Unit 18 Advertisement and Promotion Business Assignment Solution

Programme	Diploma in Business (Marketing)
Unit Number and Title	Unit 18 Advertisement and Promotion Business
QFC Level	Level 4

Introduction

The role of advertising and general product promotions all assist in the process of making the appeal of a particular commodity remain high among the various users. The role of communication plays a very vital role in the entire process (Hanke, 2013). It is the medium of conveying the various messages from the various Advertisement and Promotion firms to the target clients in the market. The role of communication is at the very heart of the various adverts and promotions.

LO1.1. Explain the communication process that applies to advertising and promotion

Communication process in the course of promotion and advertisements is influenced by a variety of external and internal factors. These factors play a central role in the perception of the message by the target audience(Raymond, 2012).
Promotion can be defined as the communication process with any second or third party in order to facilitate exchange. It entails the persuasion of the parties to accept the particular product from a given company.
The organization should have a clear design of the target market and the different stakeholders involved in the entire process of promotion. The various marketers use different media to reach the target market(Bage, 2013). The most commonly used include the; magazine adverts, the TV adverts, the radio and the Newspaper adverts. All these target particular markets or market segments.
There are various elements in the communication process as used in the context of advertising and promotions. The major ones that influence the process largely include: the sender; he receiver; the media used; the process of encoding; the decoding process; the response process; the feedback; the noise in communication(Shiv, 2013).
The sender and the receiver refer to the main parties involved in the process of promotion. The sender is the company with the particular product and the receiver refers to the target market of the product. These two elements are the pillars of the promotion and advertising process.
The media used to convey the advertisement means a lot to the marketers and the target audience. The common media used in the process include the TV, the social media, the radio and other media that are relevant in the whole process(Sen, 2013).
The encoding and the decoding process: this is the process by which the various advertising agencies put the thoughts of the particular impression the advert is to have on the target market. The process of decoding entails the reverse of the encoding process; the interpretation of the intended message by the audience.
The process of communication involves various tools: advertising tools, sales promotion and publicity tools.
Advertising is the non-personal communication about an organization or its products. This is normally done through the various media platforms. The commonly used forms include the national advertising, use of mails, posters etc.
Publicity: this relates to the form of the organization or its products in the public domain. Sales promotion on the other hand relates to the use of materials that induce, add value or even act as incentives for the particular product(Sheehan Kim Bartel, 2014). This is normally done in the form of cocktails, test drives for vehicle car dealers etc.
The encoding and decoding; the media used and the feedback from the particular media all influence the perception of the promotional message. The consumers’ receipt of an advertisement and perception is largely influenced by their environment. The various elements of the managing communication process in promotions and advertising should be used alongside each of the tools of promotional advertising in order to get the most out of the target market.

LO1.2 Explain the organization of the advertising and promotions industry

Promotion is essentially the process of helping the various consumers to continue demanding for particular commodities from a particular company. It is very closely linked with the process of advertising that is about making the various consumers aware of a particular product in the market. The whole industry has various players who play various roles;

• The advertisers
• The advertising and promotional agencies
• The external facilitators
• The media
• The target audience

The Advertisers: The various parties involved here include the actual architects of the promotional message that will have a particular impression on the target audience. The players here include manufacturing and the service industry or the Trade Resellers. Prominent examples include the McDonald’s and the Procter & Gamble companies (Suneja, 2014).
The advertisers are instrumental in the description of the company’s objectives in the short and the long term. They also define the exact position of the company’s product in the market.
The Advertising And Promotional Agencies: These are like the engine of the industry. This section is made up of many individual players. Some of the key components of the promotion agencies are: direct marketing, E-commerce, sales promotion and event planning. The major components of the advertising agencies include: the creative boutique, the interactive, Media specialists and the promotion agencies. These components work closely in the realization of the following goals of the company:

• The creative and production services
• The accounting services
• Administrative services

 The External Facilitators: Constitutes the various firms that handle the following aspects of the industry:

1. Production facilitators
2. Consultants ( the creative consultants, the media consultants and the database consultants)
3. The software firms

These players assist in the process of promotions by providing the necessary services that facilitate the process.
The Media Organizations: The various media involved in the process include the broadcast media, the interactive media, the support media and the various media conglomerates. The broadcast media include the use of the television. The interactive media includes the use of sponsors and directories. The media conglomerates work closely with the various media to enhance their performance. The role of the media in the industry revolves around relaying of the message to the audience as intended.
The Target Audience: These are recipients of the message from the promotion and advertising company. They include the following: government organizations; particular professionals; household consumers.
The advertising and promotions industry is made up of many players. These players add up to the structure of the whole industry.

