Marketingtopics Essay Example

and a specific product or service category to create effective marketing communication campaigns. For example, Emirates Airlines positions itself as offering excellent in-flight service quality by aligning with the luxurious hospitality image of Emirates. French fragrances like Channel and Dior often showcase images of Paris in their campaigns to reinforce the association between the products' COO and romance and beauty. IKEA leverages Sweden's reputation as a social, family-oriented nation to position its business across different continents. Japanese electronics producers like Sony and Panasonic take advantage of Japan's leading reputation in high-tech consumer gadgets.Marketing communication campaigns for German cars, such as Volkswagen and Audi, commonly utilize German attributes to capitalize on consumers' association of high quality and dependable manufacturing with Germany. This approach is related to the COO effect and consumer ethnocentrism, which pertains to the tendency to perceive domestic products as superior to imported ones. Numerous studies support the notion that this inclination greatly influences consumers' product choices. Research indicates that the country of origin (COO) significantly impacts car purchasing decisions in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK. Industry data reveals that domestically manufactured vehicles are the top-selling cars in Germany, while French and Italian consumers exhibit a preference for cars from their respective markets. Targeted marketing campaigns have played a crucial role in fostering brand loyalty by creating positive brand images for each country's automobiles. In an effort to increase Renault's market share in Germany, Renault Germany's Director of Marketing Communications faced a challenge. To address this issue, he devised an integrated marketing communications strategy after conducting thorough market research using both secondary and primary data analysis methods. Secondary data refers to pre-existing

information collected for different purposes.Often, market research starts by gathering secondary data to gain an initial understanding of the situation and define problems and objectives for future primary research. Secondary research has advantages such as being faster, cheaper, and easier compared to primary research. It also provides access to data that individual organizations may not be able to gather on their own due to limited availability or high costs. At Renault, for instance, the Director of Marketing Communications and their team utilized data from tracking surveys conducted by large market research institutes like SGF and readership surveys carried out by leading car magazines such as auto motor undo sport. These surveys contribute to the integrated marketing process, which includes a situational analysis involving internal and external factors, identifying marketing communications objectives and unique selling points, targeting specific audiences, selecting an agency through a creative brief and invitation for pitch, and ultimately choosing the most suitable agency based on expertise and creativity. The planning and implementation of integrated marketing involve stages like campaign development and implementation, choice of marketing communications mix, creative execution, and media selection.Campaign evaluation, which includes tracking studies before, during, and after the campaign, is important for assessing the campaign's effectiveness and efficiency. Additionally, future planning involves staying in consumers' minds through reminders and follow-up campaigns. Tracking studies are conducted at various points in time using large samples to monitor changes in consumer attitudes towards car brands. For example, a survey of auto, motor, and sport readership involved over 100,000 participants within one year. After analyzing available secondary data, the Director found that safety was a crucial factor for German consumers when choosing

a new car. Certain brands were perceived as leaders in this attribute while Renault lagged behind. To understand why consumers perceived Renault cars as unsafe and determine if it affected their decision to purchase the brand, the Director of Marketing Communications conducted primary research specifically focused on this purpose. It is essential that data collected for such studies are relevant, accurate, current, and unbiased to make informed decisions. Qualitative and quantitative research are two main types of primary research that provide valuable insights into markets, competitors, trends, consumer behavior,and attitudes (Proctor 2000).Qualitative research allows for a more detailed exploration of consumers' impressions and motivations, while quantitative research provides an organized overview of opinions from a large group of consumers (Wilson, 2006). To supplement the existing secondary data, primary research was conducted through focus groups. These guided discussions with potential Renault customers aimed to understand their reasons for choosing competitor cars and identify any obstacles to switching to Renault. The results confirmed two key findings from the analysis of secondary data: (1) safety was crucial for German car buyers, and (2) German cars and other imported brands were perceived as safer than Renault cars. Based on these findings, the Director of Marketing Communications concluded that targeting the main German competitors and other major car import brands directly on safety would be the most effective approach (527). With evidence that eight Renault car models had received five-star ratings from Europe's New Car Assessment Program (refer to Figure 2), Renault became known as the manufacturer of the safest cars in Europe. This unique selling proposition presented an excellent opportunity to increase the brand's appeal among German consumers with

