Objectives of Promotional Strategy of Plush Karaoke - Essay Example

Promote and Market Marketing - Promotion Strategy Promotions are the techniques applied in spreading the information regarding services or products to the target customers, the stakeholders, together with the wider public. Upon identification of the target market, the marketer has all the ideal ideas on how best he or she can ensure the organization services or products reach them (Steinke 141). However, majority of businesses have been found to employ a mix of personnel selling, advertising, public relation, and sales promotion as the means through which they promote their services and product. During my internship at Plush Karaoke, I had a special focus on acquiring knowledge on the different strategies employed for marketing and promotion of services in the organization. To ensure this was effectively understood, I had to partake in the numerous marketing and promotion activities of the organization, among which were advertising, sales promotion, selling, and the public relation (Steinke 145). Objectives of Promotional Strategy In Plush Karaoke, promotion was used for the purpose of expanding the market, as well as retaining its current position in the market. Similarly, this organization employed promotional strategy for the purposes of presenting a corporate viewpoint in regard to the public issues (Steinke 142). The organization also found promotional strategies as being key to reaching the target markets for its products. Among the organizational goals herein were the identification of particular promotional objectives and goals for the purposes of providing information on the services. On the other hand, there was the need to differentiate the services, stabilize sales, increase the sales, as well as accentuating the service value. Duties and Tasks Among the promotional practices offered by the organization, which I took part in their marketing and promotion were; happy Thursday, expansion of craft beer, adding a second TV in each room, barber cut machine, new song selections, sports programming at bar area, music video at bar area and refreshed food menu. The sales promotion practice included many forms such as personal selling, advertising and public relation for the purposes of increasing the sales via the one-time efforts of selling. In addition, the organization considered the sales promotion practice as an important part in the promotional mix (Steinke 143). I got engaged in Point-of-Purchase Advertising (POP), which involved demonstrations and displays for promoting the services through video advertisements on the shopping charts of supermarkets. Another important practice was the specialty advertising, which involved issuance of merchandise including T-shirts and calendars imprinted with the logos and messages of the offers on services provided. With the initial intention of identifying and creating goodwill for the advertisers, specialty advertising was applied for the purpose of generating sale leads as well as developing traffic for trade show exhibitions (Steinke 1453). Other Sales Promotion Methods Other techniques employed in sales promotion included coupons, samples, contests, premiums as well as the trading stamps. For instance, news of the percentage offer on drinks during the happy Thursday was meant to encouraging consumers to give the service try (Steinke 147). On the other hand, the extension of recreational services, which included addition of a TV in each of the rooms, was a way of encouraging consumers to prefer the services offered by the organization to those of the competitors. Adding other song selections in the premises was meant to meet the specific demands of the customers based on their ages, cultural backgrounds and religious beliefs. Frequent shuffling of the foods on the menu was also done based on the customer demands and this gave the organization the customer-based New Product Development advantage over the competitors. The organization also sought to give discounts on small prices and this was important in prompting the customers to try the new services. The practice also included the issuance of premium, and this meant the services were given at reduced prices or for free if the customer purchased another service (Steinke 144). Other activities included the use of trading stamps, and they were important in enabling the organization build loyalty for consumers (Steinke 141). Public Relations The public relation involved the communications of the organization with the public, among which are vendors, customers, employees, news media, government, stakeholders and the entire public (Steinke 146). The public relation was regarded as a supplement for personal selling and advertisement. At some moments, the use of public relation was a dominant element in the promotional campaign in the organization. The program was thus aimed at changing the image of the organization as well as expanding its appeal beyond the previously confined cluster of customers. There was the use of magazines, newspapers, and televisions, which expanded the coverage of the media for the company products (Steinke 144). Selecting a Promotional Mix The period also enabled me to engage in the selection of the suitable promotional mix for the organization, and the organization had general guidelines that facilitated the determination of relative allocations for expenditures and promotional efforts among advertisement, personal selling, sales and public relations (Steinke 141). Among these guidelines was the making of decision on whether or not to use the fund allocated for personal selling or advertisement. Upon the making of the decision, the marketers, among which I was one, were required to determine the sale promotion level together with the efforts of public relation. On the other hand, it was important to consider the market to which services and goods were served (Steinke 145). The value of the products constitutes another important consideration for the company, where the company put more emphasis on advertisement as a promotional strategy. The internship experience enabled me apply the theoretical knowledge gained in class in the real market practice. For instance, it provided the ideal avenue on which the different research strategies on the target market could be done prior to the production and distribution of the merchandise (Steinke 145). Similarly, I was able to use the knowledge for evaluation and picking of the favorable events for meeting the target market, as well as in the choosing and designing of the ideal items for promotion that would be well welcomed in the market. Strengths and Weaknesses My direct involvement in the promotion marketing strategy and practices of the organization during the internship offered me a firsthand experience with the different factions of customers, and this was important in enabling me apply and evaluate the theoretical knowledge gained in class. On the other hand, the management of the organization was well organized with proper programs for internship students’ practices and this helped in avoiding confusion and lack of information upon inquiries. On the other hand, the relatively wide application of promotional marketing strategy meant there was not enough time to enable comprehensive participation in them all. Work Cited Steinke, William G. “Price, Value, and Comparable Distinctions in Distressed Markets.” Appraisal Journal.  2012, Vol. 80 Issue 2, p140-148. Read More