Research Articles Base: Response Surface Methodology

PROMOTION STRATEGY Advertising is perceived as a modern activity, but has its first recorded origins in simple signage and verbal messages ( 1987). In advertising assumption to be used for Rexton will imply some dominant commercial medium and a combination of media fragmentation, new electronic technology and sophisticated database management tools that will allow Ssang Yong to have a precise targeting and greater cost efficiency, causing budgets to move away into segmented and targeted options as the developments saw the share of marketing communication budget allocated to forms of above the line media with increasing amounts of expenditure being moved to ‘below-the-line’ marketing in sales promotions. The moving from such media occurred at a time when increased competitiveness between ncies was coupled with calls from clients to justify advertising expenditure and to demonstrate the effects and effectiveness of advertising campaigns as the Rexton manufacturer should  know more efficient, more economical way of generating sales of Rexton product to Hong Kong market. (1992 )         There needs to have a moderate variation on the product system is the provision of a performance bonus for ncies, in addition to whatever compensation structure is in place. The bonus is linked to client sales performance and criteria set as objectives at the start of the campaign period and strategies such as expanding services offered to incorporate Rexton marketing communications functions and the company’s strategic alliances. Sales promotion can be defined as a range of tactical marketing techniques designed within a strategic marketing framework to add value to a product or service in order to achieve specific sales and marketing objectives. This extra value may be of a short-term tactical nature or it may be part of a longer-term franchise-building programme. (2003 ) The sales promotion for Rexton can be regarded as a brother of the company’s marketing mix, a tool that can  be used to boost DAH Chong sales as it can be that the product and business is slow in Hong Kong as the role of sales promotion of Rexton SUV is important and evolved into an element of the strategic integrated communication mix up as its advertising offers a reason to buy a product, as the sales promotion gives the customer an incentive to buy Rexton products in the end (, 2003). Sales promotion is a tool that influences the behavior component of buying behaviors of prospected HK customers that play a greater role in the cognitive and affective components of the customers’ buying decision.     Furthermore, most sales promotion techniques are capable of reaching specific target groups of customers and are therefore instrumental in fine-tuning the marketing effort. In general, the objectives of Rexton sales promotion are to generate product traffic, launch other products, boost sales of existing products, reach new customers, increase the usage of a product with existing customers, reward and retain loyal customers and counter the marketing activities of competitors as the objectives are tactical in nature and support the marketing efforts in the short run. However, rewarding loyal customers and developing customer retention programmes is part of the more strategic and long-term customer relationship management that the company must adhere in which sales promotion has the integral role for marketing Rexton respectively ( 1998). The importance of Rexton products sales promotion has increased significantly in time as advertising accounted for about 60 percent of the advertising and sales promotion budget and has increased its market share. Today, it is estimated that between 50 and 70 percent of the budget is spent on sales promotion (, 2003; 2003). The inherent characteristic of sales promotion is that its results are immediately visible as the objectives of sales promotion are often to increase the number of customers and to increase sales per, the results of Rexton SUV sales promotion campaign can be measurable in Hong Kong market putting a connection to Ssang Yong and DAH Chong.   Factors that may lead to the increased use of Rexton sales promotion Short-term orientation of marketing managers Measurability and accountability Perceived lack of effectiveness of advertising Brand expansion and proliferation and lack of brand differentiation Declining brand loyalty and increasing price-orientation of consumers Increasing in-store decision making Distribution channel power and the competition for shelf space   Source:  (2003)              Sales promotion is often perceived as a tool that is capable of reaching the customer more directly and effectively (  1998;  2004). Since the overall quality of the car brands has improved and the functional differences between brands have become less important, HK consumers may face more difficult multiple-brand buying situations and shopping convenience falls as Rexton promotion offers the consumer a simple reason to buy a product and makes the buying decision less complex and can reduce the stress that many consumers experience and makes the buying expedition less time-consuming. Furthermore, HK consumers can be less loyal and more price-conscious and a lot of buying decisions are taken on the shop floor (1998) as they are convinced to switch brands on the basis of product incentive that offers them extra value instantly. Thus, Rexton manufacturers are urged to promote their products to the end-consumer to generate as much product traffic as possible, leading to more end-consumer promotion. (1992)           Sales promotion is used as an incentive towards end-consumers and towards members of the