Scenario 15-4
General Mills, a breakfast cereal brand, faces strong competition in the dry cereal
category from brands like Kellogg’s and Quaker Oats. However, General Mills brands
like Wheaties and Cheerios maintain a strong share of the market. As a manufacturer,
General Mills knows it must stimulate consumer demand for its brands, but it must gain
retailer support for these brands as well. Its market research shows that some consumers
are very loyal to certain brands of cereal, but most consumers show some level of
variety-seeking behavior in this product category. As a result, General Mills is
constantly examining different sales promotion tools to stimulate consumers to consider
its brands when shopping for breakfast cereal.
The marketers at General Mills have learned that along with Kellogg’s and Quaker
Oats, they often target the same customers with their advertising. This problem of
customers receiving too many messages from too many firms has been addressed with
sales promotion tactics featured in advertising such as coupons included in magazine
ads, or rebate offers mentioned in TV commercials. This is an example of _____ driving
growth in sales promotion.
a. short-term orientation
b. media clutter
c. elasticity of demand
d. power of retailers
Which of the following is true of a proactive public relations strategy?
a. It focuses on problems to be solved.
b. It emphasizes the defensive measures a company must consider.
c. It focuses on identifying vulnerabilities.
d. It is guided by marketing objectives.