4 communication policy in commerce. Coursework: Marketing communication policy. Assignment for term paper

The goal of any seller- to capture the attention of a potential buyer, which means to emerge victorious from the competition.

The buyer's conviction that the purchase of this particular product is profitable and expedient is carried out by various methods: advertising messages, the provision of benefits, the distribution of souvenirs, etc. All these means are called communication policy and are known in the literature as means FOSSTIS– formation of demand and sales promotion.

Marketers, referring to FOSSTYS events, say: “If you can do without an intermediary, great. The only pity is that on modern international market can't do without it..."

Enterprise marketing communication- a complex impact on the internal and external environment in order to create favorable conditions for the stable profitable operation of the enterprise in the market.

The complex of communication means is inextricably linked with marketing activities enterprise and to a large extent ensures its effectiveness. It is a two-way process:

Impact on the target audience;

Getting information about a reaction target audience.

The main task of the complex of communicative means is the promotion of goods on the market.

Promotion- creation and maintenance of permanent relations of the enterprise with the market in order to enhance the sale of goods and the formation of a positive image (image) of the enterprise in the market.

Promotion is based on communication links between the enterprise and the market. The promotion is aimed at ensuring that potential consumers are aware of the benefits and benefits they receive when purchasing a product, taking into account all elements of the marketing mix (price, terms of sale, discounts, etc.).

The main means of influence in the complex of marketing communications are given in Table. 5.1.

Table 5.1

The main means of influence in the complex of marketing communications

The relative importance presented in the table. 5.1 means of influence in the complex of marketing communications depends on the type of product (Table 5.2).

Table 5.2

Relative importance of the components of the marketing communications mix (in descending order of importance)

The communication process is described using a model that includes the following elements:

Source of information (sender) - the enterprise itself usually acts in its role;

Information - information about the product, price, conditions of sale that the company wants to bring to consumers;

Coding - an indication of methods for the special transformation of information for its better memorization by consumers (through symbols, sounds, texts, pictures, etc.);

Communication channels - an indication of the media used;

Addressee (recipient) - the market segment chosen by the enterprise for work;

Decoding is the response of consumers to the information received.

Communication decisions are associated with establishing personal or impersonal contacts with potential consumers of the enterprise's goods (Table 5.3).

To carry out FOSTIS activities in the foreign market, the structure of the enterprise provides for a special service (department) that functions independently or attracts third-party Russian and foreign organizations, as well as foreign intermediaries of the enterprise abroad.

The task of the FOSTIS service– bringing information about the product and its consumer properties to managers.

Table 5.3

Characteristics of the types of contact with customers

The following rules should be observed when carrying out FOSTIS activities.

1. Know your product in detail.

2. Know your competitors.

3. Know your customers.

4. Do unique offers, i.e. offer something that competitors do not offer.

5. Talking about your products and your company is exciting...

6. ...and the people you need.

5.2. Demand generation (WCF events)

Each buyer is faced with the need to choose among the many products of the one that best suits his needs. before purchasing the product. WCF activities provide information for making such a decision.

Participation in exhibitions and fairs;

Free transfer of samples for temporary use or testing;

Publication of non-commercial articles in industry or other journals, etc.

Purpose of FOS activities- overcoming the "barrier of distrust" of the buyer to an unfamiliar product, especially if it is offered by an unfamiliar company, and the subsequent formation of a positive idea about the product. When from an ignorant buyer becomes aware, and then acting, acquiring a product, the image of the product arises.

The objectives of the FOS activities are presented in fig. 5.1.

Rice. 5.1. Objectives of WCF events

Of the listed tasks of the FOS measures, the main one is the task of bringing a product of market novelty to the market. The effect of this withdrawal is significant: firms that rely on the development and sale of pioneering (satisfying a new need) and improved (with a new degree of satisfaction of known needs) products achieve significant growth in sales and profits.

To solve the main task of the FOS events, various private actions are carried out (Fig. 5.2).

Rice. 5.2. Private shares used by the FOS when introducing a new product to the market

Depending on the type of product, FOS measures have specific features (Table 5.4).

WCF activities are disseminated through various channels (Figure 5.3).

In order to rationally choose a channel for disseminating information, FOS conduct special work called analysis of mass media. The purpose of the analysis is to find a channel that meets the following requirements to the maximum extent possible:

Availability - the ability to use the channel where and when it is needed from a marketing point of view;

Manageability - the ability to actively influence the timing of the publication of advertising, distribution regions, etc.;

Profitability - minimum costs for one advertising contact with a potential buyer and minimum total costs;

Simplicity - a minimum of effort and money spent on preparing an advertising message.

Table 5.4

Comparative analysis of FOS measures depending on the type of product

Rice. 5.3. Channels for the implementation of WCF activities

When planning and monitoring FOS activities, the following rule must be observed: a merchant who has stopped advertising and other communication with the buyer makes a gross mistake. The sale of goods falls sharply, the company loses its market share; it is extremely difficult to return to the previous positions, since in the mind of the buyer the place of the enterprise is occupied by a competitor.

5.3. Advertising is a tool for promoting a product on the market

The ability to exhort - the seller can repeatedly repeat his offer, the buyer - to compare offers of competitors. Consistent, competent advertising creates positive attitude to the seller;

Impersonality - the target audience does not feel the need to immediately respond to the proposal received in the absence of dialogue;

Depending on the stage of implementation of the marketing process, advertising performs various functions (Table 5.5).

1) "knowledge - emotions - actions" - consumers react to advertising when comparing it with their knowledge about the benefits of the product (classical approach);

2) "actions - emotions - knowledge" - the consumer makes his choice among goods that differ slightly from each other, and then evaluates the results of his purchase, receiving final knowledge about the product;

3) "emotions - actions - knowledge" - buyers have superficial knowledge about the product, when purchasing it, they are based on emotions.

Inform about the existence or appearance of a new product or trademark;

Create a brand image;

Cause the buyer's predisposition to the brand;

Provide information about the benefits of the product (trademark);

Change the idea of ​​the product;

To achieve recognition of the goods by potential buyers;

Create a favorable image of the enterprise;

Psychologically prepare the buyer for the purchase of goods.

news strategy is based on information highlighting the merits of the advertised product. The strategy is used by the leading enterprise when introducing a new product to the market to form primary demand;

logic strategy is based on increasing knowledge about the product, creating and maintaining brand awareness. The strategy is used by enterprises to maintain demand for branded products;

image strategy based on the consolidation of a positive consumer attitude to the brand. The strategy is used by enterprises to enhance the positive image of both the product and the enterprise.

What to say (formulate a sentence containing specific information about the product);

How to say (to formulate a memorable, interesting offer that can convince the consumer of the superiority of the advertised product;

In what form to say (choose a layout, photo, text, sound design, etc.).

Selecting communication channels provides for possible use:

Electronic media (television, radio, video, etc.);

Printed publications (newspapers, magazines, etc.);

When choosing a communication channel, it is necessary to take into account a number of indicators (Fig. 5.5).

Rice. 5.5. Metrics Considered When Choosing a Message Channel

When choosing a message channel, it is necessary to take into account the criteria presented in Figure 5.6.

Based on the data shown in fig. 5.5 and 5.6, it can be stated that it is necessary to find such an information channel that offers the lowest prices for advertising; ensures the optimal combination of coverage and frequency of exposure to advertising and the minimum gap in time between the preparation and delivery of an advertising message.

1) trading efficiency:

- increase in sales volumes of goods before and after the advertising campaign;

- the effectiveness of the work in the market during advertising and without the implementation of an advertising campaign;

2) communicative effectiveness, assessed using two methods:

– pretesting ( trial testing): the task is to evaluate the reaction of consumers to alternative advertising messages for the subsequent selection of the most communicative ones. This uses direct assessment, portfolio test (interview after an organized display to assess the memorization of advertising messages), laboratory test(determination of attention and emotions in relation to advertising using special devices); – post-testing: the effect of advertising after its launch is determined. Various tests are used for this.

Table 5.6

Tests that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of advertising include:

Memory tests - allow you to determine how consumers who know a particular advertisement can independently tell its content;

Recognition tests - allow you to determine the number of consumers who recognize advertising when it is reused;

Perception tests - allow you to determine the degree of impact of advertising on the consumer. Projective tests are especially widely used (for word associations, completion of phrases, image reproduction).

Today there is no best means of advertising. The advantages and disadvantages of the main means of advertising are presented in Table. 5.7.

