Deck 15: Integrated Marketing Communications

Question 1

Identify several causes of noise. How can a source reduce noise?

Answer 1

Noise refers to everything that reduces the accuracy and clarity of the communication. It can occur due to laryngitis, slow or poor Internet connection, and radio static.
The source can reduce the noise by having a clear voice and adapting voice pitch as required. The noise can also be reduced by decreasing the use of symbols and signs in a message.

Question 2

Explain the difference between a pull policy and a push policy. Under what conditions should each policy be used?

Answer 2

The push policy promotes merchandise up to the next institution down the marketing channel. The pull policy promotes merchandise directly to customers for developing strong demand for towing the product through the marketing channel.
Push policy is normally used in situations where personal selling is required for sales. Pull policy is used in situations where the customer base is large. Hence pull policy prefers promotes products through sales promotion and advertising.

Question 3

Myspace
Myspace is not just for friends. It is also a unique promotional platform for musical artists, especially unsigned and independent artists. By creating a Myspace page, musicians can share their songs, post important dates, or even blog. Myspace music pages are different from record company websites because they feel more personal. Artists also take advantage of Myspace's viral nature by allowing other Myspace members to post their pictures, songs, and music videos on their own Myspace profi le pages. Visit the website at http:// music.myspace.com , and look for your favorite artist or discover a new one.
What are the promotional objectives of this website?

Answer 3

The promotional objectives of this website are as follows:
1) To bring various people from around the world to one site for music and videos.
2) It encourages people to make matches, meet friends, and bring business partners together.
3) It also provides advertisements of other firms, creating income through ad sales.
4) It stimulates demand by helping artists promote their music and videos.

Question 4

In which ways can word-of-mouth communication influence the effectiveness of a promotion mix for a product?

Question 5

Suppose marketers at Falcon International Corporation have come to you for recommendations on how to promote their products. They want to develop a comprehensive promotional campaign and have a generous budget with which to implement their plans. What questions would you ask them, and what would you suggest they consider before developing a promotional program?

Question 6

Which criticisms of promotion do you believe are the most valid? Why?

Question 7

Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana Uses Positive Word of Mouth to Become a Premiere Pizzeria
Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana has opened one of the most recognizable pizzerias in the United States using word-of-mouth marketing. After returning from World War I, Frank Pepe initially began with making bread during the week and pizzas on the weekend. After seeing a demand for his product, he used his entrepreneurial spirit and focused solely on pizza. Frank Pepe founded Pepe's Pizzeria in 1925, with a heavy influence from his Italian culture, in New Haven, Connecticut.
Frank Pepe developed the New Haven-style thin crust pizza that earned him a reputation as being one of the country's premiere pizzerias. Many people began referring to Frank Pepe as "Old Reliable," which continued to generate positive feedback throughout different communities. Pepe's signature pizza, the White Clam Pizza, is one of its most notable recipes.
Since the beginning, Pepe's has been a family-run business. Frank's wife and children all worked in the original store and, after retiring, they passed the business to their children, who still have a stake in the business today. Through the transition between generations, Pepe's has always aimed to deliver a premium product that is consistent and meets customer standards. As people come into the store, Pepe's employees engage in personal selling by communicating various menu items.
Current CEO Ken Berry places a high emphasis upon delivering the promise and guarantee of quality within their product every day. As chief executive officer, he sees the challenge of delivering this promise as a duty that helps protect and build the brand, which the Pepe family initially built. He strives to retain brand equity and rely upon feedback from loyal customers as the company continues to grow.
Including the first and flagship store, there are currently seven pizzerias within Connecticut and New York. With each new store came the difficult task of maintaining the original experience for new, prospective, and loyal customers. When Pepe's began to consistently pursue expansion tactics, some customers appeared dismayed. There were protests and boycotts occurring on opening days, as other happy customers waited in long lines to test the reputation of the premiere pizza.
To ensure customer satisfaction at the new locations, Ken Berry discussed the critical nature of replicating every aspect of the original idea. Everything from the recipes being virtually unchanged to the layout and colors of the stores needed to be congruent to ensure success. He describes Pepe's as an experience that allows customers to step back in time with a handcrafted product.
Another aspect of developing demand for the company in new locations was the advertising tactics used. At times the company uses direct mail, which can be an effective form of advertising, and tries to engage with consumers on Twitter and Facebook to remain connected. As Pepe's has always done, it relies upon word of mouth to retain and gain new customers. It places emphasis upon the experience and listens to customer feedback on whether it is delivering a quality product. A major form of promotion comes in the form of free pizza, which is sales promotion. Generally, the week before a grand opening, Pepe's will offer free pizza for a week at that location to allow new ovens to be broken in, workers to understand Pepe's culture, and to showcase the confidence that Pepe's has in its product to the local community.
For the public relations side of the company, Pepe's has a donation request option on its website, where customers are welcome to fill out an application to receive primarily gift cards from the company. Pepe's also holds a good neighbor night, which allows an organization to hold a fundraiser at any of its location. Fifteen percent of proceeds made that night are given to the organization. While Pepe's loses out on some proceeds, these events create quality relationships in the community, as well as generate a potentially new customer base. Pepe's also donates gift cards to nonprofit organizations for fundraising purposes.
Throughout the years Pepe's has strived to deliver a promise to customers by staying true to the original product. It has maintained brand equity through its dedication and standards set by customers, family members, and all stakeholders associated with the product. For this company, it is clear that through positive word of mouth, integrated marketing does not always need to be a costly expense. 35
Evaluate free pizza as a form of sales promotion in Pepe's success.

