Unit 8: The Marketing Mix as a Business Strategy

Lesson 4: Product Promotion

Contents
Engage 1
Introduction 1
Objectives 1

Explore 2

Explain and Elaborate 3

Product Promotion in Marketing Mix 3
Five Main Components of Promotional Mix 4
Promotional Marketing in the Digital Era 5

Extend 7
Activity 7

Evaluate 9

Wrap Up 12

Bibliography 13
Unit 8.4: Product Promotion

Engage

Introduction
Once a business has sorted out the product
development, distribution, and pricing
strategies, it is time to work on engaging with
the consumers about the product. This phase
generally includes every medium available to
increase sales and to foster brand or product
awareness. Communicating a product to the
end consumers involves formulating the right
ingredients to come up with a favorable
outcome. What are these ingredients in the
promotional aspect of the marketing mix? Fig. 1. Social Media Marketing

Objectives
In this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
● Recognize the role of promotion in the marketing mix.
● Identify and apply the different promotional strategies as part of the marketing plan
of a business.

DepEd Competencies
● Recognize the importance of marketing mix in the development of marketing
strategy. (CS_EP11/12ENTREP-0h-j-10)
● Describe the Marketing Mix (7Ps) in relation to the business opportunity vis-à- vis
promotion. (CS_EP11/12ENTREP-0h-j-10)

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Explore

10 minutes
Guide Questions
Answer the following questions briefly and coherently:

1. How often do you see advertisements on television and on the internet?

2. Are you usually persuaded by advertisements in purchasing items? Explain briefly.

3. Do you click the advertisements that you see on different social media platforms?
Explain briefly.

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Explain and Elaborate

Product Promotion in Marketing Mix

Fig. 2. Billboards

When talking about the communication aspect of the marketing mix, promotion is the only
element that can address it. Its primary aim is to attract the customers’ attention, as well as
provide useful information about the product to build interest and loyalty. Among all
elements in the marketing mix, businesses tend to complement promotional activities with
placement strategies to be able to reach their target audience.

The following are the fundamental objectives of creating a promotional plan:

1. To create brand or product awareness. Creating brand awareness forms an
integral part of every promotional activity of a business. Oftentimes, it may also be
needed in times of rebranding situations to avoid the downfall of any product.
2. To generate demand. Part of generating demand is increasing the sales
performance of a product through promotion. It is likewise important to re-engage
existing customers and encourage new ones in trying out the product.
3. To differentiate a product from its competitors. In situations where an industry is
oversaturated, any business may adopt effective promotional strategies to make its
product stand out in the market. The technique here is to focus on functionalities or
benefits that are not yet offered by other competitors.

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Unit 8.4: Product Promotion

Why is promotion a vital component of the

marketing strategies of any business?

Five Main Components of Promotional Mix

There are five major components that make up the promotional mix. These components are
implemented to ensure that a clear message is delivered to the customers. A business may
opt to use any or a combination of the following:

Advertising
This promotional method is used to create awareness and deliver information to the target
audience. Traditional forms of media include television, newspapers, magazines, and
billboards. Nowadays, however, people continue resorting to digital media as a way of
promoting their products and/or services.

Personal Selling
One of the effective ways to persuade potential customers is through personal selling.
Generally, this method is adopted by salespersons in managing personal customer
relationships. Personal selling is executed by means of sales presentations, sales meetings,
sample distribution, and telemarketing.

Sales Promotions
Sales promotions include both media and non-media tactics used to increase the demand
towards the products and/or services offered by any business. These are usually done for a
short period of time for the main purpose of stimulating market demand. Sales promotions
can be implemented through coupons, contests, product samplings, trade shows, and
exhibitions.

Public Relations and Sponsorships

In maintaining a sustainable relationship between the business and its customers, public
relations tactics are executed. This component of the promotional mix is used for attaining
long-term effects. Any form of publicity is accomplished to increase awareness of any

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product. Some examples that are still used nowadays are talk shows, blog mentions, events
sponsorship, and distribution of samples to influential people.

Direct Marketing
Direct marketing allows any business to communicate freely with its customers. Marketing
techniques such as mobile messaging, distribution of flyers or catalogs, and outdoor
advertising are a few examples of direct marketing. This promotional method is executed
without the interference of any kind of intermediary. Potential customers are likewise
targeted based on varying attributes or buying behaviors.

Review
The five main components of the promotional mix are:
● advertising,
● personal selling,
● sales promotions,
● public relations and sponsorships, and
● direct marketing.

