Deck 16: The Communications Mix: Personal Selling

Question 1

Most effective sales promotions are multifaceted, accomplishing many objectives with one promotion.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The communications mix is all communications between the firm and the target market that increase the tangibility of the products/service mix, that establish or monitor consumer expectations, or that persuade customers to purchase.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Public relations is the planned management of the media's and community's perception of the hospitality enterprise.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

All sales promotions should have an evaluation mechanism.

Question 5

Sales promotions are marketing communications that serve to stimulate sales on a long-term basis.

Question 6

Sales promotions are used to:

A) Create demand
B) Execute an event outside of the normal day-to-day business
C) Increase the satisfaction of the guest
D) Both A & B
E) All of the above

Question 7

Merchandising is an in-house marketing technique designed to stimulate delayed but ongoing purchase behavior through means other than personal selling or the purchase of time or space in media.

Question 8

Details of a promotion such as price, quality, procedure, dates and time are not necessary and can be placed in fine print fine print or answered by an employee when the customer asks.

Question 9

There are essentially two types of sales promotions: those that are centered on established events and those that are created on their own.

Question 10

One goal of the communications mix is to "increase the tangibility of the product/service mix."

Question 11

There is only one reason to create a sales promotion: to create awareness.

Question 12

Many promotions break down when employees fail to notify their managers of the specific details of a promotion, how it was implemented and how it was handled on the front line.

Question 13

Sales promotions should be single minded and should not try to accomplish too many things as it may confuse the market.

Question 14

The example in the text about the Hilton Hotel in New Orleans and wine sales is an example of a successful promotion producing long-lasting results.

Question 15

One of the critical points of creating a sales promotion is to make sure that you do not alienate and lose customers because you can not fulfill the demand.

Question 16

Conducting research to evaluate a promotion might include a traditional pre-test/post-test with a promotion group and a control group.

Question 17

Promotions are usually best left to conventional ideas; quirky and uncommon tactics are usually lost on the average customer.

Question 18

Merchandising has one distinct and overall purpose: to increase sales.

Question 19

An example of a sales promotion is when McDonald's offered reduced prices on "Teenie Beenie Babies" with the purchase of a happy meal.

Question 20

A break-even analysis should be conducted early in the sales promotional planning.

Question 21

The overall goal of merchandising is to:

A) Make a more satisfied customer
B) Make more profit
C) Better market amenities that already exist
D) Both A & B

Question 22

Handling negative publicity takes all of the following except:

A) Immediate response
B) A plan with a provision for "crisis communication" policies
C) Quick communications
D) A PR specialist to create an incident specific plan

Question 23

The first basic rule in merchandising is:

A) Define the purpose
B) Make it visible and simple
C) Ensure that it is practical
D) Ensure compatibility and consistency

Question 24

After Hurricane Katrina, Marriott Rewards members were allowed to convert their rewards points into monetary donations to the Red Cross. This is an example of:

A) Merchandising
B) Public relations
C) Sales promotion
D) Advertising
E) Personal sales

Question 25

An effective PR news release:

A) Is designed to "dupe" the news press into publishing something positive about an organization
B) Steers the story toward good features and away from the negative images
C) Details all of the related facts about an event
D) Tells the press exactly what to publish

Question 26

Public relations guidelines, as suggested in the text by Rod Caborn of the firm Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell include all of the following except:

A) A consistent, on-going PR program should provide consistent, on-going results
B) Great public relations depends on creative management
C) PR people must understand your marketing plan
D) It is not imperative for a good PR plan to be written; some of the best campaigns will evolve from current events

Question 27

Measuring the success of a public relations campaign is:

A) Straightforward if you have kept track of the details of each event
B) Frequently based on the value of the exposure created in the medium relative to the value in terms of paid advertising
C) Related directly to the increased profits during the campaign
D) Not quite as important as measuring other aspects of the communications mix

Question 28

Public relations are all of the following except:

A) A one time task
B) An effort to create positive images for the community
C) An effort to create positive images for the employees
D) An ongoing task

Question 29

Which is not an element of the communications mix?

A) Merchandising
B) Public Relations and Publicity
C) Sales and Promotions
D) Advertising
E) All of the above

Question 30

Which is not an example from the textbook's PR tactics list of "Opening a New Hotel? Ten Surefire Ways to Get the Publicity You Need to Put Heads in Beds"?