Table 5.7

Comparative analysis of fixed advertising media

Table 5.8

Marketing practice uses different kinds advertising:

commercial advertising- advertising serving the sphere of market activity, promoting the consumer properties of goods. Its main difference is to change the behavior of the addressee. The latter, from being passive and indifferent to a given commodity, must turn into an active, acting one, giving his money to the seller;

informative advertising- informing consumers about products to create demand. It has a purely business character, appeals to reason. Details of the enterprise are reported. It is used mainly for advertising goods for industrial purposes at the stages of introduction and growth;

incentive advertising- creation of a selective demand for goods among the selected segment of consumers. Has an emotional character. No addresses or phone numbers are given. Used at the stage of market saturation with increased competition;

The main element that attracts attention is the title. It performs six functions:

1) attracts attention;

2) defines its reader (for this, an appeal to a specific audience is used - women, children, etc.);

3) prepares the reader for the perception of the main part of the text;

5) promises to benefit from the purchase;

6) reflects the new properties of the product, which should be of interest to the consumer.

1. Items of expenses covered from the budget of the advertising department of the enterprise:

– Administrative expenses: remuneration of employees of the advertising department; remuneration of employees of the enterprise involved in advertising; commissions paid advertising agency; transportation costs of employees of the department; wages of salespeople performing tasks of the company's advertising department;

– operating expenses: payment for the work of the printing house (the cost of paper, etc.); payment for the cost of television, radio; payment of packaging design costs; payment of transport costs for the movement of advertising.

2. Items of expenses included or excluded from the budget at the discretion of the enterprise:

- organizing and conducting sales;

– production of packaging;

– development of price lists;

– payment for telephone conversations with sellers of advertised products;

– price discounts;

- participation in trade organizations;

– preparation of analytical reports, etc.

3. Items of expenditure that are usually financed under the item " General expenses»:

- participation in exhibitions;

- depreciation of used equipment;

– payment for telephone conversations;

5.4. Personal selling - a tool for promoting a product

Personal selling– personal contacts sales personnel of an enterprise with buyers, oral presentation of goods during a conversation with one or more potential buyers with the aim of further selling the goods or concluding a trade agreement.

Ways of personal selling:

Business meeting;

Sales cycles;

Demonstration of goods;

Consultations, etc.

Decision-making on personal sales is carried out in accordance with the algorithm presented in fig. 5.7.

Determination of areas of activity and the number of sales personnel carried out using indicators:

Number of customer visits by one sales representative;

Expected sales.

Organization of sales personnel management involves the creation of organizational structures, discussed in topic 1 (1.6).

Sales planning is carried out taking into account the determination of quotas for the sale of goods per one sales representative.

Rice. 5.7. Algorithm for making a decision on personal selling

Visiting schedules and routes developed by the sales representative. The most common method of organizing its work is traveling sales cycles– the time periods required to visit all customers at least once. When developing schedules, it is necessary to comply with such conditions as saving time and money.

The duration of a typical traveling sales cycle is on average 4 to 6 weeks. Its actual duration depends on the type of product (durable or perishable), profile commercial enterprise etc.

Personal selling technologies: are constantly being improved. In recent years, special development has received:

Business meeting. The algorithm for their implementation is shown in fig. 5.8;

Trade presentations - putting forward arguments in favor of the product along the chain "attention - interest - desire - action");

Telemarketing is the constant maintenance of communication between the sales staff of an enterprise and potential consumers using a telephone and an interactive computer program connected to a database. Characterized low cost, a high level of control over sales, the possibility of additional research in order to activate buyers;

Multilevel Marketing ( network marketing) - a system of independent sellers operating in large areas of the market in a network of personal sales. Sales staff is used to promote goods on a commission basis.

Fig.5.8. Business negotiation algorithm

At sales staff training Considerable attention is paid to such issues as:

History of the enterprise development, its specificity;

Features of the goods of the enterprise and goods-competitors;

Properties of consumers and the market;

Issues of organization and use of various types modern technologies sales.

The personal qualities of employees develop (energy, sociability, self-confidence, etc.).

Personal selling budget(Bpp) is estimated by the number of sales representatives, necessary for the enterprise to solve the problem of promoting goods to the market. Calculated according to the formula:

Bpp \u003d (KLpot H) / Ksr,

where KLpot - the number of potential customers;

H - the frequency of customer visits;

Kav - the average number of visits for one representative.

5.5. Sales promotion (STIS activities)

Sales promotion involves activities aimed at expanding the sale of goods that are not considered new. Both buyers and consumers have already formed some opinion about such a product due to either the activities of the FOS or their own experience of use (consumption).

STIS task- encourage repeat purchases, as well as distribute the product among new groups of buyers.

The implementation of SIS activities is considered particularly appropriate when:

There are many competing products on the market with approximately equal consumer properties (customers do not have serious reasons for preferring one or another brand of product);

To protect the company's position in the market, it is required to expand sales when the product enters the saturation stage;

Sales are carried out through a wide retail network, and often not under the brand name of the manufacturer, but under the brand name of the seller.

SIS activities are carried out in relation to buyers and resellers (Table 5.9).

An effective means of STIS is the provision of various kinds of discounts (Table 5.10).

One of the effective methods of sales promotion is the development corporate identity and product packaging.

Form style- this is a series of interrelated techniques that ensure the unity of all products of the enterprise, opposing them to competitors' products and allowing you to compare enterprises with each other. It includes:

Trademark, trademark, which are registered in the prescribed manner;

Logo - a specially designed, original image of the full or abbreviated name of an enterprise or a group of goods produced by it;

Corporate block - a sign and logo combined into a composition, various explanatory inscriptions (address, telephone), a corporate slogan that reflects the commercial and technical policy of the enterprise;

corporate color;

Firm constants (format, illustrations).

The main purpose of using corporate identity is to ensure the popularity of the enterprise among the general population.

Table 5.9

Comparative characteristics of STIS activities in relation to buyers and resellers

Decision-making on sales promotion is carried out according to the algorithm presented in fig. 5.9.

Target group selection associated with the solution of the problem of increasing the sale of goods in periods seasonal sales, introduction to the market new products etc.

Sales promotion tools in relation to buyers and resellers are shown in Table. 5.9.

Table 5.10

Types of discounts provided by the manufacturer to customers

Event duration sales promotion is determined by the nature of the purchase of this product (constant, impulse). As a rule, an appropriate schedule is drawn up, about which buyers are notified.

Stimulus budget includes the following costs:

To prepare an incentive plan;

For the implementation of planned activities (discounts, prizes, etc.);

For information support of events (advertising, posters, etc.).

Control of promotional activities marketing in order to identify their effectiveness is carried out before and after the relevant activities and is carried out in the form of testing.

One of promising directions sales promotion specialists consider the development relationship marketing. Its task is to establish long-term relationships between the enterprise and consumers, potential customers, intermediaries and suppliers. In doing so, attention is paid to:

Establishment of mutual reliability, stability of relations of a formal (business) nature;

Implementation of direct contacts, development of partnerships, etc. in the sphere of informal relations.

Rice. 5.9. Algorithm for making decisions on sales promotion

5.6. Public relations events

A special benefit for the buyer is provided by such a FOSTIS event as "public relations" those. formation of a favorable public opinion. The words of a specialist in the field of decision-making in public relations S. Black are well-known that ""public relations" is the art and science of achieving harmony through mutual understanding based on complete information."

"Public Relations" is carried out mainly on a non-commercial basis, fulfilling the role of overcoming the "barrier of distrust" to the product and the enterprise, which arises not in connection with the consumer properties of the product, but because of the existence of stereotypes in people's minds.

The formation of a stereotype is based on the collective special experience people and is often associated with their national traits, social status. The stereotype is the image of the country and its inhabitants, formed under the influence of newspapers, television, and radio broadcasting. If such an image is negative, then a wary attitude towards goods from this country unconsciously arises. The task of "public relations" in this case is to overcome such a stereotype, at least in relation to the offered export goods.

When organizing public relations, the following goals should be achieved:

Establishing mutual understanding and trust between the enterprise and the public;

Creation of a positive image of the enterprise;

Maintaining the reputation of the enterprise;

Formation of a sense of responsibility and interest in the affairs of the enterprise among employees;

Expansion of the sphere of influence of the enterprise with the use of advertising media.

"Public Relations"- the art of creating a favorable climate not only in the "seller-buyer" relationship, but also in relation to the seller on the part of the general public at different levels (up to the government).

For these purposes, the image of the enterprise is formed. The image is created with the help of advertising, the main task of which is to show that people's problems are solved only with the help of goods. this enterprise.

TO Public Relations activities include:

Press conferences with the invitation of TV and radio correspondents;

Non-commercial articles, TV and movies, radio programs;

Various anniversary events;

Various social and charitable activities in favor of the country with which trade is carried out;

Sponsorship in the fields of book publishing, technology, economics, art, financing of research, sports competitions, etc.;

Annual reports on the activities of the enterprise;

Formation of a positive image;

responses in the media.

Using these events, they do not promote goods and their purchase, but explain the focus of goods on improving people's well-being, facilitating working conditions, etc. At the same time, they try to show that an enterprise operating on the market is a “good citizen” of this country.

Public relations messages must be filled with new, unexpected facts to arouse interest and make messages memorable.

There are corporate and marketing "public relations", which complement and integrate various ways of promoting a product to the market.