Promotional Marketing in the Digital Era

Running a business became more cost-effective because of digital marketing. Various
advancements in technology have enabled a lot of entrepreneurs and businesses to
communicate with their customers easily. Unlike the conventional form of marketing, digital
marketing offers beneficial features that aim to provide convenience and efficiency to any
kind of business.

Social Media Marketing

Many businesses are utilizing different social media platforms to communicate their
products and services to their target audience. Through the use of digital media, consumers
have the opportunity to access any information relating to a business’s products or services.

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Unit 8.4: Product Promotion

What are the different social media platforms

utilized by businesses nowadays?

Content Marketing
Content can be presented in various formats, including blogs, e-books, how-tos, online
articles, forums, and so forth. This promotional strategy aims to attract new and potential
customers by creating and sharing valuable information. Content marketing helps every
business establish rapport with their target audience through the creation of reliable and
accurate information about their products and services.

Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing takes into account the presence of third parties who are responsible for
giving commissions or rewards to their affiliates. This is a type of performance-based
promotional strategy at which payment is generated through the sales and marketing
efforts of the affiliates. Payable actions may be based on conversions, promotions, and
leads.

Example:
The following are brands or businesses that have affiliate programs:

Brands/Business Industry

1. Lazada E-commerce

2. Zalora E-commerce

3. Klook Travel and Tours

4. Under Armour Fashion

5. Shopee E-commerce

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Email Marketing
Email marketing is a relatively low-cost promotional strategy that aims to build brand and
customer loyalty. One beneficial means of employing this strategy is creating different email
lists to be able to target different audiences based on several factors, such as their
preferences and dislikes. Generally, email marketing is used by businesses to enhance its
relationship with its existing customers and to be able to attain repeat business.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an umbrella term for the different methods used in
increasing the visibility of a website or blog online. It considers different kinds of search,
including image search, news search, and video search. This technique is used by different
businesses that seek to increase the number of visitors viewing their website and content
online.

Are you familiar with some search engine

optimization techniques used by marketers and
business owners?

Extend

Activity
List down five different brands, businesses, services, or products that made impactful
marketing campaigns through the use of any promotional strategy. Under the second
column, explain how their marketing campaigns were executed.

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Brand/Business Explanation

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Guide
● The list of brands or businesses must be those that made an impactful marketing
campaign to you and not to other people, regardless of whether they went viral or
not.
● Explain how the marketing campaign was executed and why it caught your attention.

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Evaluate

A. Answer the following questions briefly and coherently:

1. What is the meaning of promotion in the marketing mix?

2. What is the primary objective of a promotional strategy?

3. How would you contrast digital and social media marketing?

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4. What tactics are employed in sales promotions?

5. What is the aim of employing search engine optimization?

B. Read the situation below and answer the subsequent

questions.

An entrepreneur is planning to sell ready-to-wear (RTW)

gowns and dresses online. She will solely manage and
facilitate the overall operations of her business.

1. Will you advise the entrepreneur to continue with her plan of selling online or not?
Why or why not?

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2. If the entrepreneur pushed through with her plan, what actions must be taken in
setting up her online shop?

3. What possible obstacles or difficulties will she encounter from online selling?

4. What promotional strategies must she adopt to market her business?

5. Will you recommend to her to put up her own website? Why or why not?

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Wrap Up
___________________________________________________________________________________________

● Promotion is an element of the marketing mix that aims to address concerns

relating to the advertising aspect of any product or service.
● The primary aim of any promotional strategy is to reach out to the customers’
attention, as well as provide useful information about the product to build interest
and loyalty.
● Digital marketing is the umbrella term for various marketing tactics performed on
the internet.
● Social media marketing is one of the many tactics employed by businesses that
include the usage of various social media platforms for advertising products and
services.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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Bibliography

Bovée, Courtland L, and John V. Thill. Marketing. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.

Ibrahim, A. Bakr and Willard H. Ellis. Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management: Text,
Readings, and Cases. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co, 1993.

Longenecker, Justin G. and Carlos W. Moore. Small Business Management: An Entrepreneurial

Emphasis. Cincinnati: College Division, South-Western Pub, 1991.

Mathews, Brian. Marketing Today's Academic Library: A Bold New Approach to Communicating
With Students. Chicago: American Library Association, 2009.

Strydom, J. W. Principles of Business Management. Southern Africa: Oxford University Press,

2011.

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