Promotion is responsible for awakening and stimulating consumer demand for the product. It is an effort to push forward goods, services or ideas in a way so as to gain its acceptance.
image source: channelnomics.com
Such a communication effort can be personal or impersonal A personal communication is one where there is face-to-face contact between the sales personnel and the customers. In case of impersonal communication, there is no direct link between the producer and the consumer.
Promotion Variables:
(a) Personal Selling:
It is oral or face-to-face communication. It is interaction between marketer and customer where the messages can be tailor-made according to the characteristics of the product and the customer and immediate feedback is also possible.
(b) Advertising:
ADVERTISEMENTS:
It is non-personal method of communicating messages regarding products or services to general public in order to inform and persuade them so that they develop favourable attitude towards the products. Because of the low cost per message, it is largely used to develop initial product awareness or acceptance.
(c) Sales promotion:
It is a marketing activity that promotes sales. It provides special offers for a limited period to induce consumer purchases The offers can be in the form of coupons, premiums, contents, free goods, discounts, gift samples and the like
(d) Public relations:
It is an attempt to achieve good relations with all those who are likely to be effected by firm’s activities such as customers, share holders, financial institutions, Govt. and general public. It aims at portraying firm’s image and in turn knowing public firm on about the firm and its product.