BUS 3500 March 31

This week's topic was Integrated Marketing Communications: The elements of the promotional mix, and the role of promotion in the marketing mix. It's probably a key point that we have the power and maybe the responsibility to inform consumers while we are trying to persuade them, and the fact that consumers need to be reminded about a product in order to keep them buying, keep them responding. It's coming down to communications, and the LO3 explains that if you have a message you want to convey to a target audience, you need to use language and symbols that target audience will relate to. I was thinking that sometimes companies try to "sell at" people rather than "sell to" them - and that they are missing the point of reception - that the target will receive the message and relate to it, hopefully act on it. The integrated marketing concept comes from combining approaches and getting a stronger result because of that synergy. I remember when I worked at Eagle Direct in Denver, my boss made me read a book called Integrated Direct Marketing. It was the first time I really considered the impact of using several promotional and advertising approaches to work together, and planning it that way, timing it that way. A print ad followed closely by a radio ad, and then a direct mail piece hitting immediately afterward - I guess this is probably what is meant by a promotional mix. It's about planning and strategy and really thinking about the receiver, rather than just throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing how much of it sticks.