market channel as the different target groups and types of sales promotion are shown to help push their products through the marketing channel ( 2002). The main objective of promotions is to establish distribution of the manufacturers’ brands, to develop greater exposure of their brands on the shelves, to stimulate resellers to buy and give maximum exposure to their products and in that way to encourage product trial and greater usage of the product. The Rexton promotions account for combined advertising and sales promotion budget, while consumer promotions and advertising only account for 20 percent each (2003). Sales force promotions are incentives given by manufacturers to stimulate the sales force to sell as many products as possible. From the point of view of the manufacturer, consumer promotions are mainly pull instruments: together with advertising, direct marketing and sponsorship, they directly address the end-consumer to make the brands more attractive and to seduce him or her to buy the product.             Money-based incentives offer immediate or postponed price reductions. Product-based promotions do not focus upon the price mechanism, but use a product to build an incentive. Prize-related promotions focus neither on the price of the product nor on the product but use the chance to win something as an incentive used consumer promotion tools is given, as well as the objectives that can be attained by means of these promotions ( 2002;  2002;   2004). For instance, money-based incentives, such as price cuts, cash refunds and product-based tools are most useful to attract new HK customers, to make customers switch brands and to increase Rexton traffic. Free saving cards, extra product and are more appropriate to increase usage, load up existing users, increase brand loyalty and out fluctuating car sales. Direct marketing can be defined as an interactive system of personal and intermediary-free dialogue which uses one or more communications media to effect a measurable behavioral response at any location, forming a basis for creating and further developing an ongoing direct relationship between an organization and each of its customers individually. ( 2003 2002;  2002) The car customer can be contacted by means of various media, tools and techniques such as direct response ads, direct mail but he does not necessarily need to go to a shop to respond. Information products can be ordered at any location, by telephone, reply card as well as via the Internet ( 2001).   Consequently, the success of direct marketing campaign for Rexton does not only depend upon successful customer contacts but also on the fulfillment of the promise like meeting the customers’ expectations efficiently. Professionally managed direct marketing relies heavily on databases in which useful customer information is stored and on which well-targeted and individualized marketing communications and customer contact campaigns are based. Requests for information, sales leads and sales and response in general as a result of a telemarketing campaign, can be easily tracked on an individual basis to enrich it further and to make it even useful for future HK customer contacts. Although direct marketing can also be used to contact new potential customers and carry over information to potential and existing customers, its primary objective is to directly influence buying decisions. Trial generation and requests for information are responses that direct marketing is aimed in generating re-ordering and in building customer loyalty and customer relationships by means of after-sales service and customer satisfaction management. Like, to generate leads for personal selling, there needs for a sales channel for Rexton products involving a strategy to differentiate the car product from its competitors.       HK target groups of direct marketing can be possible and probable sales prospects, individuals who made enquiries but did not yet buy anything, existing consumers that the company wants to make more loyal or to whom the company wants to cross-sell other related products. Direct marketing has a lot of strengths besides personal selling, it is the communication tool that is best suited to build the relationship between the customers and the brand, instead of between the customer and the distributor ( 2001). Some strengths and limitations of direct marketing for Rexton Strengths Limitations Build relationships Cost per prospect can be high Persuasive Clutter (‘junk mail’) Personalized and interactive Perceived as obtrusive Leads to behavioral response Perceived as pushy Convenient for customer Perceived as incredible Improved service   Flexible and precise targeting   Effects easily and precisely measurable     Source: (2001)   The customer receives shopping convenience, time utility and satisfaction, and an improved quality and speed of service. When built upon a powerful database, it allows flexible and precise targeting of customer segments and it can therefore avoid waste. Its effect can be easily and precisely measured, and it has a high degree of accountability. The cost per prospect reached can be very high, especially if the direct marketing campaign is not well targeted. It increasingly suffers from clutter. Finally, direct marketing has the reputation of being pushy and intrusive, due to the sometimes extreme sales orientation of the campaigns. For instance, direct mail can account for 15 percent of total promotional expenditure as direct response television ads in some countries have increased to more than 30 percent of the company’s television advertising ( et al., 2004). The collection, analysis, and use of data for marketing communications and customer contact have become powerful, simple and cost-efficient, due to improvements in database technology.             