Advertising and Promotion in Business Assignment

Program	Diploma in Business
Unit Number and Title	Advertising and Promotion in Business
QFC Level	Level 4

Introduction

The Iconic British Home Show will be returning to Olympia London this summer (2015). I have been hired as an Advertising Manager for the Ideal Home Show that is going to be organized in the month of August 2015. The responsibility assigned to me is the promotion of the smart phones under the technology. The director of the agency would like me to look into each and every aspect of advertising and promotions in the business. The advertising and promotion in business assignment will discuss on communication process, regulation of promotion, current trends in advertising and promotions, role of advertising and branding, aspects that are creative in advertising and ways of working with the agencies for advertising. The report will also discuss on below-the-line promotions and promotional techniques and strategies that would be followed for this event.

 

Task 2

2.1 Explain the role of advertising in an integrated promotional strategy for a business or product  

Advertising plays a key role in an integrated promotional strategy that is developed for a product or the business. The role is discussed as under:

• Determination of the objective for the communication with spreading of the awareness and developing the attitude for the brand.
• Choosing the right media or channel for the communication – The media or the source of the communication has to be chosen as per the situation or the requirement.
• Selecting the right source for the message – The message sources also have to checked and then authenticated for the promotional strategy.
• Coordinating the feedback from the customers and clients on the product that is developed and sold in the market.
• Retaining or sustaining the clients and the customers – Unless the customers and clients are sustained and retained, it will become difficult to take up the plan of marketing.

2.2 Explain branding and how it is used to strengthen a business or product

Branding is said to be a process that is involved in creating a name for the product or the service that is unique, distinguished from other competitive products and services in the market. It aims to develop or establish differentiated image and the presence of the brand in the market. It helps in a great deal to strengthen a product or the business:

• It differentiates the product from several other products existing in the market.
• It assigns certain criteria and brand value to the product.
• Its attributes and features would be recognized in the market.

As it helps in developing uniqueness for a product or the service in the market so it is used to strengthen the products, services and the businesses in the market.

2.3 Review the creative aspects of advertising   

Advertising cannot be done by all. It required unique skills that will help in writing effective and developing the slogans for the products. It requires the transformation of the creative and revealing expressions for the products through the strategy that is developed for the branding of the products. The artists and the experts in the advertisements are really creative and strategic people. It requires creativity in everything whether it is person, situation, product, rules and the processes related with the service of the product.  

2.4 Examine the ways of working with advertising agencies   

The major agenda of the advertising agencies is to develop a plan for the companies for advertising and promotions. They need to work in such a way that they retain and sustain a brand. The agencies work in closed coordination with the companies. They will at first find out the requirement of the companies in terms of putting their requirements and purpose of the advertisements. Based on the purpose, goal and the objective of the product, the advertisement would be designed and developed. The major role that these agencies play is in the process of transformation of the service or a product in making it a brand in the market that is unique and competitive in the market.  

Task 3

3.1 Explain primary techniques of below-the-line promotion and how they are used in an integrated promotional strategy for a business or product

Below the line activities for the marketing are concentrating on the specific set of customers. They are said to be under the control of the companies. The major purpose is to spread the awareness. The primary techniques for below-the-line are through direct mails. This is the way in which the promotions, discounts incentive and the offers related with the promotional strategies would be disclosed.

3.2 Evaluate other techniques used in below-the-line promotion  

There are many ways in which the below-the-line promotional activities and techniques are used.

The other techniques are:

• Public Relations
• Sales Promotions
• Sponsorships
• Direct Marketing Activities

These activities or the techniques could easily be used to promote the products or the businesses. They will help in establishing the public relations and a reputation with the customers and selling the products and services to them. These techniques also help in obtaining a feedback from the customers and then developing customized products and services (Abraham & Lodish, 1989).

Task 4

4.1 Follow an appropriate process for the formulation of a budget for an integrated promotional strategy

Budget for Advertising budget is important to be developed. This helps in giving the direction and the fund flow way or the technique in which the advertising and promotion activity has to move. In order to develop budget the following have to be kept in mind:

• Defining Clear objectives for marketing.
• Listing the options for the marketing and communications.
• Comparing the advantages and disadvantages of the sources of the media and marketing communication media.
• Identification of the production & media costs.
• Developing the reasonable budget (Jedidi et al, 1999).

