Deck 15: Integrated Marketing Communications

Question 1

In what ways can promotion be used to reduce sales fluctuations?

Answer 1

Demand for many products varies from one month to another because of such factors as climate, holidays, and seasons. A business, however, cannot operate at peak efficiency when sales fluctuate rapidly. Changes in sales volume translate into changes in production, inventory levels, personnel needs, and financial resources.
When promotional techniques reduce fluctuations by generating sales during slow periods, a firm can use its resources more efficiently. Promotional techniques are
often designed to stimulate sales during sales slumps. During peak periods, a marketer may refrain from advertising to prevent stimulating sales to the point at which the firm cannot handle all of the demand. On occasion, a company advertises that customers can be better served by coming in on certain days.

Question 2

Discuss three criticisms of promotion.

Answer 2

Even though promotional activities can help customers make informed purchasing decisions, social scientists, consumer groups, government agencies, and members of
society in general have long criticized promotion. There are two main reasons for such criticism: promotion does have flaws, and it is a highly visible business activity that pervades our daily lives. Although complaints about too much promotional activity are almost universal, a number of more specific criticisms have been lodged.
One of the criticisms is about the deceptive nature of promotions. Although no longer widespread, some deceptive promotion still occurs; laws, government regulations, and industry self-regulation have helped to decrease intentionally deceptive promotion; customers may be unintentionally misled because some words have diverse meanings.
When promotion stimulates demand, higher production levels may result in lower per-unit production costs, which keeps prices lower; when demand is not stimulated, however, prices increase owing to the added costs of promotion; promotion fuels price competition, which helps keep prices lower.
Many marketers capitalize on people's needs by basing their promotional appeals on these needs; however, marketers do not actually create these needs; if there were no promotion, people would still have basic needs such as those suggested by Maslow.

Question 3

What are the differences in trying to stimulate primary demand versus selective demand?

Answer 3

When an organization is the first to introduce an innovative product, it tries to stimulate primary demand-demand for a product category rather than for a specific brand of product-through pioneer promotion. Pioneer promotion informs potential customers about the product: what it is, what it does, how it can be used, and where it can be purchased. Because pioneer promotion is used in the introductory stage of the product life cycle, meaning there are no competing brands, it neither emphasizes brand names nor compares brands.
To build selective demand, demand for a specific brand, a marketer employs promotional efforts that point out the strengths and benefits of a specific brand. Building selective demand also requires singling out attributes important to potential buyers. Selective demand can be stimulated by differentiating the product from
competing brands in the minds of potential buyers. Selective demand can also be stimulated by increasing the number of product uses and promoting them through advertising campaigns, as well as through price discounts, free samples, coupons,
consumer contests and games, and sweepstakes. In addition, selective demand can be stimulated by encouraging existing customers to use more of the product.

Question 4

Why is face-to-face communication more flexible in comparison with digital, web-based, or telephone communications when marketing a new or existing product?

Question 5

Define decoding in the communication process. What happens when a receiver does not decode a message as intended by the source?

Question 6

What is integrated marketing communications? Explain its purpose.

Question 7

The coordination of promotion and other marketing efforts for maximum informational and persuasive impact best defines:

A) customer lifetime value.
B) integrated marketing communications.
C) product lifecycle management.
D) visual merchandising.
E) arrow information paradox.

Question 8

Sierra is driving to work on I-95 and notices a billboard for new salads at Wendy's. She reads the message and sees the pictures of the new salads. With reference to the communication process, which of the following is true?

A) Sierra is the receiver and Wendy's is the source of this communication.
B) Sierra is the source and Wendy's is the promoter of this communication.
C) Sierra is the decoder and Wendy's is the receiver of this communication.
D) Sierra is the sender and Wendy's is the receiver of this communication.
E) Sierra is the communication channel and Wendy's is the source of this communication.

Question 9

Why is public relations an important form of communication about a company? Discuss negative public relations, and give an example.

Question 10

How does sales promotion differ from promotion in general?

Question 11

Compared to advertising, what are the major advantages and limitations of personal selling?

Question 12

Identify and describe the four major promotion mix elements.

Question 13

Ashley is currently working on a video to introduce a new line of athletic wear for women. She is using signs and symbols to represent the concept and meaning of the new athletic wear. With respect to the components of a communication process, Ashley is most likely working on the for this promotional video.

A) feedback process
B) coding process
C) decoding process
D) conversion process
E) channel capacity

Question 14

If FedEx-Kinko's decided to outsource all of its marketing efforts to the MaxPro Company, which specializes in advertising, sales promotion activities, and public relations, FedEx-Kinko's would likely be striving to practice:

A) one-stop shopping.
B) visual merchandising.
C) arrow information paradox.
D) product lifecycle management.
E) integrated marketing communications.