Question 8

Should organizations be allowed to promote offensive, violent, sexual, or unhealthy products that can be legally sold and purchased? Support your answer.

Question 9

A vital component of a successful marketing strategy is the company's plan for communication to its stakeholders. One segment of the communication plan is included in the marketing mix as the promotional element. A clear understanding of the role that promotion plays, as well as the various methods of promotion, is important in developing the promotional plan. The following questions should assist you in relating the information in this chapter to several decisions in your marketing plan.
What role should word-of-mouth communications, buzz marketing, or product placement play in your promotional plan?
The information obtained from these questions should assist you in developing various aspects of your marketing plan found in the "Interactive Marketing Plan" exercise at www.cengagebrain.com.

Question 10

A vital component of a successful marketing strategy is the company's plan for communication to its stakeholders. One segment of the communication plan is included in the marketing mix as the promotional element. A clear understanding of the role that promotion plays, as well as the various methods of promotion, is important in developing the promotional plan. The following questions should assist you in relating the information in this chapter to several decisions in your marketing plan.
Review the communication process in Figure 17.1. Identify the various players in the communication process for promotion of your product.

The information obtained from these questions should assist you in developing various aspects of your marketing plan found in the "Interactive Marketing Plan" exercise at www.cengagebrain.com.

Question 11

What is the major task of promotion? Do firms ever use promotion to accomplish this task and fail? If so, give several examples.

Question 12

What does the term integrated marketing communications mean?

Question 13

Myspace
Myspace is not just for friends. It is also a unique promotional platform for musical artists, especially unsigned and independent artists. By creating a Myspace page, musicians can share their songs, post important dates, or even blog. Myspace music pages are different from record company websites because they feel more personal. Artists also take advantage of Myspace's viral nature by allowing other Myspace members to post their pictures, songs, and music videos on their own Myspace profi le pages. Visit the website at http:// music.myspace.com , and look for your favorite artist or discover a new one.
Is word-of-mouth communication occurring at this website? Explain.

Question 14

Myspace
Myspace is not just for friends. It is also a unique promotional platform for musical artists, especially unsigned and independent artists. By creating a Myspace page, musicians can share their songs, post important dates, or even blog. Myspace music pages are different from record company websites because they feel more personal. Artists also take advantage of Myspace's viral nature by allowing other Myspace members to post their pictures, songs, and music videos on their own Myspace profi le pages. Visit the website at http:// music.myspace.com , and look for your favorite artist or discover a new one.
Who is the target market for members?

Question 15

Marketers must consider whether to use a push or a pull policy when deciding on a promotion mix (see Figure 17. 4). Identify a product for which marketers should use each policy and a third product that might best be promoted using a mix of the two policies. Explain your answers.

Question 16

The overall objective of promotion is to stimulate demand for a product. Through television advertising, the American Dairy Association promotes the benefits of drinking milk, a campaign that aims to stimulate primary demand. Advertisements for a specific brand of milk focus on stimulating selective demand. Identify two television commercials, one aimed at stimulating primary demand and one aimed at stimulating selective demand. Describe each commercial and discuss how each attempts to achieve its objective.

Question 17

Describe the possible objectives of promotion and discuss the circumstances under which each objective might be used.

