Deck 8: Integrated services marketing communications

Question 1

Which of the following is not one of the strategies to manage customer waits that Clemmer and Schneider (1993) tested?

A)Employees apologise for delays
B)Giving customers prior notice of busy times
C)Assigning all visible staff to serving customers
D)Sending out a card to all customers with the times that the organisation was busiest and slowest times
E)None of the above

Answer 1

E

Question 2

In planning a marketing communications campaign, you need to have which of the following?

A)A good understanding of the service product
B)A reason for the price of the product
C)A reasonable number of special offers
D)A knowledge of the budget available for the campaign
E)a and d

Answer 2

E

Question 3

If the ______ service delivery falls short of what was _____, the result is likely to be customer _____.

A)perceived; expected; dissatisfaction
B)perceived; promised; dissatisfaction
C)expected; promised; dissatisfaction
D)promised; perceived; dissatisfaction
E)promised; expected; dissatisfaction

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Social media are presenting marketers with challenges as well as opportunities.Which of the following uses of social media can pose problems?

A)Consumers posting queries on companies' Facebook pages
B)Consumers posting and sharing complaints about services
C)Companies providing accurate information quickly
D)Companies replying to customers' tweets instead of staffing a call centre
E)Consumers seeking information about products, services and brands

Question 5

The use of logos such as Vietnam Airline's golden lotus is referred to in marketing terms as a:

A)metaphor
B)message
C)concept
D)context
E)none of the above

Question 6

Which of the following companies would be most likely to promote the experience and qualifications of their staff?

A)Law firms
B)Catering services
C)Department stores
D)Dentists
E)a and d

Question 7

Mittal and Baker (2002) highlight four problems for marketers seeking to promote service attributes.These are:

A)specificity, abstractness, non-searchability, mental impalpability
B)generality, concreteness, non-searchability, mental impalpability
C)generality, abstractness, non-availability, mental impalpability
D)generality, abstractness, non-searchability, mental impalpability
E)generality, abstractness, non-searchability, mental sensitivity

Question 8

The most important thing that Woolworths did to have a smooth transition to their new self-serve technology and educate their customers was to:

A)have an online information sheet
B)post explicit instructions at the checkout
C)vet intending consumers to ensure they had an understanding of technology
D)have a staff member available to answer customer queries
E)send out information fliers to regular customers

Question 9

Perceived service quality is the difference between what a firm _____ and what customers _____.

A)promises; perceive
B)promises; receive
C)advertise; perceive
D)promises; expect
E)promote; expect

Question 10

Users of services like hotels and restaurants generally have a preconceived expectation of the services they will experience and the biggest mistake an organisation can make is to:

A)not use appropriate marketing communications
B)over-promise and under-deliver
C)not give customers enough information
D)skimp on the promotional budget
E)become over exposed

Question 11

Customers can be co-producers of a variety of services.Which of the following is NOT an example of this?

A)Computer check-ins for airlines
B)Woolworth's self-service lines
C)Petrol pumps that accept credit cards
D)ATMs
E)None of the above

Question 12

High-quality _____ staff and _____ operations can be important _____ for services.

A)frontline; management; differentiators
B)management; backstage; differentiators
C)frontline; backstage; differentiators
D)frontline; backstage; assets
E)management; backstage; assets

Question 13

_______, ______ and _______ represent three broad target audiences for any service communication and strategies.

A)Media; users; employees
B)Prospects; media; employees
C)Organisations; users; employees
D)Prospects; users; employees
E)Prospects; users; employers

Question 14

Which of the following is not a role of marketing communication in services?

A)Differentiating the services offering
B)Minimising the involvement of backstage personnel
C)Positioning the services offering
D)Adding value through communications content
E)Promoting contribution of front stage personnel

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT a reason for having effective internal marketing communication?

A)Employee attitudes need to be in line with the organisation's corporate vision
B)Employees need to have up to date information
C)Avoiding a sense of disengagement in employees
D)None of the above
E)a and b

Question 16

Companies who decide to use concrete clues to promote their services would be most likely to highlight:

A)quality of equipment
B)employee qualifications
C)employees' professional attitude
D)a and c
E)all of the above

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT a method which would be likely to stimulate or dampen demand to match capacity?

A)Cut-price hair style on Tuesdays
B)Training customers
C)Room upgrades at hotel
D)Price changes
E)Running promotions

Question 18

Marketing communications in services can create problems for frontline staff if they do not ensure that there is a(n):

A)integrated marketing communications (IMC)
B)specialist public relations section
C)functional specialist
D)all of the above
E)b and c

Question 19

Which of the following is a common educational and promotional objective for service organisations?