A special role in the field of "public relations" is played by:

Formation of the image of the enterprise and the goods produced by it - the idea should be brought to consumers that commercial activity The enterprise aims primarily at meeting the needs of its customers. The best means to achieve this goal is corporate advertising;

Preparation for the press of new attractive information about the company and its products. Represents, as a rule, free advertising;

Sponsorship - the development of modern forms of patronage (sports, culture, art, education, ecology, etc.).

5.7. Planning and control of FOSTIS events

FOSTIS activities are usually classified as non-productive costs, and therefore they seek to limit its funding. However, there is a certain minimum cost for FOSTIS, below which it is inappropriate to fall, because the results of the activity will be insignificant and even zero.

If the company does not have experience in the foreign market, it is advisable to use the “following the leader” method when introducing a product. To do this, select an enterprise already operating in this market, obtain data on its costs for FOSTIS, on annual sales, and determine the value TO:

Where R– expenses for FOSTIS, rub.;

Vsat– sales volume, rub.

Knowing the magnitude TO and the volume of sales planned by the enterprise, determine the costs for FOSTIS necessary for this enterprise. Due to the fact that the degree of competition with entering the occupied market increases, it is necessary to increase the received amount of expenses by 5 - 10%.

The FOSTIS planning scheme includes the sequential execution of the following actions.

1. Statement in writing of the goal(s) of the campaign.

3. Considering each market individually and determining what information buyers need and what information each FOSTIS event must convey to them.

4. Choice of means of FOSTIS (information transmission channels).

5. Determine the frequency of ads in each channel and their duration.

6. An assessment of how FOSSTISE will affect the volume of production, transportation and marketing of goods.

7. Formulation of the central message of the FOSSTYS campaign.

9. Evaluation of the quality (expected effectiveness) of FOSTIS tools and making adjustments based on the test results.

10. Making a decision to start a campaign in accordance with the developed schedule.

11. Final approval of the campaign budget developed at the first stage of preparation.

If it turns out that financial resources not enough, the campaign objectives are ranked in order of importance and the least important are excluded until the possible budget limits are reached.

After the campaign is completed, its final effectiveness is evaluated.

Situations for analysis

– microencapsulated means that each particle included in the pill is enclosed in its own shell;

– full solid state tv has only one traditional vacuum tube - a kinescope;

– food nutrition is in vitamins and proteins;

– polyunsaturated fats rich in proteins;

– summer cold different from the common cold;

- All non-alkaline medicinal Shampoos consist only of natural ingredients.

Comment on the information. Does it correspond to reality?

2. Where would you report a false promise from a consumer goods advertiser you saw on television?

3. World experience shows that the costs of personal forms of communication exceed the costs of advertising (in the USA - 2 times, in France - 3 times, etc.). What can you offer for more effective use communication links with potential buyers?

“Tefal! You always think of us!”;

- "It will not be cheaper than now";

“Do you have a problem? Do we have a solution?

– “There have never been so many maxi in mini”;

- "A cup of coffee in your pocket";

- "Our cold in your house";

6. Enterprise "Health", located in the city of Tula, produces sportswear. The management of the enterprise set the task for the marketing service: to create a brand image on Russian market. To achieve this goal, the specialists of the service have chosen sports sponsorship, but have not yet decided which of the most developed sports in Tula - football or cycling - will be the subject of their attention. What factors need to be taken into account in order to decide on a sport for further work?

7. Many believe that the amount of goods sold depends on the amount of advertising costs of the enterprise. Is it correct? Justify your opinion.

8. How factors external environment may affect AvtoVAZ's advertising costs?

9. largest manufacturer knitwear in Belgium sells its products in supermarkets and department stores under one brand, and in expensive specialty stores under another. For what purpose does he do this and what, in your opinion, are the results of his actions?

As a result of mastering this chapter, the student should:

know

• the essence of communication policy, the complex of its means;
• the essence, goals, principles, means and methods of advertising activities, as well as the organization of the activities of advertising departments;
• main content PR, sales promotion, personal selling and direct marketing;

be able to

• develop a budget for an advertising campaign;
• develop sales promotion activities PR and direct marketing;

own

• skills in drawing up a plan for an advertising campaign, sales promotion activities and PR- stones;
• methods for evaluating the effectiveness of enterprise communication policy tools.

The main content of the organization's communication policy

Communications complex is an integral set of controlled communication elements, by manipulating which the enterprise has the opportunity to present a product or service in an attractive light for the target audience.

The communication process is a promotion mechanism, which is an appeal from the manufacturer to the consumer in order to present the company's products in an attractive way for the target audience.

A promotional mix is ​​a combination of communication strategies that a business uses to communicate the benefits of a particular product to consumers and encourage them to purchase it.

The communication strategy is developed as part of the overall marketing strategy of the enterprise and is implemented through the use of individual elements.

Sales promotion - a variety of short-term incentive measures aimed at encouraging the purchase or sale of a product or service.

PR (public relations ) - a variety of programs created to promote and (or) protect the image of the enterprise and its products.

Personal Selling – direct interaction with one or more potential buyers in order to organize presentations, answer questions and receive orders.

Direct Marketing - a way to promote a product that uses direct communication with consumers.

All communication elements differ: in nature and direction of influence.

By their nature they may affect the senses or the mind; have a personal or non-personal, long-term or short-term impact. For example, promotional activities such as tastings or free product samples are short-term but intense means of influencing potential buyers. Propaganda, as a rule, affects the logic, the mind of buyers and has a lasting and lasting effect on them.

Any communication process includes the following elements:

• sender of information (individual or organization);
• message (text, image);
• means (information transmission channels: newspapers, radio, television, etc.);
• recipient of information (target group, individual).

Consider the elements of the communication process in more detail.

The sender of information can be a manufacturer, intermediary, wholesaler or retailer. The message should make potential consumers feel expedient and willing to buy.

The choice of means and channel for transmitting information is determined, on the one hand, by the nature of the message, and on the other hand, by the nature of the target group of buyers. When choosing a means and a channel for transmitting information, it must be borne in mind that:

• radio is good to use to influence car owners;
• television provides a wide audience for advertising durable goods, purchase decisions that are usually made in the family circle;
• commercial letter - for direct, personal access to a potential buyer;
• specialized magazines - for specialists who make decisions on the purchase of investment goods.

The recipient of the information is the target group or individual.

Target group (audience ) - This is the group of consumers to which the communication strategy is directed. Both the choice of strategy and the effectiveness of the communication complex largely depend on the correct definition of the target audience. Target audiences can be not only groups of real and potential consumers, but also individuals, as well as the general public.

Based on a specific target audience, an enterprise can choose one of the communication strategy options:

• 1) pull strategy is aimed at the end consumer, the user of the product (service). This way of promoting a product creates demand for the end consumer, prompting him to contact the company or retailers;
• 2) push strategy assumes that the promotion is aimed at the reseller in the expectation that he himself will promote the goods through the distribution channels to the final consumer. The decision-making process for promotion includes the development of a communication program, its implementation and evaluation of effectiveness.

The development of a communication program consists of several stages (Fig. 9.1).

Rice. 9.1.

At the first stage, the target audience is determined, after its selection - the goals of communication, which must be measurable, designed for a certain period of time and a specific target audience. Having determined the goals, the enterprise develops a budget for the communication program. There are several options for developing a budget:

• method of budgeting as a percentage of sales, which takes into account the volume of previous or expected sales;
• competitive parity method, those. copying the absolute level of costs of competitors or the level of costs proportional to the market share of a competitor;
• residual budgeting method, in which money for promotion is allocated only after all other expenses are taken into account;
• budgeting method based on goals and objectives, with the help of which the enterprise defines the goals of its communication program, outlines the tasks arising from these goals, calculates the costs of fulfilling these tasks;
• other methods.

After budgeting, based on an analytical approach and experience, they select communication elements - advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, PR and direct marketing.

Having completed the creation of a communication program, a schedule is drawn up for the use of its elements, which includes the sequence of program implementation and the cleanliness of their use for a certain period.

The final stage of the communication program is to determine its effectiveness on the basis of a system of tests.

The essence of communication policy. Promotion features. The main types of promotion (advertising; direct (personal) sales; propaganda; sales promotion). Communicative competition

Communication policy is the implementation in practice of the fourth element of marketing - Promotion(promotion). It provides for the solution of problems related to how, through whom and in what ways to promote the product on the market. The communicative policy in marketing is aimed at making a profit by influencing the formation of the subjective perception of the product by buyers, unlike other elements of the marketing mix that objectively affect the behavior of the buyer.