LO1.3. Assess how promotion is regulated

In an increasingly competitive world of business, the role of sales promotion is becoming increasingly conspicuous. This industry is growing rapidly and is providing many job opportunities to in various nations in the globe.
Many nations today have adopted very liberal approach to the regulation of sales promotions of any kind. This is in an attempt to keep sanity and rules of fair play in the industry upheld. Some of the regulatory practices used by the various governments include:

• Self-regulatory practice
• Legal regulation
• The use of contract laws
• Using the consumer protection acts
• The passing off strategy

The Self-regulatory Practice: this one is use alongside the various regulatory laws of the state. It largely deals with the examination of the various complaints in the industry then relevant legislations are formulated and applied in coming up with as solution. It is common in the United Kingdom.
The Legal Regulation: Various legislations are used to regulate the promotions and marketing of products. Some of the legal regulatory practices are realized through the use of the following: contract laws; the consumer protection legislations and passing off.
Contract Laws: This is used to regulate the various promotions that come in the forms of contracts. There are laws that regulate the various breach of contracts in the event of wrong promotions. A case in point is that of the Thai Airways that miscommunicated a first class promotional message to its potential clients in the UK (Raymond, 2012).
The Consumer Protection Act: These are statutory provisions that protect the various consumers from the negative impacts of sales promotions. These vary from nation to nation while yet, share some common aspects globally. The common aspects relates to pricing by the various traders, the control of misleading adverts.
These are some of the strategies used in the regulation of the advertising and promotions industry in various parts of the globe. The regulatory practices ensure order and sanity in the industry. In the longer term, the concept of fair play is the lead reason for all the governmental and non-governmental regulations of the product promotion strategies used for all players in the industry.

LO2.1 Examine current trends in advertising and promotion including the impact of ICT

As the years roll by, new advertising and promotions strategies are being rolled out in the market. Most of these new approaches make use of the same age old platforms like the internet, the television, the radio and the social media. They only make slight additions to comply with the current needs in the market. Some of the trending forms of advertisements and promotions are:
The Use of Mobile Marketing: this is the latest platform for advertisements that is making use of the mobile communication handsets. The main driving force in the use of this platform is the rising number of users of mobile phones in the globe.
The Use of Interactive Banners: these ads have taken over the various social media platforms as the only source of informative promotions. The various companies are continuing to use this strategy to reach out their particular message to the target clients.
The Native Advertising Method: this involves the careful integration of the advertisement into particular medium that is frequently used or accessed by the various potential clients. It involves a strategic analysis of the various pages the consumer is viewing then bringing the message in the form of some “pop-up” ad. It is gaining speed in the internet.
Database Marketing: this employs the analysis of the various demographics relating to the various consumers. It provides information on technological advancements and the consumer macroeconomics. All these details give the various marketers the necessary information about the market.
The position of ICT in the advertising and promotions industry is very obvious even to the unsuspecting eye. All the new trend in the industry debt to the use of Information and Communication Technology. ICT has therefore revolutionized the advertising and communication industry.

LO2.2 Explain the role of advertising in an integrated promotional for fast food business

Integrated promotion refers to the particular use of various online and offline media in the course of promoting brand awareness and enhancing sales for a particular company. The particular role of advertising in the integrated promotion revolves around two main approaches:

• The user’s search behaviour targeting
• The use of search data  to get feedbacks
• The use of television advertising
• The inclusion of multi-channel campaign-tracking technique

The first approach implies linking the behaviour of particular users in the displaying of advertisements. The adverts normally come along with various products that are very much related to the consumer product offerings. This particular role is very common in the advertising industry today (Sen, 2013).
The second approach implies the marketers relying on the various consumer search results to deduce the possible feedbacks from particular advertisements.
The third approach expounds on the role of television ads in the realization of the intended purpose of integrated marketing planning.
The forth approach lauds the role of the use of multi-channel campaign advertising strategy in the identification of market opportunities and filling in as appropriate. It also highlights the need for a good impression in online and offline advertising.

