Increased competition in all markets without exception leads marketers to seek new ways to promote products. Today, advertising is increasingly using hidden and non-standard ways of influencing the consumer. As a result of the search for new methods of promotion, such a type of advertising as BTL appears, i.e. indirect advertising, which includes promotions. What are promotions? How to carry them out? And what kinds of them exist? We will talk about all this in our article.
The concept
So, we are interested in promotions. What is the action, you probably don’t have to explain, but what does “promo” mean? Translated from English, this word means ... "advertising." Nowhere is easier, is it? Nevertheless, we suggest that you go a little deeper into the jungle of marketing and decide on the concept of product promotion. This term refers to a set of measures to bring to the consumer information about the benefits and advantages of a particular thing (service, brand, manufacturer) and to stimulate a purchase. The main promotion tool is advertising. It happens to be direct media (ATL), to which we are all accustomed to: television and radio commercials, billboards on the streets of the city, etc. But the consumer is less and less responsive to such advertising methods, and there is a growing need to come up with new options for delivering marketing information to the public. So there is an indirect, hidden advertising, or BTL, which includes promotions. Under them are understood non-standard actions to bring information about the product to the consumer. The latter is involved in the process of obtaining information and often does not even notice the advertising nature of the message or sees additional benefits in it and therefore decides to take part in this action.
Goals and objectives of the action
Any promotion always has a main goal - to increase sales of goods. But various steps lead to this super-goal, including promotions. This method works well: as a result, it is possible to achieve solutions to specific problems that allow you to approach a global goal. They can be aimed at:
- raising consumer awareness about the properties of the goods;
- stimulation for a trial or re-purchase;
- the establishment of consumer associations of advertising messages from other carriers (media) with a specific product;
- attracting new consumers;
- launching new products and brands on the market;
- the fight against stereotypical ideas about the product;
- the formation of positive emotions in connection with the product.
Planning
There are several types of promotions, and their number is only increasing, as marketers are constantly striving to find new ways of advertising products. However, the stages of preparing such marketing actions are generally lined up in a single chain. First you need to decide on the purpose and target audience of the promotion. What is the target audience? These are consumers with a certain set of characteristics (gender, age, income, etc.) with whom communication will be established. Then the most suitable type of stock is selected, its terms, geographical coverage and budget are determined. Then the action script is drawn up, staff is selected, the necessary materials are produced (leaflets, racks, uniforms, etc.). All data is collected in a single plan, which establishes those responsible for each type of action. Then the action is implemented and its effectiveness is evaluated.
Types of shares
The easiest way to answer the question: "Promotions - what is it?" through their classification. The oldest kind is sampling. Newer, but already familiar: Lifestyle, tastings, contests, lotteries, gift promotions. Of the newest types, switch-selling is worth mentioning, that is, exchanging competitors' products for a promoted product, bonus promotions, coupons, cross-promotion, i.e. promotion paired with a non-competitive product, flash mobs. Also, promotions include the scope of merchandising, i.e., designing a point of sale with POS materials, consulting on the trading floor, displaying goods , etc. Some researchers also refer to them as marketing activities on the Internet.
Sampling
Handing out samples is a surefire way to get a person to test a product. Free products are very attractive to the target audience. There are several options for sampling: distribution of samples in places of mass congestion of consumers, distribution through print media (pasting bags of shampoo, cream, perfume into magazines), exchanging half-empty packs for full packs of goods. When using sampling, you need to carefully study your target audience and its needs. So, not every customer will decide to take a bag of cheap mayonnaise in the lobby of an expensive store, because it can “hit” her image in the eyes of other visitors to the outlet. Conversely, giving out an expensive premium product in an economy class store is pointless. Since buyers are happy to take a sample, but are unlikely to ever make a purchase.
Leaflet
Distribution of leaflets, coupons, flyers a few years ago was very successful. Today, this very cheap way of advertising has become so frequent that it has discredited itself and does not give the desired effect. Although lifting is a very quick way to notify the target audience about something, for example, about an upcoming store promotion. But holding promotions with the distribution of leaflets needs to be carefully thought out. The consumer no longer takes or reads simply informational texts. He reads and saves only what is beneficial to him. Therefore, leaflets need to be given value in the eyes of the consumer. That is, the text received should be beneficial: a discount, the possibility of exchanging for a gift, etc. Either it should be interesting to the consumer - for example, until recently people were happy to take pocket calendars. Today, you can interest a potential customer by typing on a leaflet some recipe, advice, and other useful information.
Gift for purchase and lotteries
The nature of man is such that at any age he loves gifts. Therefore, shares with the distribution of presentations are always successful. This is a great way to encourage the buyer to make more purchases, or at least one trial purchase. There are many options for such promotions. It can be an exchange of coupons or packages for prizes. An example of such a promotion is the Magnat ice cream advertisement - the Buy Ice Cream and Win a Car promotion. In 2014, the company played two Porsche Cayman pink and black, and thus encouraged customers to try new varieties of cold dessert. In 2016, the Magnat ice cream producer, whose Lamborghini action beat record in popularity, repeated its success and accustomed buyers to a new type of product for 3 months. Promotions with gifts and lotteries are especially beneficial for those companies whose products are prohibited from advertising on the media (alcohol, cigarettes). An example is the Ochakovo company, whose “Win Gold and Silver Bars” promotion also brought its dividends.
Contests and Trivia
Another option for distributing gifts is a variety of contests that not only push consumers to buy goods, but also involve them in communication. Very often, for example, photo contests are held in which the winner is the one who gains the most votes. This makes the consumer not only participate in the competition, but also encourages him to engage his friends so that they vote for him. This leads to the fact that the participants themselves disseminate information about the project and reduce the company's advertising costs. For example, EUROMAG magazine held a quiz “Win a trip to Norway”, encouraging consumers to learn more about the country's tourist sites and generating pent-up demand. Such stocks do not bring instant commercial results, but have a prolonged accumulative effect.
Tastings and testing
After the consumer has tried the product, the chances that he will make a purchase are greatly increased. Therefore, tastings and tests are so popular in the promotion of goods. Yes, this is a costly way of advertising, it requires special training, but with proper planning it fully justifies itself. It is only necessary to carefully choose the venue of the action. So, many residents of megalopolises remember how a few years ago on weekends in hypermarkets there was literally no crowding between the promotional stands with tasting. You need to understand that a consumer of medium and high-profitable groups will not try the product in a hypermarket. But in a restaurant or club, he is happy to taste wine or cigarettes.
Stock Benefits
Involving the consumer in communication with the product is today the most progressive way to promote the latter. Promotions (promotions) allow you to tell the consumer about the product and overcome the negative attitude to advertising. A promo is a troublesome and often expensive business, but usually it brings a quick and visible result.