Perreault−McCarthy: Basic
Marketing: A
Global−Managerial
Approach, 14/e- Promotion −
Introduction to Integrated
Marketing
Communications
Text © The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2002402 Chapter 14
achieve marketing objectives; they think the news staff is the source. That may
make the message more credible, but is it fair? Many say yes—as long as the pub-
licity information is truthful. But gray areas still remain. Consider, for example, a
SmithKline Beecham video about a prescription heart attack drug. An estimated
27 million consumers saw the video on various TV news programs. The video
included a laundry list of possible side effects and other warnings, just as is required
for normal drug advertising. But there’s never any guarantee that the warnings won’t
be edited out by local TV stations.
Critics raise similar concerns about the use of celebrities in advertisements. A
person who plays the role of an honest and trustworthy person on a popular TV
series may be a credible message source in an ad, but is using such a person mis-
leading to consumers? Some critics believe it is. Others argue that consumers
recognize advertising when they see it and know celebrities are paid for their
endorsements.
The most common criticisms of promotion relate to promotional messages that
make exaggerated claims. What does it mean for an ad or a salesperson to claim
that a product is the “best available”? Is that the personal opinion of people in the
firm, or should every statement—even very general ones—be backed up by objec-
tive proof? What type of proof should be required? Some promotional messages do
misrepresent the benefits of a product. However, most marketing managers want to
develop ongoing relationships with, and repeat purchases from, their customers.
They realize that customers won’t come back if the marketing mix doesn’t deliver
what the promotion promises. Further, consumers are becoming more skeptical
about all the claims they hear and see. As a result, most marketing managers work
to make promotion claims specific and believable.^8Integrated Direct-Response Promotion Is Very Targeted
The challenge of developing promotions that reach specifictarget customers has
prompted many firms to turn to direct marketing—direct communication between
a seller and an individual customer using a promotion method other than face-to-
face personal selling. Most direct marketing communications are designed to prompt
immediate feedback—a direct response—by customers. That’s why this type of com-
munication is often called direct-response promotion.
Early efforts in the direct-response area focused on direct-mail advertising. A
carefully selected mailing list—perhaps from the firm’s customer relationship man-
agement (CRM) database—allowed advertisers to reach a specific target audience
with specific interests. And direct-mail advertising proved to be very effective when
the objective was to get a direct response from the customer.Achieving a measurable, direct response from specific target customers is still the
heart of direct promotion. But the promotion medium is evolving to include not
just mail but telephone, print, e-mail, a website, broadcast, and even interactive
video. The customer’s response may be a purchase (or donation), a question, or a
request for more information. At a website, the response may be a simple mouse-
click to link to more information, a click to put an item in a virtual shopping cart,
or a click to purchase.
Often the customer responds by calling a toll-free telephone number or, in the
case of business markets, by sending a fax or an e-mail. A knowledgeable salesper-
son talks with the customer on the phone and follows up. That might involve filling
an order and having it shipped to the customer or putting an interested prospect in
touch with a salesperson who makes a personal visit. There are, however, manyNow it’s more than
direct-mail advertising