LO2.3. Explain branding and how it is used to strengthen a business or product

Branding is the association of a particular name, slogan or logo to products of a particular business or organization in general.
Branding therefore provides a sense of identity to the products and services of one company from the rest in the industry.
A good brand name commands a better proportion of the market. The competitive edge provided is unrivalled in the market because the various consumers have developed a general liking for the brand. Branding influences the strength of a product and the business in various forms.
A strong brand name gives the message in a straight forward manner. This way, the potential clients won’t have to seek for uncalled for issues on clarity of information. It therefore strengthens the business name as well as that of the product.
It confirms the credibility of the product to the various clients. The various clients therefore develop a lot of liking for the particular product due to the brand name.
Proper branding motivates the buyer: products that are well branded will often appeal to the potential clients. This influences bulk buying or just general liking for the particular product in the market.
Branding is therefore a very key element in business. It influences the company repute and the future in terms of profitability. Businesses need to invest a lot in their brand name in order to remain competitive in the market.

LO2.4. Review the creative aspects of advertising

Proper advertising is the secret to success in business. Organizations that have selling brand names have the potential of commanding a bigger proportion of the market. Creativity in advertising increases the brand value. Some of the creative aspects of advertising include the following:
The ad processing models
Ad creativity literature
Summarizing the past Ad creativity research
The consumer cognitive effect
The Ad processing models are used to investigate the particular impact of the advertising methods on the overall consumer behaviour in terms of their general liking for particular aspects of the of the products.
Ad creativity literature informs of the new touch of creativity that is included in the particular advert. This normally influences the consumer perception and interpretation in the long run.
Summarizing the past Ad creativity research provides information on the various past creativity research works. This provides an impetus for more creativity in the new advertisements.
The consumer cognitive effect normally predisposes the target consumer for a given advert to require more information relating to the same and to leave no room for ambiguity. Creativity in advertising should try and answer this question in all its forms.
The key components of creativity in advertising can then be summarized as:

Originality
Flexibility
Elaboration
Synthesis
Artistic value
Originality relates to the particular way in which the advert appears unique and extraordinary. The Ad to any form of stereotypical thinking. The originality aspect is very important in enhancing the creativity of the advert.
Flexibility aspect relates to how the advert shifts between different ideas with ease. The advert should have an overall impression on the target clients in the shortest time possible.
Artistic Value: the advertisement should be constructed artistically so that it impresses the target audience and at the same time convey the requisite message.

• a creative advert should be self-explanatory in all aspects so that the consumer gets no reason to raise other concerns on the particular product relating to poor advertising techniques.

LO2.5. Examine ways of working with advertising agencies

An advertising agency is an organization that assists companies to reach their particular goals by making them very appealing to the target clients.
There are ways of working with an advertising agency so that the company whose interest it represents makes the most out of the advertisements. Some of the golden rules in this quest include:

• Understanding the particular role of an advertising company.

To get the most out of the advertising company, one needs to have a proper knowledge of the particular roles played by such companies. The Ad Company assists in making the company or the product more appealing to the various clients in the market. The Ad Company will need details relating to the company’s product and the target consumer base.

• Know the various expectations of the advertisement company

The Ad Company expects payments from the company whose product they market. In addition, the agency will require you to do a lot of listening once you have entrusted them with the task of marketing the particular product. By way of extension, the Ad agency will expect to know the intended purpose of the advert to the company in relation to their product.

• Assess the efficiency of the entire advertisement campaign for your company.

To value the effectiveness of an advert depends largely on the particular way in which the sales volume rises for a given company. This could be done by getting the general public opinion concerning the product after a period of advertisements. This is beneficial in the giving a rough impression of the actual impact of the advert in the public domain.

LO3.1. Assume that you have recently been promoted to the position of Advertising Manager of a cosmetics company; explain the primary techniques of below-the-line promotion and how you will use them in an integrated promotional strategy for your business

Below the line (BTL) promotion is a marketing strategy that is used by organizations to reach out to their target clients more directly. The various strategies involved are quite within the command of the organization.
The various techniques under the below the line technique can be used together as an integrated promotional strategy. The various methods under the BTL technique include: the loyalty programs, the trade in, the use of promotional pricing, the use of coupons and the use of Door to Door selling. As a Marketing Manager of a cosmetic company, the main intention of the promotion is to boost sales for the company. This therefore calls for a carefully thought out set of combinations from the BTL technique integrated together into an appropriate advertising technique.The various methods under the BTL strategy that can be integrated are as below:

• The use of promotional pricing technique and the coupons.
• The door to door selling and the loyalty program.
• The trade in versus the loyalty program