Factors explaining the increasing role of direct marketing for Rexton Technology Market forces Opportunities Database Changing demographics and lifestyles Increased customer confidence New communications Increasing competition Importance of contact and relationship building Online marketing Media and audience fragmentation More precise targeting   Increasing media and sales costs Cross-selling   Need for short time results and accountability New distribution   Source: (2004)           The focus shifts towards retaining existing customers, which is not much easier, but certainly more cost-efficient, than having to build business by attracting new customers. Direct marketing is a tool that is particularly suited for building relationships. Advertising media are becoming more and more fragmented. In most countries, in recent years there has been a proliferation of new television and radio channels, niche magazines and websites. Audiences are more and more scattered over many different media (1996). Consequently, the fact that more targeted media are used by the public, makes it easier to reach a more involved and interested audience and to aim for a behavioral response through direct marketing techniques. Increased media and sales costs force the company into exploring less expensive and more effective contact methods. HIK consumers increasingly buy products on the basis of added value and personal relevance carefully analyzing customer patterns, the direct marketer is capable of addressing specific target groups, can offer more relevant and better-targeted benefits and can in that way build long-lasting and profitable relationships with loyal customers. The detailed knowledge of the customer’s needs and preferences, and a relationship with the customer that is built on confidence and trust, also enables the marketer to cross-sell related products a well-organized database of loyal customers creates many cross-selling opportunities.     The resulting information can be integrated in the customer database, and can subsequently be used to analyze which sales promotions worked better than others, and which appeal was most effective. This information can be very useful for strategic advertising planners, advertising creative and promotion managers. Obviously, the communication strategy and the creative style of communication campaigns should be consistent and well integrated. Contacting customers too often may irritate them, and could lead to the loss of valuable opportunities. Therefore, the optimal frequency of direct marketing campaigns for various target groups should be assessed (2002; 2002). The primary purpose of business is to create satisfied customers who continue to buy a firm’s products over time. In order to create satisfied customers the company has to provide products that fulfill wants and needs, at prices that are acceptable, available through places or spaces where customers expect to buy, and by effective integrated communication or promotion in order to inform, persuade, and remind target markets and audiences. The business has to build relations of trust with key publics, constituencies or stakeholders. To create and maintain such relationships, the firm or business requires the discipline of public relations because PR can play an important strategic role in managing organizational relationships with external and internal stakeholder groups whose support may be crucial to organizational success.      (1980) illustrates perception of public relations by limiting public relations to activities designed to sell the organization rather than its products or services, but conceding that publicity, rather than public relations per se, was an element of the marketing communications mix. Public relations is the process of finding out how a marketer is perceived by its different publics then developing a program to gain the goodwill or support of these publics. ( 1987)                     Marketing PR: Rexton products Purposes and benefits Examples of products and services Create marketplace excitement Rexton SUV, Rodius Introduce new products before advertising breaks Advanced Car and auto systems Bring new high-tech and health-care products to market Gear Treatment Revitalize old brands Old Cars Maintain market leadership Rexton cars Make advertising news where there is no news Super Bowl, Sophie Dahl Make promotion news where there is no news Gillette and major league baseball Make packaging news where there is no product news Visa card   Source: 1987         The launch of  Rexton car in Hong Kong while media advertising is inevitably a major part of an marketing communication program, MPR is always an important factor, starting with Rexton car dealers but involving newspaper and magazine motoring writers as well as television and radio news teams. Consider the ‘behind-the-scenes’ activity that would have been organized by the car dealers to advise their existing customer base of the new vehicle and to entice potential buyers to showrooms to examine and possibly test-drive it. Now recall what promotions and events have been staged particularly if the Rexton car’s innovative features allowed the opportunity for the features to be highlighted including the Internet, brochures and pamphlets. Now consider an area that is very commonly overlooked such as contingency planning, what if coordinating such a launch and main competitor had obtained the details and was endeavouring to upstage the activity.             