INTEGRATED

MARKETING COMMUNICATOINS
PLAN
Ads & Promotions Management | Individual Assignment-1
Gaurav Pote | #11726

SUBMITTED TO:
Mr. Birat Shrestha

Date: April 02, 2015

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Select a Brand.
BRAND: ARK Android Smartphones, imported, assembled and distributed by HIM Electronics.
The product line comprises of five different models that fall into three main categories:
1. Ark Edge in the Premium Segment
Ark Edge A5HD (NRS. 14,490)
2. Ark Icon in the Mid-range Segment
Ark Icon R45 (NRS. 11,490)
Ark Icon R40+ (NRS. 9,690)
3. Ark Storm in the Economic Segment
Ark Storm K40 (NRS. 8,190)
Ark Storm K35+ (NRS. 6,090)
Develop an Integrated Marketing Communication plan for it that includes advertising, sales
promotion, personal selling, and public relation.
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
1. Internal Analysis
a) Strengths Technology, skills and infrastructure for the import, assembly and service
of the smartphones, affordable price and competitive quality.
b) Weakness Cannot manufacture the key components so, the company has to import
them.
2. External Analysis
a) Opportunities The first smartphone with a Nepali brand and make, minimised cost of
production and better quality coupled with affordable price as opposed to the
smartphones of foreign brands.
b) Threats Competing smartphones in terms of brand, product quality, and operating
system such as Windows Mobile OS and iOS.
PEST ANALYSIS
Politically and legally speaking, there are no issues as long as all the operations are transparent
and within the bounds of law. From economic perspective, the demand for the cheaper
smartphones have increased as the demographic segments of middle and lower income levels, as
the trend of sporting a smartphone has increased. Socio-cultural setting in Nepal is increasingly
accepting the concept of owing a smartphone, from teenagers to seniors, as we become
technologically conscious, feed information and knowledge off the Internet, and shift to a virtual
social existence.
CAMPAIGN TARGET AUDIENCE
Age: 14 60 years of age

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Gender: All
Population: Residents in the Urban and Suburban Areas with good GSM network reception.
Disposable Income: $0 - $10,000 Segment for Economic Level, $10,000 and higher for Midrange and Premium Levels.
Behavioural: The kids as customers purchasing a mobile phone for the for the first time in their
lives, possibly looking for an affordable smartphone; the low income segment, the retirees and
senior citizens who have restricted capacity to spend, the financially concerned people who may
be willing to reconsider using a fairly less expensive but top-notch quality, native smartphone.
POSITIONING
1. Niche market: The company will operate in a small niche market (niche in a sense that the
smartphone market is global with many international players with a massive market
outreach), which is Nepali territory. And, perhaps some selected Indian markets like
Darjeeling and Sikkim where the customers from Nepali background reside.
2. Cost Leadership: Since the products are manufactured in Nepal using the native workforce
and overheads, and as the entire operation is based on Nepalese currency (so, there is no
exchange rate differential), the brand can afford to sell for a lower price, but not
compromising the quality-perception, in the market as opposed to other smartphones.
3. Overall Positioning: The first Nepali smartphone, packed with innovative features in a
durable frame, with a very user-friendly interface that anyone can use, available at prices that
are well-below the average Nepali budget.
MARKETING COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES
1. Marketing objectives:
a) Achieve smartphone sales equivalent to:
i.
10,000 units by the end of the second quarter.
ii.
25,000 units by the end of the fourth quarter.
b) Achieve the national smartphone market share by:
i.
5% in the first year.
ii.
15% in the second year.
2. Communications objectives:
a) To encourage Nepalis and other potential consumers to purchase and become loyal to
ARK Smartphones considering the values the brand offers affordability and superior
quality in the same product class.

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b) To communicate to the mass the message that for the first time in Nepal, HIM Electronics
has successfully manufactured five models of smartphone all befitting the income level
of Nepalis and sporting all the best features that foreign brands have to offer.
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIES:
The marketing and communications strategies as part of the Integrated Marketing
Communication Plan are explained briefly here:
1. Advertising:
The type of advertising that will be employed is paid ads in which the company can be
clearly identified. As for the forms, following arrangements will be made:
a) Print Ads: One of the ways to reach out to the target segments will be to publish colourprinted advertisements in the papers and magazines that are most read/subscribed by the
potential consumers. The print-ads will be conceptualised and produced by one of the top
ad-agencies in the country and will portray the product, its short specifications, price,
contact details of the company and the store, and colour band. The print-ads will illustrate
strong visual and emotional cue that will be consistent through out all other forms of
promotions and advertisements.
b) Audio-Video Ads: Same form of promotions will be pitched as jingles in the radio,
creative short visual ads in the TV, and with the help of YouTube teasers.
c) Out-of-Home Ads: Posters and Billboards will be placed in the malls, public places, and
key street locations in the cities where the mass gather, and commute to and from.
Similarly special electronic panels, and bus-station sheet panels will be mounted on the
bus stations, public car parks, in and around nightclubs, hospitals and bank premises, and
other relevant locations. Also, automobile stickers for windows and body panels may be
used.
d) Catalogues and Brochures: Attractive brochures and detailed catalogues will be printed
and distributed as required to the potential consumers.
e) Social Media: All the digital copies of the above forms of advertising and extra
information related to the promotions and other activities of the company and brand may
be uploaded and circulated among the consumers though popular social media, blogs and
company websites.
2. Sales promotions:
Sales promotions will be steered into the market with the following means:
a) Exhibitions and Fairs: Pull Sales from the stalls and customer information centres in the
big and small exhibitions, regional and festive fairs.