A) Hold an open house at your hotel and invite the community. Give away free services or have a local celebrity appear.
B) An apt public relations consultant should be able to work independently to establish a media target list
C) When possible, be unique with your hotel's design and amenities
D) Start early establishing your public relations strategy and selecting a qualified public relations professional

Question 31

Business centers in hotels that cater to the business traveler are a perfect example of good:

A) Public relations
B) Merchandising
C) Marketing
D) Promotions

Question 32

Chapter 16 emphasizes the importance of staff inclusion when merchandising or implementing a promotion. This is important for all of the following reasons except:

A) A clear and consistent message is given to the customer
B) Inclusion lengthens the process and makes it less manageable
C) The customers are given correct information
D) It gives employees a sense of being "in the know"
E) An organization wants to deliver on its promise

Question 33

Most public relations are:

A) An important part of marketing
B) An ongoing task
C) Are initiated to reverse negative happenings
D) Both A & B
E) All of the above

Question 34

Examples of good merchandising include(s):

A) Pizza on room-service hotel menus
B) Business centers in hotels
C) The "45-minute guaranteed lunch" for the business segment
D) Both A & C
E) All of the above

Question 35

Publicity can be:

A) Positive
B) Free of cost
C) Negative
D) Both A & C
E) All of the above

Question 36

Public relations efforts by businesses after hurricane Katrina:

A) Looked to capitalize on the loss by obtaining market share gains in evacuee destination cities
B) Were widespread and swift and aimed at helping employees and evacuees
C) Exploited the dire circumstances of the victims
D) Included donations from hoteliers like Marriott who offered loyalty reward customers the opportunity to convert their points into monetary donations for the Red Cross
E) Both B & D

Question 37

In the interview with Ms. Serna from the Conrad Punta del Este Resort and Casino she details how the resort is very active in helping the children of Uruguay. This interview about giving back to a local community is an example of:

A) Public relations
B) Merchandising
C) Promotions
D) None of the above

Question 38

Which of the following would be the most accurate statement when evaluating a promotion?

A) An evaluation should answer the question: would the customers have come anyway?
B) Sales increases or decreases should be directly linked to the promotion
C) Promotions do not usually have formal evaluations post promotion
D) None of the above is an accurate statement for evaluating a promotion

Question 39

When designing a successful promotion, a savvy marketer would:

A) Understand the break-even point
B) Identify the gap
C) Establish a goal
D) Both A & B
E) A, B & C

Question 40

Public relations does all of the following except:

A) Create images for the local, public and financial communities
B) Create images for the firm's employees
C) Create publicity for the firm through news releases
D) Create favorable attitudes towards a firm, its products and its effort
E) Keeps the press informed as to what is happening, positive or negative, on an ongoing basis

Question 41

Use the guidelines for sales promotions and apply them to the promotion of a new restaurant, either from your own experience or hypothetically. What are some of the steps (at least five) and how would you apply them?

Question 42

Public relations successes be measured.

A) Cannot
B) Used to
C) In the future likely will
D) Can

Question 43

Effective public relations programs always include a provision for .

A) The unexpected
B) Inadequate management
C) Inadequate staffing
D) Going over budget

Question 44

Publicity is like except that publicity is aimed specifically at the media to generate more public relations.

A) Positioning
B) Public relations
C) A promotion
D) Merchandising

Question 45

The most common reason for failure when delivering promotions, merchandising and public relations programs is:

A) Lack of planning
B) Lack of media input
C) Lack of knowledge
D) Lack of funding

Question 46

A hotel package for Valentine's Day is an example of:

A) A sales promotion
B) Positive publicity
C) A discount
D) Merchandising

Question 47

One way to determine the success of a promotion is:

A) A pre/post promotion test with a control group
B) A sample market based survey
C) "They would have come anyway" analysis
D) "They will come again" analysis
E) Both A & D

Question 48

Evaluation post-promotion is a big part of determining if the effort was worth it. What types of questions would you ask post-promotion? Please be thorough in your answer. You may use examples.

Question 49

"All communications between the firm and the target market that increase the tangibility of the product/service mix, that establish or monitor consumer expectations, or that persuade customers to purchase" is a definition of:

A) Merchandising
B) The public relations mix
C) The communications mix
D) Marketing

Question 50

Subjects of interest in public relations tactics discussed in the text include:

A) History of the establishment
B) Personnel
C) Customers
D) Both A & B
E) All of the above

Question 51

When planning public relations, the firm must consider all of the following except:

A) Merchandising
B) The purpose
C) The target markets
D) choosing target media
E) Positioning