لخّصلي

As the preceding examples illustrate, marketing communications is a critical aspect of companies’ overall marketing missions and a major determinant of success or failure. All organizations—whether firms involved in B2B exchanges, companies engaged in B2C marketing, or organizations delivering not-for-profit services (mu- seums, symphony orchestras, anti-drug campaigns, etc.)—use various marketing communications to promote their offerings and achieve financial and nonfinancial goals. Companies have a variety of general objectives for their marcom programs: (1) informing customers about their products, services, and terms of sale; (2) per- suading customers to choose certain products and brands, shop in particular stores, go to certain websites, attend events, and other specific behaviors; and (3) inducing action (e.g., purchase behavior) from customers that is more immedi- ate than delayed in nature. These objectives usually are accomplished sequentially, although are pitted against one another at times (e.g., a government agency whose mission is to “just give the folks the facts” versus another with a mission affecting public health). These and other objectives can be achieved by using a variety of marcom tools, including mobile and TV advertising, salespeople, social media (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube), point-of-purchase displays, interactive packages, direct mail literature, group online coupons (Groupon), free samples, publicity releases, and other communication and promotional devices.
We now present several marketing and marcom terms that will be useful in providing a foundation for future concepts and chapters in this text. As you may recall from your introductory marketing course, the marketing mix consists of the specific collection of certain levels of a brand’s “4Ps”—product, price, place (distribution), and promotion—all usually aimed at a specific target mar- ket. As an example, Mountain Dew “Code Red” might be aimed at males 14 to 21, primarily using marcom tools of bright red labeling, flavored soda ingre- dients, a $1.50 price in a vending machine, online advertising, and snowboard- ing/skateboarding celebrities to generate interest.
Other important marcom terminology includes communications, the process whereby commonness of thought is established and meaning is shared between in- dividuals or between organizations and individuals. This idea is illustrated in the Social Media Venn Diagram found in Figure 1.1. Although there have been nu- merous definitions of marketing over the years,4 one that is concise and focuses directly on (customer) needs and wants is as follows: Marketing is human activity directed at satisfying (customer) needs and wants through exchange processes.5 Taken together, marketing communications represents the collection of all ele- ments in an organization’s marketing mix that facilitate exchange by establishing shared meaning with its customers. Central to the definition of marketing com- munications is the notion that all marketing mix variables, and not just promo- tion alone, can communicate with customers. The definition permits the possibility that marketing communications can be both intentional (e.g., as with advertising and sales promotion) and unintentional (e.g., a product feature, pack- age cue, store location, or price).