Monday, December 10, 2012

Thesis: The Marketing Communication Strategy of Blue Bird Taxi... (Part 18)

To get a better understanding about this, please start reading from the first post of the series. 

THESIS: The Marketing Communication Strategy of Blue Bird Taxi To Maintain Market Leader Position After Using The Highest Tariff:
  • Introduction & Book Cover   : Part 1
  • Research Originality Statement and Acknowledgement   : Part 2
  • Abstract                                          : Part 3
  • Table of Contents                          : Part 4

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(Chapter II continued...)

2.10.1.2 Research Question Two, to analyze and make an opinion of the marketing communication strategy use to communicate a better valued over higher price.
            To answer this question we will use the marketing communication planning by Ouwersloot & Duncan (2007) called the Zero-based Planning that has 6 steps:
Table 2.4
The Marketing Communications Strategy Planning Indicators

1. Identify Target
    Audience
Using parts of Research Question One. (Kotler et al, 1999):
-       Segmenting
-       Targeting
2. Analyze SWOTs
1. Summarize brand related condition of:
-       Internal (Strength & Weakness): 4Ps, Brand Relationship, Brand Communication
-       External (Opportunities & Threat):
Threat in market place condition, Opportunities in social & economic condition

2. SWOT Analysis to consider:
-       Realistic Damages to brand if Weakness or Threat is not addressed
-       Realistic Benefit if  Opportunities or strength is not leveraged
-       Cost of addressing or leveraging each SWOT
-       Time Frame to address or leverage each SWOT
3. Determine MC
    objective
1. AIDA Model of Consumer Response:
- Communication objective (Awareness, Interest & Desire)
- Behavioral Objective (Action)

2. Criteria for objective:
Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Challenging
4. Develop Strategies  
    & Tactics
1. Selecting MC mix & selecting Media mix (Smith et al, 2002)
2. Select the Creative Idea
3. Scheduling & Timing of MC activities
5. Determine the
    Budget
This can be: percentage-of-sales, objective and task, share-of-category spending, and Return On Investment (ROI).
6. Evaluate
    Effectiveness
Regarding relationship strength, sales, share & awareness from:
-       Industry Report
-       Own research

2.10.1.3 Research Question Three, to analyze and make an opinion of the marketing communication mix used.
            To answer this question we will look use the marketing communication mix by Smith et al (2007), which can includes:
Table 2.5
The Marketing Communications Mix Indicators

1. Sales Force
(Foster, 1998)
Can include: face-to-face sales meetings, telephone sales calls, videoconferencing, tradeshows and exhibitions, conferences/ seminars, and word of mouth
2. Advertising
(Yeshin, 1998)
TV, radio, newspaper, magazines, and cinema
3. Sales promotions
(Smith, 2004)
-       Customer promotions (premiums, gifts, prizes and competitions, e.g. on the back of breakfast cereal boxes)
-       Trade promotions (special terms, point-of-sale materials and free pens, diaries, competition prizes. et cetera)
-       Sales force promotions (incentive and motivation schemes)
4. Direct marketing
(Kotler & Keller, 2006)
Direct mail, telemarketing, door-to-door selling, direct response advertising, computerized home shopping, home shopping networks, and miscellaneous (stuffers, inserts, leaflet drops house to house distribution).
5. Public Relations
(Smith, 2004)
Includes: Press relations, Product publicity, Public affairs, Lobbying, Investor relations, Development, News, Speeches, Special events, Written materials, and Audio visual materials.
6. Sponsorship
(Smith, 2004)
Association with an entity, event or activity.
7. Exhibitions
(Smith, 2004)
Includes with customer, buyers, sellers and competitors
8. Corporate identity (Smith, 2004:654)
Includes: Logos and names, “permanent media” or buildings (exterior and interior), signage, vehicles, uniforms, business forms (invoices, cheques, letterhead. et cetera), literature (product brochures, annual reports), exhibitions, etc.
9. Packaging (Smith, 2004)
The design at the point of sales (Smith, 2004)
10. Point-of-purchase and merchandising.
Smith (2004) & Duncan, (2002)
Point of purchase includes temporary incentives and displays. (Duncan, 2002)
Merchandising: display and store design (Smith, 2004)
11. Word of mouth
(Smith, 2004)
Conversation of: organizations, products, services and staff, complaint, admiration or an endorsement. marketing communications (advertising campaigns, editorial stories, publicity stunts and special offers). Techniques that encourage WOM:
postcards, digital postcards, T-shirts, photographs, awards and certificates (issued to visitors, customers and enquirers) and the Internet (news groups, chat-rooms, discussion forums, and email chain letters).
12. Internet and new media (Smith, 2004)
online advertising (banners, pop-ups, interstitials, e-mails, newspaper-like standardized ads, URLs, advertising in chat rooms), online personal selling, online sales promotion, online public relations, online direct marketing and web site.

2.10.2 Frame of Reference
            As mentioned earlier, the conceptualization above is what will allow us to answer this thesis research question. In order to show how our research fit together a frame of reference will be presented. This frame of reference, which results from the conceptualization above, is what will guide the data collection for this thesis. The following model therefore gives an overview of how our research questions relate to each other and all serve as a base to reach our research purpose.

Figure 2.4 Frame of Reference
The Marketing Communication Strategy of Blue Bird Taxi to Maintain Market Leader Position after Using the Highest Tariff
  
The frame of reference shows that the market leader strategy of Blue Bird taxi will suggest the marketing communication strategy which in turns suggests the marketing communication mix to use. The arrows show the strategic relationship.