Various Marketing Communication Tools example essay topic

Executive Summary Today's companies are operating in an atmosphere of rapidly changing competition, technology, laws and policies. Therefore the companies have to seriously re-analyze their business objectives and marketing strategies and tactics in order to satisfy the need of the target consumers and thereby achieving their own objectives. The aim of the report is to explain the various objectives of marketing and it communications, to explore its various tools, emphasis their importance and functions in the modern business scenario and to discuss how companies can utilize these tools to the maximum to achieve their objectives. I have taken the NADIA Group of Companies as my case study and have worked at explaining how they use the various marketing communication tools.

I have also made and effort to analyze their marketing strategies and tactics and evaluate the effectiveness of their promotion mix and eventually their performance. INTRODUCTION The word communication is derived from the Latin word 'communis' which means common. When we are trying to establish a commonness with the other person. Marketing communications is the element of marketing mix that involves communicating with the target markets to inform them about a product and influence them to buy it. It is the basic way which to deliver message to the target market. Marketing communication aims at creating awareness, generating inquires, establishing brand identity, stimulating demand and enhancing company image.

It given information about the product, its features, its price and where to obtain it. It is about telling and selling. It may enhance the value of the product thereby increasing the likelihood of sale. Some companies use it to stabilize sales. It is the responsibility of the marketing communication manager to blend the communication tolls to create a mix that satisfies the above mentioned factors and produce the right results. NADIA GROUP OF COMPANIES NADIA Group of Companies established in 1983, is today one of the largest and most successful training, recruitment and management consultancy company in the U.A. E, offering a wide range of human resources services to local and international organizations.

The NADIA group includes the NADIA training Institutes and NADIA management and commercial consultants. NADIA offices in the gulf are located in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Bahrain and Miami. With around 120 multicultural staff and a multi-million dollar business, NADIA Group of Companies is a promising and growing enterprise. The various reasons for this phenomenal growth have been a completely professional approach toward understanding and fulfilling the client's need, constant attention to the staff's welfare and an ethical but profitability centered work ethos. When NADIA started, it was to provide booming Abu Dhabi market with desperately needed sources of professional training for secretarial and clerical employees.

At that time there was a real lack of locally available secretarial training to provide local job seekers with the skills to improve their career prospects. During those early years, the training focused on Pitman's UK methods of secretarial skills. As time went on the personal computers became available in the offices, NADIA incorporated computer courses into their training programs. Gradually people began calling NADIA to refer the trainees to them for the job placements. That's how NADIA got into the recruitment business. As office automation increased and the Abu Dhabi market continued to flourish NADIA expanded into other cities in the Emirates with similar needs.

It also stared a support facility in Miami. To offer creditability, NADIA has sought associations with some of the best in their respective field. The NADIA training institutes are licensed but he Ministry of Education, Microsoft Solution Providers, Lotus Business Partners and Pitman Associates, giving students recognized certification. It has also been appointed as the Pro metic Testing Center, the officially appointed examining body for all Microsoft, Lotus and Novell programs around the world. As a further development, NADIA is the sole distributors of Psychometric Analysis programs from Thomas International, world leader in occupational psychology and personality profiling. The training institutes expand annually with new courses, additional teaching and support staff, and more clients.

Over the past years a growing number of clients are taking advantage of NADIA's training skills and business expertise in areas like customer service, sales, management skills, team building and more. NADIA has the expertise to provide top quality, tailored training programs in almost any subject. The NADIA recruitment division places 5000-6000 candidates every year in the various categories, which include senior management positions. The recruitment division also handles Business Consultancy, Marketing Research and Salary and Compensation Surveys. NADIA is accredited by the Federation of Recruitment and Employment Surveys (FRES) UK and confirms with the international standards of recruitment and employment.

The company's determination that the business operations must be ethical as well as profitable, gives NADIA a much stronger foundation than many gulf business established during the 80's. One cannot deny the fact that sales are the life-blood of any business. The ultimate aim of production is sale. This is where marketing communication features. o To inform the prospective buyers about the existence of the product and its want-satisfying capabilities. o To persuade the buyers in the most effective manner. o To remind past and present users of the unique features in the product. o To provide the product with the differentiate advantage.