Question 18

Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana Uses Positive Word of Mouth to Become a Premiere Pizzeria
Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana has opened one of the most recognizable pizzerias in the United States using word-of-mouth marketing. After returning from World War I, Frank Pepe initially began with making bread during the week and pizzas on the weekend. After seeing a demand for his product, he used his entrepreneurial spirit and focused solely on pizza. Frank Pepe founded Pepe's Pizzeria in 1925, with a heavy influence from his Italian culture, in New Haven, Connecticut.
Frank Pepe developed the New Haven-style thin crust pizza that earned him a reputation as being one of the country's premiere pizzerias. Many people began referring to Frank Pepe as "Old Reliable," which continued to generate positive feedback throughout different communities. Pepe's signature pizza, the White Clam Pizza, is one of its most notable recipes.
Since the beginning, Pepe's has been a family-run business. Frank's wife and children all worked in the original store and, after retiring, they passed the business to their children, who still have a stake in the business today. Through the transition between generations, Pepe's has always aimed to deliver a premium product that is consistent and meets customer standards. As people come into the store, Pepe's employees engage in personal selling by communicating various menu items.
Current CEO Ken Berry places a high emphasis upon delivering the promise and guarantee of quality within their product every day. As chief executive officer, he sees the challenge of delivering this promise as a duty that helps protect and build the brand, which the Pepe family initially built. He strives to retain brand equity and rely upon feedback from loyal customers as the company continues to grow.
Including the first and flagship store, there are currently seven pizzerias within Connecticut and New York. With each new store came the difficult task of maintaining the original experience for new, prospective, and loyal customers. When Pepe's began to consistently pursue expansion tactics, some customers appeared dismayed. There were protests and boycotts occurring on opening days, as other happy customers waited in long lines to test the reputation of the premiere pizza.
To ensure customer satisfaction at the new locations, Ken Berry discussed the critical nature of replicating every aspect of the original idea. Everything from the recipes being virtually unchanged to the layout and colors of the stores needed to be congruent to ensure success. He describes Pepe's as an experience that allows customers to step back in time with a handcrafted product.
Another aspect of developing demand for the company in new locations was the advertising tactics used. At times the company uses direct mail, which can be an effective form of advertising, and tries to engage with consumers on Twitter and Facebook to remain connected. As Pepe's has always done, it relies upon word of mouth to retain and gain new customers. It places emphasis upon the experience and listens to customer feedback on whether it is delivering a quality product. A major form of promotion comes in the form of free pizza, which is sales promotion. Generally, the week before a grand opening, Pepe's will offer free pizza for a week at that location to allow new ovens to be broken in, workers to understand Pepe's culture, and to showcase the confidence that Pepe's has in its product to the local community.
For the public relations side of the company, Pepe's has a donation request option on its website, where customers are welcome to fill out an application to receive primarily gift cards from the company. Pepe's also holds a good neighbor night, which allows an organization to hold a fundraiser at any of its location. Fifteen percent of proceeds made that night are given to the organization. While Pepe's loses out on some proceeds, these events create quality relationships in the community, as well as generate a potentially new customer base. Pepe's also donates gift cards to nonprofit organizations for fundraising purposes.
Throughout the years Pepe's has strived to deliver a promise to customers by staying true to the original product. It has maintained brand equity through its dedication and standards set by customers, family members, and all stakeholders associated with the product. For this company, it is clear that through positive word of mouth, integrated marketing does not always need to be a costly expense. 35
What are the various promotion elements that Pepe's uses to communicate with customers?

Question 19

The SMART car was launched in the United States in 2008, thereby establishing the American "microcar" category. Sales of SMART cars to date have not met expectations, but the introduction of the iQ from Scion and plans for small vehicles at Toyota, Hyundai, and other car manufacturers suggest that the micro-car category is not going away. An ongoing challenge for the manufacturers of micro-cars, however, is overcoming the rumors that circulate about the miniscule machines, notably the idea that micro- cars are unsafe and useless without a back seat. Develop a very simple questionnaire of four to five items and survey 10 to 15 friends or family members about their beliefs on micro-cars. Based on this information, develop a budget in terms of percentage of sales revenue to be spent for advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, and public relations.

Question 20

A vital component of a successful marketing strategy is the company's plan for communication to its stakeholders. One segment of the communication plan is included in the marketing mix as the promotional element. A clear understanding of the role that promotion plays, as well as the various methods of promotion, is important in developing the promotional plan. The following questions should assist you in relating the information in this chapter to several decisions in your marketing plan.
What are your objectives for promotion? Use Table 17.2 as a guide in answering this question.

The information obtained from these questions should assist you in developing various aspects of your marketing plan found in the "Interactive Marketing Plan" exercise at www.cengagebrain.com.

Question 21

Identify and briefly describe the four promotional methods an organization can use in its promotion mix.

Question 22

Define communication and describe the communication process. Is it possible to communicate without using all the elements in the communication process? If so, which elements can be omitted?

Question 23

Develop your analytical and communication skills using the Role-Play Exercises online at www.cengagebrain.com.

Question 24

Myspace
Myspace is not just for friends. It is also a unique promotional platform for musical artists, especially unsigned and independent artists. By creating a Myspace page, musicians can share their songs, post important dates, or even blog. Myspace music pages are different from record company websites because they feel more personal. Artists also take advantage of Myspace's viral nature by allowing other Myspace members to post their pictures, songs, and music videos on their own Myspace profi le pages. Visit the website at http:// music.myspace.com , and look for your favorite artist or discover a new one.
What is being promoted to these individuals?