Question 15

Alton is reading a magazine ad of a new cologne. In the ad, he sees little more than a photo of a man riding on a horseback on a beach, and the name of the new cologne, Rugged. With respect to the components of a communication process, Alton is a(n) .

A) sender
B) receiver
C) source
D) communication channel
E) channel member

Question 16

Identify the major objectives of promotion.

Question 17

A person, group, or organization that has a meaning it intends and attempts to share with a receiver or an audience is a:

A) communication channel.
B) source.
C) relay channel.
D) decoder.
E) sender.

Question 18

With respect to the components of a communication process, the process of putting one's thoughts (meaning) into signs (symbols) is called:

A) decoding.
B) noise.
C) interference.
D) channelizing.
E) encoding.

Question 19

Explain the communication process.

Question 20

In the Gillette advertisement that claims, "Gillette, the best a man can get," Gillette is the communication:

A) receiver.
B) channel.
C) decoder.
D) source.
E) noise.

Question 21

The Barrister's Deli decides to run advertisements for its lunch specials on a local FM radio station. Marketing research later reveals that the restaurant's target market listens primarily to satellite radio stations. This promotion program suffered from an error in the selection of:

A) shared symbols.
B) sales promotion techniques.
C) communication channel.
D) decoded meanings.
E) noise minimizers.

Question 22

Claire Nevsky is in charge of advertising for her company and has produced a 30-second television spot to promote one of the company's new products. One of her assistants just out of college believes that the commercial has too much visual and audio information packed into such a small amount of time. The assistant is specifically concerned about limits in the receiver's:

A) noise.
B) coding process.
C) encoding.
D) channel capacity.
E) feedback.

Question 23

With respect to the components of a communication process, broadcast media like radio and television as well as printed words on a magazine or newspaper are all considered as:

A) communication noise.
B) communication receivers.
C) encoders.
D) communication channels.
E) decoding sources.

Question 24

When Yoplait Yogurt gives a portion of its profits to Breast Cancer Research, it is using:

A) selective demand promotion.
B) loyalty marketing.
C) rural marketing.
D) embedded marketing.
E) cause-related marketing.

Question 25

During the decoding process, the:

A) intensity of the transmission becomes stronger.
B) receiver attempts to convert signs or symbols into concepts and ideas.
C) source attempts to convert signs or symbols into concepts and ideas.
D) source provides feedback of an encoded message to the receiver.
E) receiver filters noise from the feedback.

Question 26

Anything that reduces the accuracy and clarity of communication is known as:

A) distraction.
B) feedback.
C) interference.
D) discordance.
E) noise.

Question 27

Communication can be viewed as a circular process because:

A) during feedback, the receiver can be viewed as the source of the message while the original source becomes the receiver.
B) the message goes from encoding by the source to decoding by the receiver.
C) during a personal selling situation, both verbal and nonverbal feedback can be very fast and immediate.
D) channel capacity is determined by the least efficient component.
E) the message goes from person to person.

Question 28

Each communication channel has a limit on the volume of information it can handle effectively. This limit is known as:

A) transmission load.
B) feedback.
C) channel code.
D) channel spacing.
E) channel capacity.

Question 29

With respect to the components of the communication process, the fax machines used by OES Office Systems to carry its advertising messages to its business customers is an example of a (n):

A) communication channel.
B) field of reference.
C) decoder.
D) encoder.
E) noise minimizer.

Question 30

Although a radio announcer can read several hundred words a minute, a one-minute advertising message should not exceed 150 words because most announcers cannot articulate words into understandable messages at faster rates. This illustrates the consideration in effective communication.

A) transmission load
B) marketing exposure
C) channel spacing
D) channel coding
E) channel capacity

Question 31

As Emily prepares the script for a radio commercial for her boutique, she is engaging in the stage of the communication process.

A) encoding
B) sourcing
C) decoding
D) feedback
E) receiving

Question 32

links the purchase of an organization's products to support philanthropic organizations favored by the target market.

A) Loyalty marketing
B) Cause-related marketing
C) Rural marketing
D) Selective demand promotion
E) Embedded marketing

Question 33

For many consumers, the pages near the back of magazines with dozens of very small black and white advertisements exceed their:

A) channel capacity.
B) threshold of awareness.
C) encoding abilities.
D) transmission limitations.
E) noise limit.

Question 34

Often when a company introduces a new product or line extension, its promotion will focus on in order to initiate the product-adoption process.

A) creating awareness
B) stimulating demand
C) retaining loyal customers
D) combating competitive promotional efforts
E) reduce sales fluctuations

Question 35

The receiver's response to a message is for the source.