Marketing and marketing communications require fine-tuned targeting as potential customers can no longer be attracted and retained by ‘persuasive hold-ups’ using mass media advertising. Carefully approaching niche audiences and specific target groups is now called for. Customers have to be seduced rather than persuaded to adopt a product. Consumer delight and relevant consumer experience are more important than hard-sell arguments and rational product characteristics. They are often much more in line with the modern way of ‘consuming’ communication and making buying and consuming decisions than some of the more traditional IMC instruments like mass media advertising and sales promotion ( 1995). The Internet is a system of interrelated networks that spans the globe and that allows users with the appropriate computer hardware and software to communicate and to share and exchange information with each other. The Internet is a unique and independent medium, not owned or operated by any single commercial or governmental body. Although the Internet is also used for e-mail applications and file transfer, it is often used as a synonym for the World Wide Web (WWW), the interactive and graphical communication medium using hypertext mark-up language (HTML) that allows multimedia documents to be shared by different users. The hyperlinks on web pages make it possible to navigate quickly through documents and pages with a simple mouse click. Internet marketing communications refers to the use of the Internet for marketing communications purposes ( 2002).   Mobile marketing and TV marketing have an increasingly important role in marketing communications for Rexton. Essentially, the Internet can be used to send messages (e-mail), transfer data, monitor news and opinions, search and browse, and post, host, and present information (Keeler, 1995). This makes it a powerful marketing tool. Marketing can use the Internet for various purposes: research and planning, distribution, customer service, and marketing and corporate communications ( 2003). Marketing researchers and planners and the sales force can use the World Wide Web as a source of secondary information, i.e. to obtain marketing information about suppliers, clients, and prospects. Through interactive websites orders can be taken, product offerings can be updated frequently, and customers can be stimulated to buy and pay online. Digital products such as videos, music and magazines can be distributed online, and tangible products can be ordered online and delivered at the address of the customer. The Internet is also a powerful tool for developing and cultivating close links with customers and other target groups, for relationship and loyalty building, and for raising customer service levels.         Customers can find up-to-date information, make inquiries and ask questions and find the answers to their problems part of company websites. The company can be presented in a positive, entertaining, and amusing way. Basic information about the company can be communicated, questions about the company can be answered, and detailed old and current news releases can be made available in a cost-efficient way. Finally, the Internet can also be used in marketing communications, through reaching customers directly, informing them, creating brand awareness, reinforcing brand image and brand attitudes, stimulating them to take action and try the product, and creating loyalty and building relationships with them (  2004)  Website traffic building will often imply substantial offline marketing communications support by means of media advertising and mentioning the website on packages and company stationery. Marketing communications on the Internet can take many forms, and often they mirror traditional communication tools. Advertising on the Internet can be made very creative and entertaining, corporate image building can be effectively enhanced, interaction via websites can be as tailor-made and personal as face-to-face contacts, direct marketing and sales can be stimulated as effectively as with traditional media, and customer care and customer services can be strongly supported ( 2001; 2002).     Indeed, marketing through the Internet allows the company to directly communicate and interact with its customers one-to-one, sell them products and build relationships and loyalty, and convey lots of information at relatively low cost. Furthermore, both the customer and the company can be quickly contacted at all times and at every place. Messages can be changed quickly and easily and both customers and companies can save time. The Internet is a new advertising medium with a large and global audience potential, and it creates the opportunity to build sophisticated databases that allow precise customer segmentation and targeting. Strengths and limitations of the Internet as a marketing communications tool Strengths Limitations Direct one-to-one contact Poor targeting capabilities; reach and type of audience uncertain Direct sales What is the useful impact? Communicate with loyal customers and reinforce relationship Search difficulty: how can websites be found? Interactivity Need for offline and online communications support Lots of information can be presented Website development and maintenance costs Low cost Need for cooperation with IT department and call centre Multimedia nature Can create irritation Shopping and other contacts can be made more pleasurable Creative limitations? Offers instant reach at any time and any place Communication speed Time saving Buying behavior inertia Messages can be changed easily and quickly   Possibility to advertise on others’ websites   Large audience potential   Feed databases     Source: (2004)           Brand sites are ideal vehicles to shape brand attitudes and brand images and to build relationships with