These are the general objectives of marketing communication, which apply to most of the organizations; the other objectives vary from business to business. These objectives provide a direction and a focus for the organization. Objectives are crucial in the management process if its desired goals are to be achieved. Communication can be informative, persuasive or reminiscent; information when the product is new to the market, persuasive when there are several substitutes of the product available and reminiscent when the product is already well established in the market and the customers are frequently reminded of its presence. Communication can also be explicit or implicit; explicit communication means the use of language that is verbal and implicit communication is non-verbal communication.

The purpose of marketing communication is to reach the target audience and persuade them to act in the desired manner. A company may have a well-designed product; with a price and distribution system appropriate to its target marketer, but if it unable to reach that market, then all its effort have been in vain. Communications is required for awakening and stimulating demand for the product. NADIA's objectives have evolved with e changing trends and customer preferences, but the core objectives are: o To reach and create awareness among the public and generate a desire in them to achieve the skills that will help them survive in the competitive world of jobs. o To further the cause of the organization in the market place and constantly endure to project the corporate image of the organization through the various media available as dynamic and vibrant and a leader in its field. o To offer creditability of information to the students, candidate and clients. o To inform the other organizations of the manpower services provided by NADIA. o To provide the locals and the expatriates and opportunity to better their standard of living by providing them with quality work-related training and thereby increasing their chances of getting a well-paid job. o To emphasis the importance of computer knowledge in today's world and its positive effects on one's job. o To offer a middle ground for those individuals whose purchasing power restricts their ambitions. o To project NADIA as an organization that is people-oriented. o NADIA's trademark has always been "A dedication to the customer delight, development of services to meet the diverse and growing needs of Gulf industry and a commitment to quality. Companies use various means of communicating their message with their target audience. All these tools together are know as the Marketing Communication Mix or Promotion Mix.

Traditionally, the promotional mix consists of advertising, sales promotions, personal selling and public relations. But with the vast advancement in technology and the need to reach out to a wider market, publicity, direct marketing and participation in trade shows and the companies have also adopted exhibitions. NADIA also makes optimum use of these tools, using them to reach out of the public and make them aware of its presence and continue reminding the public of NADIA's commitment to quality and professionalism. Unlike many other organizations in this field, NADIA has its own advertising department. The in-house advertising department is responsible for creating and designing the adverts and other promotional leaflets and broacher's for projecting the desired image of the organization. This is and advantage as these personnel as well aware of the organization's activities and most importantly, its marketing communication objectives.

Hence they are able to create the right atmosphere in their adverts and also add a personal cum local touch to it. The various marketing communication tools have been briefly discussed below in terms of its importance to NADIA. o Advertising - This I's a cost-effective tool used to communicate with the national audience. Popular advertising campaigns attract consumers' attention and help generate sales. The nature and purpose of advertising varies from business or situation-to-situation.

Where one advertiser may aim at immediate responses from the public the other may want to create awareness or project a positive image for its products or services. There are five major decisions to be taken while preparing the advertising program, this is also know as the five Ms and they are Mission, Money, Message, Media and Measurement. NADIA uses this tool to its maximum benefit. Since NADIA is into recruitment, the available job vacancies are advertised on a daily basis in the leading local English and Arabic newspapers and also in various weekly and monthly magazines. They also appear in the educational supplements that are printer on and off along with the newspapers. The name of NADIA is so widespread in the Gulf region that many a times people purchase the newspapers only to go through the NADIA job vacancy pages!

However, at times, the NADIA tends to cross the promotion budget set by its Financial Department in a bid to create top quality adverts that are catchy as well as informative. The main area to be investigated here would be if NADIA is getting back the returns on its investments in advertising. o Sales Promotion - The word promotion originates from the Latin word 'promo vere' which means to more or push forward. It provides as the link between advertising and personal selling. It targets a smaller audience and has the ability to add value to the product. Where advertising offers a reason to buy, sale promotion offers and incentive to buy.

It however does not tend to build brand loyalty or long lasting relationship with the customer. Sales promotions are given equal importance as advertising in NADIA. It's in-house advertising personnel's design the leaflets and brochures that are printed and distributed in various schools, institutes, client offices and business functions. Free brochures or discount brochures are also given away as gifts during special occasions such as New Year, Christmas and local celebration of Eid.

