Week 8 Writing Assignment Due Dec 16 1159 PM Marketing 310 7

1232018 Week 8 Writing Assignment Due Dec 16 1159 Pm Mrkt 310 798

The assignment assesses your ability to relate integrated marketing communications (IMC) concepts to your product or service offering and target market. You are required to develop a comprehensive marketing communication strategy, including creating a 'Big Idea' for your message, setting specific objectives, selecting promotion tools, and designing a media strategy. The assignment also covers strategic marketing planning in B2B contexts and involves identifying target markets, segmentation schemes, informational inputs, and key marketing metrics. You will submit a detailed, well-referenced paper of at least five pages analyzing these aspects for your product or service.

Paper For Above instruction

In today's dynamic and rapidly evolving media landscape, effective communication strategies are paramount for brands seeking to connect with their target audiences. Developing an integrated marketing communications (IMC) plan requires a strategic fusion of message coherence, targeted objectives, appropriate promotional tools, and media selection to ensure that the message resonates and influences consumer behavior. This paper presents a comprehensive IMC plan for a selected product, detailing the creation of a 'Big Idea,' establishing measurable objectives using the AIDA framework, choosing suitable promotional tools, and designing a media strategy tailored to the target market. Additionally, it explores B2B marketing perspectives, including target market identification, market segmentation strategies, sources of marketing information, and relevant marketing metrics. The approach combines theoretical insights with practical application to illustrate how firms can craft effective marketing communication strategies that foster brand awareness, engagement, and conversion.

Creating the 'Big Idea'

The 'Big Idea' serves as the core message that encapsulates the essence of the product and appeals to the target market’s needs, desires, or pain points. For my chosen product—a premium eco-friendly water bottle—the Big Idea centers around sustainability and personal health. The message emphasizes that by choosing this water bottle, consumers contribute to environmental preservation and prioritize their wellness. This unified concept promotes a sense of purpose and identity alignment, encouraging consumers to see the product as more than just a water container but as a pledge towards a healthier planet and lifestyle. The 'Big Idea'—"Hydrate Sustainably, Live Fully"—anchors all communications, ensuring consistency across advertising, social media, sales promotions, and public relations.

Marketing Communications Objectives Using AIDA

Applying the AIDA framework, the following three marketing communications objectives are established:

1. Attention: Capture the interest of health-conscious and environmentally aware consumers through engaging social media campaigns and targeted online ads highlighting the eco-friendly features of the water bottle.
2. Interest: Generate interest by educating consumers about the environmental impact of plastic waste and how the water bottle’s reusable design helps reduce landfill contributions, fostering an emotional connection to the cause.
3. Desire & Action: Convert interest into desire by offering exclusive discounts for first-time buyers and social proof endorsements, motivating consumers to make a purchase and commit to sustainable hydration practices.

Promotion Mix Selection for Each Objective

For the attention objective, digital advertising—particularly social media ads on Instagram and Facebook—are optimal, leveraging visual appeal and targeting capabilities to reach eco-conscious demographics. To stimulate interest, content marketing through blogs and videos about environmental issues and health benefits will be utilized, along with influencer partnerships for credibility. For fostering desire and action, promotional tactics such as limited-time discounts, customer testimonials, and referral programs will be employed, combining direct promotion with user-generated content to enhance authenticity. Traditional advertising, such as targeted local radio and outdoor billboards in urban areas, complements digital efforts, ensuring multiple touchpoints and broader reach.

Media Strategy

The media choices include Instagram and Facebook for their extensive reach among young, environmentally conscious audiences, and YouTube for detailed educational videos explaining the product’s benefits. Social media platforms will host targeted ad campaigns aligned with each objective, utilizing demographic and interest-based targeting to ensure message relevance. Additionally, selecting local environmental events and wellness expos as offline media outlets will reinforce the messaging through experiential marketing. For social media, content calendars will feature stories, customer testimonials, and educational posts designed to engage users actively and foster community building around sustainability themes.

B2B Marketing and Strategic Planning

From a B2B perspective, the target markets include corporate clients seeking sustainable corporate gifting solutions and health clubs or wellness centers interested in retailing eco-friendly products. According to the Harrison, Hague, and Hague behavioral segmentation model, categorizing these markets based on behavioral traits such as loyalty and usage frequency is suitable, as corporate clients are likely repeat buyers motivated by corporate social responsibility goals. Identifying data sources like industry reports, customer feedback, and sales analytics will inform strategic decisions. Critical marketing metrics include return on investment (ROI), customer acquisition cost, and customer lifetime value, which will gauge the effectiveness of marketing strategies and campaigns.

Conclusion

Implementing a comprehensive IMC strategy requires clarity in messaging, precise targeting, and multi-channel promotion. The 'Big Idea' serves as a unifying message that inspires consumer connection and brand loyalty. Using the AIDA framework ensures objectives are measurable and purposeful, guiding promotion tools and media choices. Strategic B2B insights foster effective market segmentation and data-driven decision-making, vital for long-term success. This integrated approach ensures consistent messaging and maximizes marketing ROI, positioning the product effectively in both consumer and business markets amidst a competitive landscape.

References

• Belch, G. E., & Belch, M. A. (2018). Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective (11th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
• Keller, K. L. (2013). Strategic Branding Management (4th ed.). Pearson.
• Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Marketing Management (15th ed.). Pearson.
• Scott, D. M. (2017). The New Rules of Marketing and PR (6th ed.). Wiley.
• Fill, C., & Turnbull, S. (2016). Marketing Communications: Discovery, Creation, and Conversations. Pearson.
• Armstrong, G., & Kotler, P. (2019). Marketing: An Introduction (14th ed.). Pearson.
• Harrison, T., Hague, P. N., & Hague, R. (2015). Business-to-Business Marketing Strategy. Routledge.
• Schultz, D. E., & Schultz, H. F. (2015). Integrated Marketing Communications in Advertising and Promotion. Routledge.
• Chaffey, D., & Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2019). Digital Marketing. Pearson.
• Hunt, S. D. (2016). Foundations of Marketing Theory. Routledge.