Local market characteristics that affect the advertising and promotion ofproductsIntegrated Marketing Communication (IMC)- are composed of advertising,sales promotions, trade shows, persona selling, direct selling, and publicrelations-almost all are included in the Barbie campaign described in the GlobalPerspective.All these mutually reinforcing elements of the promotional mix have as theircommon objective the successful sale of a product or service. Many markets, theavailability of appropriate communication channels to customers can determineentry decisions. For example, most toy manufacturers would agree that toyscannot be marketed profitably in countries without commercial televisionadvertising directed toward children.Thus, product and service development must be informed by research regardingthe availability of communication channels. Once a market offering is developedto meet target market needs, intended customers must be informed of theoffering's value and availability. Often different messages are appropriate fordifferent communications channels, and vice versa.Sales Promotions in International MarketsSales promotion- are marketing activities that stimulate consumer purchasesand middlemen effectiveness and cooperation. Cents-off, in-storedemonstrations, samples, coupons, gifts, product tie-ins, con tests, sweepstakes,sponsorship of special events such as concerts, the Olympics, fairs, and point-of-purchase displays are types of sales promotion devices designed to supplementadvertising and personal selling in the promotional mix.Sales promotions are short-term efforts directed to the consumer or retailer toachieve such specific objectives consumer product trial or immediate purchase,consumer introduction to the store or brand, gaining retail point-of-purchasedisplays, encouraging stores to stock the product, and supporting andaugmenting advertising and sales efforts.For example, Procter & Gamble's introduction of Ariel detergent in Egypt includedthe "Ariel Road Show”, a puppet show that was taken to local markets in villages,where more than half of all Egyptians still live. The show drew huge crowds,entertained people, told about Ariel's better performance without the use Ofadditives, and sold the brand through a distribution van at a nominal discount.In markets in which the consumer is hard to reach because of media limitations,the percentage of the promotional budget allocated to sales promotions mayhave to be increased. In some less developed countries, sales promotionsconstitute the major portion of the pro motional effort in rural and less accessibleparts of the market.
In parts of Latin America, a portion of the advertising sales budget for both Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola is spent on carnival trucks which make frequent trips tooutlying villages to promote their products. When a carnival truck makes a stop ina village, it may show a movie or provide some other kind of entertainment; theprice of admission is an unopened bottle of the product purchased from the localretailer. The unopened bottle is to be exchanged or a cold bottle plus a couponfor another bottle. This promotional effort tends to stimulate sales andencourages local retailers, who are given prior notice of the carnival truck 'sarrival, to stock the product.
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