loyal customers. They can make the brand experience richer and more exciting (2004). The advantage is that specific campaigns can be detached from the main brand site. It makes the main site less heavy, and can lead specific target segments of the product launch or the promotion directly to simple and relevant messages. When the temporary action is over, the micro site can be easily removed without affecting the main site. A good website must be continually updated, easy to navigate, have relevant and in-depth information on its subject, offer interactivity, and quick loading and response times (, 2002). Online advertising is commercial messages in standard formats on rented spaces of other companies’ websites. Its purpose is to build brand awareness and brand attitudes, and to generate traffic to the brand website. Search engines like Google enable web surfers to select web pages on the basis of search terms. The company can buy the right for their ad to appear next to the search results for certain keywords. This technique appears to be very performant and far less irritating than traditional banners (2003). Messages are sent to a small and carefully selected target group of people who are potentially highly interested in the message.       An advertising message is attached to the e-mail, and the recipient is asked to forward the e-mail and its attachment to friends  Mobile marketing can be used to generate brand awareness, for contest and sweepstakes, to convey information, or to generate leads. Recipients are also able to call back for further information. Offline media, such as advertising and packaging, usually supports SMS campaigns. Research shows that mobile marketing can be extremely effective for generating brand awareness, building brand image, and generating interest and product trial (2003). Interactive television gives viewers the ability to interact with the programmes, view tailor-made content, and use a number of interactive services such as video-on-demand, home shopping, and home banking. iTV marketing offers marketers the opportunity to interact with the audience, for instance by offering interactive advertising. Ads can be left on the electronic programme guide that is frequently visited by viewers. The opportunities of iTV marketing communications are endless. Niche audiences can be targeted, one-to-one communications becomes possible and new marketing channels can be opened. Online applications should enable marketers to efficiently interact with their target groups and marketers should run campaigns that can be technically supported by the technology (, 2002;  2003).     Promotion planning exercises Ø      Putting a plan together Ø      Creative and execution process Ø      Planning aids – tools Ø      Promotion research Ø      Legal implications Promotion Trends Ø      Exploiting car technology Ø      Company-oriented promotions Ø      E-marketing Ø      Partnership promotions Ø      Telemarketing Ø      TV and Media promotions           Rexton SUV in Hong Kong can be advertised in Hong Kong markets through print advertising communications, the print ads should be reflected on Ssang Yong Motors HK web site as possible as HK car enthusiasts’ and customer gets the needed message and visual clues in places, they are much more likely to comprehend Rexton SUV marketing message in terms of brand built up and features with that customer will remember the company product when they are ready to buy. Thus, it is a reality that market planning elements are crucial to achieve a successful product campaign of Rexton in Hong Kong and in making it a success, the company’s plan should include consideration of marketing methods such as: Rexton SUV product web site exclusively designed for Hong Kong audiences that will include as to what the site say about the company and the product itself and in order to cater to a greater HK market it is also important to furnish a site especially designed with HK mode of language and communication, in that way the Rexton SUV can easily be adapted by possible product buyers as the HK site is informative, easy to use, ecommerce ready, available anytime and ready to speak for any concerns as detailed completely in the process.         Rexton SUV is to rule in terms of advertising package such as: print, online, radio and TV and that the company in control of the product must choose the advertising medium that gets integral message to the HK target audience where they are likely to be ready to receive it and should use a consistent, repetitive approach to build awareness and recall. Thus, it is essential for the product to adhere to a kind of marketing collateral in terms of using product launching brochures, case analysis for Rexton as well as useful product research and development and it is crucial that materials composition for Rexton SUV in Hong Kong build and define excellent brand quality and provide the customer with an important look at the company’s positioning and messages. Online Marketing can also be necessary for launching Rexton SUV in Hong Kong through advertising, opt-in email marketing and links from other sites. The target customers are online and Ssang Yong Motors should apply appropriate communication and advertising methods to reach and retain them. There has to be direct mail, personal selling, networking and many more methods in order to get enough product messages to the customer.         