Here’s a great example of a marketing mix whereby components of research, planning, public relations, pricing, customer support, sales strategy and community involvement form a cohesive plan. The mix percentage will be different for each business, but be sure to include all the components. Thanks to Tish Pierce, Pierce Creative Marketing Service.
Archeologists have found evidence of advertising in every civilization that communicated by writing. As soon as one man grew or raised too many of what he needed, the concept of bartering was born. To extend the barter beyond a chance encounter, posting in a public place of what was available or what was wanted became commonplace. This “poster” method of advertising dominated for many years.
As posting of goods and services became more commonplace, competition for the viewer’s eye grew. The embellishment of elements or services offered was hired out to artists. Remember Toulouse-Lautrec? His famous posters lured customers to the Moulin Rouge.
From the simple poster, advertising has grown with the mass media. Communication in this day and age is seen everywhere, usually in split seconds. Regardless of the speed of the advertising vehicle, it remains the same as it has for the past hundred years. Advertising is salesmanship functioning in the paid space and time of mass media.
The salesman of every company has one primary duty: persuasion. Just as a good salesman reflects the standards of his or her company, an ad should convey the personality of the advertiser. Throw a little reason and logic into the equation and your advertising will always be on point.
Now that we know how advertising evolved, how is it different from marketing? Believe it or not there is a definite delineation. Advertising the action of calling something to the attention of the public especially by paid announcements. It is a paid, public, non-personal announcement of a persuasive message. Marketing is the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service. It includes the systematic planning, implementation and control of a mix of business activities intended to bring together buyers and sellers for the transfer of products.
Break it down this way: if Advertising is a piece of okra, then Marketing would be the gumbo. Advertising is a single component of the marketing process. The whole gumbo may include advertising, market research, media planning, public relations, product pricing, distribution, customer support, sales strategy, and community involvement.
Marketing involves getting the word out concerning your business. It’s the process of developing strategies such as ad placement, frequency, etc. Advertising includes the placement of an ad in such mediums as newspapers, direct mail, billboards, television, radio, and of course the Internet. Advertising is the largest expense of most marketing plans, with public relations following in a close second and market research not falling far behind.
If your business is lagging on advertising ROI (return on investment), perhaps it’s time to focus more on marketing. Don’t just rely on advertising, get busy MARKETING. A million years ago in high school typing class, we learned to type “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” – a phrase that uses all the letters of the alphabet. Only by learning and using all the letters on the keyboard could one pass the class.
You’ve got to be quick to succeed in today’s economy. You’ve also got to be smart. Measure your advertising ROI, then integrate a strong marketing mix – research, planning, public relations, pricing, customer support, sales strategy AND community involvement. In other words, learn and use all the letters on the keyboard. Whew, it takes a lot, but the outcome will definitely be worth the effort.
Tish Pierce, Pierce Creative Marketing Service (www.piercecms.com). She can be contacted at (225) 284-8231 or email info@piercecms.com.