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b) Online Sales: Online sales will be conducted directly though the companys website and
possibly through the websites of the dealers or online portals like Kaymu, Yes! Kantipur,
and the likes.
c) Through Social Media: Sales promotions in the social media will comprise of consumer
engagements in competitions, testimonials, and through support services.
d) Incentives to dealers and retailers: To motivate the distribution channel partners,
various incentives and bonuses will be offered so that they will also make genuine effort
to boost the sales of ARK Smartphones as compared to others. The incentives include
rewards and recognition (Best Sales, Customer Choice, etc.), technical or financial
assistance, etc.
e) Incentives to consumers: Attractive offers during the first year of the launch coupled
with smart festive discounts/schemes will pull more costumers towards the brand, and
also help develop a positive brand perception.
f) Customer Referrals: Apart from the natural process by which the brand goodwill
spreads through the word of mouth, to encourage it further, various forms of incentives
and rewards to the customers for referring a certain number of new customers.
3. PERSONAL SELLING:
Personal selling is tough but it does have its merits. It refers to the sales that occur after the
face-to-face communication with the customer representatives. The following forms of personal
selling will be used:
a) Sales force: The sales force will play a vital role in personally selling the products to the
customers. So, the sales force will be comprised of hired skilled or semi-skilled people.
The company will gauge and enhance their performance by training and developing them
further, grooming them and instigating the companys organisation culture and marketing
values in them.
b) Institutional Selling: The smartphones that are made in Nepal, that come with all the
conventional features and meets the performance standards, and above all that are so
reasonable in cost are bound to catch some institutions eye. These institutions if they
provide work cell phones for their staff may purchase in bulk and also offer after-sales
contracts. For this, the mid-level marketing managers will make presentation-pitch and
hands-on demonstration to such interests/potential institutions, for instance government
agencies, security agencies, NGOs and INGOs.
c) Public Demonstrations and Trials: The sales force will demonstrate and encourage the
public to try using the smartphone at public fares and carnivals, exhibitions and malls.
d) Feedback: Personal customer feedbacks will be welcomed whenever offered, and to
whomever this will be the part of organisational culture and if necessary, will be
acted upon.
4. Public Relations:

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Great public relation are hard to develop, even harder to maintain, and easiest to lose, but it
goes a long way into strengthening the roots of the brand and company, and creating a persistent
positive and noble image for the brand among the people. To deepen the public relations, these
steps will be taken:
a) Social Media Engagements: Contests, users-support groups, fan clubs and the likes may
be formed where the users and potential customers frequently engage and interact with
the brand and each other in meaningful ways creating a dual dialogue that will not only
promote goodwill but also generate loyalty and honest feedbacks.
b) Social Engagements: Important components of a companys marketing environment are
the society and the nature. After all, the company desires to be part of the society that it
operates it business in, and more intimately and perpetually than other brands. Also, most
certainly, the operations of the business must have had a certain level of adverse impact
on the natural environment. So in order to achieve the former goal and to compensate for
the latter, the company will host CSR activities and support social and eco-friendly
causes regularly.
c) Event Sponsorship: The company will sponsor certain events and programs concerts,
fares, carnivals, food events, etc. to attract public mileage and to appear connected with
another public icon like bands, organisations, etc.
d) Celebrity Endorsements: Since public tend to deeply follow and relate to the celebrities,
the national celebrities and icons from sports, movies, music, fashion, and media, the
most popular stars will be paid to endorse ARK brand and company to the public through
advertising, social media and campaigns.
e) Magazine/Paper reviews: Daily newspapers, popular lifestyle and tech magazines will
be invited to review the smartphones in a positive tone to incite a desire among their
readers to own one of the ARK smartphones.
f) Independent Blogger reviews: Independent bloggers who hold a strong sway over the
public will be invited to do a hands-on review of the smartphones and encouraged to
write articles and blogs in descent and positive tone, and publish it to their audience.
They will also be encouraged to periodically share the activities, events and news about
our brand and company.
g) Company Publications: The publications of the company, for instance the financial
reports and other reports will also greatly enhance the image of the brand and the
company, provided they have positive contents.
h) News: Try to get positive news coverage to earn a more affirmative legitimacy from the
public and social institutions. For instance, the brand can get news reportage on being the
first Nepali smartphone brand. Also, the company may offer employment opportunities to
the women, or the people who are underprivileged, disabled and dislocated, which will
certainly send out a subtle but permanent positive message.