a creative and integrated marketing communications campaign.Market research indicated that the most profitable target audience for potential new car buyers was males aged 30-49 with a high income. Consequently, all marketing communications efforts were concentrated on this specific market segment. The Director of Marketing Communications had inquiries regarding the marketing communications mix, creative execution, and campaign evaluation for the identified opportunity and target group. To obtain optimal solutions, a creative brief was prepared, highlighting essential market data and objectives. Multiple marketing communications agencies were then invited to present their concepts. Following this process, it was decided to collaborate with both Publics (www.Publics.Com) and Normal Hamburg (www.Normal.Com) for the project. Publics is an established international advertising agency network while Normal Hamburg is a newer agency renowned for their innovative approaches to campaign planning and design. These agencies complement each other effectively in terms of expertise in various aspects of the communications mix as well as their creative approach.

With the goal of enhancing consumer awareness about Renault cars' safety features, the marketing communications mix and creative execution were chosen accordingly. The campaign's selected message was "The safest cars come from France" ("Die christen Autos common ass Franchise").According to Scowls and Kicker (1998), the agencies were given the task of finding an effective and efficient way to communicate this message to the target audience. The marketing communications mix includes various elements such as advertising, public relations, personnel selling, and sales promotion (Pickett and Frederick, 2005). Advertising involves delivering communication through recognizable advertisements in different media. This allows for the guaranteed delivery of the unmodified message at a agreed rate and provides control over targeting specific audiences through appropriate

channels.

To successfully reposition their campaign, Normal Hamburg recommended using advertising as the key element in their marketing communications mix, particularly cinema commercials. They promoted their new website through viral marketing initiatives and television screenings that aligned with the campaign's theme. Additionally, they implemented a print advertising campaign (Kindergartens Heartburning (AWG), 2007).

The Director of Marketing Communications at Renault collaborated with Normal p Hamburg and Renault to decide that the cinema and TV commercial should emphasize the exceptional safety of cars from France compared to those from competing countries like Germany, Japan, and Sweden. This message was conveyed through a viral internet campaign.To support their claim, the agency decided to recreate the Euro NCAA Crassest scenario in a commercial titled "Crassest". Instead of crash test dummies, they filmed the collision of stereotypical national food items with walls (Figure 3). For instance, a giant German sausage slams into a barrier and shatters. The same fate befalls a Japanese sushi roll and a Swedish crossbreed, which also disintegrate upon impact.

In this test, a soft French baguette is the final participant. Surprisingly, it withstands the impact with minimal damage by absorbing shock through crumpling and uncoupling its front. These scenes are shown in slow-motion, creating a striking contrast with Rain Getty's passionate song "Scatterbrain (I will wait)," recorded in 1939.

Aside from the creative execution of the commercial, Normal Hamburg and Renault's Director of Marketing Communications had to decide which media channels to use for their marketing objectives. They determined that cinemas, internet, TV, and print were suitable channels that could complement each other (Figure 4). Cinemas were considered most important due to their ability to produce longer and higher-quality

commercials compared to TV.The Director of Marketing Communications believed that these attributes were crucial in impressing the audience and highlighting the campaign's creative focus. "Crassest" was shown in multiplex cinemas across 141 German cities during the third quarter of 2005. To support the cinema launch, a viral campaign was initiated where viewers would send the commercial link to others by email, effectively spreading the message at a low cost. Within a few weeks, thousands of viewers had seen "Crassest" on Youth (www.Youth.Com). The campaign continued from December 2005 to April 2006 with periodic TV broadcasts of the commercial. It was also screened again in cinemas in April and May 2006.

Starting from autumn 2006, "Crassest" could be continuously viewed on TV during selected programming as it served as a complementary media-class to cinema, allowing for a wider target audience and greater awareness levels. The campaign also encouraged consumers to visit the newly created Renault website for direct response purposes.

Alongside the TV campaign, a website called www.Sicker.De (Sicker h safe; Figure 5) was created to directly connect with the campaign message. The use of internet as a media medium was considered a complement to cinema and TV due to its flexibility and cost-effectiveness in reaching large audiences. Websites have the ability to engage multiple senses through sound and visuals.Moreover, the new Renault website not only offers a wide range of options for individual customers to choose from, but also provides abundant information. Users can now evaluate the safety of their car by referring to the latest Euro NCAA Crassest results on the website. Additionally, this interactive site includes comprehensive details about car and road safety. Furthermore, alongside

the launch of TV and website campaigns, a print campaign was initiated as well.