A) feedback
B) the communications channel
C) noise
D) channel capacity
E) pioneer promotion

Question 36

Which of the following is the best example of noise that originates with the receiver in the communication process?

A) Sarah drives through a tunnel, and her radio signals become very weak.
B) Maria has been studying English for two years and does not understand the symbolism being used in a commercial.
C) Kevin simply tunes out pop-up ads on the Internet so that they don't even enter his awareness.
D) Because of poor printing, Claire cannot read an advertisement in her local newspaper.
E) A mother fails to hear a new commercial for diapers because her new baby is crying.

Question 37

During a one-minute television ad for Nike, the National Weather Service interrupts to announce a flash flood warning for surrounding counties. Such an occurrence is an example of in the communication process.

A) encoding
B) pioneer promotion
C) noise
D) deflected transmission
E) selective demand

Question 38

In a corner of its magazine advertisement for office copiers, Lexmark places a small box asking for the names and addresses of individuals or companies seeking more information. Lexmark has included this box to facilitate for this communication.

A) decoding
B) feedback
C) encoding
D) perceptual attention
E) noise reduction

Question 39

By promoting the fact that "orange juice is not just for breakfast anymore," the Florida Orange Growers Association attempted to stimulate:

A) primary demand.
B) selective demand.
C) marketing exposure.
D) comparison of orange juices.
E) demand elasticity.

Question 40

H&M, a clothing company, communicates to its target customers by advertising in magazines, offering clothing information on its website, creating a periodic online newsletter, Facebook, and Twitter. These vehicles through which the coded message is transmitted from the source, H&M, to the receiver, the prospective customer, are known as a(n):

A) fields of reference.
B) decoders.
C) encoders.
D) relay channels.
E) communication channels.

Question 41

When Sears promotes the benefits and strengths of its Kenmore brand appliances, it is attempting to build:

A) primary demand.
B) pioneer promotion.
C) a warm market.
D) a bargain bin.
E) selective demand.

Question 42

Factors such as climate, seasons, and holidays tend to lead to the promotional objective of:

A) combating competitive promotional offers.
B) facilitating reseller support.
C) encouraging product trial.
D) retaining loyal customers.
E) reducing sales fluctuations.

Question 43

Rob is working on the promotional plan for a new bicycle helmet that has added technology to sense when a bicycler has fallen and had a head injury. The technology then releases an audible signal that will help others know that there is an injury which needs treatment. This is considered to be a new product that is in the introduction stage of the product life cycle. Which type of promotion should Rob focus on?

A) Reminder
B) Selective
C) Comparative
D) Pioneer
E) Repetitive

Question 44

Mister Sub offers customers a card that allows them to have a free sub for every 7 that have been purchased and provides various discounts throughout the year. The primary promotional objective of programs such as this is:

A) encouraging product trial.
B) retaining existing customers.
C) building selective demand.
D) facilitating reseller support.
E) minimizing noise in the communication process.

Question 45

offers the potential benefits of cost efficiency, repetition, and adding product value, while slow feedback is one of its disadvantages.

A) Public relations
B) Advertising
C) Personal selling
D) Sales promotion
E) Personal selling

Question 46

Selective demand is demand for a:

A) general type of product.
B) particular brand.
C) new product.
D) competitor's product.
E) service.

Question 47

When Blue-ray disc players were first introduced to the market, which of the following would have been the logical choice for promotion?

A) Selective demand
B) Pioneer promotion
C) Promotion in a warm market
D) Brand extension
E) Retention promotion

Question 48

A spokesperson for Mott's apple juice encourages television audiences to use its juice in the winter by serving it hot with a cinnamon stick. In this instance, Mott's is using promotion to:

A) stimulate primary demand.
B) offset competitors' promotional efforts.
C) facilitate reseller support.
D) retain loyal customers.
E) reduce sales fluctuations.

Question 49

Sara is concerned about the effectiveness of Magnum Inc.'s promotional messages, and is seeking an approach with immediate feedback. Sara is most likely to achieve this through:

A) television advertising.
B) newspaper advertising.
C) public relations.
D) sales promotion.
E) personal selling.

Question 50

Cooperative advertising efforts between manufacturers and retailers demonstrate the promotional objective of:

A) stimulating demand.
B) reducing sales fluctuations.
C) combating competitive promotional efforts.
D) facilitating reseller support.
E) retaining loyal customers.

Question 51

An advertisement from a ski lodge extolling the benefits of a summer getaway in the mountains uses promotion to:

A) combat competitive promotional efforts.
B) stimulate demand.
C) reduce sales fluctuations.
D) encourage product trial.
E) retain loyal customers.

