Principles of Promotion
Learning outcome 3
Tutor: Joan Black
1. Media advertising is a paid for communication that uses the mass media and comes from an identifiable source, media advertising is commonly used as part of a bigger running promotional campaign, this type of media can be very expensive therefore before an organisation commits to making a TV commercial they should carry out market research on such things such as on potential customers and what their tv watching habits are, by carry out this research it will help to make the campaign as successful as possible by reaching its desired/selected audience at their prime TV watching times.
(b)
There are several types of media advertising …show more content…
that a company may use to promote their products or services to a consumer market. Boots pharmacy uses 3 main types of media advertising to connect with potential customers. They do this through advertising in Magazines, boots have their own issue of magazine featuring goods on which they have on offer they also advertise in other big leading brands of magazines, covering promotional offers, usually over one whole page of a magazine with minimal writing. Magazine advertising has some good advantages for Boots, it allows Boots to advertise specific products to a target market, such as anti wrinkle creams can be advertised in an older woman's magazine, whereas younger brands of make-up can be featured in magazines more aimed at a younger market.
Another type of media that Boots use is television commercials, tv commercials can be very successful if done correctly, commercials reach a wide audience which is ideal for Boots, as they have products to suit most needs from young new born children to the older generation. Products can also be demonstrated in use, as well as users of products can give their feedback ( very common on makeup commercials, usually has a percentage of customers who would recommend the product.) Although not all of Boots adverts have been successful such as their 2012 Christmas advert were they were accused of animal cruelty after showing a child pointing a hair drier at a dog. Such Tv adverts which can cause offense to consumer, can affect the organisations reputation.
New media such as facebook and twitter is a great way to promote products, it is relatively cheap and is easy to set up, Boots are frequent users of social media and like to keep consumers up to date with the latest products, offers and competitions.
2.Sales promotions are short term tactical tools aimed at increasing sales this is done through using a set of marketing activities, sales promotions are often used to create consumer demand for a specific product or service, sales promotions very rarely build any long term customer loyalty. There are 3 main types of sales promotion that an organisation may use these are; money based promotions, which can be instant or delayed purchases such as 20% off if you spend £20 in one transaction. Another type of promotion is product based, this type of promotions may include giving away a free gift when a customer purchases a specific product . Another could be competition based promotion, this is when an organisation may allow you to win a holiday, if you find a gold ticket inside a product etc, this type of product is often used in the food and snack industry.
(b) An organisation may use product based promotions to encourage potential customers to make a purchase, this type of promotion is common when launching a new product onto a competitive market.
Boots offer a range of product based promotions such as; '3 for 2 offers', 'Buy 1 get 1 free', 'save up to 1/2 on selected diet and weight management products' etc. They also offer a loyalty card, allowing customers to build up points which can later be used to purchase goods, Boots often promote products by allowing customers to gain more bonus points than usually on selected items, such as: ' 500 points when you buy 2 selected premium beauty products'. This often encourages a customer to buy another brand/product as they know they will receive more points unlike when they purchase another similar product.
3.Personal selling is a two way communication between the buyer and seller based on personal contact either done by; one 2 one selling, presentation selling or telephone selling, personal selling is usually used to persuade a buyer to make a purchase.
The seller promotes the product/service to the consumer through their attitudes shown towards the products and by using their specialist knowledge.
(b)
One to one selling, is a personal situation, often the sales person will personalise the products benefits and features to suit your personal wants and needs., the sales message for each individual customer will change. Boots often use one to one selling when promoting makeup and fragrance goods, often a member of staff will try and sell a product to the potential consumer by applying their makeup professionally, in order to entice you into making a purchase, they will also advice customers on products which may potentially go with other products , products that the customer necessary doesn't really …show more content…
need.
4. Public relations is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understandings between an organisation and its publics ( customers, employees, suppliers etc.) Usually done through publicity and other nonpaid forms of communications. Public relations try to influence consumers opinions on what they think about a product of service provided, a common type of public relations is celebrity endorsement, if a celebrity is seen wearing a certain item of clothing or uses a particular type of makeup etc, the product automatically becomes more desirable to the average consumer.
(b)
Two types of public relation tools that boots are currently using are; exhibitions and sponsorship.
An exhibition is an organised event, where companies showcase their products and services, usually knowledgeable staff from the organisation provides Information on the products and services that the organisation provide. Recently Boots have been showcasing their products, through their own 'big beauty event' which has been taking place in a host of towns and cities around the UK. It has allowed consumers to receive beauty tips from expects, as well as receive free makeovers and hairstyling, Boots have also been giving away free exclusive giveaways, which has helped to promote products what Boots offer in their shops and online store.
A sponsorship is the provision of money or equipment with external parties to create an awareness of a brand, it builds up an image for an organisation. Boots are in sponsorships with 'This morning on ITV', recently Boots and This Morning entered into partnership, with the aim to work together to help people 'get ready to face their day with confidence' this has allowed Boots to promote their products, in short advertising
clips.
5. Direct marketing is the planned recording, analysis and tracking of individuals customers. It establishes an Individuals relationships between an organisation, products and service, it allows an organisation to create a relational marketing strategy. Direct marketing is often used by companies who have a small advertising budget, these companies usually do not have a recognisable brand image compared to other larger companies offering a similar product or service.
Direct response advertising, is done through the use of media to encourage consumer contact, either through television commercials or press releases etc. Adverts usually include a response mechanism, which could be a shop or website address.
Although Boots are a large global company they do use direct response advertising when promoting product offers, they usually allow the consumer a chance to purchase the product at an offer/discounted price for a limited number of days, usually stating in their tv commercial that there are a limited number of items available so consumers should visit their website immediately before stock runs out this creates awareness around a product.