Marketing Communications

The Marketing Communications Mix

The product I have chosen to analyse is the sunsilk colour collection which is a range of shampoos to wash your hair. This is a range branding strategy which is a number ol related products grouped together. They are a shampoo, conditioner and leave in cream. The audience for this product is aimed at women in their 20s with blonde hair. This impression is given because the advert in the magazine uses a young woman with blonde hair to advertise the shampoo product. The main communications tool for this campaign is the magazine advert as the brand description uses a lot of detail aboul the product on the advert with some words being highlighted to stand out. i.e. 'Blonde brighten, enliven, enriched, intensify, shine, everyday, brilliance' Most of these words are adjectives used to sell the product to the audience. The advert also uses a brand logo so the consumer identifies the brand and it gives the brand identity and is more recognisable. Magazines can both convey new information that is not shown in the TV commercial and lead people to perceive the TV commercial in new ways. The result is a stronger, more inclusive communication. Magazines make television work harder. The page and the screen help to promote each other.

When it comes to effective selling, beauty companies need to communicate their brand's message and their products' benefits. The product itself has been marketing very cleverly as it is not a regular shampoo, it is shampoo for blonde hair. It has proved to be a best seller in the shops and it is made that that the target audience know this by putting in large font in the middle of the page 'Voted No. 1'. This draws attention to the reader as it is going to make the consumer go out and buy the shampoo range. It helps the consumer with the decision making process for when the> are buying in the shops. They are less likely to buy another shampoo product because they are aware that sunsilk collection has been voted number one. The magazine advert is used to create an image for the shampoo range so it appeals to the target audience of women in their 20s. The image of the brand is projected through the advert using the woman in the picture with blonde hair to communicate to the reader what the advert is about. Today, more women are celebrating their nationality and appreciate what hair type they have. The advert is in the colour yellow to emphasise what hair type the shampoo is for, blonde hair. The buyer's decision to buy the product is influenced by their age, personality economic situation and their lifestyle. The sunsilk range is aimed at women in their 20s so there is a specific market and their prices are affordable. The magazine advert also uses a picture of their product rang for consumers to see what the product looks like. It is eye catching, and captures the consumer's attention.

The sunsilk collection also uses a website to promote and sell the product at www.sunsilkhairapy.co.uk which is a non-traditional media form to promote a product. It is written at the end of the adverts page in the magazine. The website gives the consumer more information about the shampoo and other shampoos'. The Sunsilk site was launched in June 2006 with the aim of developing a closer relationship with the brand's target audience, women in their 20s. The site features gang games, blogs, parade ground, hot jobs (tie up with job site Monster.com), message board and newsletters, advice on hair care, relationship and astrology and the most popular section make over machine. The website is a very good way to advertise the product as many people use the internet and like logging onto websites and it is an enjoyable experience for consumers. The website also allows you to sign up to the product so

you can receive information regularly about the brand and their new ranges. It is a good communication tool as they can communicate with the consumers using email, which will be sent to many people and enhance the brand image for consumers deciding to buy the product or if they haven't heard of the product they can be informed and perhaps they can tell other people, which is a very powerful technique called word of mouth. There is also a section that tells you what retailers the sunsilk range is available at. The use of mailing is a good communications tool as once the brand has the consumers email they can automatically inform them of anything news which does not cost anything. There is no need to spend more money on making the consumer aware as everyone checks their email in today's world. Just like a product life cycle the website too have a lifecycle. Initially girls joined because of offline promotion, viral and word spreading. The site has registered almost 200 million hits and gets on an average almost 12-13 million page views every month. There are over 280,000 registered members, over 25,000 gangs, and growing everyday. Consumers are able to participate and give their views of the product and are really bonding with the brand.

Television adverts have been used for years to communicate a brands message and inform consumers about new products. The range of hair products for sunsilk is also advertised using the television. In the TV advert the storyline is that a man has a leak in the bathroom so the builders explain they will have to make a hole, the next morning the man is surprised to see a pretty blond through the hole,vfiver the next few days they become close, then the man enters the bathroom with flowers to find the hole gone,Jw?wever as he knocks on the panel the pretty blond is waiting on the otherside. The television advert is memorable as it has a storyline so the consumers are more likely to remember the product and the target market is aimed at women who like to look their best. The advert is sending the message that if you want to attract men then you should use sunsilk range for blonde hair. The pretty blonde woman in the advert helps promote the product