A)Encourage trial by offering promotional incentives
B)Build awareness and interest in an unfamiliar service or brand
C)Create memorable images of companies and their brands
D)Compare a service favourably with competitors' offerings
E)All of the above

Question 20

Promises and expectations made for the organisation are usually initiated from the _______.

A)frontline staff
B)middle management
C)marketing department
D)central management
E)all of the above

Question 21

Why are word of mouth recommendations particularly useful and important in the service industry?

A)They save costs.
B)They are viewed as being a credible source.
C)They tend to be positive rather than negative.
D)They have a powerful influence on people's purchasing decisions.
E)b and d

Question 22

A useful way of looking at sales ________ is as a(n) _________ attached to a(n) ________.

A)promotions; communication; incentive
B)communication; promotion; incentive
C)promotions; communication; advertisement
D)communication; promotion; advertisement
E)incentives; promotion; communication

Question 23

The traditional communications mix can be divided into two distinct channels - those that are:

A)controlled by the media and those that are not
B)controlled by the organisation and those that are controlled by the media
C)controlled by the organisation and those that are not
D)controlled by the organisation and by the media
E)information-based and those that are not

Question 24

Which of the following will assist in the promotion to the consumer of the use of self-service delivery?

A)Clear signage
B)Step-by-step instructions
C)User-friendly designs
D)Use of diagrams and videos to explain the service
E)All of the above

Question 25

Twitter is a _____ networking and _____-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates which are up to 140 _______.

A)social; macro; words
B)social; micro; characters
C)social; micro; digits
D)social; macro; characters
E)social; micro; words

Question 26

Public relations (PR) plays an important within the organisation and this role can best be described as:

A)stimulating a positive interest in the organisation and the products
B)staging press conferences
C)sponsoring sporting events
D)sponsoring high-profile activities
E)providing press releases

Question 27

Websites are a popular form of communication.In order for them to be effective they need to develop a 'sticky' website.Which of the following is NOT a feature of this type of site?

A)High in quality content
B)Easy to use
C)Quick to download
D)Updated frequently
E)None of the above

Question 28

If using direct marketing as a tool to send personalised messages to a highly targeted audience, the best approach is to use:

A)permission marketing
B)encourage consumers to sign up for the messages
C)persuade consumers to volunteer their attention
D)all of the above
E)b and c

Question 29

Which of the following statements does NOT apply to blogs?

A)They may originate outside the organisation.
B)They may include audio or video files.
C)They may send powerful messages about a service company.
D)They are limited in what they can discuss.
E)They may take the form of a blogcast.

Question 30

A key advantage of _____ advertising is that it provides a very clear and ______ return on ________, especially when compared to other forms of advertising.

A)billboard; measurable; investment
B)magazine; measurable; investment
C)visual; measurable; investment
D)online; measurable; investment
E)television; measurable; investment

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT a technique that marketers would be likely to use in encouraging word of mouth from satisfied customers?

A)Referencing other purchasers
B)Referencing knowledgeable individuals
C)Paying for the promotion of word of mouth
D)Presenting and publicising testimonials
E)Creating exciting promotions

Question 32

A wide array of paid advertising media is available to organisations.Which of the following is NOT one of these?

A)Social networks
B)TV
C)Radio
D)Newspapers
E)Billboards

Question 33

Which of the following would be more likely to use photos and video clips to demonstrate their product?

A)A B2B site
B)An MBA site
C)An investment site
D)A university site
E)Both b and d

Question 34

Promotional messages that are transmitted through the internet could best be described as a(n):

A)source of telemarketing
B)expensive luxury
C)communication attached to an incentive
D)supplement to conventional communications channels
E)a and b

Question 35

Search engine advertising is a form of reverse broadcast network where advertisers can pay for:

A)banner adverts
B)portals on sites like yahoo
C)exposure to their product
D)the targeted placement of ads for their products
E)none of the above

Question 36

Which of the following is a role that frontline employees can provide to the consumers?

A)Providing information
B)Taking reservations
C)Receiving payments
D)All of the above
E)a and b

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT part of the marketing communications mix?

A)Advertising
B)Public relations
C)Direct marketing
D)Sales promotion
E)None of the above

Question 38

Marketing communications is being influenced more and more by new media as it becomes available.Which of the following is NOT one of these?

A)Podcasting
B)Mobile advertising
C)Web 2.0
D)Service delivery channels
E)YouTube

Question 39

Two methods which Google uses to enable organisations to display their ads at websites which are part of the Google content networks are:

A)AdWords and AdSense
B)AdWords and sponsored links
C)sponsored links and AdSense
D)ease of use and AdSense
E)AdWords and ease of use

Question 40

Which of the following is NOT a form of message that can be controlled by the marketer?

