Know-How Exchange : Student Questions

Juan,

I believe, from the context of your last question - If I am asked to describe tactic, distribution, and finally, communication, what is the difference between the last two components? - the difference is the communications is the HOW and the distribution is the WHO. To whom are you targeting? There is no universal definition or agreement as to this - it's not part of the "Grand Unifying Theory of Marketing" and inherently recognized. It very much depends on context, text book author, and professor. For instance, in the last question you have tactic, distribution, and communication. I could interpret this also as the tactic is TV, radio, print, online, direct mail, POS, FSIs, etc. Communication is the message, and distribution is the target audience.

Regardless of the semantics, for an effective marketing activity, you have to have those three elements: An audience, a message, and a way to transmit the message to the audience. And to be effective, the message has to use words and images that affect the audience and convey how their needs are satisfied by the product or service being promoted. The message also has to be transmitted via a vehicle the audience routinely monitors for information on the product or service. For instance, I wouldn't think that you'd want to promote a professional wrestling event in a physics journal or a maternity magazine.

I hope this helps.

Wayde

Juan,

You start where you start anything related to marketing: With the customer. Discuss who they are, their needs, the words and images that influence them, where they get their information on grape juice. Talk about any groups of customers - segmentation - and the size of the segments. Then justify your target. Then you are in a position to talk about the tactics that make sense, based on the ways that the target customers find out about grape juice and products like grape juice. Then, based on the tactics, you can discuss the communication vehicles. And finally, you can talk about the message. All of the tactics need to have an integrated set of messages that are complimentary and cohesive. Discuss how the entire campaign fits together. That's the way I would structure it, anyway. Randall may have some other thoughts from a different direction.

Wayde