Alternative marketing methods and media often leverage creativity and imagination to reach consumers. For this assignment, you will add alternative channels to your campaign media mixes, explain your strategy for using each channel, and create ad mockups.
Please complete the following:
- Add a new page titled Alternative Marketing and Media Mix after each of your marketing campaigns. You will have six of these pages.
- On each Alternative Marketing and Media Mix page, do the following:
- List the alternative channels that will be used to support the campaign. Remember that you shouldn’t use every channel for each campaign. You should select the ones that best communicate the campaign message to consumers.
- For each channel, write at least two paragraphs explaining the strategy for the channel and how it will support the campaign. Mention specifics such as guerrilla marketing ideas, product placement locations, and cities to be targeted with coffee sleeves.
- Estimate the cost for using each channel. Explain how you determined this cost. Remember that the length of time the campaign will run plays a role in cost.
- You should try to use at least one alternative channel for every campaign. However, if you determine that a campaign is not conducive to using alternative marketing, explain on the corresponding Alternative Marketing and Media Mix page why this is the case.
Alternative Marketing Methods
Market Campaign 1 (Fashion Shoe to Boost Self Esteem).
Buzz Marketing. Buzz marketing would be an effective alternative channel for the campaign. Buzz marketing is the use of the word-of-mouth to communicate the attributes of the target product. The campaign would target a person who is passionate about the product to pass the information to other potential consumers (Padilla and García 13). The channel is effective for the campaign because the marketer will target young women by proving a sample of the shoes for them to market it through word-of-mouth.
The cost of the buzz marketing channel will come in the form of providing the product to passionate young customers to get them speaking about it to their followers and generate brand awareness. The cost will not go beyond $2000 taking into account the number of shoes they will provider to the influencers.
Product Placement in Social Media. The fashion shoe will be inserted into social media products, such as Facebook for consumers to view it when they are surfing through the media (Khan et al. 2). Considering that young people use the social media quite often, they will most likely come across the product and receive the message about the shoes that will improve their confidence and self-image.
The cost of the strategy will only include the price of making the creative ad and the placement cost on social media. The cost will be between $500 and $1000 to design and post the ad.
Market Campaign 2: A New Pendant Campaign
In-store ad. A poster with an image of the new pendant will be placed in a jewelry store to inform the customers about its existence. The channel will be used in a store that already sells the company’s products to inform customers about the new product (Khan et al. 46). The poster will be strategically placed for customers to see when they visit the store.
The cost of the ad will be what the retailers charge to have the ad placed in their store. However, the company will also bear the cost of designing the ad. The cost will be between $500 and $1000 to design and post the ad.
Point-of-purchase (POP) displays
The campaign would also use point-of-purchase (POP) displays, which are special ad placement channels. The company will include the signage for the pendant placed at the point of sale to appeal to customers, especially regulars to the store (Khan et al. 46). Customers will see the ad and probably make the buying decision.
The cost will include what the store will charge for the ad placement and the cost of designing the sign to display. The cost will be between $500 and $1000 to design and post the advert in the store.
Market Campaign 3: Sports Sneakers Campaign
Lifestyle Marketing. The alternative channel will involve the company’s marketing team attending a national championship in the city to market the new sneakers. The strategy will involve meeting customers in a relaxed environment to market the shoe (Funk et al. 18). The effectiveness will emanate from focusing on customers’ interests and how the shoe will meet their need.
The strategy is the most cost-effective because the company will not suffer any cost besides facilitating the transport for the marketing team to travel to the sports venue. The cost of the marketing strategy will be less than $100 since it will only be the cost of travelling to the venue.
Guerrilla Marketing. The channel will work fort the sports sneakers campaign by creating a sidewalk painting featuring an image of the sports sneakers. The marketing team will place it strategically to communicate with the audience attending the sports event (Funk et al., 48). Marketing the shoes in the sports event is an effective strategy to create awareness about its existence.
The cost involved in the marketing approach is the designing the poster and traveling to the sports event. Apart from the cost, the approach is one of the most cost-effective for the campaign. The cost of the marketing strategy will be less than $100 since it will only be the cost of travelling to the venue.
Market Campaign 4: Cultural Dress for Cultural Appreciation Week
Experimental Marketing. The most relevant alternative channel for the campaign is experimental marketing. The strategy will include field marketing, direct marketing, and sales promotions during the cultural appreciation week. The marketing team will engage with customers during the event, offering samples to attendees and encouraging to buy in the process (Padilla and García 26). Customers will also enjoy discounts on the products they are interested in or add-on for interacting with the product. The choice of the market and the target customer segment will play a key role in the success of the marketing strategy.
The channel will be one of the most cost-effective for the company because the marketing team will not use any extra cost apart from arriving to the event. Since they will use company’s vehicles, the marketing strategy will be basically free.
Market Campaign 5: Supa Kids’ Shoes
Buzz Marketing. The campaign will be unique since it involves a product targeting children. The most effective alternative marketing method for the product will be Buzz marketing. The word-of-mouth marketing approach will involve customers passing information about the product to other potential customers (Padilla and García 13). The product is new and unique since it is the first time the company has designed the kind of kids’ shoes. While the brand stands out, it will be necessary to communicate information about the product to the target consumers. The marketing team will give the shoes to celebrity kids to wear them to school and speak about their comfort and style as a marketing strategy. The information will make an impact because the children are influencers.
The cost of the marketing approach will be the cost of producing the pairs of shoes that the marketing team will give to the celebrity kids. Besides, that, the marketing method is highly cost-effective. The strategy will not go beyong $1500.
Market Campaign 6: Fashionable Caps
Alternative Media. The company will market the fashionable caps through alternative media, placing their ads on video games. The strategy will engage consumers in a unique way by sending the message about the cap when young men enjoy their video games. The method will be highly effective for the campaign because they target young men who enjoy wearing caps and are most likely to play video games.
The approach will be the most expensive of the others because of the cost the company will pay to have the ad integrated into video games. The cost could range from $500 to $1,000 depending on the number of video games.
Works Cited
Funk, Daniel, et al. Sport consumer behaviour: Marketing strategies. Routledge, 2016.
Khan, Amir Hafizullah, Abhijeet Arun Agashe, and Rijuta Joshi. “Alternative Low-Cost Marketing Strategies.”
Padilla, Washington R., and H. Jesús García. “CIALCO: Alternative marketing channels.” International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems. Springer, Cham, 2016.