MEDIA STRATEGY The key to effective marketing communications is to build better media strategy in plan then pursue these communication activities to ensure that important message is heard and appreciated by the members of target audience. The media strategy plan for Rexton can be in form of the following as it is applicable for further MC events for Ssang motors: Ø      Deliver a presentation at the car launching marketing conference Ø      Write product article for Brandchannel.com Ø      Deliver a presentation to local HK business chapter Ø      Contribute comments to certain marketing blogs Ø      Get updated professional headshot taken Ø      Update Rexton marketing materials so the audience can reflect specific brand attributes that can be visionary, futuristic and creative         The Rexton marketing medium for media way is the communication vehicle in use to deliver its marketing message. It’s important to choose a marketing medium that gives the company the highest return on marketing dollar as it is to choose the medium that delivers good marketing message to the most niche prospects at enough possible price cost of Rexton cars. The media strategy is made possible through: Ø      Newspaper ads Ø      Posters Ø      Card decks Ø      Television ads Ø      Radio ads Ø      Trade shows Ø      Yellow pages Ø      Articles Ø      Charity events Ø      Networking Ø      Infomercials Ø      Billboards Ø      Telemarketing Ø      Magazine ads Ø      Special events Ø      Sales letters Ø      Flyers Ø      Email Ø      Movie ads Ø      Postcards Ø      Agents Ø      Media releases Ø      Fax broadcasts Ø      Brochures Ø      Gift Certificates Ø      Website Ø      Business cards Ø      Public speaking             There has to be a strategic media involved in the communication process designed to get enough target market by listing main media choices as newspapers, television, magazines, direct marketing, radio, magazines and outdoors and embrace such issues of reach, frequency and good impact as well as to include consideration of packaging along with possible electronic media, together with combinations of advertising and editorial as well as product placements within commercials (, 2000) and that every medium must have sets of unique strengths and weaknesses options and needs to be in tandem with other media avenue. Possible strengths and weaknesses for television media strategy as for Rexton campaign Strengths Weaknesses High reach Expensive Ability to combine sight and sound/ demonstrate Short duration (30 seconds is usually time for only 75 words) – no opportunity to refer back to the message Ability to portray emotion and excitement Clutter and high levels of competitive activity Credibility Difficult to regionalize Able to provide reminders close to likely purchase period   Source: , 2000   The company should consider the ability of television to communicate sight, sound, movement and emotion and then contrast it to radio, newspapers, magazines vehicles. It is important to consider the environment in which the advertising may be seen and whether the intended receiver is receptive or likely to pay only partial attention to the advertising and see how easily HK people can avoid advertising as turning the page of print media, changing channels and muting television in breaking through the increasing clutter of competing advertising as a major challenge for Rexton advertisers. Thus, the advent of new media forms such as digital television will bring new challenges for the company to adapt and to devise means of communicating to HK target customers through media options that are only understood. In order to find if such Rexton advertising is a success, there are many techniques for assessing whether Rexton is likely to communicate the intended message prior to it appearing in the chosen media. Pre-testing can identify an ineffective advertisement, but cannot guarantee success in the marketplace as the focus moves from advertising as a largely autonomous function to a key part of an integrated communications campaign is how to measure the effects of advertising both as a separable function and in tandem with other marketing communication tools.       Rexton market integration is essential, advertising research techniques adapted to enable evaluation of the potential effects and effectiveness of various combinations of communications activity ( 2001) but remains as major challenges facing business sectors of the marketing communications industry. The company need to have a positive challenge that advertising can be a powerful tool within the Rexton product communications mix having dynamic and evolving sector in DAH Chong that may face numerous challenges in terms of accountability in an increasingly competitive world and the evolution of new media forms since HK markets have become global and integration of communications activity becomes more difficult, as such means of evaluating the relative value of contribution towards market advertising effectiveness must be found. No doubt, in the future the role of new media in marketing will become more important and new technologies and applications will emerge ( 2002). As technology further develops, it is also predicted that the distinction between computers, televisions, and telephones will disappear. However, marketers must never forget that a new technology can only be successful when consumers are able and willing to understand, accept, adopt and use it in their buying decisions.         COMMUNICATION BUDGET ALLOCATION The communication budget for Rexton can be developed several ways depending on whether the company want to be more exact or develop just a quick-and-dirty number. It’s good to start out with a quick-and-dirty calculation and then to support it with further details within related expenditures the company could easily calculate their “cost to acquire one customer” and or “cost to sell one product” by dividing possible annual sales and marketing costs by the number of Rexton units sold. Thus, it is good to take such cost to sell one unit or acquire one customer and simply multiply it by Rexton unit sales or customer acquisition goal as such outcome of the budget process will give a rough estimate of what the company need to integrate their MC plan in order to meet sales goals applied for HK market.               