Analysis of the Integrated Marketing Communications Mix Strategies of Your Chosen Fmcg Brand

INTRODUCTION

This is the question that markers always considered how large or successful organisations such as Apple and Samsung, British airways and China airlines, Zara and Top shop, Ford and BMW, Waitrose and Tesco, HSBC and LLOYDS all associate many customers, markets and countries and use a variety of marketing communications activities to engage with their target customers. Besides, the hundreds of thousands of organizations apply marketing communications in different ways, in order to achieve different objectives, and to pursue their marketing goals. As an international strategic brand manager for Oral-B company it is important to understand the concept of integrated marketing communications (IMC) mix strategies that’s allow manager to analyse and assess market strategy in future actions. The problem for many companies is that how to use communications to reach and engage with their various audiences. The purpose of this study is to analyse and discuss how segmentation, positioning and branding strategies can boost the implementation of IMC mix and analysis of the integrated marketing communications mix strategies of Oral-B. The paper starts by presenting IMC literature and followed by market environment review. The last sections are discussed and implicate the IMC strategies, company strategies.

LITERATURE REVIEW

o Marketing communications mix (MCM) has emerged in the eighties as an approach to achieving the objective of marketing campaign. One of the early attempts in MCM was by McCarthy (1998) who defines the Marketing communications mix as the specific mix of advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations, and direct marketing, a company uses to pursue its advertising and marketing objectives. Since then, more and more organisations apply this concept in many ways. Especially they focus on advertising but other methods of promotion are not adequately used, many of companies or organisations consider advertising is one of the efficient tools to communication to the customers. In line with this, Advertising helps small business to sell their Unique Selling Proposition (USP) to the prospective customers and reach out to large audiences to create brand images and appeals in a cost effective way (Tsikirayi, Muchenje, and Katsidzira, 2013). That is true in any marketing the world over, advertising contribute very significantly in terms of building brand images and enhance consumer awareness. However, advertising is not the only way to communicate to costumers and is just one of the approaches of IMC mix. But, nowadays, some organization took it as a shortcut and they only use some of the short term strategy in term of brand strategies, advertising strategies, message strategies, and indeed some form of intergraded marketing communication strategy, but there is not enough for organizations developing advance communication strategy. In contrast, the integrated marketing communications mix is a comprehensive marketing communication plan that combines and evaluates a variety of strategic communication disciplines rather than focus on advertising or other methods.

Among the three factors, segmentation, positioning and branding strategies that facilitate the development and managing of integrated marketing communications mix is the ability of the entrepreneurs or managers to ensure the business strategy is analysed about the existence of the product or service. To achieve this, the entrepreneur (manager) needs to engage an effective integrated marketing communications mix (Tsikirayi, Muchenje, and Katsidzira, 2013). Following is a brief overview oh how segmentation, positioning, and branding strategy could influence the design and implementation of integrated marketing communications mix.

o Market segmentation is hold that the process of dividing a market into homogeneous segments is using a range of possible segmentation methods, each segment being composed of customers or consumers sharing similar characteristics (Pickton and Broderick, 2004). So market segmentation can be implemented. Market segmentation is the process of splitting customers in to different groups, or segments, within which customers with similar characteristics have similar needs. By doing this, each one can be targeted and reached with a distinct marketing mix (McDonald and Dunbar, 1995). This definition has three key tasks for marketer. First, select the market and find segments within it (segmentation). Second, select the most profitable segments that can be served the most effectively and efficiently by the company resources (targeting). Third, to communicate to that segment to appeal to their specific wants and needs better than competitor (positioning) (Pickton and Broderick, 2004). By doing so, specifying target segments can be selected and marketing plans developed to satisfy the individual needs of the potential buyers in these chosen segments (Fill, 2013).

o Positioning is an integral part of marketing communications strategy. Because, the concept of the positioning is one of the two dynamics considered within communications strategy. The first dynamic is concerned with who, in broad term, is the target audience. The second dynamic concerns the way in which an audience understands the offering they are experiencing either through use or through communications. In IMC mix, we need to determine the position held by competitors (Fill, 2013). There are a number of overall approaches to developing a position. These can be based on factors such as the market, the customer or redefining the appeal of the brand itself. To implement these three broad approaches, the list that follows are presented here as means of conveying the strategic style, but in reality a number of hybrid strategies are often used. Product features, Price/quality, competitor, and benefit (Fill, 2013).

A brand can identify one item, a family of items or the seller. There are typically four main branding strategies such as corporate umbrella branding, family umbrella branding, range branding, and individual branding. In this study, only focus on individual branding as Oral-B is on this category. Definition of individual branding is that each product is branded separately, for example the brand Oral-B is reserved for toothpaste, even though there may be a range of different packaging options. (Pickton and Broderick, 2004). If you know the brand already, it will help you make the decision faster. In the marketing communication mix, branding strategy is considered important to influence effect of public relations on consumer awareness, which can benefit product through enhancing its image, reputation, profit and awarenesss.

o Market