A)Twitter
B)Blog
C)Media coverage
D)Word of mouth
E)None of the above

Question 41

A business sends consumers advertisements by text message based on their location in shopping centres.What kind of marketing communication is this?

A)Podcasting
B)Mobile advertising
C)Word of mouth
D)Social networking
E)Self-service

Question 42

The use of tangible clues in advertising is neither practical nor useful, particularly for low contact services.

Question 43

A 'sticky' site is a major asset for firms that use Internet sites because it means that the consumer finds it easy to use and frequently return to the site.

Question 44

Marketers' focus, with regard to the company brand, should be to ensure that the consumer recognises it.There is no need to market it to employees as they are aware of it.

Question 45

Why do marketers usually need a traditional communications mix when the target audience consists of prospects?

A)Because marketers usually do not know prospects in advance
B)Because prospects generally are not Internet users
C)Because prospects are resistant to cross-selling
D)Because prospects are likely to complain in social media
E)Because prospects have traditional values

Question 46

The difficulty with marketing services is that unlike consumer goods, companies are unable to offer tiered products.

Question 47

Marketing communications in services positions differentiates the price offering.

Question 48

It is possible to educate your customers to avoid peak demand periods by showing them the advantages they can accrue.

Question 49

Banner advertising on the Internet is becoming more popular as the number of visitors to a site almost always results in sales.

Question 50

If a hotel is experiencing significant downtime, one way to counter this is to offer an enhanced product.

Question 51

As the name implies, 'direct marketing' requires the firm to work in a one-to-one, face-to-face situation with the consumer.

Question 52

The use of metaphors that are tangible in nature helps to emphasise the similarities with their nearest competitors.

Question 53

Which of the following questions is NOT one of the five Ws for planning marketing communications?

A)Who is our target audience?
B)What do we need to communicate and achieve?
C)Why are we communicating this?
D)Where should we communicate this?
E)When do the communications need to take place?

Question 54

There are many ways to add value to a product; information and consultation are included among these.

Question 55

Consumers often find it difficult to differentiate similar offerings from different suppliers.

Question 56

The three broad target audiences for any service communication strategy are prospects, current users and employees.

Question 57

The owners of a spa decide to promote their gift certificates during the six-week lead-up to Christmas.Which of the five Ws does this decision address?

A)Who our target audience is
B)What we need to communicate and achieve
C)How we should communicate this
D)Where we should communicate this
E)When the communications need to take place

Question 58

The greater the pressure on a service organisation to generate new business, the greater will be the temptation to overpromise.

Question 59

A good communications strategy relies on the clear understanding of who is the target audience and what exactly needs to be communicated.

Question 60

An example of a form of personal selling is:

A)the Internet
B)signage
C)press conferences
D)telemarketing
E)gifts

Question 61

Discuss the importance to the service industry of the training and management of frontline employees.

Question 62

Organisations that make all encompassing general statements about their service products run the risk of encountering consumers who find that their expectations are not being met.What methods need to be used to minimise this overall promise/expectations dilemma?

Question 63

Service outlets are in the fortunate position of being able to control the messages which reach customers regarding their service qualities.

Question 64

The publishing of testimonials from current consumers is an example of positive word of mouth communications.

Question 65

You are employed to develop a website for a retirement village that will cater for both potential users of the village and also family members charged with finding suitable accommodation for their relatives.What methods would you use to ensure that your site meets these criteria?

Question 66

Backroom staff members are not visible to the public in services industries, therefore their contribution is minimal.Do you agree with this statement? Justify your response.

Question 67

Consumers are more often using informal networks developed through electronic media, such as Twitter and blogs, as a method of judging service offerings.How valid do you believe this contribution is to consumers' decision making? In this context, what can marketers do to enhance their own promotional methods?

Question 68

The development of a services marketing campaign needs a totally different approach to that of a physical goods-based campaign.Discuss this concept and justify your answer.

Question 69

Intangibility continues to remain a problem for service industries.How would you address the problems being encountered by a newly-established island resort with a low occupancy rate?

Question 70

Using an integrated marketing communications approach, how would you develop a plan to ensure that information on the new product which is about to be launched reaches its target audience(s)?

Question 71

Communications originate from a variety of different sources, many of which cannot be influenced by the firm's marketing department.How can the department encourage positive, rather than negative, responses to the firm's products?

Question 72

Some of the most powerful messages about a service company and its products come from outside the organisation and are not controlled by the marketer.

Question 73

As a result of the use of the Internet for communications, a grey area is emerging between impersonal and personal messages.

Question 74

With the introduction of a new online computer ordering system by a major chain store, what methods can be used to educate potential customers in using this method?

Question 75

Twitter is basically a gimmick and has very little to no value as a communication tool for most organisations.