The promotional pricing and the coupons. The promotional pricing is used to have more clients purchase a particular product. The purchases can be enhanced if the cosmetics company offers coupons to the various clients on the various purchases made.
The door to door selling and the loyalty program. The door to door selling can be used to reach out products to particular target clients. These clients are the particular ones who demonstrate exceptional loyalty to the cosmetic company’s products. The door to door sales strategy.
The trade in versus the loyalty program. He various clients may wish to have their old products replaced with new one. This is the essence of trade in. Trade in normally come with the desire for more of the particular product from the client. It is a typical demonstration if consumer loyalty (Graeff, 2014). The loyalty program can therefore be used in this context as well.
The use of the various BTL techniques in an integrated technique will open more room for better sales in the future. The use of this technique is very important in the understanding of the whole process of the BTL and the various primary techniques involved. The particular use of these various processes in the integrated promotional strategy is very much important as alternative methods.

LO3.2. Evaluate other techniques used in below-the-line promotion

The below the line promotional technique is complicated in some way. This is particularly in relation to the various methods used to meet the same goals of advertising as the other mainstream methods. The various methods under the below the line strategy include: the use of door to door method; the use of trade in; the use of the loyalty programs and promotional pricing method.
The Door to Door Sales Method: this involves the sale of a particular company’s products to the various clients. The clients could be the long-time followers of the brand or new customers. Most of the products sold this way are of the same variety. This method is advantageous because it helps the company retain its clients (Hankinson, 2013). The major undoing of this method is the fact that it is restricted to a small portion of the market.
The Use of Trade in: this entails the retention of the various clients by offering the loyal follower of the brand goods at subsidized prices. The subsidy comes in the form of replacements for the worn out products. The various clients therefore stand a chance of enjoying cheap purchases from the promotions. This is commonly applicable in the electronic media sales promotions.
The Loyalty Programs:  the customer loyalty program comes in the form of discounts and free gifts for free purchases. This is an age old method that is applicable in the sales of various products. It is used in virtually all industries to appreciate clients who do frequent purchases in the company.
The Use of Promotional Pricing: this is particularly done at particular periods to raise the levels of sales for a particular organization. This strategy works best in winning new clients for the particular product. It involves the reduction of prices for some duration after which normalcy is regained with the additional fruits of a boost in sales (Tan, 2012).
The Use of Coupons: this is a very familiar method that makes use of the size of particular purchases to reward clients with coupons. The coupons can be redeemed after some time for very decent gifts from the company. It is also another way of enhancing customer loyalty.
All these techniques are used to enhance the levels of sales of product(s) for particular companies. These various strategies are used independently unless in the event of integrated promotional strategy.

LO4.1. State how you would follow an appropriate process for the formulation of a budget for anintegrated promotional strategy

In order to make an appropriate budget for an integrated promotional strategy, planning is very important(Malhotra, 2013). The marketing budget is essential in the operations of an organization because it helps the various managers to have their priorities right. It also helps in the readiness for the future.
Like other budgets, the integrated strategy budget assists in the following:

• Management of resources; management proficiency tests; motivation of the managers etc.

While allocating funds for the various projects, the managers should have the basics of the Integrated Marketing Communication in mind. Some of the key concerns would be:
The tools of promotion: the various components here include trade promotion and the other consumer promotions.
The various integration tools: this now deals with the various aspects of tracking the consumer behaviour. This normally entails the use of particular software like the marketing automation and the web analytics.
The communication tools: the various advertising techniques are included under this. The use of direct marketing and the various social media marketing are applied here.
The brand: this entails the various details about the name of the company, the company logo and other relevant details (Hankinson, 2013).
The particular culture of the corporation: the various products of the entity, the brand name and other capabilities of the organization are in close association.
These basics of Integrated Marketing Communication are the building blocks of the integrated promotional strategy which is very important in the life of a particular business or organization.

