of the proposed product (specificity, quality) or the company producing it (famousness, duration of work on the market, main competitors).

Knowledge. The target audience may know about the existence of the company or its products, but nothing more. The firm needs to find out which part of potential buyers have only heard about this model, which part knows at least something about it, and which part knows almost everything about it.

Predisposition. Alternative actions by the communicator are possible. Decisions depend on the nature of the answer to the question of whether the target audience knows everything about the product or does not know anything about it, and if it does, then how it relates to it. If potential buyers are already aware of the new product, the task of the firm's marketing staff is to create a positive attitude towards the product, i.e. lead to a state of purchasing power.

Preference. The target audience may like the product, but this does not mean that it will give preference to it. In this case, the communicator should try to form a preference among buyers, emphasizing the quality, dignity of the product, services accompanying the product (service, etc.), etc.

Conviction. The target audience may prefer this product, but doubt the need to buy it. In other words, the buyer prefers a certain product over its analogues, but is not completely sure that this particular product should be bought.

The implementation of the communication program is impossible without the preliminary collection of information. The firm needs information about the actual and potential size of the market; competitors; the products they make; methods of sale and dissemination of information; intermediaries and their capabilities.

The goals of communication should be clearly defined in content, as well as in time and space.

Different media can be used sequentially or simultaneously, and participation in fairs and exhibitions can be included in the communication program; presentation and demonstration of equipment; distribution of samples; messages in the special press. Particular attention should be paid to technical documentation.

Communication activities need to be monitored and evaluated for effectiveness. This is necessary regardless of whether we are talking about advertising or a sales promotion operation. Too large sums are involved, and a failure can cause serious damage to the enterprise.

As a rule, the effectiveness of communication activities is determined by testing, which is carried out on the basis of a study of a random sample of the target audience. Testing is possible at the beginning of the communication planning process, at the stage of implementation of the communication impact and even after its completion. All of these types of testing make it possible to verify the appropriateness of the chosen course of action.

After carrying out communication activities, it is necessary to give a comprehensive generalized assessment of their effectiveness.

Many manufacturers are content with simply comparing sales volume before and after a communication event. The results of such a comparison, in essence, do not say anything. It is more correct to compare factors that are distinguished by stability and constancy, while the most significant comparison of the results achieved with data on the control group of people not exposed to communication actions.

Conclusion

In recent years, along with the increasing role of marketing, the role of marketing communications has increased. These two concepts have now become inseparable from each other, as modern marketing requires much more than creating a product that satisfies the customer's needs, pricing it appropriately and making it available to target consumers. Firms need to communicate with their customers, inform about their products, make their purchase profitable.

In our modern society, there are more and more different goods and services. And each of the firms strives for success, so that its product becomes more purchased, or the service becomes more popular, because competitors are “not asleep”. And in this sense, a correct understanding of marketing, marketing communications is very important in the market of goods and services. After all, it is obvious that in a saturated market it is not enough to create an excellent product. Success can be achieved only in those cases when the seller establishes a relationship, mutual understanding with the buyer, creates an atmosphere of openness and mutually beneficial cooperation. Thus, marketing communications are carried out to strengthen the consumer's commitment to the company and product.

In general, in this work, the role of marketing communications in the market, and its impact on the promotion of a product or service, was substantiated.

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