This is a sample research proposal on Marketing:
Nowadays marketing is becoming more and more important in this modern life. Every company must use this strategy to success and move forward. Marketing is a very dynamic lesson, and not just stuck in one point, its developing from time to time. For the recent year many of the company was dominated by the traditional way to promote and present their product, like using the mass media advertising. Companies relied primarily on their advertising agencies for guidance in nearly all areas of marketing communication. We cannot say that this way is wrong, but in this rapid changing time we can use the alternative ways in marketing that is Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC). Tom Duncan and Sandra Moriaty state that IMC is the one of the “new generation” marketing approach being used by company to better focus their efforts in acquiring, retaining, and developing relationship with customer and other stakeholders. For example: Mazda company has been selling cars and truck in the highly competitive market in US for three decades, it product has receive a high marks from consumer in areas such as styling, performance, reliability, and value. But during the mid-90s Mazda was lack of focus in its marketing and advertising plans because of unleashed of six new cars in less than a year. From 1994 to 1997 Mazda US sales dropped by 70 percent and reached their lowest level in 15 years. In the early 1997 the Mazda begin its recovery with the new managements. They build new image of Mazda overall personality. They more focus and more repositioning on target market so they can achieve their goal. The success of Mazda is because they having a well planned and executed marketing communication strategy. They integrated they advertising efforts with a variety if other communication technique such as website on internet, direct marketing, sales promotion, publicity, and public relation (PR) and event sponsorship. They are also recognizing that these communication tools are most effective when they are coordinated with other element of marketing program.
From the case study we can see that A.B Dick is a Chicago manufacturer of duplicating machine can be successful with using the Integrated Marketing Communication for their Century 3000 printers, the community is aware of his product because Tucker the president agencies were using the marketing communication tool with correctly so the company can achieve these positive outcomes.
In this assignment firstly I will explain about the IMC tool, secondly I will discuss about the case study and finally I will give my conclusion to this assignment.
IMC tool
1. Advertising as an element in IMC
Advertising is one element of the IMC. According to Belch & Belch advertising can be defined as any paid form of non personal communication about an organization, product, service, or idea by an identified sponsor. The paid aspect refers to the space or time for an advertising massage generally must be bought. The non personal means that advertising involves mass media that can transmit the message to a large group of individual at the same time. Advertising is the most used element by marketers to promote their product, it also the most important tool by a company that target a very large amount of market. Advertising can be used by company to create their brands and symbolic appeals.
Inside the case study given we can review that A.B. Dick using the IMC approach with advertising. He uses a six minute video that illustrated the capabilities of Century 3000 and also the Color of Money posters to present the printers. What the Tucker did is a good decision because he combined the movie and the product correctly. In the Color of Money posters it represents the Century 3000 printerТs result that produce a high quality color. The campaign was successful because they can attract the audience awareness.
2. Combining Direct marketing and Sales Promotion as an element in IMC
The other IMC tool is direct marketing, direct marketing itself is a form of advertising and it can be defined as a system of marketing that held by the company to interact directly with the audiences to generate a quick response. The response from the consumer can be a variety it depend on the situation.
Sales promotion is a marketing activity that provides an extra value to sales force, distributors, or the target consumer to stimulate the immediate purchasing. Sales promotion is also important in this IMC approach because some of people might buy some good because of the free gift, they not really interested to the product but they want the awards behind them. Combining these two strategies is a good way to force the sales in a company and we can see from the case study given.
We find that Tucker using a combination of Direct marketing and sales promotion system to generate the promotion of Century 3000 printers. It is stated that Tucker is using a direct mail to reach the audience and promotional product marketing to stimulate their ego and give them a free gift along with the video such as a package of microwave popcorn. Why Tucker did very successful in this step, because he can segment the market, give an interesting advertising through the mail and posters and give a promotional product to stimulate them to purchase the printers or create a curiosity and also give a business reply card that is very important for the company to know the response and feedback.
