Marketing Communications

Achieving Customer EngagementAdvertising strategy

Paid, non-personal communications from an identified sponsor, using mass media to persuade or influence a decision (Richards and Curran 2002)

A paid, mediated form of communication from an identifiable source, designed to persuade the receiver to take some action, now or in the future. (Richards and Curran 2002)

Possible advertising objectivesInformative advertisingTelling the market about a new productSuggesting new uses for a productInforming the market of a price changeExplaining how the product works

Persuasive advertisingBuilding brand preferenceEncouraging switching to your brandChanging customers perception of product attributesReminder advertisingBuilding and maintaining the customer baseRemind the customer that the product may be needed in the futureKeeping the product in the customers mind during off-seasons

Advertising objectives

4Different levels of purchase motivationThe motivation that drives the purchase of a product influences how one reacts to and processes advertising (Ratchford, 1987; Rossiter et al, 1991; Vaughan, 1986).

Products are either purchased to fulfil:Informational needs (also called think products) are used for solving consumption-related problems such as bank services, washing-up liquid, and tooth paste. Transformational needs provide gratification and positive emotions such as holiday travel, chocolate and clothes.

Informational products solve consumption problemsConsumers are rational when they purchase themTarget audience requires informationConvince the target audience that the product has the right characteristics against competitionInformational Needs

The audiences need for information is lowerConsumers evaluate based on how they perceive the product will make them feel

Sometimes, informational products are advertised using transformational motivationsCarDeodorantDrinksTransformational Needs

Different type and objectives of advertising appeals8Appeal approachObjectives of communication Brand awarenessTo illicit recall and recognition of brand following Marketing Communications.Brand salienceTo differentiate a brand within a category.Promoting product trialTo get the target audience to start using the brand.Comparing our brand against the competitionTo achieve relative positioning against the competition within a category.Changing negative brand perceptions and consumer attitudes to our brandTo get target audience to re-evaluate our brand.

Different type and objectives of advertising appealsInformational contentTo eliminate perceived risk from purchase decision.Activity and engagementTo seek active participation by target audience with communication message.Strength of argumentTo apply communications relevant to the level of involvement consumers have with the brand.Appealing to Informational and Transformational NeedsTo tailor communications according to the level of rational or emotional requirement of target audience.FlexibilityTo vary ad content without affecting a consistent message.Informational contentTo eliminate perceived risk from purchase decision.

Target audience characteristics and perceptionsType of target audience responseIndicative advertising objectiveBrand Loyal to our brandCognitiveRemind and ReinforceRecallInformational contentAffectiveAssociate our brand with categoryInduce engagementConativeEncourage activity and engagementEncourage repeat purchaseCalls to actionBrand Loyal to CompetitorCognitiveInformational contentComparative statements against competitionReputational advertisingAffectiveInspire loyal customers to spread positive word of mouth to non-usersConativeFacilitate sales of product

How advertising worksAdvertising cannot be explained by a single interpretation or modelAnalogue v DigitalPersuasion modelInvolvement ModelSalience modelSales promotion model

Analogue-delivered messages sayDigitally delivered messages encourageThis is the reason why the brand is different PersuasionPeople to explore a brand such as searchImagine you are associated with the brandInvolvementPeople to play and create contentPlease think about this brandSaliencePeople to talk and share information about the brandAct now and you will be rewardedPromotionPeople to act now and they will be rewarded

Digital and Analogue Advertising Messages

Rational approach to advertisingPush consumers to actAIDAPersuasion

Draw the audience into the advertisement Elicit an emotional responseShared values (Dove)Aspirational values (Lynx)Personification (Loreal)Involvement

Advertising works by being noticeableStanding out in the product categoryHow can ads be made salient?

Salience

This approach is based on the premise that sales is the only objective when measuring the effectiveness of an advertising campaign.Tangible measurementSales Promotion

Reach, frequency and impactMedia typesPrint, Radio, TV, DigitalMedia vehiclesSpecific type of media used (e.g. Sunday times, Champions League)Media timingSeasonality, AM/PM, weekday / weekendSelecting the media

Involvement: determines how involved the purchase is, how much information should be used, to what extent the target audience should be activated, and the amount and strength of arguments used.Purchase motivation: will also determine how much information should be used, whether the argument is appropriate and what emotions the advertising should evoke.Brand familiarity: decides how much attention should be given to the product and how complex the advertising content should be.

Brand positioning and narrative development

High-involvement productsComplexExpensiveNeed consumers to spend time evaluating and purchasingLow involvement productsLow complexity and involvementMajority of purchases are low involvementProduct Involvement

The function of advertising with low involvement product is to remind customers of the products existenceMajority of advertising is devoted to thisLevel of involvement will influence advertising approachProduct Involvement

Two types of brand awareness...Recall RecognitionRecall is dependent upon the likelihood of advertising being rememberedRecognition relies not just on remembering the advertising, but creating positive associationsBrand Awareness

To attain recall, advertising must create strong associations which make the product memorable to the target audienceRelevant and easily accessible associations

Brand Awareness

Linking the brand to category need: Top-of-mind recall is desirable when consumers link brands with a particular category need. Explicitly creating strong associations between the product and the category is important.

23Recall objectives

Repetition: Repetition is the most effective tool when recall is the communication objective as recall is a form of simple learning: Repetition within the actual advertisements is evident too: the repetition of the message in the beginning and end of the advertisement, or by paraphrasing (i.e. repeating with other words) the headline of a newspaper ad further down in the text.

Recall objectives

Enduring contact time: Another way to get the target audience to remember the link between the product and the category need is to maximise contact time (Singh et al, 1993). Contact time is the time spent establishing the desired product-category need link. User-generated contact

Recall objectives

Recognition is to a large extent about an automatic behaviour: it is less demanding to attain brand recognition as peoples visual memory is highly strong and accessible. The task of advertising is to create and automatic recognition.

Clear product exposure: Advertising may convey an environment that relates to the purchase situation (e.g. a store or a newsstand). Likewise, the purchase situation could by all means remind people of the advertising, by for example linking back to the advertisings theme in store displays (sales promotions).26Recognition objectives

Consistency: The way that the product is depicted must not change. Negative consequences of a changed product packaging or a different advertising concept. After the initial introduction of the product, the advertising should mainly reinforce the message.

Recognition objectives

High-repetition advertising, where the audience is exposed to the same ad numerous times within short time-intervals, allows the audience ample opportunity to learn about an unfamiliar brand. This effect is less pronounced for familiar brands, as the audience can relate to their previous relationship with the brand and reduce the level of boredom (Campbell et al, 2003).Recognition objectives

Outline the advertising strategy of a recent campaign. Consider:Overall objectivesConsumer motivationsApproachSelection of media Evaluation

Task

Fill, C. (2013). Marketing Communications: Brands, Experiences and Participations, 6th Ed. Prentice Hall Chapter 14Dahlen, M., Lange, F., & Smith, T. (2010). Marketing communications: A brand narrative approach. Chichester: Wiley. Chapter 11

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