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This exercise should teach students that promotional efforts cannot always be easily and clearly classified
into advertising, public relations, sales promotion, or personal selling. In the real business world, each
category often overlaps with the others.
Prompt for students:
The promotion mix includes advertising, public relations, sales promotion, and personal selling. How
would you classify each of the following promotion efforts?
1. McDonald’s uses television to tell consumers about how they can receive free french fries with
the purchase of a Big Mac.
Answers:
6. Advertising and sales promotion
Class Exercise 3: Using Your IMC Tools
In this chapter, you were introduced to an array of tools marketing managers use in IMC. In this exercise,
you will consider how each of these tools can be used to build a coherent brand message.
Step 1: Identify all of the IMC components currently used by your university to attract student applicants.
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CHAPTER QUIZ
1. Face-to-face communication such as product sampling and personal selling provides marketers with
a. the highest quality feedback.
b. nonverbal feedback only.
c. verbal feedback only.
d. instant feedback.
e. highly coded feedback.
2. In marketing communication terms, the speed of an Internet connection relates to
a. decoding.
b. feedback.
c. encoding.
d. noise.
e. channel capacity.
3. The basic function of promotion is
a. information.
4. Promotion is communication that is
a. managed.
b. deceptive.
c. persuasive.
d. informal.
e. product-related.
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SEMESTER PROJECT
In this chapter, you learned about the variety of tools marketing managers use in IMC. In this exercise,
you will examine how you can use each of these tools to effectively communicate information about your
brand, you.
Step 1: Identify all of the IMC components and list how you can use each of these components to
communicate about your brand.
Step 2: What themes, images, and colors will you use to unify your campaign across these components?
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ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION AND REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. What does the term integrated marketing communications mean?
Integrated marketing communications is the coordination of promotion and other marketing efforts to
ensure the maximum informational and persuasive impact on customers. Coordinating multiple
2. Define communication and describe the communication process. Is it possible to communicate
without using all the elements in the communication process? If so, which elements can be
omitted?
Communication is a sharing of meaning. The communication process involves several steps. First, the
3. Identify several causes of noise. How can a source reduce noise?
Noise may arise from faulty printing processes, interference or static in television or radio
4. What is the major task of promotion? Do firms ever use promotion to accomplish this task and
fail? If so, give several examples.
The major task of promotion is to directly or indirectly communicate with individuals, groups, or
5. Describe the possible objectives of promotion and discuss the circumstances under which each
objective might be used.
Promotional objectives vary widely from one organization to another and within organizations over
time. A considerable amount of promotion is directed at creating awareness of new products, new
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6. Identify and briefly describe the four promotional methods an organization can use in its
promotion mix.
Advertising is a paid form of non-personal communication about an organization and/or its products
which is transmitted to a target audience through a mass medium. Personal selling is informing
customers and persuading them to purchase products through personal communication in an exchange
7. What forms of interpersonal communication besides language can be used in personal selling?
Communication may be accomplished through the use of kinesic, proxemic, or tactile
8. How do target market characteristics determine which promotional methods to include in a
promotion mix? Assume a company is planning to promote a cereal to both adults and children.
Along what major dimensions would these two promotional efforts have to differ from each
other?
Market characteristics which influence the composition of the promotion mix include the size,
9. How can a product’s characteristics affect the composition of its promotion mix?
Both the type of product being promoted and the characteristics of that product affect the composition
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10. Evaluate the following statement: “Appropriate advertising media are always available if a
company can afford them.”
Availability of media is an important consideration in the formulation of a promotion mix. Even
11. Explain the difference between a pull policy and a push policy. Under what conditions should
each policy be used?
A pull policy aims promotional efforts directly at consumers with the intention of developing a strong
12. In which ways can word-of-mouth communication influence the effectiveness of a promotion
mix for a product?
Word-of-mouth communication is personal informal exchanges of communication customers share
13. Which criticisms of promotion do you believe to be the most valid? Why?
This is an open-ended question, and students’ opinions will vary. In any discussion of this question, it
14. Should organizations be allowed to promote offensive, violent, sexual, or unhealthy products
that can be legally sold and purchased? Support your answer.
This is an effective question for raising the issue of what is legal and what is ethical with regard to
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ANSWERS TO APPLICATION QUESTIONS
1. The overall objective of promotion is to stimulate demand for a product. Through television
advertising, the American Dairy Association promotes the benefits of drinking milk, a
campaign that aims to stimulate primary demand. Advertisements for a specific brand of milk
focus on stimulating selective demand. Identify two television commercials, one aimed at
stimulating primary demand and one aimed at stimulating selective demand. Describe each
2. Developing a promotion mix is contingent on many factors, including the type of product and the
product’s attributes. Which of the four promotional methods—advertising, personal selling, public
relations, or sales promotion—would you emphasize if you were developing the promotion mix for
the following products? Explain your answers.
a. Washing machine
b. Cereal
c. Halloween candy
d. Compact disc
While certain products are better suited to certain promotional methods, encourage students to be
3. Suppose marketers at Falcon International Corporation have come to you for
recommendations on how to promote their products. They want to develop a comprehensive
promotional campaign and have a generous budget with which to implement their plans. What
questions would you ask them, and what would you suggest they consider before developing a
promotional program?
