Applied Marketing Management - Assignment Example

Applied Marketing Management Fragmentation is spread of attention across an increasing array of media and entertainment choices. Consumers spend less time with traditional media forcing marketers to adapt by finding newer, more effective ways to reach their target audiences by linking sales promotion to target markets and multiple television programming. Media companies also fragment their content and business models to match their fragmented audiences (Ferrell and Hartline 293) AIDA model involves attracting attention and interest of customers, stimulating their desire by convincing them and action which involve actual purchase.

IMC shifts when firms focus on long term promotional objectives and have the patience to continue the program long enough to gauge true success (294). These elements vary across the steps since they tend to be used more heavily to stimulate awareness and interest. Issues facing social media is the difficulty associated with tracking the effectiveness of social media advertisements since many of the effects and outcomes of advertising take a long time to develop. Pretest attempts to ease before or after evaluation of potential effectiveness of elements of the advertising program (302) It creates market penetration which results in repeated purchases and persistent customer relationships.

It also increase consumption and impulse buying among others. Activities are, coupons, direct mail, contests and sweepstake, free samples, refunds and bonuses for purchasing products. These activities are most important tool in developing an effective and efficient integrated marketing communication program. Customer delight, satisfaction, dissatisfaction emerge as outcome. Marketer have to go above and beyond the call of duty to manage expectations effectively, especially when expectations are unrealistic.

Firms should look for small ways to delight customers without elevating expectations beyond what can reasonably be delivered (374). In order to maintain and manage customer satisfaction strategically, a better understanding of customer product expectation is important. Expectations can vary due to degree of personal needs, involvement in situations and alternatives. By analyzing zone of tolerance managers are able to come up with various ways of improving expectation and performance as part of developing strategies aimed at improving customer satisfaction.

To enhance and maintain customer relationships managers uses effective and easy financial incentives including discount and coupons. Are easily imitated and difficult to end. Social bonding involve use of clubs to maintain clientele. It is difficult and minimizes brand switching. It is time consuming. Customization uses customer knowledge to provide solution. It promotes strong loyalty. It expensive and time consuming. Structural bonding helps customized product offering through contracts. It reduces switching only that it is resistance and time consuming (360) It define and increase customer value in ways that motivate and encourage customers to remain loyal (356).

Stages are awareness, initial purchase, repeat, client, community and advocacy. The stages aim at promoting loyalty and permanent customer bonding. Methods used are advertising, sampling, personal selling, incentives and events. Work Cited Ferrell, O.C. and D.Michael Hartline. Marketing Strategy. 5th. Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.