Lecture 9

Question 1

What is marketing communications and what is its role?

Answer 1

The means by which firms seek to engage and excite people, often persuading them to make a purchase. Traditionally this is focused on delivering a given message to a predefined audience but has largely changed to a two-way style of interaction.

Question 2

What are the 9 different types of marketing communications?

Answer 2

Advertising, sales promotion, events and experiences, public relations and publicity, direct marketing, personal selling, interactive marketing, word-of-mouth marketing and social media marketing.

Question 3

What is a micro model and what are the use cases for such models?

Answer 3

Micro-models concentrate on customers specific response to communications and are frequently referred to as response hierarchy models. Customers pass through a cognitive, affective and behavioral stage (but not always in that specific order)

Question 4

What are the 4 key elements needed to establish effective communication?

Answer 4

Establish connection, Promise reward, Inspire action and Stick in memory.

Question 5

What are the 8 steps for establishing effective communication?

Ide, obj, cha, bud, mmx, res, imc.

Answer 5

1.Identify target audience
2.Determine objectives
3.Design communications
4.Select channels
5.Establish budget
6.Decide on media mix
7.Measure results
8.Manage integrated marketing communications.

Question 6

What is the “match-up” hypothesis?

Answer 6

The math-up hypothesis postulates that the level of congruency match between endorser (celebrity) and the brand is important.

Athletes are more effective endorsers of sport brands rather than fast food.

Question 7

What are the 3 central parts of designing communications?

Answer 7

What to say, How to say it, And Who should say it.

Question 8

What is a message strategy within communications design?

Answer 8

The appeals, themes or ideas that will connect with the brand positioning and help to establish points-of-parity or points-of-difference.

Question 9

What is a creative strategy within communications design?

Answer 9

The way marketers translate a message into a specific communication, and it might utilize either a informational appeal or a transformational appeal.

Question 10

What is the difference between a informational appeal and a transformational appeal?

Answer 10

Information: Presented pieces of information serve as evaluation criteria. Focusing on providing information. Often include the use of experts, peers, demonstrations, highlighting of a solution and comparisons.

Transformation: Focused on evoking emotions or altering affective responses, while simultaneously conveying benefits, communication an image and attracting attention. Often utilizing humor, eroticism, warmth, music and sometimes a celebrity.

Question 11

What is the 3 important elements to consider when choosing Who should say it in communications design?

Answer 11

Message source: messages delivered by attractive, popular or respected sources can achieve higher attention.
Expert endorsers: The use of an expert can be used to demonstrate the quality of a product by adding credibility.
Celebrity endorsers: By using celebrities the brand can attract attention, give free publicity, and are based on the likability and star status of famous public figures.

Question 12

Does marketing activities have to be integrated?

Answer 12

They should in order to deliver a consistent message across all potential interactions that customers may have with a company to achieve the desired positioning.

Question 13

How is humor effective in marketing and which factors does effectiveness depend on?

Answer 13

Humor attracts attention, but whether the attention leads to downstream effects depends on the product type, the existing products and the relationship between humor and product.

Question 14

How is eroticism used in marketing and what are its effects?

Answer 14

Some appeals use forms of nudity, intimate contact, sexy or provocatively dressed individuals, seductive facial expressions or words as well as sexually laden music.
It has the effect of attracting attention but risks reducing the message and can hurt a brands image.

Question 15

What is the function of evoking warmth in advertising?

Answer 15

Use of elements evoking mild and positive feelings. This leads to positive affective responses with potential for downstream effects on ad attitudes, brand attitudes and purchase intentions. More effective with women and people with high empathy.

Question 16

What is the definition of the fear appeal in marketing and what are 5 main appeals used?

Answer 16

Fear advertising uses exposure to risk that can be mitigated by purchasing a product.
Physical appeal: bodily harm risk Social: risk of exclusion or being disliked. Time: Risk of losing time on unpleasant activities. Financial: Risk of losing money Opportunity loss: Risk of losing an opportunity.

Question 17

What is a shock tactic in advertising and what are the effects of it?

Answer 17

Shock tactics are deliberately offending an audience by deliberately violating norms, laws or social conduct by being vulgar, violent or disgusting.

The effect of shock tactics is that they attract attention, facilitate cognitive elaboration and generate word-of-mouth (WOM) and media publicity.

Question 18

What is the main aim of using music in advertisement?

Answer 18

To capture attention, create positive mood, induce sense of relaxation, enhance product evaluations, signaling a certain lifestyle and conveying brand personality.

Question 19

What are the 2 most important factors with music in advertisement?

Answer 19

The level of arousal (high or low) and the music to message congruency.

Question 20

What is the goal when selecting communication channels?

Answer 20

Trying to reach people when they are in the best place, time and state of mind to get the best impact on the marketing communications budget.

Question 21

What are the 4 methods for establishing a marketing communication budget?

Answer 21

Affordable method: what the company can afford. Percentage of sales method: Based on specified percentage of sales (actual or predicted). Competitive parity method: Set with competitor spending as a reference. Objective-and-task method: Set by defining specific objectives, determining tasks to be done and estimating the costs of these tasks.

