Marketing Communications Mix

Introduction

The purpose of this essay is to look at the Marketing Communications Mix, clearly define the meaning of each type and show how Coca Cola, one of the biggest brands on the global market, utilises each method.

Belch, E. and Belch A. describe Integrated Marketing Communications as “a concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a comprehensive plan that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of communication disciplines and combines these disciplines to provide clarity, consistency and maximum communications impact”.

The disciples in the marketing communications include:

 Media advertising

 Direct Marketing

 Sales promotions

 Public Relations

 Personal selling

The product that has given the world its best-known taste was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 8, 1886. Dr. John Stith Pemberton, a local pharmacist, produced the syrup for Coca-ColaÐ'®, and carried a jug of the new product down the street to Jacobs' Pharmacy, where it was sampled, pronounced "excellent" and placed on sale for five cents a glass as a soda fountain drink.

Today Coca Cola has grown into one of the strongest and most recognized brands in the world. Coca-Cola’s brand range includes Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Caffeine Free Diet Coke, Sprite, Sprite Light, Fanta, Fanta Light, Fanta Icy Lemon, Lilt, Diet Lilt, Tanora, Deep RiverRock, Vittel, Fruice, Schweppes, Oasis and Powerade and many many more.

Growing importance of IMC:

 Shift of moving away from media advertising to other forms of communications.

 Shift in power from manufacturers to retailers.

 Rapid growth of database marketing.

 Rapid growth of the internet

 Increasing importance of branding

Advertising

Any paid form of nonpersonal communication about an organization, product, service or idea by an identified sponsor could be described as advertising.

Coca-cola uses mediums such as television in order to advertise the latest marketing campaign “the Coke-side-of-life” and tries creating a fantasy world around the brand. This is clear in the television adverts that are broadcast.

The Coca-Cola Company uses television advertising as its main source of increasing consumer awareness. There are many television advertisements on Coca-Cola products. This source allows the company's products to reach a large audience. The company also uses the radio as another source of advertisement. This is a cheaper source of approach compared to the television. Recently, the company benefited from its involvement in the world's celebrated games such as the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. Where millions were watching these games, the business had substantial advertising and promotions of the company's brands.

Advantages:

 Advertiser controls the message

 Cost effective way to communicate with large audiences

 Effective way to create brand images and symbolic appeals

 Often can be effective to strike effective chord with customers

Disadvantages:

 High cost of producing and running ads

 Credibility problems and consumer scepticism

 Clutter

 Difficulty in determining effectiveness

Advertising to consumer markets

- National Advertising

- Retail/Local Advertising

- Advertising to increase demand

- primary demand for the product

- selective demand for a specific brand

Business & Professional Advertising:

- Business to Business Advertising

- Professional Advertising

- Trade Advertising

Direct Marketing

A system of Marketing by which organizations communicate directly with targeted customers to generate a response and/or a transaction.

Advantages:

 Changes in society made consumers more receptive to direct marketing

 Allows customers to be very selective and target specific segments of customers.

 Messages can be customised for specific customers

 Effectiveness easier to measure

Disadvantages:

- Low response rates

- Clutter

- Image problems вЂ" particularly with telemarketing

Direct Advertising Methods:

- direct mail

- catalogues

- telemarketing

- direct response ads

- direct selling

- internet

Sales Promotion

Marketing activities that provide extra value or incentives to the sales force, distributors, or ultimate customers and can stimulate immediate sales.

Consumer oriented:

Targeted on the ultimate users of a product (coupons, sampling, premiums, rebates, contests, POP materials)

Trade oriented:

Targeted towards trade intermediaries