– Promotions Essay, Research Paper
Final Project Outline
Questions:
I. Page 99 question # 2
# 2. How would you advertise a toothpaste at the four different stages in its life
cycle?
1. Introduction Stage
Risk seems to go hand in hand with the introduction stage because the
chance of product failure is quite high. Profits will be below zero due to
low initial revenues while the toothpaste company covers large expenses
for promotion and distribution. We will need to let potential buyers
aware of the new toothpaste availability. These buyers must know the
toothpaste’s features, uses, and advantages over other brands. I’ll
assume this particular toothpaste company has the resources,
technological knowledge, and marketing know-how to launch the
toothpaste successfully. Having these assets will be a great advantage
for the success of the new toothpaste brand.
2. Growth Stage
The growth stage will be critical to the toothpaste’s survival because the
competitive reactions to the products success during this stage will
affect the toothpaste’s life expectancy. I would expect the toothpaste’s
sales to rise rapidly and profits to reach a peak and then start to slowly
decline. To counter act the sales decline we must try to strengthen its
market share and create a competitive niche by emphasizing the
toothpaste’s benefits. To accomplish these tasks we may need to cut
prices to stay competitive and gain stronger market position.
3. Maturity Stage
Our toothpaste’s sales curve will peak and begin to decline as will
profits. This is the result of intense competition, as similar brands are
now in the market. As a result many weaker competitors will be
squeezed out or lose consumer interest. We must now turn our
attention to develop improvements in our product and find positive
differences in our version of toothpaste. We will continue to make
fresh new promotional and distribution efforts. We will concentrate on
advertising and dealer based promotions. We must also look at another
opportunity that exists. Marketers of mature products sometimes
expand distribution into global markets. We will need to research and
determine if our toothpaste will be accepted and fit the needs of global
consumers.
4. Decline Stage
The stage where our sales will fall rapidly. New technology or social
trends are at times the culprits of this downward spiral. Due to low
profits we may cut promotion efforts, eliminate marginal distributors,
and eventually plan to phase out our toothpaste. I will assume our
toothpaste company has more than one product, a company’s future is
rarely tied to one product. As one product is declining, our toothpaste,
other products of ours are at different stages of the life cycle. Therefore
we will need to deal with prolonging the life of existing products and
introducing new ones. Our main objective as a company is to meet
organizational sales goals. As one product is declining, other products
are in the introduction, growth, or maturity stages for our company.
II. Page 140 question # 3
# 3. “How do we sell this thing?” Rank each of theses approaches, in descending
order of expected effectiveness.
10. Buy a Cheap Labor-saving Device.
9. Buy a Goat Instead of a Sheep.
8. Buy a Goat.
7. Goat. Guaranteed.
6. Don’t Let Someone Else Get Your Goat.
5. Give a Goat a Home.
4. Goat for Sale.
3. Save on a Goat.
2. Buy a Great Goat.
1. Buy an Affectionate Labor-Saving Device.
III. Page 238 Question # 1
#1. What do advertisers mean by strategy? What are the key considerations in an
advertising strategy?
Averting messages aren’t created on a whim or by a quick flash of
inspiration. Advertising is a disciplined art and involves a lot of
strategic thinking. Advertisers create messages to accomplish specific
objectives, a process called strategic planning. Advertisers determine
what you want accomplished, decide on strategies to go about
accomplishing, and implementing tactics which make the plan come to
life. Advertising involves many different strategies. First there must be
a strategic business plan that deals with the broadest decisions made by
the organization. Next advertisers have marketing strategies that will
identify key advantages for the product or firm in the marketplace.
Lastly there are advertising strategy decisions that are made which are
crucial to all advertising situations. Advertisers must set objectives and
identify the target audience. The advertising product must be compared
to competing products features. The product must be position so it is
welcomed in the marketplace by consumers. Finally the advertisers
must create a brand image and personality for the product. These are all
key considerations for the advertising strategy. Targeting an audience
for the product I feel is the most important. These audiences are
equivalent to a target market, but often includes people other than
prospects, such as those who influence the purchase. Once the target
audience is defined this lets the advertising planner zero in on the most
responsive audience.
IV. Page 265 Question #5
# 5. Identify how the creative use of emotion can enhance each operation.
Perception: In the text there is a great example of how the L.A. City
Fire Department got their message across that fireworks are dangerous.
Their billboard shows the image of a child’s hand missing one finger due
to a fireworks related injury. The message here is personal and
conveyed by the consumers that this could happen to someone in their
family or to them personally.