ORGANIZATION AND IMPLEMENTATION Here are guidelines for the MC plan organization involved in a simple consumer empowerment program designed to unlock growth for the product value of Rexton: A simple poll: online, telephone, interactive TV that allows consumers to vote on some aspect of the product or marketing – a poll on Rexton packaging design of for promotional posters or taglines Invite consumers from HK target market to participate in the poll. Opinion leading consumers and brand fans are a priority, but all target consumers should be welcome as numbers are important – the more participants, the more advocates, the bigger the impact on Rexton sales Nonetheless, give the poll an air of exclusivity, creating the impression for voters that they are VIP – very influential persons and this will help foster loyalty and advocacy Finally, when the votes are in, it must be acted out and allow voters to know that it has been acted greatly       The message for Rexton MC plan implementation will be:  Authentic It needs to come from the heart and be core as to what the company believes as they need to be able to demonstrate what the car model is about if not, it is just hot air for the target audience. Differentiated It must stand out from what other Ssang Yong car products as competitors are communicating same type of audiences as it is not far if the company sends a “buy me now” message. Consistent It needs to be the same all the time as strong brands don’t change as Rexton communication process must be consistent and staying the course           Compelling It must be something that HK target audience wants to hear, don’t sell Rexton to its market unprepared, Ssang motors should think about what the marketing sales group can do to express the pivotal point for selling the product as it will get the attention of audience  Aspirational Although it can be based on authenticity, the MC message needs to be connected to the future, to where the company wants to take such marketing career for promoting Rexton as communication is crucial so the company can reach desired objectives in giving appropriate media and advertising message.               MONITOR, EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE CONTROL Communication is the foundation of human relationships and concerns exchange of information and ideas. Thus, developing communications strategy requires extensive learning and coordination throughout a communications network. (2002) Marketing communication is the collective term for communication functions used in marketing a product as in the case its about marketing Rexton SUV – a new car model by Ssang Yong Motors in Korea, aimed to market successfully in the Hong Kong market  as the purpose of marketing communications is to add persuasive value to this type of product for HK customers as it involves the process by which the marketer develops and presents an appropriate set of marketing communications stimuli to a defined target audience with the intention of eliciting a desired set of responses. (1998 ) In marketing Rexton in coordination with DAH Chong Hong Ltd. in Hong Kong, it is important for the company to apply distinct tools of the marketing communications in promotion strategy to be used such as advertising, public relations (PR), sales promotion, direct marketing, personal selling and internet marketing that has a specific task to achieve and the message is greatly enhanced if it is reinforced by other tools in the mix (1998).       Henceforth, essential to the success of product effort is a strategic concept called Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) – a continuous process based on understanding target audience, sales process, expectations and results then applying that understanding through marketing activities to communicate to three key audiences: the people involved in direct sales efforts, customers and employees. An effective IMC methodology focuses on: Ø      Positioning and understanding competitive advantage Ø      Developing a unified image that speaks through one voice and one look Ø      Reaching HK customers and prospects through communications that offer solutions to their needs and expectations Ø      Generating response using targeted promotional tools to qualified customers and prospects Ø      Maintaining relationships that engender customer loyalty and turn prospects into long-term customers         Once better positioning strategy is developed, the challenge is to use the appropriate communications tool to build and sustain the desired position in the minds of those who matter. When a Ssang Yong’s position is combined with an IMC process, influencing “suspects’’ to become qualified “prospects” and, ultimately, car customers is significantly improved. A wide array of communications tactics is available to build visibility and enhance credibility to reach the broadest audience. For instance, there needs a community relations program can produce a qualified target audience for cross-selling efforts or a branch referral program can produce more than qualified prospects, it can reinforce and demonstrate the industry’s professionalism and creating awareness about other products and services is an important step in building the company-customer relationship with two-way communications tools that allow them to develop relationships with qualified prospects. Persuasive communications can be a powerful tool to help customer during an opening interview and in the hands of an effective salesperson, targeted brochures or product sheets are an effective way to explain the complicated processes of planning retirement or selecting the right mutual fund.         