Principles of marketing/PMKT103/Leveraging promotion tools/Overview
As the fourth "P", promotion and promotional tools are focused on raising customer / stakeholder awareness of a product or brand's unique value; put in place a 'call to action'; generate sales; create brand loyalty and satisfaction post-purchase. The promotional mix often includes direct (personal) selling; advertising (including web adverts), sales promotion, direct marketing, and publicity.
There are several basic objectives of promotion. These are to present information to consumers about the product; to increase demand; and distinguish it from competitors' offerings, by highlighting its differences and distinctiveness. The purpose of a promotion and thus its promotional plan can have a wide range, including: sales increases, new product acceptance, creation of brand equity, positioning, competitive retaliations, or creation of a corporate image.
Many organizations use promotions to generate excitement and interest in their products - with giveaways, competitions, advertising, sales, and more.
If you employ a sales staff to promote the product, how do you compensate them? If you pay a commission, how much commission will be paid per unit? Will the sales staff be given discretion on price, or do you want to send a uniform message that the price is locked in? If a new company has limited funds available for advertising campaigns, might they use public relations tactics to gain free media coverage?