Promotion - these are activities aimed at increasing sales efficiency through a communicative impact on staff, partners and consumers. Promotion has a dual purpose: to activate consumer demand and maintain a favorable attitude towards the company. At the same time, promotion performs a number of important functions in marketing:

• informing consumers about the product and its parameters. The competitive advantages of a product and any innovation associated with it are meaningless if the consumer does not know about them. Bringing this information to the consumer is an important promotional function (for example, ultrasonic washing machines will be bought if the manufacturer explains what their advantage is compared to conventional washing machines, and enthusiastic owners confirm this);
• formation of an image of prestige, low prices and innovation. The key word in this phrase is "image". We are talking about the formation in consumers of such an idea about the product, which often exceeds its real consumer content, but distinguishes the product from the general range (for example, plastic windows "lead-free", etc.);
• maintaining the popularity of goods and services. We are talking about reminding consumers of the importance and necessity in their lives of the proposed product (God forbid, consumers will forget that only with Coca-Cola on New Year's Day "the holiday comes to us");
• change in stereotypes of perception of goods. The stereotypes of product perception do not always correspond to the expectations of the manufacturer and supplier. You can reverse the negative trend with the help of a special promotion campaign (for example, when a South Korean corporation Samsung extended service life household appliances up to three years and built its promotion campaign on this, its goal was to convince potential buyers that its products are of no less quality than those of Japanese competitors, and the prices are lower and the service is better);
• stimulation of participants in the marketing system. Suppliers with indirect distribution channels do not sell to consumers, but to intermediaries, while independent intermediaries focus on final demand, and not on suppliers. The best way to get intermediaries to increase purchases is to stimulate final demand through promotion;
• promotion of more expensive goods. The price of a product ceases to be a decisive factor in making a purchase decision when the product acquires a new unique quality in the perception of consumers (for example, with the help of a promotion campaign it is explained to consumers that, despite the high price, this frying pan, unlike competitors, has a removable handle and compactly fits in the kitchen cabinet);
• favorable information about the enterprise. This is the result of what is often called "hidden advertising" (sponsorship, patronage, social projects, etc.). Despite the craze for this type of promotion, it is the last in importance: if the product is of poor quality, the price is high, and the perception of it by consumers is negative, then no sponsorship will force them to buy this product.

There are four main types of promotion in marketing: advertising, direct selling, promotion and sales promotion. Let's consider them in more detail.

Advertising. Modern marketing theory interprets advertising as "non-personal forms of communication carried out using paid media with a clearly identified source of funding" 1 . It is necessary to distinguish between advertising as part of marketing and advertising in general. The main function of advertising in marketing is to inform the consumer about the consumer properties of goods and the activities of manufacturers. Through this prism, one should consider promotional activities. You can resort to arbitrarily prestigious and expensive advertising, but if the advertised product is not in demand on the market, it will hardly be possible to sell it.

The effectiveness of the impact on consumers is determined by the content in advertising evaluation promoted products and argument-

Kotler F. Fundamentals of Marketing. - M.: Progress, 1991. - S. 511.

tion in their favor. If the consumer does not find such an assessment and argumentation, then the effectiveness of advertising is significantly reduced. Advertising arguments in favor of the product can be divided into two types:

• objective- logically revealing the features of the advertised products (for example, advertising a certain type of chewing gum);
• subjective - that form the desired emotions and associations among consumers (for example, advertising of certain fruit drinks).

Objective arguments are more effective when it comes to consumer goods, and subjective arguments when it comes to prestige goods. Ignoring this pattern leads to a waste of resources and loss of competitiveness. No wonder they say that advertising accelerates not only the sale of good products, but also the exit of bad products from the market.

The promotional offer must be radically different from all competitors' offers. Its uniqueness can be associated with the uniqueness of either the product, or the target market, or the advertising message itself. Without the uniqueness of the offer, you should not count on the uniqueness of the demand.

• demanded that is accessible, understandable and easy to remember. Such information does not require expensive advertising media - just a few lines in a newspaper or information on a bulletin board (for example, information about “help” in writing term papers and dissertations for undergraduate students);
• random which is not remembered or remembered with great difficulty. Such information is "attached" to the carrier of the advertisement. A potential consumer must know where to look for an advertising offer if necessary (for example, most consumers who want to install plastic windows turn to free advertising publications. The seller's task here is to be in right time in the right place);
• unnecessary which the consumer ignores or which annoys him. Unnecessary information is always present, since the product cannot be claimed by absolutely everyone. The question is which part of the audience perceives advertising information as unnecessary, and which part perceives it as accidental or in demand (for example, the audience of television advertising).

As soon as the consumer realizes his need for the advertised product, he is ready to make a decision about its purchase. The task of marketing when planning promotional events is to correctly determine the target audience and means of conveying information about the product; not to try to force the buyer to purchase the goods by force, but to facilitate his independent decision to purchase the goods.

Direct (personal) sales- this is part of the promotion of goods, including their oral presentation for the purpose of sale in a conversation with potential buyers. Another name for this activity is direct marketing. It does not require additional financial investments and represents a higher level of business organization than banal retail trade or the provision of personal services.

This type of promotion implies knowledge by the sales staff, at least, of the features of the application and maintenance of the goods sold, as well as qualified customer service, i.e. the use of communication technologies for promoting goods in the process of communicating with customers. Seller in trading floor is designed to provide the buyer with a "last argument" in favor of making a decision to purchase a product.

Ignoring direct sales methods can lead to a significant reduction in them, even if all other marketing conditions are met. So, if the goods are cheap and of high quality, the location of the store is ideal, the assortment is huge and advertising campaign effective, but the salespeople are rude and disinterested in communication, sales in this store are unlikely to be successful.

As soon as the seller begins not only to sell, but also to organize and train potential consumers in the rules for the use of the goods sold, we can talk about personal selling in direct marketing.

True, in Russia this form of promotion has somewhat discredited itself because of the trade in goods of low quality or even harmful to health, but this is due more to the underdevelopment of the market and the imperfection of legislation than to the defective form of promotion itself.

The essence of personal selling is to transform the sales agent from a simple order taker from consumers into their active earner. The organization of personal selling is based on the use of two main approaches:

• sales orientation- method aggressive sales which involves discrediting competitors, exaggerating the merits own goods and discounts for immediate purchase. The motto of this approach is: "Sales at any cost";
• customer orientation- a method of participation in solving customer problems. Based on identifying the needs of potential customers and suggesting ways to meet them. The motto of this approach is “Sales through collaboration”.

Personal selling has a number of benefits:

• individual approach to each consumer and the ability to transfer a significant amount of information;
• smaller than in advertising, the amount of costs that do not bring financial result;
• feedback from consumers, allowing timely adjustment of advertising campaigns and the production process.

The main disadvantage of personal selling is a higher level of turnover costs than in traditional trading, since relationships within the trading network are often built on the "pyramid" principle. Personal selling is most effective when the seller has an exclusive product on the market. If the product is sold simultaneously by traveling salesmen and retailers, then personal selling inevitably loses its competitiveness, since the product loses exclusivity in the minds of buyers.

In general, personal selling is extremely effective in solving a number of marketing tasks: identifying potential customers, collecting information about the market, etc. Reliance on the sales staff allows for more efficient contact with consumers and faster response to any changes in the market situation.

Propaganda (PR, publicity) is a kind of public relations, representing a non-personal and not paid by the sponsor stimulation of demand for goods through the dissemination of commercially important or image information, both independently and through intermediaries.

The purpose of propaganda is to attract the attention of potential consumers without the cost of advertising.

Main propaganda tools:

• performances - participation of company representatives in the opening of various events, speeches with a welcoming speech, etc.;
• Events- organization of press conferences and online meetings, holding seminars and anniversaries, participation in exhibitions, competitions and competitions, etc.;
• news - providing the media with favorable news about the enterprise, its products and employees (press releases);

• publications- annual reports, newsletters, brochures, magazine or newspaper articles and other printed materials used as tools to influence target markets;
• sponsorship - allocation of time, money and material resources to facilitate the organization of charitable, sports and other socially significant events;
• means of identification - the use of the emblem (logo) of the enterprise, writing paper with watermarks and other marks, multi-color seals, business cards, the creation of wc^-sites, the development of a unified style and design of premises, the introduction of uniforms for employees, the distribution of brochures about the enterprise, etc.

Four types of propaganda recipients should be distinguished:

• consumers- in order to form a positive image of the product (usually associated with the environment) and the image of the company. The task is solved through the organization of promotions, socially significant mass events, placement of image materials in the media, etc.;
• counterparties - in order to develop the trading network and attract new partners. The task is solved through exhibitions, presentations, distribution of promotional materials, etc. These events allow you to get a double effect due to the presentation of products and personal contacts with customers;
• key journalists(press, radio, television, Internet) - to promote free information about the most significant events and production innovations. The task is solved through the organization of press conferences, distribution of press releases, etc.;
• state and municipal authorities and administrations - in order to involve them in the development of the business. The task is solved through participation in socially significant projects, co-financing of mass events, etc.

There is an important rule: the higher the level of monopolization of the market, the more propaganda prevails over advertising. Otherwise, the commercial effectiveness of promotional activities is much lower than the effectiveness of advertising and propaganda is less important for product promotion.