Awareness: Most people want to read information or news
relevant to themselves and things they care about. Advertisers create
ads to bring out this emotion in consumers. I remember the billboard ad
a few years back concerning N.A.F.T.A. These billboards didn’t
concern every person or every worker. The NAFTA situation only
involved a percentage of workers. But these ads brought the attention
to everyone who wanted to know more or thought they could help. The
NAFTA ads brought awareness to the subject and educated people on
how they can take action.
Understanding: Being aware of a ad message sometimes is not enough.
The message must also be understood as well. Understanding means
the viewer or consumer gets an active response from what they have
seen or heard. New car commercials are sometime ones that contain a
lot of information. Information on the brand, price, size, how it works,
when and where to use it and so on. With this information we
sometimes create an emotion inside about the particular car. We may
want to go right out and buy it or take a test drive. Or we may simply
consider it for a future purchase. All in all the commercial had created
an feeling of want for their product and as we all know “wanting” is an
emotion.
Persuasion: A persuasive message will shape attitudes and touch
emotions. How someone feels about your product or company may be
just as important as what that person knows about it. One example
come to mind is last years Budwesier commercial. The one where the
current owner or CEO talks about the company’s family tradition and
that the way they make their beer hasn’t changed ever. This is deffentily
a persuasive commercial. They trying to convey that they are number
one in the industry, were there when we needed them and are a
American family business.
V. Page 409 Question # 2
# 2. Hard-sell approach and soft-sell approach.
.
Hard-sell approach
Soft-sell approach:
I felt the original ad was bland and crowded. I really think they needed a real
picture of a Updike tub and if I were to do another ad I would put one in.
VI. Page 440 Question # 6
# 6. Compare the differences in design, art, type and other elements in
newspaper ads of expensive stores and lower-priced stores.
Comparing Lazuras to K-Mart is really night and day. Lazuras has models
wearing their clothes and real pictures and settings. K-Mart has still
pictures of products and uses only a few colors. Lazuras’ ads comes
stapled together like a small magazine while K-Marts is full sheets folded
to make a large paper insert.
I think these differences are seen only to people who feel that one store is
superior to the other. Sure Lazuras obviously spends more money on print
ads then does K-Mart but it really doesn’t mean anything unless your ad
draws customers in to shop. I personally think both companies to a good
job with their advertising I’d just rather shop at Lazuras, at least for
clothes.
Lazuras always is having some kind of sale. When I receive a Lazuras ad I
know they must be having another 36 hour last chance sale of some sort.
A lot of times I don’t even look through the ad because I figure its the
same stuff as last weeks 36 hour blowout sale. K-Mart usually put their
ads in the Sunday paper and advertises item that are commonly purchased
by customers and seasonal products. Their ads are two and three pages
and always has on the front cover toys for kids. I remember these ads from
way back when I was a kid. Both of these two company’s ad campaigns
work and must be working well, because I continue to see them every
weekend.
VII. Page 469 Question # 5
One jingle that I dislike is the Sharpe Ford song. Its a great piece of work,
“were sharp and were the reason Sharpe is Ford, Sharpe is Ford”,
located at 3 o’clock sharp on the 465 dial. That is perfect. Every time I
hear it I get a visual of the 465 dial and where Sharpe Ford is located. One
drawback though is that I can’t get the song out of my head the entire day.
Another is a fairly new commercial for Giftpoint.com. They do a little rif
from a Christmas song and only say Giftpoint.com. This is absolutely
nerve racking and impossible to not sing the entire day I hope they take it
off the air soon. I did however look at their web page. I believe these ads
do reflect on the advertiser, sometimes good and sometimes bad. I simply
get annoyed but I tend to remember them and I think for the advertiser that
is good. In some cases I think the advertiser uses our memory as their
tool. Create a annoying jingle and play it on the radio over and over.
We’ve all heard jingles and said to our selves after the fact that it was the
stupidest jingle we’ve ever heard. Two weeks later were singing it in the
shower or as we walk through the Ivy Tech parking lot. The dumb little
jingles stick in our head and most of the times won’t go away.
VIII. Page 501 Question #5
# 5. What ideas do you have for setting up some type of direct-response system
to decrease “traffic overload”.
I think a good idea for Ivy Tech would be to have its own bookstore
webpage. Student could access the page on campus or at home. They
would be able to select and purchase books online for all their classes. The
purchases could either be sent by mail or have a in house system for
pick-up. Many student purchase books with a credit card. If student had
an option to not wait in the enormously large line chance are they
wouldn’t. Also for the school they would be able to cut back on inventory
and may open up some room in side the bookstore. Overall I believe a
online system would only be the beginning. Ivy Tech could expand this
page to handle many more tasks that would save time and eventually
money.