IMC as an Integral Part of

Marketing

Chapter takeaways
Understand marketing strategy, its
impact on communication, and vice versa
Identify a firms area of competitive
advantage, and understand basic
competitive strategies
Learn about segmenting, targeting,
differentiating and positioning
Comprehend decisions related to
marketing mix elements and their impact
on promotions

Marketing factors impacting

communication

Dealing with competition

The target marketing

process

To segment or not?

Segmentation criteria

Bases for segmenting

consumer markets

Brands segment on various

bases

Segmenting with hybrid

variables

Target marketing

Differentiation

Positioning
The act of designing
and projecting a
distinctive image of
the companys
offering in the minds
of the target market
Positioning map
indicates the relative
placement of brands
in consumers minds
based on 2-3 select
product
characteristics.

Positioning options
Benefit
positioning

User
positioning

Competitor
positioning

Attribute
positioning

Quality or price
positioning

Image/
personality
positioning

Application
positioning

Product class
positioning

Attribute positioning/Benefit
positioning

User Positioning

Brands position using different

strategies

Positioning strategy-Taaza orange

juice
Benefit Positioning- Healthy orange juice,
vitamin C enhancer, protects from cold
Attribute positioning- 100% pure orange, sugar
free juice
Application or use positioning- a breakfast juice
User positioning- a drink for diabetics
Quality or price positioning- Value-for-money
juice
Image positioning- fun juice

Choosing a positioning
strategy

Repositioning brand image

8-to-8 banking
Employee presentations for
culture change

Apple

Nutri-Bar
Positioned as convenience snack
Good food to go
Repositioned as breakfast
substitute
Respect yourself in the
morning

Developing the marketing planning

Program Product
Anything that can be
offered to the market
to satisfy needs &
wants
Services

Intangible
Inseparable
Variable
Perishable

Product symbolism:
Sum total of
product/brand
experience

Product life cycle

Introduction
Growth
Maturity
Decline

Product attributes:
quality, features, design
Packaging:
Conceptualize, design &
produce product
container
Branding: Investing a
product with desired
brand attributes

Product symbolism

Rin meets challenges

at various stages of its life cycle

Communicating
product-related aspects

Communication can create

a brand

Quick Q!
A products package serves as:
a) A container to hold & protect a product
b) A means for clubbing product into
assortments
c) A safety device
d) A communication tool
e) All of the above

Distribution
Distribution
channels:
Organisations,
individuals &
processes making
products available
from manufacturer
to end user

Push vs. Pull Strategy

Push
strategy

Pull
strategy

Push vs. Pull Strategy

PUSH
Appropriate when:
Low brand loyalty in
category
Brand choice made in store
Retailer recommendations
are valued
Product is an impulse
purchase item
Marketers have low budget
and/or good channel
relations

PULL
Appropriate when:
High brand loyalty
High product
involvement
Product has unique
benefits or is superior
to competition
Purchase decision is
made before going to
the store

Prestige pulls consumers

through advertising

Price
What a consumer
pays or gives up for
product acquisition
includes time, energy
& psychic costs
Pricing considerations:
Product perception
Consistency with other
marketing mix elements
Market & competition

Price serves as an
indicator of product
quality high price
is associated with
superior quality
Advertising
increases a firms
ability to charge a
higher price without
lowering demand

Brand image allows Reebok to

charge a price premium

Rasna communicates
its value-for-money pricing

Quick Q!
A product that has high quality and
low price will usually:
a)
b)
c)
d)

Confuse the consumer

Excite the consumer
Communicate a high product quality
None of the above