This attracts new students who are interested in horning their skills with NADIA's and also helps in creating goodwill from the public. Recently, Secretaries Day was taken as an opportunity to appreciate the secretaries of NADIA's clients. Free training vouchers were gifted to over 500 secretaries along with a rose each, for that added personal touch. This was personally delivered to the ladies by either the consultants or a representative form NADIA. The response from this was tremendous as most of the ladies have booked in for further courses and have referred NADIA's to their colleagues and friends. The companies they work for are also showing interest in taking up corporate training classes for their staff.

Various other sales promotions techniques are taken up by the training department where in the individuals are given reasonable discounts or free service depending upon the referrals they bring. Package courses are also provided on and off to the students where they can avail themselves of pre-designed courses at a very reasonable fee. o Personal Selling - It is traditionally perceived as an interpersonal communication tool where instantaneous feedback is possible. It involves a two-way personal communication between the salesperson and the customer. The role of personal selling can vary from business to business, depending upon its products and services. NADIA understands that its marketing consultants represents the organization to the public, therefore they have been very selective in hiring these individuals. They are well-educated and well- trained professional work towards building and maintaining a long-term relationship with the student as well as the clients.

They listen to the customer requirements, assess their need and organize to solve the customer's problem. The personality and knowledge-ability of the consultants are what assures the clients and students of the quality of service available at NADIA's. It is, therefore, up to these consultants to make or break the image of the organization. o Public Relations - This tool of marketing communications helps in building good relations with the company's various publics by keeping off any matter that might tarnish the image of the organization or its products. Public relations are used to promote products, individuals, places, ideas and even nations.

It creates awareness among the public at a much lower cost than advertising, in fact the organization does not pay for the media space but for the staff who will manage the circulation of information. Some organizations approach professional public relations firms, NADIA on the other has its own PR department, which specializes in managing all events and situations. These personnel take care of the various legal matters and other activities, which involve the image and goodwill of the organization. o Publicity - Like advertising, publicity is also a non- personal form of communication. It involves the dissemination of messages through the various media, which is not paid by the produce. The organization and its products or services are publicized through the various print as well as interactive media.

NADIA provided a six months full secretarial raining course to the Red Crescent Society, a charitable organization whose functions include rehabilitation of students who could not continue their education and assist them to find the right job. Last month the students completed their course and a small function was help to applaud the efforts of their students. This function was attended by dignitaries form the Red Crescent Society and the mangers of the NADIA training institute. This event was publicized in the leading local newspapers - Al Itt ihad and Al Khaleej, by the local reporters who were also invited. This report gave a rave review on NADIA and its commitment to the betterment of the society. o Direct Marketing - This is the fastest growing tool of marketing communication.

It involved direct mailing, catalog marketing, telemarketing, television marketing, kiosk and online shopping. It targets individual customers with the aim of delivering personalized messages and building one-to-one relationship with them. NADIA does not use this tool too frequently as it lacks the capacity to fulfill the organization's objectives. However as part of the globalization plan they decided to be on the web and has its own website which gives in-depth information of the organization and its activates. The candidates can e-mail their CV's to NADIA and they have also placed on-line registration form, which has increased the pace of work and save time for better business. This new diversification in their marketing communication has improved to be a success as it just celebrated it 100,000 hits.

The number of candidates registered with NADIA and placed by it is also an indication of the success of NADIA. o Trade Shows and Exhibitions - These are generally aimed at distribution's and retailers of products who make up the distribution channels. It convinces retailers to stock their shelves with the products. It also supports advertising and sales promotions. NADIA also participates in trade shows and exhibitions which attracts a lot of corporate enquires and thereby business. It is part of every education exhibition that takes place in the local area.

This gives NADIA the publicity need and brings it to the notice of both prospective students and clients. When well planned and conducted with flare, trade shows can be worth every penny. The relative importance of these tools varies from country to country depending upon media availability and local regulations. There are two communication tools which also conveys to the public the image of the company and the quality of the product or service; the packaging of the product and word-of-mouth communication. These two elements can also, to a great extend, predict the likelihood of the product being accepted by the target consumers. NADIA's marketing strategy is simple one - Satisfied clients are the best marketing communication tool.