Sales promotion - This is a set of other activities designed to promote the promotion of products. It includes activities related to relationships in the sales and promotion system that are not included in other components of the marketing mix. A characteristic feature of sales promotion measures is the absence of their direct connection with the consumer properties of the product, its price or distribution system. Sales promotion is aimed at three addressees:

• buyers - to encourage them to make more purchases. Forms of customer incentives:
  • - contests, games and lotteries;
  • - loyalty programs (recurring discounts, discount cards);
  • - promotions on the occasion of the launch of goods on the market or for any other reason;
  • - demonstration of goods by promoters;
  • - free samples (samplers), preferential coupons, etc.;
• counterparties - in order to induce to increase the volume of trade transactions and focus on promoting the supplier's products. Forms of incentives for counterparties:
• - Provision of campaign materials and commercial equipment;
• - assistance in training sales staff;
• - holding competitions based on the results of sales, authorized dealership, etc.;
• - provision of related services (legal, information, etc.).

For example, suppliers of sophisticated household appliances pay for training and certify contractors when they create authorized service centers;

• sales staff- in order to encourage sales staff to direct more efforts to improve the quality of service and attract customers. Forms of incentives for sales staff:
• - sales competitions between employees;
• - material (bonuses, bonuses) and moral (certificates, honors board) stimulation;
• - training, treatment and retraining of personnel at the expense of the company;
• - payment of vouchers to employees who have no complaints from the employer, etc.

The implementation of communicative policy is inextricably linked with communicative competition. The object of communicative competition is not the goods or services of the company, but images that are little related to them, which replace goods or services in the representation of those to whom the communicative influence is directed.

Sales personnel, contractors and consumers cannot be bound by force. However, there are enough techniques to strengthen relationships with them on the basis of common interests without any coercion.

Example 1 Technological differences between an expensive smartphone and its cheap counterpart are not as great as the difference in the price of these goods (15-25 times). Another thing is that owning a branded expensive smartphone is much more prestigious than a cheap counterpart. This is a consequence of the promotion of goods, its positioning in the mind of the consumer.

If the market price of a smartphone and the profit of the manufacturer were determined only by production costs, then the price difference would be much smaller. This means that there is something that allows manufacturers of branded goods to receive excess profits in the market. This something is called a communication policy in marketing aimed at consumers.

Example 2. The assortment of most Russian retailers consists of goods famous brands, but there are practically no goods under the brands of Chinese manufacturers. At the same time, the quality of the goods sold and their Chinese counterparts is quite comparable. One of the reasons for this is that Chinese manufacturers practically do not promote their products in Russia, do not provide any benefits to contractors, and rely mainly on the low price of their products. As a result, Chinese goods are competitive in price, but are not of interest to traditional trade, since the manufacturer has shifted the task of promoting them to trade itself.

Example 3. In the retail network "McDonald's" in St. Petersburg, bonuses are made to employees based on performance. These measures encourage sales staff to pay special attention to the quality of customer service. At the same time, not all catering enterprises use such sales promotion. The range and recipe of McDonald's products are quite simple and can be easily copied. However, they are not the only ones that make McDonald's so popular. Great importance has incentives for the work of staff, on which the level of customer service depends.

To implement a communication policy, it is not necessary to share your profits or constantly expand the range. Strong relationships with partners and consumers can be achieved through joint activities, providing information and taking into account the interests of all participants in the trade chain, as well as target consumer groups.

Main rule: consumers, contractors and own personnel are partners of the enterprise, and it is necessary to cooperate fruitfully with partners on the basis of common interests. Otherwise, competitors will fruitfully cooperate with them.

Questions for self-control

1. Explain the importance of communication policy compared to other elements of the marketing mix.

• 2. Why are there no phones with brands of Chinese manufacturers in the distribution network of Euroset?
• 3. How interconnected advertising information about the product and its parameters with the needs of customers?
• 4. How does the demand for overpriced goods differ from the demand for ordinary goods?
• 5. What competitive advantages does the manufacturer gain on the market by maintaining the popularity of goods and services through advertising?
• 6. What could be done to improve the image of the trade mark "Bolshevichka" of the garment factory of the same name?
• 7. In what cases can propaganda compete with advertising in terms of the effectiveness of its impact on consumers?
• 8. What is the difference between promotion methods for more expensive products and methods for promoting cheaper products?
• 9. What is the difference between promotion methods High Quality from methods of promotion of low-quality goods?
• 10. What are the marketing advantages of personal selling over traditional forms of retail?
• 11. Why does the role of propaganda increase as the seller monopolizes the market?
• 12. What propaganda tools are most effective in the consumer market?
• 13. Compare the effectiveness of traditional advertising and communication methods consumer incentives.
• 14. How are the methods of communicative stimulation by the supplier of counterparties interconnected with its marketing policy?
• 15. How is the communication policy integrated with other types of marketing policy?
• 16. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of placing information about the product in the media through advertising and propaganda.

additional literature

• 1. Barlow D., Moeller K. Complaint as a gift. Customer feedback is a marketing strategy tool. - M.: Olimp-Business, 2010.
• 2. Bachilo S.V., Esinova I.V., Mishina L.A. Direct marketing. - M.: Dashkov i K, 2011.
• 3. Gavrilov K.V. Commandments of the customer of television advertising: how to make a successful commercial. - M.: Williams, 2008.
• 4. Gurov F.N. Promotion of business on the Internet: all about PR and advertising on the web. - M.: Vershina, 2009.
• 5. Duncan J. Direct Marketing: Prakt. allowance. - M.: Prospekt, 2006.
• 6. Zakharenko G. Exhibition: technique and technology of success. - M.: Vershina, 2006.
• 7. Kazarinova E.A. Operational management of sales staff. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2008.

• 8. Sour D.V. Marketing and advertising: taxation and accounting. Prakt. allowance. - M.: Omega-L, 2010.
• 9. Leicher R. Sales techniques. - M.: Smart Book, 2008.
• 10. Leinemann R., Baikaltseva E. Press conference: play according to your own scenario. - M.: Grevtsov Publisher, 2008.
• 11. Musician V.L. Marketing basics of communications management. - M.: EKSMO, 2008.
• 12. Musician V.L. Advertising in Action: Promotion Strategies. - M.: EKSMO, 2008.
• 13. Nazaikin A.N. Media planning. - M.: EKSMO, 2010.
• 14. Nelke K. Producing a presentation. - M.: Omega-L, 2007.
• 15. Percy L., Elliot R. Strategic planning advertising campaigns. - M.: ID Grebennikova, 2008.
• 16. Plessy du E. Psychology of advertising influence. How to effectively influence consumers. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2007.
• 17. Wells W., Moriarty S., Burnett J. Advertising: principles and practice. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2008.
• 18. Holland G. Direct marketing. Promotions, tools, success factors, customer retention. - M.: Vershina, 2006.
• 19. Chirkov A. Motivation and management in the distribution channel. - M.: Bi, 2004.
• 20. Sharkov F.I. Integrated communications. Advertising, public relations, branding. - M.: Dashkov i K, 2010.
• 21. Yurasova Yu.V. Sales staff training. Effective sales training course. - M.: Dashkov i K, 2010.

COMMUNICATION POLICY

The essence of the organization's communication policy, its place

in the marketing mix

The importance of communications in entrepreneurial activity is due to the fact that:

Communication is the source and carrier of information;

Participants in communication receive information through communication with colleagues inside and outside their organizations;

Communication acts as a tool of high efficiency in the implementation of the developed business strategy.

Communication policy in the marketing system is a strategic course of action of an enterprise (or its representatives) aimed at planning and implementing the interaction of a company with all subjects of the marketing system based on a sound strategy for using a set of communication tools (communication mix) that ensure stable and effective formation of demand and promotion. offering (goods and services) to the market in order to meet the needs of buyers and make a profit . At the same time, the communication policy is also considered as a process of developing a set of measures to ensure effective interaction between business partners, advertising, sales promotion, public relations and personal selling.

In its most commonly used form, the marketing mix includes four sub-mixes of marketing. These are commodity mix, contractual mix, communicative mix, distribution mix (Fig. 1). Each submix includes an independent set of activities, the implementation of which forms the appropriate policy in the field of marketing (Table 1). For example, a product mix forms a product policy that includes all activities related to the product that contribute to the most complete recognition of the product by the consumer. Such activities can be: design, engineering or development of a product, its design, product quality, packaging, branding policy, customer service, warranty service policy, product diversification, product variation, assortment policy, etc.

The contractual policy involves the implementation of activities due to which the terms of the act of sale of goods are agreed and the execution of this act in the form of a contract. Such measures, as a rule, include pricing policy, a system of discounts and surcharges, the terms of delivery of goods and their payment, as well as a credit policy.

The distribution policy is carried out in order to timely delivery of goods from the place of its manufacture to the recipient. It is carried out through such activities as the analysis and justification of distribution channels, marketing logistics, trade policy, marketing means policy, policy of location of productive forces, policy of location of consumers and markets, supply policy, policy of warehousing finished products, etc.