Considering and developing communications tools that have a response channel is essential to qualifying prospects. This can be as simple as ensuring that a salesperson’s business card is in each communication as encouraging prospects to call a teleservicing line. Effective and efficient communications at this point in building the company-customer relationship engenders dialogue. Moreover, technology has made the business of creating and maintaining customer loyalty highly competitive. Today, establishing and maintaining customer relationships means knowing every customer interaction, from inquiries to complaints. One way to collect and analyze everything from product purchase responses to promotional programs, profile surveys and psychographic information is by developing a database marketing system should allow to retrieve and analyze information on every customer so that company have the ability to create an appropriate dialogue with customers. Targeted personalized communications build awareness, cultivate positive responses, and reinforce the relationship between Rexton SUV and customers.           In this environment of changing customer demands and expectations, the opportunity to boost service and increase profits by marketing through employees can no longer be overlooked. While much has been written about your customers’ need for information, of equal importance is the broad range of knowledge required by frontline sales and service people. Employees must be educated about the benefits and rationale of needs-based selling. While they may not have to be economists or licensed brokers, they do need to understand the language of selling process so they can recognize customer needs. Employees must be shown a proactive approach to selling, which is supported by communications tools that present information in a practical and compelling way. An effective sales communications program requires a total commitment to a multifaceted process that taps into resources: people and communications tools to satisfy customers’ needs. The dynamic of such integration assumes the product development requirements are responsive to changing customer needs and the competitive environment and the company’s marketing culture is transforming to a needs-based, customer focused organization. Operating on this framework of assumptions, the successful combination of integrated marketing communications with a sales process will be contingent upon strategically synergizing the communications, marketing, and sales team development effort and the outcome will be a positive and significant impact on the company’s efforts to build customer relationships, and increase revenue and market share.   Public relations people can take steps now to make integration work to bring management into the communications loop to demonstrate the implications of good communication in general. For instance, it is crucial that management address potentially controversial issues because, despite companies’ conditioned fear of in-depth reporting, candid communication pays off in more objective coverage. Public relations brings this important element to the integrated mix. By keeping its pulse on all internal and external stakeholders, public relations is able to balance public opinion and business strategy and to manage communication in a way that shapes the opinions and behavior of relevant constituents. (1992) By building credibility for a company, public relations can help secure investors and strengthen supplier and customer relationships. (1994) Create shared performance measures. Develop systems to evaluate communications activities. Since IMC attempts to change consumer purchase behavior, the behavior must be measured to ultimately demonstrate communications’ impact on the bottom line.           The use of database development and issues management to understand stakeholders as well as customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders at every stage of the communications plan in contact points for the company and its products and measuring such communications’ ability to do so at each contact point, whether it be product packaging, shareholder meeting and others. It is also a factor to analyze trends internal and external that can affect company’s ability to do business as there needs to look for areas where communications can help the most in developing a combination of promotional tactics based on communication goals. The evaluation of the campaign will be based on how well Ssang motors will go further reaching HK target market and achieve the communication objectives through analyzing consumer response to the advertisements on the various media. Simply stated, the company want to see if ads are effective enough to catch HK target market’s attention and interest. Thus, in terms of evaluating customer experience with Rexton car product. There will be a plan to accomplish the MC process through product integration so that the overall MC plan package applicable for Rexton entering HK markets, can achieve a better understanding of the effectiveness of advertising, media process and the worth value of the product itself.   ___________________           </div> Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Company Plan

PROMOTION STRATEGY Advertising is perceived as a modern activity, but has its first recorded origins in simple signage and ve...