4.2 Carry out the development of a promotional plan for a business or product  

Plan for the promotion is developed for a business and product through the following steps:

• Identification of the audiences that are targeted – It is essential that right set of audiences are targeted that have interest in the products and services taking the responsibility.
• Determination of the communication objectives – The objectives and the goals have to be taken into consideration and communicated to the employees as well as the customers.
• Message Design – The message for marketing has to be designed in such a way that it is clearly communicated to the customers as per their needs and requirements.
• Selection of the channels or the ways of communication
• Defining the budget – The budget for the promotions and advertising has to be defined and clearly specified.
• Measuring the outputs – The outputs of the advertising have to be cleared communicated to all the employees who are involved in the advertising activity.

4.3 Plan the integration of promotional techniques into the promotional strategy for a business or product  

Integrated promotional and marketing communication is done by following a specific promotional strategy. This could be carried out in the following ways:

• Designing and making the clear message – This should clearly specify the reasons for the marketing communication and the promotional activities to be carried out.
• Advertising – This will involve the slogan, goal and objective planning for the marketing (Hair et al, 2000).
• Developing public relations – This will help in developing the relations with the customers and maintaining the gap for the promotions if any.
• Sales and Promotional Activities – These activities will involve all kinds of direct, indirect and other marketing activities.
• Maintaining Consistency in the product and service delivery.
• Measuring the output or the results – The outputs once measured will surely help in checking on the improvisations and possibilities of the changes. This will help in brand promotion.
• Appointment of the right people – Advertising and Promotions need skilled and competitive manpower to be appointed within the company.

4.4 Use appropriate techniques for measuring campaign effectiveness  

It is essential to measure the effectiveness of the campaign. The reason for measuring it is:

• Justification of the communications for marketing and avoiding the mistakes for costs – This will help in saving the costs.
• Assessment and evaluation of the targeted customers – The customers that are targeted have to be taken the feedback and assessment for. They have to be followed so that the customers and their interests are safeguarded and taken care of.
• Estimating the achievement of the IMC program – This will help in finding out the achievement of the IMC program so that the complete marketing and advertising program is a success in itself.
• Determining the change and achievement of the advertising campaign – This achievement status will help us know the areas in which the advertising could be made better and products and services become a brand in the market.

The techniques by which this process could be done are:

• Execution of proper message to all channels of marketing.
• Arrangement of Media.
• Organizing the marketing campaigns.
• Enhancing and developing other areas of marketing.
• Increasing the abilities and skills for communication
• Doing best practices for advertising.
• Following the best practices for marketing and communication.
• Fulfilling the marketing related rules, regulations and the legislations (Shimp, 1997).

Conclusion

Advertising and Promotions play a key role in the marketing communications. It is essential that this process is carried out as per the marketing budget assigned to this program. This will help in enhancing the revenues and profitability in the business. Business requires an integrated plan to be developed for the marketing and advertising that will make sure that the product and the services that the company has been selling become a brand and develop their reputation in the market. It is essential that we have to find out the performance of the IMC plan that the company has made so that improvisations are brought about on regular intervals. It has to be taken on priority as targeted customers have to be satisfied in terms of the products and services that the company has been offering to its customers in the market.

References

Abraham, M. M., & Lodish, L. M. (1989). Getting the most out of advertising and promotion. Harvard Business Review, 68(3), 50-1.
Belch, G. E., & Belch, M. A. (2003). Advertising and promotion: An integrated marketing communications perspective. The McGraw− Hill.
Hair, J. F., Bush, R. P., & Ortinau, D. J. (2000). Marketing research: A practical approach for the new millennium. Irwin Professional Publishing.
Jedidi, K., Mela, C. F., & Gupta, S. (1999). Managing advertising and promotion for long-run profitability. Marketing science, 18(1), 1-22.
Mela, C. F., Gupta, S., & Lehmann, D. R. (1997). The long-term impact of promotion and advertising on consumer brand choice. Journal of Marketing research, 248
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Pechmann, C., Levine, L., Loughlin, S., & Leslie, F. (2005). Impulsive and self-conscious: Adolescents' vulnerability to advertising and promotion. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 24(2), 202-221.
Quester, P., & Thompson, B. (2001). Advertising and promotion leverage on arts sponsorship effectiveness. Journal of Advertising Research, 41(1), 33-47.
Schultz, D. E. (1999). Strategic brand communication campaigns. NTC Business Books.
Shimp, T. A. (1997). Advertising, promotion, and supplemental aspects of integrated marketing communications. Harcourt Brace College Publishers.