Student answers will vary widely, but they should use the “Selecting Promotion Mix Elements” as an
4. Marketers must consider whether to use a push or a pull policy when deciding on a promotion
mix (see Figure 17.4). Identify a product for which marketers should use each policy and a third
product that might best be promoted using a mix of the two policies. Explain your answers.
Student answers will vary based on the products they choose. A firm that uses a pull policy promotes
5. Using the information provided in the text, develop a very simple questionnaire of four to five
items and survey 10 to 15 family members about their beliefs on micro-cars. Based on this
information, develop a budget in terms of percentage of sales revenue to be spent for
advertising, personal selling, sales promotion and public relations.
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ANSWERS TO INTERNET EXERCISE
Myspace
Myspace is not just for friends. It is also a unique promotional platform for musical artists, especially
unsigned and independent artists. By creating a Myspace page, musicians can share their songs, post
important dates, or even blog. Myspace music pages are different from record company websites because
they feel more personal. Artists also take advantage of MySspace’s viral nature by allowing other
1. Who is the target market for members?
2. What is being promoted to these individuals?
For musicians, Myspace is offering them a chance to “be discovered” when members listen to their
3. What are the promotional objectives of this website?
Students should look at Table 17.2 for objectives of promotion. For Myspace, the primary objectives
4. Is word-of-mouth communication occurring at this website? Explain.
Word-of-mouth communication is personal, informal exchanges of communication that customers
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ANSWERS TO DEVELOPING YOUR MARKETING PLAN
The information obtained from these questions should assist students in developing various aspects of
1. Review the communication process in Figure 17.1. Identify the various players in the
communication process for promotion of your product.
Students should think about all the potential individuals and organizations who might be involved in
2. What are your objectives for promotion? Use Table 17.2 as a guide in answering this question.
Students’ answers will differ depending on the product they chose. Whether it is a new good, new
3. Which of the four elements of the promotional mix are most appropriate for accomplishing
your objectives? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.
The four elements of the promotion mix are advertising, personal selling, public relations, and sales
4. What role should word-of-mouth communications, buzz marketing, or product placement play
in your promotional plan?
Word-of-mouth communications, buzz marketing, and product placement are all increasingly
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COMMENTS ON THE CASES
VIDEO CASE 17.1: VANS MASTERS COMMUNICATION WITH THE
SKATER-SHOE MARKET
Summary
The purpose of this case is to demonstrate how a small shoe company became a cultural iconic
powerhouse through word of mouth and events. For 40 years, Vans has embodied the California lifestyle
and remains one of the preeminent skater-shoe companies. Vans never spent much money on marketing;
it simply asked its customers to “Tell a friend about Vans.” The company’s current marketing strategy
involves developing advertising partnerships with athletes, artists, and media outlets and sponsoring
extreme sports events. People immersed in this culture want to own Vans products. Vans are not just
shoes; they are a lifestyle.
Questions for Discussion
1. Evaluate Vans’s early word–of–mouth marketing strategy.
Van Doren knew that he offered a superior product, and early on he relied on word of mouth to
2. Why were the early Vans marketing activities related to skateboard shoes so successful?
In the 1970s, skateboarders began to discover Vans shoes, and the company responded by creating
3. How does Vans continue to capture its target market through integrated marketing?
People immersed in the skate and snowboard culture want to own Vans products because they reflect
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CASE 17.2: SOUTHWEST AIRLINES PROMOTES ITS CULTURE
Summary
This case discusses how Southwest Airlines uses integrated marketing communications to gain
market share and satisfied customers. The Texas–based company prides itself on its sense of humor
and down–home attitude, which has been developed and advanced over the years through advertising,
promotions, and public relations programs. Through promotions and programs that engage both
employees and customers, Southwest has created a highly successful brand.
Questions for Discussion
1. Describe the various promotion elements that Southwest Airlines uses in its integr ated
marketing communications.
Southwest Airlines certainly engages in advertising, with its “Grab Your Bags: It’s On!”
2. How does the engaging and entertaining performance of Southwest flight crews contribute
to promotion activities?
The Southwest flight crews engage in public relations, a broad set of communication efforts used
3. How has Southwest Airlines positioned its advertising by focusing on simple concepts such
as “Grab Your Bag. It’s On!”?
Southwest positions its advertising as entertaining messages while simultaneously sympathizing