LO4.2. Assume that you have recently been appointed the Advertising Manager of a car manufacturing company. Carry out the development of a promotional plan for the new brand of car called “cricket” recently launched by the company

There are loads of considerations to make in the event of marketing a new brand name. As the new Advertising Manager, the process of promoting the new car brand, the “cricket”, would involve the following:
There is a need for proper understanding of the particular clients and their expectations. This will help in the costing and other similar related activities. The particular brand exposure should be done early enough so that the various clients can have sufficient information on the brand.
The massage of the promotion of the “cricket” will need to be relayed in the most concise manner so that the particular target clients make the most of the various adverts.
Another major consideration in the process of the promotion of the new car brand is the use of the online marketing as a marketing strategy. This platform has a very large potential consumer base. The most important detail to recall as a manager is the need to keep the focus of making the “cricket” brand a market leader. Any loss of this focus will yield very detrimental results, no matter the extent of the adverts and promotions (Sirgy, 2012).
The bottom line for the promotion of a new brand involves a series of steps and procedures. First and foremost, conduct a market research of the market. This will help in the understanding of the particular needs in the market and their concerns about the new car brand- the “cricket”.
Have a clear understanding of competition in the market. This is a reality in the market. There are other car dealers who are also competing for the same market slots. As the Advertising Manager, this information will influence the pricing of the car brand so that it remains competitive in the market.
Choose on the particular marketing strategies for the “cricket”. This will give feedback on the various responses of the various clients concerning the reception of the various clients. Use the organizations’ public relations department to review the new car brand. This can be done with the help of the press. His will help in reaching the message fast to the target in the market.
The final stage in the entire process involves the unveiling of the “cricket” brand. This should be well calculated and planned so that by the launch date, all the aspects are ready. The potential clients can have the chance of having to see what the brand is all about.

LO4.3. How would you plan the integration of promotional techniques into the promotional strategy for a chocolate bar?

In the process of planning the promotional techniques into the promotional strategy for the Chocolate Bar, the various components that will assist in the process include a clear and precise knowledge of the Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) and the need for planning.
The actual planning of promotional technique of the integrated promotions entails the following aspects:
Determine the Possible Cost of the Promotion: this will help the administration plan on the various funds to use in the process. This is a very vital concept to have in the course of the planning for the integrated promotional strategy. This can be easily determined by the use of the percentage method which relies on the past year’s data for the Chocolate Bar.
Choose on the Most Affordable Method: this will determine the particular reception of the various products from the Chocolate Bar. The choice of affordability also determines the levels of the company’s ability to compete effectively in the market.
Competitive Parity: this relates to the particular way in which the various products are kept fairly competitive in the market. This is normally in comparison to other similar competitors in the market (Bage, 2013).
The Objective and Task Method: this entails the understanding of the particular intended objectives of the organization. This is normally followed by the determination of the various activities the integrated promotional strategy will entail.
The above mentioned steps gives an overview of the procedure involved in the process of planning for integrated promotion technique for the Chocolate Bar.

LO4.4. What appropriate techniques would you use for measuring campaign effectiveness?

The use of the various promotion or Advert agencies is very important in the process of increasing the various sales of some products from particular companies. These adverts however, should be critically analysed for their effectiveness in meeting the demands of the particular organization in terms of advertising and sales.
Some of the strategies that can be used to assess the effectiveness of an advertising campaign to a particular company include the following:

• The Measure of Sales: this is the best measure of the effectiveness of an advertising strategy. This strategy has a direct proportionality association to the use of a particular advertising technique.
• The Trial and Error Technique: this method relates to the actual random sampling of various clients at a particular destination like outside the supermarket them just taking a quick sample of those who have bought the particular product of interest. This will give a rough understanding of the role of a promotion or an advert if the area of study was a hotspot for the various adverts.
• The Use of General Public Opinion: this can provide information on a particular product. This can be used to deduce the actual impact of a giver advert on the actual sales. It will all be self-evident in the opinions in the public in relation to the particular product.

The effectiveness of a product promotion influences a lot the levels of sales. A good promotion should have an exponential impact on the various products’ sales. That is when the essence of advertising is felt by the various companies (Hanke, 2013).

Conclusion

Advertising influences the particular way in which the various products from a particular company are sold and count in the overall profitability of the company. It influences the various clients and the online clients specifically.

References

Bage, I., 2013. Establishing Objectives and Budgeting for the Promotional Program. [Online]
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D, A., 2012. Managing Brand Equity. 4th ed. New York: The Free Press.
Graeff, T., 2014. Using Promotional Massages to Manage the Effects of Brand and Self-Image in Brand Evaluations. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 13(3), p. 15.
Hanke, B. C., 2013. Ways to Get the Most Out of the Advert Agency. [Online]
Available at: http://www.inc.com/curt-hanke/how-to-get-the-most-from-your-ad-agency.html
[Accessed 20 March 2014].
Malhotra, N. P. M. a. K. S., 2013. Marketing research: a state-of-the-art review and directions for the twenty -first century. Journal of the Academy of Marketing, 27(2), pp. 160-168.
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