Question 25

What forms of interpersonal communication besides language can be used in personal selling?

Question 26

Developing a promotion mix is contingent on many factors, including the type of product and the product's attributes. Which of the four promotional methods-advertising, personal selling, public relations, or sales promotion- would you emphasize if you were developing the promotion mix for the following products? Explain your answers. a. Washing machine
B) Cereal
C) Halloween candy
D) Compact disc

Question 27

How do target market characteristics determine which promotional methods to include in a promotion mix? Assume a company is planning to promote a cereal to both adults and children. Along what major dimensions would these two promotional efforts have to differ from each other?

Question 28

Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana Uses Positive Word of Mouth to Become a Premiere Pizzeria
Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana has opened one of the most recognizable pizzerias in the United States using word-of-mouth marketing. After returning from World War I, Frank Pepe initially began with making bread during the week and pizzas on the weekend. After seeing a demand for his product, he used his entrepreneurial spirit and focused solely on pizza. Frank Pepe founded Pepe's Pizzeria in 1925, with a heavy influence from his Italian culture, in New Haven, Connecticut.
Frank Pepe developed the New Haven-style thin crust pizza that earned him a reputation as being one of the country's premiere pizzerias. Many people began referring to Frank Pepe as "Old Reliable," which continued to generate positive feedback throughout different communities. Pepe's signature pizza, the White Clam Pizza, is one of its most notable recipes.
Since the beginning, Pepe's has been a family-run business. Frank's wife and children all worked in the original store and, after retiring, they passed the business to their children, who still have a stake in the business today. Through the transition between generations, Pepe's has always aimed to deliver a premium product that is consistent and meets customer standards. As people come into the store, Pepe's employees engage in personal selling by communicating various menu items.
Current CEO Ken Berry places a high emphasis upon delivering the promise and guarantee of quality within their product every day. As chief executive officer, he sees the challenge of delivering this promise as a duty that helps protect and build the brand, which the Pepe family initially built. He strives to retain brand equity and rely upon feedback from loyal customers as the company continues to grow.
Including the first and flagship store, there are currently seven pizzerias within Connecticut and New York. With each new store came the difficult task of maintaining the original experience for new, prospective, and loyal customers. When Pepe's began to consistently pursue expansion tactics, some customers appeared dismayed. There were protests and boycotts occurring on opening days, as other happy customers waited in long lines to test the reputation of the premiere pizza.
To ensure customer satisfaction at the new locations, Ken Berry discussed the critical nature of replicating every aspect of the original idea. Everything from the recipes being virtually unchanged to the layout and colors of the stores needed to be congruent to ensure success. He describes Pepe's as an experience that allows customers to step back in time with a handcrafted product.
Another aspect of developing demand for the company in new locations was the advertising tactics used. At times the company uses direct mail, which can be an effective form of advertising, and tries to engage with consumers on Twitter and Facebook to remain connected. As Pepe's has always done, it relies upon word of mouth to retain and gain new customers. It places emphasis upon the experience and listens to customer feedback on whether it is delivering a quality product. A major form of promotion comes in the form of free pizza, which is sales promotion. Generally, the week before a grand opening, Pepe's will offer free pizza for a week at that location to allow new ovens to be broken in, workers to understand Pepe's culture, and to showcase the confidence that Pepe's has in its product to the local community.
For the public relations side of the company, Pepe's has a donation request option on its website, where customers are welcome to fill out an application to receive primarily gift cards from the company. Pepe's also holds a good neighbor night, which allows an organization to hold a fundraiser at any of its location. Fifteen percent of proceeds made that night are given to the organization. While Pepe's loses out on some proceeds, these events create quality relationships in the community, as well as generate a potentially new customer base. Pepe's also donates gift cards to nonprofit organizations for fundraising purposes.
Throughout the years Pepe's has strived to deliver a promise to customers by staying true to the original product. It has maintained brand equity through its dedication and standards set by customers, family members, and all stakeholders associated with the product. For this company, it is clear that through positive word of mouth, integrated marketing does not always need to be a costly expense. 35
What role does word of mouth play in Pepe's integrated marketing communications?

Question 29

How can a product's characteristics affect the composition of its promotion mix?

Question 30

A vital component of a successful marketing strategy is the company's plan for communication to its stakeholders. One segment of the communication plan is included in the marketing mix as the promotional element. A clear understanding of the role that promotion plays, as well as the various methods of promotion, is important in developing the promotional plan. The following questions should assist you in relating the information in this chapter to several decisions in your marketing plan.
Which of the four elements of the promotional mix are most appropriate for accomplishing your objectives? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.
The information obtained from these questions should assist you in developing various aspects of your marketing plan found in the "Interactive Marketing Plan" exercise at www.cengagebrain.com.

Question 31

Evaluate the following statement: "Appropriate advertising media are always available if a company can afford them."