For example, the goal of product and contract policy is to create an offer for the market.

Table 1 - Marketing policy tools

Commodity policy	Contractual policy	Distribution policy	Communication policy
Product design Product packaging Product quality Brand policy Diversification Product differentiation policy Product variation policy Assortment policy Warranty and Customer Service Policy Brand Policy	Pricing policy System of discounts and surcharges Terms of delivery of goods and its payment Credit policy System of encouragement and premium prices Policy of promotional prices Policy of price differentiation High price strategy Medium price strategy Low price strategy	Analysis and selection of product distribution channels Marketing logistics Trade policy Marketing media policy The policy of distribution of productive forces Policy of location of consumers and markets Policy of supply Policy of storage of finished products Selection of intermediary organizations for the distribution of goods	Organization of interaction between the offeror and the subjects of the marketing system Planning business communications Advertising Personal Selling Public Relations Organization Sponsoring Policy Brand Policy Product Advertising

*Source:

The task of a communication policy is to organize the interaction of an enterprise - a manufacturer (or distributor) of products with all subjects of the marketing system to ensure stable and effective activity in generating demand and promoting goods and services on the market in order to meet the needs of customers and make a profit. An effective communication policy is based on activities such as planning and organizing business communications, i.e. relationships with partners, competitors and consumers, advertising, sales promotion, brand promotion, public relations and personal selling.

The means of implementing the communication policy are the tools of marketing communications, among which Maslova cites the following:

2. Public Relations

3. Sales promotion (salespromotion)

4. Personal sales (personalsales)

5. Sponsorship

6. Product-placement (product-placement)

7. Exhibition events

Without exception, all means of the marketing communications system (QMS) have their undeniable advantages and obvious disadvantages. No single QMS tool is able to provide effective communication in any emerging market situation to all types of communicators without exception.

It is necessary to pay attention to the complex of promotional tools, united by the concept of "sales promotion", which largely replaces advertising. This trend is reinforced by the following factors:

Increasing the qualifications and ability of employees to use incentives;

The desire of business leaders to quickly obtain results;

The aggravation of competition, which requires the use of individual and original incentives.

Sales promotion tools include catalogs, test samples, promotional gifts, representative events, exhibitions, price promotions, competitions, lotteries.

Sales promotion requires significant financial resources, so there is a need for a preliminary study of the target audience to clarify the attitude to the choice and design of incentive measures. A negative survey result clearly indicates that the planned measures should be abandoned, but a positive assessment often does not guarantee success. In the course of preliminary testing, it is possible to specify the ways of implementing one or another incentive method, for example, to choose the prizes that will be awarded to the winners of the competition.

In turn, the goals of marketing communications form a complex hierarchical system. The main role in it belongs to such goals as the formation of demand and sales promotion. It is significant that in the Soviet economic literature the abbreviation FOSSTIs (demand formation, sales promotion) was used for a long time as a substitute for the very concept of "marketing communications".

Subordinate goals that develop the main goal are such goals as:

Informing about the existence of the communicator, about the goods it produces, their quality, etc.;

Consumer motivation;

Generation, formation and updating of customer needs;

Maintaining friendly relations and mutual understanding between the organization and its public, partners in marketing activities;

Formation of a favorable image (image) of the organization;

Informing the public about the activities of the organization;

Attracting the attention of desired audiences to the activities of organizations;

Providing information about the goods produced by the company;

Formation of the buyer's goodwill to the brand of the company;

exhortation;

Formation of the buyer's preference for the brand and the conviction of the need to make a purchase;

Stimulating the act of buying;

Reminder about the company, its products, etc.

It is obvious that the multiplicity and diversity of the goals of marketing communications, their specificity, which is expressed in the subjectivity of the perception of communication signals by the addressee, do not allow the scheme to claim either an unambiguous interpretation of the relationship between individual goals and their groups, or, moreover, a comprehensive exhaustive character. Nevertheless, the diagram clearly illustrates the complex nature of these relationships, the possibility and necessity of ranking goals according to their subordination.

It should also be noted that the choice of communication goals depends on many factors: the specifics of the company's activities, its type, the target market, the characteristics of the products manufactured, the characteristics of the communications addressee, the specific conditions prevailing at the moment in the market, and much more.

The communicator can also capture the attention of consumers or intermediaries through public relations techniques. They can be: an editorial in a newspaper or magazine about the company's use of new technologies; interview of the head or employee of the company on television or radio; initiating a round table at a scientific conference, etc., etc.

Personal contacts with a specific buyer or a small group of them are more effectively established during a personal sale (an element of direct marketing).

All four of the above main means of marketing communications (advertising, public relations, sales promotion and direct marketing) form a complex, sometimes called by analogy with the marketing mix (marketing mix) - "communication mix" (English communication mix) or "promotion mix" (English promotion mix, promotion blend). Elements of these basic communication tools are present in the structure of such specific, complex synthetic tools and techniques as branded identifying marketing communications.

Thus, the system of marketing communications can be represented as a set of QMS tools, which can be conditionally divided into two groups: basic and synthetic [Romat E.V.].

The main means of marketing communications include:

Direct marketing (including personal selling);

Public relations (including publicity);

Sales promotion (or sales promotion).

Synthetic means of marketing communications are:

Corporate identification system (branding in the narrower sense of the term);

Sponsorship;

Participation in exhibitions and fairs;

Integrated marketing communications at the point of sale;

Event Marketing;

Product placement (product placement).

With a high degree of probability, it can be assumed that in the near future computer communication technologies (primarily related to the use of the Internet), considered at this stage as specific forms of advertising, direct marketing and public relations, will also stand out as an independent synthetic means of marketing communications - integrated computer marketing communications. We can talk about a similar trend emerging in the field of mobile marketing.

One of the central places in the system of marketing communications is occupied by advertising (English advertising, Amer.). The most important role of advertising in the structure of the QMS is explained both by historical traditions and modern meaning advertising. The previous analysis has shown that most of the known means of marketing communications originated inside advertising (proto-advertising). The only exceptions are direct marketing, fairs, as well as rumors generated by the communicator that developed in parallel with advertising.

Naturally, the role of advertising in the system of means of communication changes over time. At the present stage of development, marketing communications specialists in some countries (for example, the USA) declare the transition of priorities in the promotion system to direct marketing. Similar conclusions are drawn based on an analysis of the volume and structure of communication budgets. Many other developed countries are also close to this, or at least show a steady trend in the redistribution of communication budgets in favor of direct marketing and other means of mass media.

At the same time, the position of advertising as one of the main main means of promotion will not cause any doubts for a long time to come. First of all, this is due to the initially dominant role in the promotion system and the advantages of advertising in the implementation of specific communication tasks (for example, informing addressees). In addition, advertising is not in a hurry to lose its leading position, demonstrating the ongoing search for and widespread adoption of new innovative advertising media.

Advertising is one of the most well studied means of marketing communications. Since the second half of the century before last, it has been the subject of study by many scientists and specialists. From the numerous definitions of advertising as a means of marketing communications proposed by experts, the following can be distinguished: “Advertising is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas or services on behalf of a well-known sponsor” (definition of the American Marketing Association (AMA)).

Some experts consider advertising "... as a form of communication that tries to translate the quality of goods and services, as well as ideas into the language of the needs and demands of the consumer" (American scientists I. Sandage, V. Freiburger, K. Rotzol) .

“Advertising is a paid, unidirectional and non-personal appeal carried out through the media and other forms of communication, campaigning in favor of any product, brand, company (some business, candidate, government),” notes French scientist Henri Deyan .

American experts D. Cravens, G. Hills and R. Woodruff believe that “...advertising is communication with the audience through non-personal paid channels; the audience clearly represents the source of the message as the organization that paid for the advertising media.

"Advertising is paid non-personal communication carried out by an identified sponsor and using mass media, including interactive ones, in order to convince the target audience of something or influence them in some way." This opinion is expressed by American professors W. Wells, J. Burnet, S. Moriarty.

As you can see, different definitions reflect different approaches to the complex and multifaceted concept of "advertising". Based on this brief content analysis, we highlight the main features and communication characteristics of advertising as one of the main means of mass media. The most important of them are the following.

1. Impersonal. The communication signal comes to the potential buyer not personally from the seller of the advertised product, but through various kinds of advertising intermediaries (mass media, various advertising media).

3. Significant difficulties in determining the effect of advertising. This quality is a logical continuation of the previous one. Feedback in communication (and the seller, of course, expects the buyer to make a purchase decision) is probabilistic and uncertain. The fact of a purchase depends not only on advertising, but also on a host of factors that are not directly related to advertising, are subjective in nature and are practically not amenable to formalization. For example, a great advertising campaign may coincide with a defect in the release of a large batch of the product being advertised. As a result, advertising will only exacerbate the negative effects of marriage. Advertising efforts will not lead to positive result if there are gaps in the sales area. For example, active advertising can be nullified by the absence of the advertised product in the distribution network.

