Basic Marketing: A Global Managerial Approach

Perreault−McCarthy: Basic

Marketing: A

Global−Managerial

Approach, 14/e

16. Advertising and Sales
    Promotion

Text © The McGraw−Hill

Companies, 2002

Every ad and every advertising campaign should have clearly defined objectives.

These should grow out of the firm’s overall marketing strategy and the promotion

jobs assigned to advertising. It isn’t enough for the marketing manager to say “Pro-

mote the product.” The marketing manager must decide exactly what advertising

should do.

Advertising objectives should be more specific than personal selling objectives.

One of the advantages of personal selling is that salespeople can shift their presen-

tations to meet customers’ needs. Each ad, however, is a specific communication. It

must be effective not just for one customer but for thousands, or millions, of them.

The marketing manager might give the advertising manager one or more of the

following specific objectives, along with the budget to accomplish them:

1. Help position the firm’s brand or marketing mix by informing and persuading
   target customers or middlemen about its benefits.


2. Help introduce new products to specific target markets.


3. Help obtain desirable outlets and tell customers where they can buy a product.


4. Provide ongoing contact with target customers—even when a salesperson isn’t
   available.


5. Prepare the way for salespeople by presenting the company’s name and the
   merits of its products.


6. Get immediate buying action.


7. Help to maintain relationships with satisfied customers, confirm their purchase
   decisions, and encourage more purchases.

The objectives listed above highlight that a balancing act may be required. The

first objective is quite broad and relates to the basic decisions about how the mar-

keting manager wants to differentiate and position the whole marketing mix. That

should guide decisions about what other specific objectives are most important. In

fact, some of the objectives listed are not as specific as they could be. If a market-

ing manager really wants specific results, they should be clearly stated. A general

objective is “To help expand market share.” This could be rephrased more specifi-

cally: “To increase shelf space in our cooperating retail outlets by 25 percent during

the next three months.” As more specific objectives are set—say, for each ad—it’s

still important that they are all consistent with the overall objectives.

The specific objectives obviously affect implementation. Advertising that might

be right for encouraging consumers to switch from a competing brand might be all

wrong for appealing to established customers with whom a firm already has a good

relationship. Similarly, an ad that appeals to opinion leaders might not be what’s

needed to get repeat customers back into a retail store. As Exhibit 16-3 shows, the

type of advertising that achieves objectives for one stage of the adoption process

may be off target for another. For example, most advertising for cameras in the

United States, Germany, and Japan focuses on foolproof pictures or state-of-the-art

design because most consumers in these countries already own somecamera. In

Africa, where only about 20 percent of the population owns a camera, ads must sell

the whole concept of picture-taking.

454 Chapter 16

(advertising people in radio and television stations, newspapers, and magazines) and

those working for retailers, wholesalers, and producers.^6

Advertising Objectives Are a Strategy Decision

Advertising objectives
must be specific

The marketing
manager sets the
overall direction

If you want half the
market, say so!

Objectives guide
implementation too