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i) Speeches: The speeches given by the leaders of corporate sectors influence various
members of public specially banks, shareholders etc. Public relations department creates
occasion when the leader of company delivers the speeches.
Explain why each communication method is being used in your plan & in what sequence.
Justify how each promotion method contributes to the overall brand image, sales, and
positioning you seek.
1. Advertising:
Advertising is significant strategy for integrated marketing communication plan because:
a) Reach: Through ads, the brand reached a larger audience in the market. Print ads get
printed on newspapers and magazines, which are read by many on daily, weekly and
monthly basis. Audio-videos are broadcasted on TV channels and radios that are viewed
and heeded by many across the country. Out-of-homes ads serve larger purpose than just
reaching out to the potential customers; they keep reminding people about the brand,
etching the features and visual cues about the brand in the brains of people. Catalogues
and Brochures distributed during fares and exhibitions also play a crucial role in
informing the people about the details of the products and the company. Finally, social
media can be developed into an online portal to communicate directly with people where
the people can post their queries and feedbacks, and the company can post all the
promotional materials and information for the people.
b) Legitimacy: Advertising also provides the brand and company with public legitimacy.
The ads are by law required to portray truthful information while the false advertisement
is penalized. Also, for goodwill and positive brand image, the company never, on
purpose, advertises deceitful information. The more frequently a product is advertised in
public, the more legit it appears for the people, and with legitimacy comes trust and
comfort to use the product.
c) Expressiveness: Advertising is a way for the company to illustrate or demonstrate, with
the help of visual and audio cues, the message about the merits of the product, with a
more creative and charming approach.
d) Economy: Although advertising costs a hefty amount of money, and it always reduces
the net profit for the company, it is, in the retrospect, very economical. The reason is a
simple math: the cost per customer turns out to be really low as compared to other
methods.
e) Enhancing Customer Satisfaction and Confidence: Customers feel more assured about
quality and feel more comfortable if sponsors claim these benefits in advertising.
2. Sales Promotions:
With various activities associated with promoting sales, the objective of the company is to
use of incentives and techniques to quickly stimulate the demand of the product for a short term.

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Additionally, the sales promotion activities also act as a medium for the brand and the company
to really reach out to the potential customers and leave a long-term positive impression upon
them. These techniques and tools of sales promotion are being used for ARK smartphones
because:
a) They will achieve almost instantaneous but effect on the sales of ARK smartphones for a
short time.
b) They will stimulate the desire and need in customers, and thus increase the demand,
directly and through the word of mouth.
They motivate the distribution channels to push the products into the local and regional
markets.
c) Sales promotion activities are designed to induce people to try out new products, thus,
rendering it more useful and necessary for the product launch.
d) They also tend to create a synergy between advertising and personal selling activities.
e) The sales force is also greatly benefitted by the sales promotions, as they disseminate the
background information about the brand to potential customers.
f) Finally they allow the company and the brand to outperform their competitions in the
market.
Hence, the aforementioned tools an techniques for sales promotion will be employed to
achieve the necessary sales at the initial period after the launch of the brand. A mix of pull and
push strategies using various schemes and tools on each tier of the distribution channel and to the
customers directly will certainly boost the sales.
3. Personal Selling:
Personal selling also holds a major significance in the marketing and communication of the
brand. This is when the company comes into direct contact with the customer - face-to-face
through agents or reps, programs and exhibitions, feedbacks and grievances, contracts and
collaborations with other businesses. Personal selling contributes to the marketing and
communication objectives in the following manner:
a) Personal Selling facilitates personal interaction between the buyers and the company
representatives. This interaction allows both to build a closer connection with one
another. On one hand, the customers receive better assistance from the sales force and on
the other the salesperson get to create moments of delights and befriend the customers.
Such relationships last longer than the influence advertising and sales promotions can
achieve.
b) The sales force can better observe and understand the real needs and desires of the
customers, and with that knowledge the products can be improved to meet the
expectations of the customers. In the long run, the company, through their sales agents,
can persuade the customer more easily and efficiently.

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c) Personal selling involves trials and demonstrations, which give the customers hands-on
experience of using the smartphone. This will appeal to the customers and persuade them
to purchase the product.
4. Public Relations:
Public relations, as a marketing tool, is easier to explain but difficult to practise, but it is
nonetheless very significant for the enhancing the brand image, increasing the sales,
strengthening the roots of the company in the long haul. Companies use public relations to
increase the goodwill and tilt the publics attitude more in the favour of the company and brand.
Together these factors will contribute greatly into increasing the level of acceptance in the
society and the household. Public relation encompasses the people in general, institutions,
vertical linkages (suppliers and distributors, wholesalers and retailers), and other intermediaries.
In general, maintaining good public relations by sending out positive news and images about
the company and becoming more cooperative with the elements of market environment, the
company can achieve the following:
a) Improve the image of the company and product in the market.
b) Gain access to invaluable information about the public perception.
c) Turn the attitude of the mass in favor of the company.
d) Increases goodwill, which, in turn, improves the positioning of the company and brand in
minds of people.
e) Reinforces the role and image of the brand and the company as something very
significant in the long haul.