7 Keys to Marketing Genius: Multiple Elements Provide Synergy
The following is an excerpt from The 7 Keys to Marketing Genius by Michael Daehn
The more tools you integrate and synergize, the more powerful the results. Hearing me lecture on this, a marketing student of mine at Concordia University, Chris Bowen, put together an excellent marketing plan using multiple tools. He was a baseball player and was familiar with the bat market. He chose to promote Rawlings bats. His idea was to have a traveling van bring Rawlings equipment to parks, retail locations, and schools. This gave customers a chance to try out the equipment before purchasing (sales promotion). He advertised the dates in local newspapers and on radio stations (advertising). Dates were also available on the Rawlings website (Internet/interactive). Every event promoted tobacco awareness and encouraged children not to use tobacco (sales promotion/cause related marketing). The van also visited local schools with the message of tobacco awareness amongst students (PR/publicity.) Local news stations and community organizations were contacted and encouraged to cover the events based on the tobacco-awareness activities (PR/publicity).
Notice the consistency and synergy created by all these elements. They build, promote, and support one another. All of these promotional tools could be implemented for much less than most commercial television spots. The tools are targeted at likely users and the return on investment will be excellent. Needless to say, Chris received an “A” in my marketing class.
You do not have to use all the marketing communications tools for every campaign. You should always avoid paying for advertising if possible. Some tools are not a good match for every situation. Typically the more tools you are able to implement effectively, the more powerful your message becomes. Ultimately the goal is to effectively communicate with customers in order to build relationships.