Introduction
A communication plan comprises some specified recommendations and estimated costs for many strategic applications needed for launching and sustaining new products, events, or brand organization. An appropriate communication plan vividly recognizes key messages, timeline projected, target audience, tactics, cost estimation, and evaluation of successes. The main goals of communication are to persuade, reinforce, inform and remind the existing and potential customers about the new product in the market.
Factors involved in developing and managing an effective marketing communications plan for the new product
The whole process of developing and managing an effective marketing communications plan for the new sunblock for men and women involves the following factors;
Target audience identification
This will include keen identification of potential buyers of the new sunblock for men and women both locally and abroad. Different relevant groups, decision-makers, and individuals who have influence will also be identified. In this process the company will also collect information from the public members on the perception they have of the company and its products and find out how the image of the company appears within the public both locally and in India, should the findings show that the image is not favorable then the company will seek to improve before launching the product into the market.
Determination of the objectives
Four possible objectives have been identified; establishing the category of the new sunblock product to address the issues of discrepancies between the present incentives and the anticipated emotional state; creating brand awareness for sunblock for men and women will enable the potential customers to easily distinguish the new product suitably to buy; the ability of the brand of sunblock to satisfy the current need in the market will also be evaluated. This will include using the media in the foreign market.
Designing communication
In this case, the company will use the following strategies;
- Message: the company will identify ideas, appeals, and themes that are linked to the brand to assist in identifying the points of parity or diversity. These could be related to services or products. Buyers always tend to gather more information on a product before doing a purchase.
- Creativity: the company will design the advertisement in a way that allows the customers to make their deductions regarding the sunblock for men and women. This will be done in both the local and foreign markets.
- Message source: influential people like motivational speakers, celebrities, and reputable media will be identified and paid to help in the advertisement.
Selecting the channels
The company will select efficient channels to ensure the product information is well spread both locally and abroad. At the local market, the company will engage more in personal communication through identifying influential personalities, creating opinion leaders, and also engaging testimonial strategies. For the foreign market, non-personal communication will be used. However, the company will mix the two whenever necessary.
Establishing the budget
The company will determine cost-effective ways of communicating to both local and foreign markets. In the local market, the company will use more personal communication through the use of cheap brochures, posters, and leaflets. In the foreign market, the company plans to use billboards and the international media (McDonald, 1999).
Deciding media matrix
In the process of establishing the communication budget, the company will consider the areas of publicity, events, and experiences, public relations, advertising, sales force, and sales promotion.
Measuring the results
Immediately after the whole process of communicating to both existing and potential customers, the company will again embark on collecting information from the public both locally and in the foreign market to determine the effectiveness of the communication. This will be to find out whether sunblock for men and women has met consumer expectations both locally and abroad.
Managing integrated marketing communications
In the process of market communication, the company will integrate many communication channels depending on the allocated communication funds. Personal and non-personal communication will be used in combination to achieve maximum effectiveness.
Advertising and promotion for the new sunblock for men and women
Advertising
For the local market, the company will use print media and broadcast adverts using the locally available channels, brochures, booklets, posters and leaflets, point-of-purchase displays, symbols, and logos. Whereas for the foreign markets the company will use directories, through government authority erect billboards, symbols and logos, videotapes and also use the local media channels of India to assist in reaching out to the public with information about the company’s sunblock for men and women (McDonald, 1999).
Promotion
In both the local and foreign markets the company will use exhibitions of sunblock for men and women, entertainments, sampling gifts and premiums, trade-in allowances, demonstrations, games, contests, lotteries, and sweepstakes.
The technology trends available to help market the product
The available technologies that can help in the marketing of new products include e-mail marketing which will enable the company to communicate with a large number of customers whose email addresses are in the company’s database; voice over the internet which is cheaper than telephone calls; mobile computing which allows the company officials and employees to work from anywhere and online advertising which is cheaper than radio and television adverts (McDonald, 1999).
Marketing communication strategies for both domestic and international markets
It is more difficult to penetrate and develop an international market than the local one. Because the new product is not yet recognized in the foreign market-India, the company is likely to face difficulties in penetrating the Indian market. This will also increase the cost of communication. But the company can get into the market through a partnership with other marketing agents already established in the foreign market or a local distributor or off-shoring the company’s foreign marketing to India.
It is easy to communicate in the local market since the company has vast experience in the local market. The company can use its local employees to design suitable adverts in terms of local languages. It is also easy and cost-effective since the employees who understand the product best are involved in the marketing communication. The main difference between domestic communication and foreign one is in the cost. Domestic communication strategies are relatively cheaper than in the foreign Indian market. The company already is registered in the local country and does not need to incur many operation expenses. In the foreign market, the company may be charged some tariffs due to certain barriers imposed by the government of India (McDonald, 1999).
Reference List
McDonald, M. (1999). Marketing plans: how to prepare them, how to use them. Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 0750641169, 9780750641166.