Promotions - what are they? Organization and holding of actions

The growth of competition in all markets without exception leads to the fact that marketers seek to find new ways to promote products. Today advertising more and more uses hidden and non-standard methods of influencing the consumer. As a result of the search for new methods of promotion, such as BTL appears, that is, indirect advertising, which includes promotions. How to carry them out? And what types are there? We will talk about all this in our article.

Concept

So, we are interested in explaining, probably, it is not necessary, but what does "promo" mean? Translated from English, this word means ... "advertising". It couldn't be easier, isn't it? Nevertheless, we suggest that you delve a little into the jungle of marketing and decide on the concept of product promotion. This term is understood as a set of measures to convey to the consumer information about the advantages and advantages of a particular thing (service, brand, manufacturer) and encouragement to make a purchase. The main promotion tool is advertising. It can be direct media (ATL), to which we are all accustomed: TV and radio commercials, billboards on city streets, etc. But the consumer is less and less responsive to such advertising methods, and the need is ripe to come up with new options for delivering marketing information to the public. This is how indirect, hidden advertising, or BTL appears, to which promotions belong. They are understood as non-standard actions to convey information about the product to the consumer. The latter is involved in the process of obtaining information and often does not even notice the advertising nature of the message or sees an additional benefit in it and therefore decides to take part in this action.

Goals and objectives of the action

Any promotion always has a main goal - to increase product sales. But various steps, including promotions, lead to this super-goal. This method works well: as a result, it is possible to achieve the solution of specific problems that allow getting closer to the global goal. They can be aimed at:

Raising consumer awareness of the properties of the product;

Incentives to test or re-purchase;

Attracting new consumers;

Market launch of new products and brands;

Fight against stereotyped ideas about the product;

Formation of positive emotions in connection with the product.

Planning

There are several types of promotions, and their number is only growing as marketers are constantly striving to find new ways to advertise products. However, the stages of preparing such marketing actions are generally lined up in one chain. First, you need to decide on the purpose and target audience of the promotion. What is the target audience? with a certain set of characteristics (gender, age, income, etc.) with which communication will be established. Then the most suitable type of action is selected, its terms, geographical coverage and budget are determined. Then a scenario of the action is drawn up, personnel are selected, the necessary materials are made (leaflets, stands, uniforms, etc.). All data is collected in a single plan, in which those responsible for each type of action are assigned. Then the action is implemented and its effectiveness is assessed.

Types of shares

The easiest way to answer the question is: "Promotions - what are they?" through their classification. The oldest view is sampling. Newer, but already familiar ones: leafletting, tastings, contests, lotteries, gift promotions. Of the newest types, it is worth mentioning switch-selling, that is, the exchange of competitors' products for the promoted product, bonus promotions, coupons, cross-promotion, that is, promotion paired with a non-competitive product, flash mobs. Also, promotions include the sphere of merchandising, that is, the design of a point of sale with POS materials, consulting in the sales area, etc. Some researchers also refer to them as marketing activities on the Internet.

Sampling

Distributing samples is a surefire way to get a person to test a product. Free products are very attractive to the target audience. There are several options for sampling: distribution of samples in crowded places of consumers, distribution through print media (pasting bags of shampoo, cream, perfume in magazines), exchanging half-empty packs for full packs of goods. When using sampling, you need to carefully study your target audience and its needs. So, not every customer will decide to take a bag of cheap mayonnaise in the lobby of an expensive store, because it can “hit” her image in the eyes of other visitors of the outlet. Conversely, giving away an expensive premium product in an economy class store is pointless. This is because buyers will gladly take a sample but are unlikely to ever make a purchase.

Lifting

Coupons, flyers a few years ago was very successful. Today, however, this very cheap method of advertising has become so frequent that it discredited itself and does not give the desired effect. Although, leafletting is a very quick way of notifying the target audience about something, for example, about an upcoming promotion in a store. But carrying out promotions with the distribution of leaflets needs to be carefully thought out. The consumer no longer takes or reads simply informational texts. He will read and save only what is beneficial to him. Therefore, leaflets need to be given value in the eyes of the consumer. That is, the received text should be beneficial: a discount, the ability to exchange for a gift, etc. Or it should be of interest to the consumer - for example, until recently, people were happy to take pocket calendars. Today you can interest a potential client by printing a recipe, advice, or other useful information on a leaflet.

Gift for purchases and lotteries

Human nature is such that he loves gifts at any age. Therefore, promotions with the distribution of presents are always successful. This is a great way to encourage a customer to make more purchases, or at least one trial purchase. There are many options for such promotions. This can be the exchange of coupons or packages for prizes. An example of such a promotion can be an advertisement for the ice cream "Magnat" - the "Buy ice cream and win a car" campaign. In 2014, the company raffled off two Porsche Caymans in pink and black, encouraging customers to try new varieties of cold dessert. In 2016, the ice cream manufacturer Magnat, whose Lamborghini campaign broke records in popularity, repeated its success and within 3 months accustomed customers to a new type of product. Promotions with gifts and lotteries are especially beneficial to those companies whose products are prohibited from advertising in the mass media (alcohol, cigarettes). An example is the company "Ochakovo", the promotion campaign "Win gold and silver bars" which also paid dividends.

Contests and quizzes

Another option for distributing gifts is a variety of contests, which not only push consumers to buy a product, but also involve them in communication. Very often, for example, photo contests are held, in which the winner is the one with the most votes. This forces the consumer not only to participate in the competition, but also encourages him to involve his acquaintances so that they will vote for him. This leads to the fact that the participants themselves disseminate information about the project and reduce the company's advertising costs. For example, EUROMAG magazine ran the Win a Trip to Norway quiz, encouraging consumers to learn more about the country's tourist attractions and generating pent-up demand. Such promotions do not bring instant commercial results, but have a prolonged accumulative effect.

Tastings and testing

Once a consumer has tried a product, the chances that they will make a purchase are greatly increased. That is why tastings and tests are so popular when promoting products. Yes, this is a costly way of advertising, it requires special training, but with proper planning it fully justifies itself. You just need to carefully choose the location of the action. So, many residents of megalopolises remember how several years ago on weekends in hypermarkets it was literally impossible to squeeze through the promotional stands with tasting. You need to understand that the consumer of the middle and high-income group will not try the product in a hypermarket. But in a restaurant or club, he will gladly taste wine or cigarettes.

Benefits of promotions

Involving the consumer in communication with a product is today the most progressive way to promote the latter. Promotions (promotions) allow you to tell the consumer about the product and overcome the negative attitude towards advertising. Promo is a troublesome and often expensive business, but it usually brings quick and visible results.