To execute a successful sponsorship, it is essential that marketeers, identify, select and target their promotional activity in a skilful and selective manner. In the following paper we examine a major elusive target market, the youth, whilst demonstrating how the utilisation of contemporary music offers a unique medium for directly reaching, communicating and selling to them.
No one would dispute that over the last two decades there has been a dramatic shift in the balance of power between manufacturer and retailer. Whilst perhaps most evident is the grocery sector this has extended to roost other areas of retailing. This paper examines the impact of this shift on our ability to measure the effectiveness of sales promotion. It reviews the stage seminar on promotions research and discusses developments since that time. A brief extract from a case study provides an illustration of the abuse of retailer power and its effect on sales promotion and lessons learnt from Research International's basic research into Point-of-Sale are presented. Finally, the paper looks to the future and discusses the route ahead for those looking to conduct research in this area.
This paper will discuss trends and issues in the commercial communications mix both at a mega-trend level and more specific in the fields of Advertising, Sales Promotion, Sponsorship, Public Relations, Direct Marketing and Personal selling, sponsored magazines and new media.
Market research successfully developed tools to measure the effectiveness of below-the-line activities. These not only record reliably sales performance before, during and after promotions, but increasingly take into account "reason-why-data". Also it is now possible to provide virtually complete coverage of all retail outlets and not just a sample in selected towns, thus providing better insight into consumer reactions. More recently, POS-scanning systems give more frequent and faster access to store-data which greatly enhances the usefulness of results. A case history introduces the findings of such modern research and analyses on a week-by-week basis three months of promotional activity of major brands in a confectionary market. As a special feature, the study includes rarely available facts regarding the impact of promotions on gross-profits and margins of participating retailers. The second case history introduces a "Model for Price-Elasticity and Promotions", recently developed by A. C. Nielsen. It measures the marketing productivity by combining various levels of price-reduction with other below-the-line activities and assists marketing executives in conducting more successful promotions.
What I propose to do is discuss a few of the key issues affecting sponsorship and then go into some detail about how we handle it in Ford, recognising that in our case the lines between sponsorship and sales promotion get rather blurred. I believe that sponsorship is an area where case studies can be enlightening - for mistakes as much as for successes.
The appropriate way of utilising sponsorship is therefore to consider it as one of the available communication tools, with its own characteristics and peculiarities, to be used alone or in conjunction with other communication elements like advertising, but always within a global communication strategy. The Cinzano sponsorship of Azzurra, inserted as it was in a global image and communication strategy aimed to relaunch the company and its brands, is in my opinion a very good example of such a proper usage.
The objective of this paper is to demonstrate: 1. The need for correct and detailed definition of objectives for sponsorship; 2. The possibilities that proper (marketing) research offers to measure the effects of a sponsorship.
This paper is concerned with sponsorship as a marketing activity, and particularly with the sponsorship of sporting events. In this paper we look at some of the reasons for this situation, discuss its implications for sports sponsorship in general, and outline an approach to the measurement of sponsorship effectiveness which is to be piloted on behalf of a number of major sponsors.
Sales Promotion is a strategic communications discipline at least for those client companies who use it properly. As a discipline it has a leading edge over most others in that it can be used tactically to produce a short term result but only within the framework of an overall promotional strategy which in turn must be developed as a key element of the total communications strategy. In total, the budgets for Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing exceed those of consumer advertising and this has become a fact of life in most major Western markets. Yet, in spite of this fact many, may be even a majority, of companies remain inconsistent in their use of these disciplines. The function of an advertising agency and agency/client relationships are clearly defined. Other disciplines still suffer from the "shop around" syndrome and this can and frequently does lead to, what one senior American promotion executive recently and rather aptly, called Marketing Strategy Erosion. Sales Promotion can and should contribute to the overall brand franchise and build on brand assets. Any Sales Promotion activity which is developed in isolation from the overall communications strategy will lead to a strategy erosion. A well planned Sales Promotion strategy will build on a brands assets, contribute to the long term consumer/trade franchise and be capable of producing effective and measurable results.
Before the Lancia Grand Gala 1984 can be presented within the framework of brand promotion activity it is necessary, indeed absolutely essential, to define the background. Above all, the overall auto market is as we shall see in direct contrast to the general European trend and presents some distinctly atypical features. Then there is the position and experience of the Lancia brand, fruit of its history and its myth. The strength and weakness of a tradition that excites the fourth and fifty year olds but has very little influence on the younger generations that will lead the market of the future. Finally the strategic objectives of the brand on the European scene and more specifically the home market orients us towards the acquisition of an exclusive, highly personal position in line with the expectations and aspirations of the motorist of tomorrow. Naturally the report will conclude with the presentation of the initiative as such, explained and motivated in relation to both the relevant promotional activities and our global marketing strategy.
We will be discussing the use of promotion and sponsorship in the marketing mix, dealing with the state of the art and trends. And, of course, within the framework of the ESOMAR umbrella, we will pay particular attention to roles of research in decision making.
The choice of horse racing sponsorship can solve the problem of being in touch with the most difficult target: the wealthy. The cost effectiveness of this operation is, by large, at the top of the scale. That's why it seemed worthwhile to consider more carefully whether a sponsoishij by Lancia of a famous horse racing could be a cost effective tool for Thema launch. And in fact it was understood that this kind of operation would solve in a successful way all the problems previously described and would meet the objectives of Lancia Thema launch, producing, in addition, a positive effect on the whole brand image (and awareness of course).