Promotion Mix | Marketing Communications Mix

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Promotion Mix | Marketing Communications Mix

The Promotion Mix, also called "Marketing Communications Mix", must not be confused with the Marketing Mix (4 Ps).
In fact, the Promotion Mix (PM) breaks down one of the 4 Ps: Promotion.

The PM can be defined as the specific blend of promotion tools that a company uses to engage prospects and customers, persuasively communicating customer value, and developing customer relationships.
It's important that a company not only creates but also communicates its value propositions to its prospects and customers in a planned and clear way to create and develop profitable customer relationships. This is what promotion and the promotion mix are all about.
The PM consists of a blend of 5 variables that a marketer can control:

1. ADVERTISING: Any paid form of (non-personal) communication and marketing used to convince or persuade viewers, readers or listeners about the benefits of certain products, services, a company or even ideas.
2. SALES PROMOTION: Short-term incentives to encourage the purchase or sale of a product or service. Examples: discounts, demonstrations, contests, coupons, displays.
3. SALES (PERSONAL SELLING): Personal interactions with and presentations to prospects and customers by a company's sales force in order to make sales and develop customer relationships. Typical sales tools are sales presentations, trade shows, and incentive programs.
4. PUBLIC RELATIONS: PR is somewhat special among the 5 variables in that it, besides its promotional function towards customers, also aims at building good relations with various other parties, such as: investors, the media (press), and the government (lobbying).
5. DIRECT MARKETING and DIGITAL MARKETING (INTERNET, MOBILE, SOCIAL MEDIA) : Addressing commercial messages towards targeted individual consumers to obtain an immediate response and/or develop customer relationships.

Note that coordinating / managing these 5 variables is just one major part of the entire marketing strategy and communication efforts, which also need to integrate the other 3 Ps: Product, Price and Place. And three more in the case of services: People, Process and Physical Evidence (see: Extended Marketing Mix).
This makes Integrated Marketing Communications such a complex, demanding yet interesting field.
Source: G. Armstrong and P. Kotler (2015) "Marketing: An Introduction"

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		2 zacharia mwendwa Student (Other)
	Promotional Mix Includes PR I like the way Jonge brought PR into the promotional mix, even if it does not only promote the product, but also connects the company to the public which makes PR more important than the other 4 elements. If every organization wisely uses PR effectively, the product will also help to build the image of the organization.

		2 Gandhi Heryanto Management Consultant, Indonesia
	Another Perspective on Integrated Marketing Communication The Journal of Integrated Marketing Communication describes IMC as, "a customer-centric, data-driven method of communicating with customers". According to the JIMC, "IMC - the management of all organized communications to build positive relationships with customers and other stakeholders - stresses marketing to the individual by understanding needs, motivations, attitudes and behavior." Being customer-centric begins with knowing your customer. A data-driven Integrated Marketing Communication approach is based on research and analysis to help you better understand your customers and how and why they buy. Where do your customers live? What are their goals and preoccupations? What are the best ways of reaching them and what message will be most impactful? Source: Blog: Sales and marketing for you.

		2 Andrew Blaine Business Consultant, South Africa
	Measuring the Promotion Efforts To be successful, any marketing/promotional initiative needs to ask (and answer) the following questions: 1. What do I want to say? 2. To whom do I wish to say it? 3. What is the most appropriate manner in which to deliver my message? And 4. How do I measure the response to my message? The last question is probably the most important. Too many initiatives are misdirected, misconstrued and not measured. The net result is likely to lead to throwing good money after bad ideas and could, in extreme circumstances, damage the fundamental core business?

		3 Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	The Essence of Integrated Marketing Communication @Gandhi Heryanto: Thanks for sharing this perspective of the Journal of Integrated Marketing Communication, apparently describing IMC as "a customer-centric, data-driven method of communicating with customers". In my opinion, such perspective has several flaws: Of course, "customer-centric…", and "…data-driven…" are very important, but they are not essential to define the concept of Integrated Marketing Communication. Even without being customer-centric or data-driven, a marketer could still integrate all marketing communications. Even if these 2 things are currently 'hot' due to the possibilities of new technologies. "…of communicating with customers": Although integrated marketing communication is perhaps aimed primarily at customers, its not only aimed at them. So what I believe is more important in the term "Integrated Marketing Communication" is the aspect of INTEGRATION, meaning that a company needs to meticulously align and coordinate its many communication channels to deliver a crisp, consistent, and compelling message about the organization, its brand, its products and services to its customers and other stakeholders. .

		2 Fidorra, Germany
	Powerful Customer Interaction at the basis of the Promotion Mix From my experience, one of the most powerful customer interaction options are expert workshops. It’s all about understanding customer’s strategic focus and unmet needs / challenges properly. Targetin...

		2 Helen Strong Business Consultant, South Africa
	Engagement Gearing There is absolutely no doubt that different types of communication and promotions must work together to build awareness and attract consumers to interact with a company. (See also the model "Engagemen...

		2 jorge anibal hoyos hoyos Manager, Colombia
	Understand the Profile of the Customers First Not only the customers’ needs but their entire profiles, that is their finance situation, organization, positioning, reputation, etc. is important to define how we should apply the promotion and marke...

		1 Jafeth Quintanilla Teacher, Peru
	Tools in the Promotion Mix can be Treated Separately too I believe that the five tools of the promotion mix are very important even if you work with only one of them. You do not necessarily have to take all five. The key is to design each tool correctly and...

		2 Vijay Salunke Manager, India
	Sales Promotion Through Exhibitions Historically, exhibitions have been one of the major channels for sales promotion for industrial products. There is a trend of declining customer visits to exhibitions due to the following reasons: 1...

		1 Sarah Daghman Lecturer, Russian Federation
	Integrated Marketing Communications WHAT IS INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS? DEFINITION "Integrated Marketing Communications" (IMC) can be understood as a management concept aiming to create a unified strength of various aspects of...

		5 Devendra Vyavaharkar Manager, India
	Another Summary of the Promotion Mix Here's another very similar summary of the marketing communication mix. It mentions for each element some of its typical advantages/benefits. DIFFERENT TOOLS IN THE PROMOTION MIX AND THEIR CHARACTE...

		1 Joy S. Pillejera Manager, Philippines
	Some Thoughts on the Promotional Mix The promotion mix is a very important component of the whole marketing cycle. I agree on the statement a marketing person should know what exactly is to be communicated and how and when it should be ...

		2 Helen Strong Business Consultant, South Africa
	Internal Element of Communication in Promotion Mix The above discussion is extremely useful when considering the external market place. A key aspect that should also be included in the Promotional Mix is an internal promotional system. Marketers shoul...

		0 Priyanka B Manager, India
	Product Itself as a Part of the Promotion Mix I agree with the Venn diagram here explaining the elements. But, the borders of this diagram kind of fade at the edges when we talk about the Product itself as a part of the promotion mix. With the e...

		0 Leigh Cowan CEO, Australia
	Digital - Just Another Medium of Communications, Marcomms, and Promotion? I agree the Promotional Mix is part of the Marketing Mix and focuses on the 4th P of Promotion. But, strategically, surely there is no difference between digital media and analogue media! Shouldn't ...