4. The public nature of advertising communication. Firstly, advertising is mass social communication, the use of which is advisable for a relatively large audience (as opposed to, for example, direct marketing, the addressee of which can be one person). Secondly, it is assumed that the advertised product is legal and generally accepted. That is why there is practically no advertising of drugs and other goods prohibited by law.

5. In advertisement the advertiser, sponsor, entity, at whose expense and on whose behalf advertising is carried out, is clearly defined. Initially, as a matter of course, it is assumed that the source of advertising communication is the one who pays for it.

6. As a rule, the purpose of communication is clearly visible in the content of the advertising message. Sometimes advertising messages contain unambiguous calls from the communicator to recipients (buy a product, vote for a candidate, take part in an action, etc.). In some cases, advertising is aimed at creating a positive image of the product. However, for the recipient, the achievement of these goals is obvious.

7. Advertising does not claim to be impartial. It is generally accepted that in an advertising appeal the focus is on the advantages of the advertised product or company. They can be greatly exaggerated. And at the same time, the shortcomings of the subject of advertising may not be mentioned. Recipients have long taken this for granted. Skepticism and distrust of advertising as such continues to grow. Rare exceptions to this rule make advertising stand out from the vast majority of other messages. Let's take an example.

One of the winners of the Cannes Lions festival in the early 2000s. - commercials for the refreshing drink DoctorPepper. The heroes of the series of commercials get into tragicomic situations caused by the purchase or consumption of a drink. The clips ended with the slogan “DoctorPepper. You can't imagine worse!" Surrounded by sugary-sweet glorification of the advertised goods, one can speak with confidence, at least, about "detuning" from competitors. On the other hand, this method is recommended for wide application it would be risky, if only because the lack of a sense of humor in some recipients may act as a "barrier".

8. Showiness and ability to exhort. Repeated repetition of advertising arguments has a certain inspiring psychological impact on the consumer and pushes him to buy.

The main functions of advertising correspond to the general goals of the marketing communications system discussed above. Depending on the goals determined by a specific market situation, advertising can most effectively solve the following tasks:

Informing (formation of awareness and knowledge about a new product, a specific event, about a company, etc.);

Reminder (maintaining awareness, keeping information about the product in the memory of consumers in the intervals between purchases, a reminder where you can buy this product, and other tasks);

Persuasion (gradual, consistent formation of a preference corresponding to the consumer's perception of the image of the company and its products; persuading the buyer to make a purchase; encouraging the purchase, etc.);

Formation of a positive emotional coloring of communications with the advertised product (for example, in a series of commercials for Nescafe coffee, “pragmatic” information is practically reduced to nothing. The emphasis is on the formation of warm human relationships in the process of consumption of the advertised drink);

Pushing buyers to the act of buying (this is especially characteristic of "hard" advertising);

Retention of customers, support of loyalty to the advertised brand (for example, commercials for Head & Shoulder shampoo and Blend-a-med toothpaste describe the negative consequences of switching advertised products to others);

Creating a "own face" of the company, which would be different from the images of competitors. The slang term for this function, "steering away from the competition," has become a common term;

The successful solution of these goals allows you to effectively use advertising not only within the framework of the "communication mix" and the implementation of the concept of integrated marketing communications. Advertising as an element of the QMS is actively used in marketing technologies for positioning (repositioning) a product / company-communicator, branding, merchandising.

In the figurative expression of the famous American advertiser Alfred J. Seaman, “advertising is both the spark plug and the lubricating oil in the mechanism of the economy that creates abundance for consumers. And as such, its task is to inform. But this task is not just to inform. The function of advertising is to sell. Sell ​​goods. Sell ​​ideas. Selling a lifestyle.

When classifying ads, many criteria are used. All systematizations allow you to consider, analyze and study advertising from different points of view. Most classifications, in addition to research interest and solving learning problems, have very real practical significance (for example, when developing advertising programs advertisers, development of regulations, etc.).

At the same time, this systematization shows a fundamentally important place for the systematization of advertising in accordance with the criterion of advertising goals and the type of advertiser. These criteria are difficult to separate from each other due to the close relationship and interdependence of the characteristics of advertisers and their goals. For example, a business advertiser is a natural initiator of commercial advertising, while a public organization is likely to act as a customer social advertising, as well as a specific party - political advertising.

No. p / p	Classification Criteria	Types of advertising
1	Focus on a specific audience segment	1.1. Bulk
1.2. Selective (selective)
1.3. dotted
2	The size of the territory covered by advertising activity	2.1. Local
2.2. Regional
2.3. nationwide
2.4. International
2.5. Global Advertising
3	Way of influence	3.1. visual
3.2. Auditory (auditory)
3.3. visual-auditory
3.4. Visual-olfactory
4	The nature of the impact	4.1. Soft
4.2. Rigid
5	Used means of transmission of advertising messages	5.1. Press advertising
5.2. Printed (printing)
5.3. radio advertising
5.4. TV advertising
5.5. Outdoor billboard advertising
5.5. Internet advertising
5.6. Mobile advertising
5.7. Souvenir advertising, etc.

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Public relations

Public relations (PR, English - public relations, PR) is a fairly wide area of ​​communication activity, a deep and complete study of which is far beyond the scope of this book. PR has come a long way in its development, full of different approaches, views, interesting theories put forward by bright experts. By analogy with the science of advertising - advertising - the science of PR has arisen and is developing - PR. In this section of the book, we will very briefly consider only those aspects of public relations that are directly in the mainstream of marketing communications.

Despite the fact that we consider public relations as an element of the marketing communications system, it should be noted that the scope of PR is sometimes much wider than that of the QMS as a whole or its individual components. Moreover, it sometimes goes beyond marketing in general. The scope of marketing communications is limited, as a rule, to the solution of market, entrepreneurial problems. The main goals of the systems are fundamentally different: for PR it is the achievement of mutual understanding and agreement; QMS is ultimately the sale of goods and the solution of other tasks of the organization's marketing policy. Although it would be wrong to deny the unidirectionality or, moreover, to oppose these interrelated goals.

Obviously, PR is a term that surpasses all other categories of QMS in terms of plurality and ambiguity of interpretation. Experts counted over 500 scientific definitions of public relations. This is largely due (as in the case of the previously considered ambiguity of definitions of advertising) to the different goals of PR at different stages of their formation, the variety of areas of application of this tool, and the differences in the goals of the subjects using the public relations toolkit.

In our opinion, the literal translation of the term from English as “public relations”, or, even more straightforwardly, “public relations”, reflects only one of the areas of PR functioning. In addition, this approach narrows the range of goals of the public relations system. Therefore, with all the dislike for foreign terms that really litter the Russian language, the phrase "public relations" cannot be successfully used to designate this category. In favor of the use of the borrowed term "public relations" is indirectly evidenced by the fact that it is used without translation not only in English-speaking, but also in other economically developed countries.

Consider some of the most typical definitions of PR.

One of the world's most famous and authoritative public relations specialists, Sam Black, gave the classic definition of PR. It is "the art and science of achieving harmony through mutual understanding based on truth and full awareness."

The French PR specialist G. Leroy believes that PR is “a set of coordinated actions to influence public opinion, aimed at changing the attitudes and behavior of people in their favor.”

English marketing communications scholar Paul Smith briefly characterizes public relations as "... establishing and maintaining good relationships with various groups of the public."

The American author of public relations textbooks for journalists, M. Mencher, gives the following definition: “PR is a management function that evaluates public attitudes, coordinates the policies and actions of an individual or organization with public interests, and implements an action program to achieve public understanding and perception.”

To date, depending on the scope of implementation of public relations and the type of subject of communications, there are:

Commercial PR;

Political PR,

Social PR;

State PR.

It is obvious that commercial public relations is the sphere of activity of business structures, state structures are engaged in state PR, and political parties, associations and individual politicians are engaged in political. Below we will focus mainly on commercial public relations.

The term audience (public) in PR, according to American scientists W. Wells, S. Moriarty and J. Burnett, means “... all groups with which the organization interacts: employees, the media community, public groups, shareholders, etc. Sometimes the term stakeholders is used to refer to these groups, which more specifically refers to groups that have an interest (not necessarily financial) in the success of a company or organization.

Many and varied means and media are used to achieve the goals of public relations. They can be systematized as follows.

1. Communication with the media (press, television, radio). The main approaches in this direction are:

Organization of press conferences and briefings by the firm, where the problems of its activities are discussed.