3. Personal selling
Personal selling is a marketing activity that involves a two group, the sender and the receiver, and a person to person communications. According to Belch & Belch this direct and interpersonal communication lets the sender immediately receive and evaluate feedback from the receiver. Personal selling is evolving from a focus on persuasive techniques used to sell a product or services to much more marketing oriented partnership with the consumer, and they attempting to establish a long term relationship. This marketing system most used in Multi Level Marketing company because in the Multi Level Marketing there is no advertising in the mass media, so the distributor of the company have to promote their own product by themselves and the most important in the personal selling is we have to build a good relationship for a long term to consumer so they believe the product we sell and then purchase it.
From the case study given it is stated that Tucker is using personal selling combining with the direct marketing because he send a direct mail with a business reply card for consumer who want to know more about the printers. Those who replied the company will send a salesperson to give a live demonstration. In this personal selling system, Tucker would make more improvement if he not just give a live demonstration to one who replied the business card, but give the demonstration to all the company partner and also held a grand demo of the Century 3000 printers so the company can create the new perception of the product.
4. Public Relation in Century 3000
Public relations are one of the elements of the IMC approach. According to Belch & Belch public relation is defined as Уmanagement function which evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or organization with public interest, and executes a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance. Its purpose is to establish and maintain a positive image of company among its various public. Beside that the public relation is also related to word of mouth. Word of mouth is one of the most effective ways to promote something, because it can spread the news with very fast and also because most of us is more influenced by something that we heard from our friend not from the advertising. We more believe when our friend told us about the product and from the testimonial.
In case study that is written that Tucker is using a public relation in his campaign of Century3000. The new printing press was introduced to trade reporters at a special Color of Money press event and was also introduced to trade audiences at subsequent in office sales presentation. After the product was launched, the print campaign moved to testimonial with printers describing new uses they found for the press. These word of mouth success stories were relayed to A.B Dick marketing manager by field salespeople. In this kind of advertising what Tucker did is good enough; he combining the testimonial in the advertising that make the ads stronger and make the consumer believes the product. Beside that the company also distributed the Color of Money newsletter to promote the success stories and new uses of the press.
Creative strategy and the major selling idea of Century 3000
Creative strategy in marketing can be used in advertising campaign. Determining the theme around which will be built is a critical part of the creative process, as it sets the tone for individual ads and other forms of marketing communication that will be used. A campaign theme should be a strong idea, as it is the central message that will be communicated in all the advertising and other promotional activities. In the case study Tucker use this kind of strategy in his campaign. He creates a correct theme for the Century 3000 printers that adapted from the Paul Newman and Tom Cruise movie, The Color of Money. The reason Tucker use this theme is that the idea of color ties in with printers who are tremendously concerned about color reproduction. In addition, it carried the timeless business to business appeal of making money. The theme promised the product could generate new revenue streams in return for a relatively modest investment. This theme is also supported with the campaign in the second week that shows the printers can print a $100 bill with extremely great. It represent how great the printers is because it can produce money.
The major selling idea is also important for the company to focus to its goal, and the campaign will be more effective if the ads contain a big idea that attract consumerТs attention, gets a reaction, and sets the advertiserТs product or service apart from the competition. Looking through the case study the major selling idea of A.B Dick Company for Century 3000 is to change the consumer perception about the printing press and to show the capabilities of the printers that can produce and how it can be used by a company to increase their revenue and the Color of Money was successful in this company.
Conclusion
IMC approach in this modern life is one of the best marketing systems. IMC got the entire tool inside to reach and create awareness of the audience and how it was used to satisfy the consumer. Tucker the IMC agencies has been used this system and implementing to A.B Dick businesses. First he creates the theme for Century 3000 with Color of Money movie that represent the feature of the printers. Second he held a special Color of Money press event to introduce the new printing press followed by three week of campaign that combining the IMC tool. The first week Tucker sends a direct mail with promotional offers that was used to highlight the video and the Color of Money posters. The following week company gives an oversized $100 bill accompanied with copy about making “big bucks”. The last week campaign they received the video along with a package of microwave popcorn and business reply card. This campaign was successful because there is a reply from consumer that wants to see Century 3000 in action and the Color of Money was distributed well to promote success stories and new uses of the press. All this strategy was made the Century 3000 successful in their market.
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