An Overview of Marketing Communications

Adam Mathew^*
*Correspondence: Adam Mathew, Department of Mass Communication and Media, McGill University, Canada, Email:

Introduction

The use of several marketing channels and techniques in combination is referred to as marketing communications (MC, marcom (s), marcomm (s), or simply communications. Marketing communication channels are concerned with how firms convey a message to their target market or the wider public. Advertising, personal selling, direct marketing, sponsorship, communication, public relations, social media, customer journey, and promotion are all examples of marketing communication tools [1].

For a firm selling goods, the marketing mix consists of the 4Ps: Price, Promotion, Place, and Product; for a service-based business, the marketing mix consists of the 7Ps: Price, Promotion, Place, Product, People, Physical Evidence, and Process.

Advertising, promotions, sales, branding, campaigns, and internet promotions are all examples of marketing communications. The process lets the general audience to become familiar with and comprehend a brand, as well as gain a clear understanding of what the brand has to offer. With the advancement of technology and procedures, customers can now participate directly. This is accomplished by incorporating their thoughts and creativity into product development and marketing. Targeting audiences who enjoy the organization's goal and vision, company values, and marketing programme is key to successful branding [2].

Description

The marketing communications mix is a set of tools that can be used to deliver a clear and consistent message to target audiences. Advertising is a small but important part of marketing communications; the marketing communications mix is a set of tools that can be used to deliver a clear and consistent message to target audiences. The promotional mix is another name for it. Crosier claims that in the framework of the 4ps, all phrases have the same meaning: product, price, place, and promotion. Price has the ability to deliver a message to the intended audience. When comparing a $50 bag to a $10 bag, the former may be considered more luxurious or sturdy [3].

The marketing plan outlines significant opportunities, threats, vulnerabilities, and strengths, as well as objectives and a strategy for achieving marketing objectives. Each of the 4Ps has its own goal; for example, the pricing goal could be to improve sales in a certain geographic region by pricing their own product or service lower than competitors. Because pricing is one of the most important components of marketing that may impact the entire market positively or adversely, this makes a big change in the market because more individuals in the target market would prefer to do business with your company over your competitors [4].

Definition

Barriers to communication: Barriers to communication are elements that obstruct the goals of marketing communication. Noise and clutter, consumer disinterest, brand parity, and poor information design, creative ideas, or strategies are all major communication impediments. A consumer is distracted from the marketing message by noise, which is an unrelated sensory stimulation (for example, people talking nearby making it hard to hear a radio advertisement). Clutter refers to the large number and density of ads that a consumer is exposed to at any given time. Because attention cannot be divided, there is a limit to how much information can be absorbed and processed, which implies that effective marketing communication must stand out from the crowd and be heard above the din [4].

Consumer apathy refers to a person's inclination to ignore marketing messages. Selective attention occurs when a consumer isn't engaged or doesn't consider themselves "in the market," and as a result tries to block out irrelevant marketing cues. A consumer may also be "in the market," yet be unaware of the brand or product's existence or popularity. Consumers prefer to buy well-known brands and are unlikely to look at alternatives. Incentives, such as competitive pricing or loyalty benefits, are one way for marketers to combat apathy.

The term "brand parity" refers to a brand's similarity to its competitors. Consumers do not build brand preference or connections without a specific value proposition, and instead purchase only on the basis of price. This isn't ideal, because good marketing communication boosts brand equity. One of the most essential goals of marketing communications is to create a strong, distinct brand identity that allows the company to stand out from the competition [5].

Marketing research does not follow a set of stages that leads to a final conclusion. It's a continuous process that necessitates a broader perspective. Projects may necessitate delving deeper and altering the entire process at times. Take Nokia, for example, when they were prepared to compete in the smartphone industry. In November 2011, they decided to create something fresh, aimed specifically towards the youth who were transitioning to Finnish Smartphones. This transition necessitated a number of modifications, ranging from brand principles to in-house team training, from product development to targeting, and from employing talented marketing personnel to new inventions [6].

Integrated marketing communications

The employment of marketing tactics to optimise the delivery of a consistent message of the company's brands to stakeholders is known as Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC). Combining approaches increases communication by using the benefits of each channel, which when combined has a clearer and more expansive impact than if utilised separately. Marketers must analyse the success of the campaign's message and set the boundaries around the promotional mix elements as part of IMC [7].

The marketing environment was undergoing significant changes in the mid to late 1980s, with ramifications for marketing communications. Because of the proliferation of media, audience fragmentation, globalisation of markets, the introduction of new communications technology, and the increasing use of databases, traditional mass marketing approaches and practises were no longer relevant. The rise of digital and interactive media, in particular, meant that marketers relied less on advertising as a primary method of marketing communication. There was a growing consensus among practitioners and academics that new methods to marketing communications were required [8,9].

Conclusion

Integrating messaging across communications disciplines, creative executions, medium, timing, and stakeholders is the goal of integrated marketing communications. Companies are increasingly using an integrated approach to develop and execute their marketing communication strategies, which has been regarded as a paradigm shift.

References

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