Question 22

What are the 4 communication mixes and what are the purpose and benefits of them?

Answer 22

Advertising: make customers buy a brand. Sales promotion: tools to draw a stronger and quicker buying response. Public relations and publicity: Underused source. It is particularly powerful if a company needs to challenge consumers’ misconceptions. Events and experiences seen as relevant and gets customers personally involved, can provide better involvement and act as a indirect or “soft” sell.

Question 23

What is the main factors to consider when choosing communications mix?

2 options

Answer 23

The type of market, and the product lifecycle stage aka: Intro, Growth, maturity and decline.

Question 24

How do consumer markets and business markets differ in regard to the choice of communications mix?

Answer 24

Consumer markets tend to spend more on sales promotion and advertising, while business markets spend comparatively more on personal selling.

Question 25

What are the four stages of a product lifecycle and which communications mix is best suited for each?

Answer 25

**Intro**: advertising, events, experiences and publicity have the highest effectiveness. **Growth**: Word of mouth is most prominent **Maturity**: Advertising, events and personal selling become more important. **Decline**: Sales promotion is the strongest.

Question 26

What do you need to consider when developing a marketing plan?

Answer 26

**Objectives**: Should be based on target markets and brand position. You must also define whether the primary purpose is to inform, persuade, remind or reinforce. **Using data:** Utilizing data for reach, frequency Impact, exposure. Considering continuity and concentration **Timeframe**: Deciding to have even exposure over time or to focus on a condensed period. Either done in waves or flighting marketing or done in an alternate fashion switching between high and low also called Pulsing marketing.

Question 27

How do sales promotions work or how can they be beneficial?

Answer 27

They give customers an incentive to buy now rather than later and drive immediate sales.

Question 28

How do sponsorship events provide value?

Answer 28

Events like festivals, fairs and charity activities can become part of a personal movement in consumers’ lives, thus deepening the company’s relationship with the market.

Question 29

Why is the creation of experiences effective?

Answer 29

Creating a memorable experience can deepen the relationship as well as communicate about the product.

Question 30

What is the 5 main functions within public relations?

Answer 30

Press releases: Presenting news and information. Market offering publicity: Support specific market offering. Corporate Communications: Promoting understanding of the organization. Lobbying: Contacting legislators and government officials. Counselling: advertising management.

Question 31

What is the main function of Personal Relations?

Answer 31

To promote or protect a company’s image.

Question 32

What is the benefits of press relations?

Answer 32

They can build awareness, credibility, boost the sales force and or dealer enthusiasm as well as reducing costs.

Question 33

What is the difference between paid, earned and owned media?

Answer 33

Paid media: is the company that generated advertising, publicity and promotional efforts. Earned media is all the PR and word-of-mouth benefits firms receive without having directly paid for it. Owned media: largely consists of online marketing communications.

Question 34

What are the 5 levels of personal communications mix, and what defines them?

Answer 34

Direct and interactive marketing: take place through phone, online or in person and is customized, up to date and interactive. Personal selling: Particularly effective during later stages of the buying process and can induce a purchase response. Word-of-mouth marketing: both personal and timely Social Media Marketing: Low-cost communication tools that combine tech and social interaction, enabling direct contact and interaction.

Question 35

What is the definition of direct marketing and what is the downside and upsides?

Answer 35

Using mailing lists and personalize messages to build continuous relationships with individual customers. Upside: it allows customers to easily contact the firm. Downsides: irritation, unfairness, privacy invasions, deception and fraud.

Question 36

What is the upsides and downsides of interactive marketing communications?

Answer 36

Upsides: It’s easier to make changes and track the performance of the campaign. Companies can create customized advertisements for specific target groups and communicate with customers on purchase sites. Downsides: Selective attention with customers filtering out most messages, less sensory experiences.

Question 37

What are the six steps of personal selling?

Answer 37

Prospective and qualifying, pre-approach, presentation and demonstration, overcoming objectives, closing and follow up.

Question 38

What is word-of-mouth marketing (WOM)

Answer 38

Customers market a product or brand for free on behalf of the company. Can be boosted if advertisement is seen as particularly credible or trustworthy.

Question 39

What is the function or purpose of social media marketing?

Answer 39

To incorporate various activities that integrate technology and social interaction, mainly through forums, blogs, and platforms. The purpose is to add costumer perceived value through communication platforms that enable people to create and share message content through participating in social networking.

Question 40

What are the advantages and disadvantages of social media marketing?

Answer 40

Advantages: Contact frequency, relationship building, accessibility, interactivity, immediacy, WOM, reach, feedback, cost and boost in traffic. Disadvantages: No written “rights or wrongs”, distraction, health issues du to excessive social media usage, information overload, privacy issues and addiction.

Question 41

What is integrated marketing communications (IMC)?

Answer 41

Integration of several mass and personal communication formats aimed at creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Requires media coordination both within and across media types. IMC can produce stronger message consistency, build brand equity and create a greater sales impact.