|
The field of marketing communications is ever-changing. Brand managers continually
attempt to gain advantage over competitors and endeavor to achieve larger
market shares and profits for the brands they manage. Marketing communications,
or marcom, is just one element of the marketing mix, but advertising, promotions,
marketing-oriented public relations, and other marcom tools perform
increasingly important roles in firms’ quests to achieve financial and nonfinancial
goals. Marcom practitioners are confronted with the rising costs of placing ads in
traditional advertising media (television, magazines, and so on) and are aggravated
by the ever-growing clutter when advertising in these media. For these reasons,
advertising and promotion budgets are beginning to shift away from
traditional media and toward the Internet, which in recent years has become an
important advertising medium both as a means of accessing difficult-to-reach
groups (such as college-age consumers) and in providing numerous options for
presenting advertising messages and promotional offers to these groups.
Marketing communicators realize now more than ever that their advertising,
promotion, and other marcom investments must be held financially accountable.
Companies continually seek more effective ways of communicating effectively
and efficiently with their targeted audiences. Marketing communicators are challenged
to use communication methods that will break through the clutter, reach
audiences with interesting and persuasive messages that enhance brand equity
and drive sales, and assure that marcom investments yield an adequate return on
investment. In meeting these challenges, companies increasingly embrace a strategy
of integrated marketing communications whereby all marcom elements must
be held accountable for delivering consistent messages and influencing action. |
