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Marketing Communications
Fundamentals Of Communication In Marketing
• LANGUAGE OF RELIGION: religion affects people in various ways because it prescribes
proper behaviour, including work and consumption habits. The inherent difficulty in
separating religious activities from business activities makes it necessary for a marketer to
understand the logic of a particular religious rule. For example, the Islamic economic system
is greatly influenced by the Shariah. Free enterprise marketing may suffer some limitations
in this environment, because a firm may not be able to use some marketing communication
strategies, particularly the types involving women, such as appointing a female salesperson
or using a female model for advertisements.
• LANGUAGE OF SUPERSTITION: superstitious beliefs play a critical role in explaining
personal and business behaviours in all culture.
• LANGUAGE OF COLOUR: colours have meaning and preferences for particular colours
are determined by culture. Because of custom and taboo, some colours are viewed negatively.
A colour deemed positive and acceptable in one culture can be inappropriate in another,
this can be a crucial factor in product packaging and presentation.
• LANGUAGE OF GIFTS: cultural attitudes concerning the presentation of gifts vary greatly
because of varying perceptions of gifts and their appropriateness. Good intentions can turn
into surprises and even embarrassment when particular gifts violate cultural beliefs. This
factor may play an important role in sales promotions, because most of sales promotion
activities occur by way of corporate gifts.
HIERARCHY OF COMMUNICATION EFFECTS
All communicators have objectives in mind when they encode and transmit messages. In marketing
communication, the source may wish the receiver to buy, try, or recommend the products to his friends.
The receiver, in responding to the source’s message, may want some changes made in the product, a
lower price, credit terms or other things that will adapt the source’s offering more to the receiver’s needs.
Hierarchy of Communication Effects is a series of steps leading to an ultimate objective, for instance,
the decision-making process involved in buying.
THE ADOPTION PROCESS is the mental process through which a person passes from his first hearing
of an innovation to his final adoption or rejection of it.
This process which was developed by Everett M. Rogers has five stages:
1) AwARENESS: the person is exposed to the innovation but does not have complete
information about the innovation. He is not yet motivated to seek more information. Mass
media make a great impact at this stage.
2) INTEREST: the person becomes interested in the innovation and looks for more information
about it. Mass media are economically used to provide the information that is actively sought.