Word-of-mount is the best communication technique for the type of business NADIA is involved in. The following pie chart shows the various marketing tools adopted by NADIA and their degree of importance for the organization. Much of the marketing centers around the communication process. It consists of nine elements - sender, receiver, encoding, decoding, message, media, response, feedback and noise. The sender and receiver are the major parties in the communication process, the communication tools being the message and the media. Encoding, decoding, response and feedback are the functions of communication and the last element is noise, which consists of any external interferences in the communication process.

For effective communication, the sender's encoding process must mesh with the receiver's decoding process. Elements of the Communication Process The next step for the organization is to evaluate the effectiveness of its promotion mix and its impact on the target audience. Yet many companies neglect to do this evaluation or do it only superficially. There are many methods with which the organization can measure the effectiveness of its promotion plan.

The most common method is to compare the turnover before, during and after the implementation of the promotional activities. Another method to ask the consumer directly whether they recall the message and how they felt about it and whether it has changed their previous opinion of the organization and it products and services. In the case of NADIA, it promotes a service which in many ways more difficult to market than a product owing to its intangible features. But it is relatively easy to measure the effectiveness of its marketing communication, according to its Director board. NADIA uses simple methods to do so.

Comparing the sales turnover is one method, the other being that the students and candidates are asked to fill out questionnaire which also asks them, besides other questions, on how they come to hear about NADIA and what they feel about the quality of its services. This gives the management the required information as to which marketing communication tools are the most effective. Most of the time it is the adverts appearing in the newspapers, magazines and journals that attract the customer to NADIA. The on-to one communication between the marketing consultant and the customer is also much favored among its students and clients. Here there is a personal touch and the course packages are modified to meet the individual requirements. As in the case of recruitment, NADIA enters into agreements with the clients that suit both the parties.

These are however, standard terms and conditions but NADIA believes in flexibility. SynopsisNADIA's sustained growth in the market for the past 16 years is ample proof of its well-planned marketing strategies and tactics. NADIA associates its success to its attention to details and prompt responses to enquiries. However, many a times it is the incompatibility or lack of co-ordination between the marketing communications tools that lead to mixed review from the public. This is the case with NADIA, where the sales promotions and personal selling convey different ideas to the public. The in-house advertising department also tends to get stale and the creativity and quality diminished as they are stuck to marketing the same service day after day.

There is after all a limit to how much one can come up with ideas to advertising or promote a particular product r service. The lack or proper training and negative attitudes of the marketing consultants also effect the personal selling techniques. They are then unable to assure the customer of quality service. Budget is another area where NADIA has to give importance. Brochures and fly ers are distributed at various places where it can be noticed by the target audience but many of them are not utilized in the proper manner. The same goes for free training vouchers.

Though they do not promote the business, they also block 'paid' business and the organization incur direct costs in its operations. No doubt that marketing communication increases the cash flow, both directly and indirectly, buy the management has to stick to a well-planned budget in order not to go overboard in their promotional activities. Recommendations One of the hall marks o effective marketing is consistency verbally and visually. This means that the message and the tone of the message must be compatible with the rest of the promotional activities.

This requires integration between the various marketing communication tools. All the tools must convey the same message and project the same image of the organization. NADIA started out as a vision, as is the case for every business. What set it apart from any other business was its primary goal to embark on a mission to improve the ability of individuals to adapt to the fast-paced nature of the competitive world of work.

They have the aim, the capability, the team, the commitment and resources and to top it all, dedication and the will and desire to achieve. They have the right ideas for their marketing communication, all they need is to be a little more focused in the way they go about their promotions. Objectives, a defined target audience and a focused approach, when combined with creativity, good design, punch lines, strong visuals and an all around high quality production, a much more effective marketing communication can be developed that will help in achieving the organization's goals.

Bibliography

o Philip Kotler, Marketing Management - Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong, Marketing - an Introduction o Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong, Principles of Marketing R.S.N. Pillai and Bagavatji, Marketing.