A press kit (media kit) is a package of information materials provided to journalists at a specific event. The information in the press kit must be comprehensive and complete. The press kit must be designed to be useful to the journalist from the moment he receives it;

Production with the participation of the firm of television and radio reports; publication of articles about the company itself, its employees or its field of activity. Articles and reports are non-commercial, non-advertising in nature. Most often, the genre is popular science, essay, event, species, etc. In the course of contact, the audience either receives the information necessary, from the point of view of the company, or learns something about the company that characterizes it well, forming its positive image;

Organization of interviews with the company's managers and other employees of the company to the media;

Establishing friendly and, if possible, friendly relations with editors and other employees of the media (the formation of the so-called journalistic lobby). In the PR services of large organizations, responsible for press relations are appointed, who coordinate this work. The main requirements for these employees are:

1) high personal communication skills;

2) good knowledge of the specifics of the activities of their organization;

3) commitment and punctuality;

4) external compliance with the established image of the represented organization;

5) the presence of at least superficial connections in the journalistic environment;

6) having an idea of ​​the actual practice of the work of the media of interest to the organization;

7) desire and willingness to cooperate with media representatives [see. 50, p. 81-91; 65, p. 27; 64 and others].

Organization of press lunches (business breakfasts for the press);

Organization of press tours for media representatives.

2. Public relations by means of printing have acquired the following forms:

- publication of annual official reports on the activities of the firm. In many countries, the publication of data on the results of financial and economic activities for certain types of enterprises (for example, joint-stock companies) is mandatory, which is enshrined in law. In domestic practice, widespread given form received in the activities of banks and insurance companies. In addition to the mandatory publication of the results financial activities in the media, many banks publish annual reports in the form of well-designed presentation brochures;

- publication of a branded propaganda brochure. Usually a prestigious prospectus reflects the history of the company, its most significant achievements. In some cases, he introduces the reader to the organizational structure of the company, its leaders. The design and printing performance of the prospectus, as a rule, is of the highest level. This prevents the addressee from getting rid of it quickly, as from "waste paper". Thus, the prospectus contributes to the formation of an atmosphere of openness and trust between the firm and its public. Mailing recipients are usually media editorial offices, government agencies, business partners, educational establishments etc.;

- publication of a company magazine(organization of other mass media). This is one of the most expensive means of propaganda, which is associated with the need to ensure a high level of publication both in terms of the design of the journal and the publications contained in it. Therefore, the very fact of publishing a company magazine speaks of the high potential of the company, of its great financial opportunities. So, almost all major European companies have intracorporate publications. In 2008, the costs of European companies for the release of their own publications approached € 5 billion, and the total one-time circulation of corporate publications (about 500 million copies) exceeded the total circulation of traditional print media .

3. Internal corporate media are no longer limited to the press. The development of technology is pushing businesses to use more and more new forms of media. One of the latest innovations adopted by multinational companies is Internet TV.

4. Participation of company representatives in the work of congresses and conferences of professional or public organizations. The firm itself can initiate the organization of a scientific symposium or seminar related to the problems of the field of activity in which the organization operates.

5. Public relations on the Internet. The possibilities of the Network allow using the following tools for PR purposes:

Development and placement on the Internet of your own website or web page of the communicator, where brief information about the organization, data on its leadership and structure can be placed, the main channels of communication are given for further information. Sometimes sites opened by companies are dedicated to specific topics related to their activities. - distribution of press releases via e-mail;

Transfer of information materials through mailing lists (mail-list);

Participation in Internet conferences on issues of interest to the sender. For example, the Swedish automobile concern SAAB opened its teleconference to discuss the consumer characteristics of cars of this brand;

Publishing of own online newspapers (magazines), etc.

It should be noted that the public relations format is one of the most suitable for use on the Internet. The Web has unwritten but mandatory rules, a kind of user etiquette, which received the original definition Netiquette ("hybrid" English words"network" and "etiquette"). In accordance with it, it is not customary to send commercial messages by e-mail users who didn't ask for it. Dissemination condemned advertising materials in newsgroups and at conferences, especially if the topic of the advertising message is far from the topic of the conference or group. Violators Netiquette face tangible retaliatory sanctions from the Network community. Learn more about the Internet as a tool PR can be read in .

6. Round tables are public discussions of a specific, as a rule, socially significant problem. Experts invited as participants in the discussion express their point of view on solving this problem. Those present at the round table have the opportunity to ask questions to the experts. If the topic of discussion is really relevant and of public interest, then the results of the discussion can become material for publication in the media. Representatives of the press, including electronic ones, may also be invited to the meeting. A positive characteristic of the round table as a PR tool is the possibility of positioning representatives of a particular organization (a particular person) as a competent expert.

7. Other means of public relations (eg open days, public speaking, photo exhibitions, etc.).

Depending on the type of the main target audience, all communication activities sponsorship firms can have three main areas.

1. Formation of marketing communications of the sponsoring company with target client markets.

2. Establishing a favorable broad public opinion (or work "for the general public").

3. Communications aimed at the firm's own staff. Naturally, this division is purely conditional without pronounced clear boundaries. Indeed, the formation of a positive image of the sponsor among the general public, one way or another, affects the target client market and has a positive effect on the motivation of their own employees.

The most promising and often subsidized areas of human activity in which sponsors invest are:

Sphere of culture and art;

The main directions of the communication policy: advertising, PR-technologies, personal sales and sales promotion tools. The role of public relations in communication policy.

communication policy, or promotional policies, including various types of advertising, demand generation and sales promotion, public relations, direct or personal selling, branding, product development trademark(brand) and others (Table 21.1).

Table 21.1

The main means of influence in the complex of marketing communications

communications	Definition
	Any form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services, primarily through the media, on behalf of a well-known initiator, that brings an active and potential buyer closer to a purchase
Sales promotion	Mostly short-term incentive measures to encourage the purchase or sale of goods, bringing the goods closer to the buyer (lottery, competition, etc.)
Propaganda	Non-personal stimulation of demand for a product, service or idea by disseminating commercially important information about them, popularizing it in any legal way (free advertising). Dissemination of facts, arguments, rumors and other information, including deliberately false information, to influence public opinion
personal selling	Oral presentation of a product during a conversation with one or more potential buyers for the purpose of making a sale or obtaining consent to purchase

Modern enterprises use a communication policy to establish and maintain friendly relations with consumers, suppliers, intermediaries, public organizations. The structure of the communication policy includes two directions: interpersonal communications and non-personal communications (manipulation of means and methods of communications). The implementation of a communication policy should be based not only on manipulating the means of promoting a product or service through the media, but also on the use of measures to motivate the active interaction of business participants in the communication process.

Communication is seen as the process of exchanging information between two or more people. The goals of communication are communication, persuasion, suggestion and control. The role of communications is to coordinate and ensure the effective functioning internal environment systems from the outside.

The importance of communications is due to the fact that communications are sources and carriers of information; participants in communications receive information through communication; communications serve as a tool for implementing the strategy developed by the organization.

Effective communication is characterized by the fact that the transmitted information must be understood in accordance with its original meaning.

The means of implementation - media or communication channels - allow you to perform the functions of transmitting and presenting messages from communicator to communicator.

The totality of the means of transmission (carriers) of communications and the means of presentation (methods of visual image) of the content of the object of communication is considered as a single complex and is called media, or a communication channel.

Communication media are divided into paper, magnetic, electronic, phonographic, constructional. Both enterprises and persons responsible for organizing communications can act as carriers.

Communication is becoming a competitive success factor. Businesses are forced to coordinate many procedures in order to create a positive image. Along with commodity competition, enterprises are involved in communicative competition, seeking to win the attention of customers.

The success of production, administrative, commercial, scientific activities also largely depends on the organization of public relations.

Public relations(public relations, PR) as a component of the communication policy is the establishment of friendly relations and mutual understanding of the company not only with buyers and consumers, but also with the general public. As PR-events that contribute to the formation of a favorable image of the organization, the following can be listed:

• 1) active personal contacts;
• 2) regular activity reports;
• 3) special correspondence;
• 4) participation in the activities of the local community;
• 5) sponsorship and charitable activities;
• 6) cooperation with educational institutions;
• 7) cooperation with business unions;
• 8) agitation and propaganda;
• 9) discussion;
• 10) contacts with government agencies, with public organizations;
• 11) educational and educational activities;
• 12) recreational activities;
• 13) acquaintance with the enterprises of competitors;
• 14) contacts with staff;
• 15) contacts with the press;
• 16) press conferences;
• 17) press services;
• 18) photo sessions;
• 19) target information;
• 20) bulletins;
• 21) publication of brochures;
• 22) publication of books;
• 23) anniversaries;
• 24) exhibitions;
• 25) presentation of new products;
• 26) announcements.

The emergence of new communication tools leads to an increase in costs. Enterprises in such situations have to use communications not only as ancillary measures of product policy, but also to introduce them into a complex marketing activities as a strategic factor of competitive advantage.

Communication policy becomes effective only on the basis of integrated approach including strategic and tactical measures.

Questions and tasks for independent work

• 1. What are the goals of the organization's communication policy?
• 2. Describe the various methods of the product promotion complex.
• 3. What are the ways to improve the effectiveness of marketing communications?

Assignments for the seminar on topic 21

• 1. Motivation of communication processes.
• 2. Complex of marketing communications.
• 3. Communication networks and processes.