Question 52

Retro64 distributes free downloadable versions of its computer games for a very short time. These efforts have a primary promotional objective of:

A) encouraging product trial.
B) building selective demand.
C) retaining loyal customers.
D) facilitating reseller support.
E) reducing sales fluctuations.

Question 53

Slow feedback, high absolute-dollar outlay, and difficulty in measuring effects on sales are disadvantages of:

A) advertising.
B) public relations.
C) sales management.
D) sales promotion.
E) personal selling.

Question 54

Newspaper ads for Blue Haven Pools offering discounted prices during October and discounted cleaning supplies for hot tubs in March are examples of:

A) retaining loyal customers.
B) promoting new product uses.
C) making salespeople more effective.
D) stimulating primary demand.
E) reducing sales fluctuations.

Question 55

Primary demand is defined as the:

A) demand for a product category.
B) demand for a new product.
C) consumer awareness of a product category.
D) extending brands with new product concepts.
E) demand for a particular brand.

Question 56

Kyle is preparing the promotional plan for Jansport backpacks in early May. This promotion will be executed in the month of August and will be a paid form of nonpersonal communication. It will be communicated to a target audience through a mass medium. Kyle is using the form of promotion.

A) advertising
B) public relations
C) sales promotion
D) personal selling
E) social media

Question 57

When Hamburger Helper introduced its Oven Varieties, it gave special offers to supermarkets to purchase the new product and supplemented these offers with consumer advertising. Hamburger Helper's primary promotional objective is to:

A) facilitate reseller support.
B) reduce sales fluctuations.
C) minimize noise in the communication process.
D) encourage product trial.
E) retain loyal customers.

Question 58

Advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, and public relations are called:

A) promotion mix ingredients.
B) marketing mix components.
C) characteristics of a product.
D) advertising tools.
E) nonpersonal communication tools.

Question 59

Which of the following is the best example of the promotional objective of combating competitive promotional efforts?

A) Joy advertises that its dish soap has more suds than Dawn, Sunlight, and other leading dish soaps.
B) Joe Boxer and Kmart collaborate to promote Joe Boxer's lines of clothing and housewares.
C) The Pork Council advertises pork as the "other white meat" and a healthier alternative to beef.
D) After Ford promotes the towing capacity of its F-series trucks, DaimlerChrysler soon emphasizes the towing capacity of its Dodge trucks.
E) Hyundai offers 10-year/100,000 mile warranties on its vehicles in order to give customers confidence in its brand name and automotive offerings.

Question 60

Reba Vincent is employed as a consultant for Mary Kay Cosmetics. This illustrates:

A) personal selling.
B) retailing.
C) public relations.
D) advertising.
E) sales promotion.

Question 61

The Sharper Image likes to use nonpersonal communication in news story form such as press releases for its new and improved products. This is an example of:

A) sales promotion.
B) direct marketing.
C) personal selling.
D) publicity.
E) social media promotion.

Question 62

With respect to the promotion mix elements, is a broad set of communication efforts used to create and maintain favorable relationships between a company and its stakeholders.

A) advertising
B) personal selling
C) reseller support
D) sales promotion
E) public relations

Question 63

All of the following are examples of publicity-based public relations tools except:

A) press conferences.
B) feature articles.
C) news releases.
D) annual reports.
E) news stories.

Question 64

When a salesperson varies the physical distance between himself and a customer he is using:

A) kinesic communication.
B) sales promotion.
C) tactile communication.
D) word-of-mouth communication.
E) proxemic communication.

Question 65

Subway is conducting a contest in which customers are asked to name a new sandwich. The winner gets a free sandwich each day for one year and an appearance in one of the company's TV commercials. This contest illustrates Subway's use of as one of the elements of the promotion mix.

A) advertising
B) personal selling
C) sales promotion
D) public relations
E) telemarketing

Question 66

Head nodding, winking, hand gestures, and arm motions are all forms of communication.

A) kinesic
B) spacing
C) proxemics
D) touching
E) tactile

Question 67

Generally, promotion mixes for companies with extremely limited promotional budgets tend to concentrate on:

A) national advertising.
B) publicity.
C) sales promotions.
D) personal selling.
E) distributor incentives.

Question 68

With respect to the promotion mix elements, communication through the use of brochures, annual reports, and event sponsorships is referred to as:

A) advertising.
B) personal selling.
C) sales promotion.
D) publicity.
E) public relations.

Question 69

Michael is planning a promotional program for AirFam. AirFam is a supplier of new energy-saving engines used to produce air conditioners. His company needs to promote these engines to manufacturers of air conditioners, so he is most likely to use , because it provides immediate feedback.

A) sales promotion
B) advertising
C) word-of-mouth
D) personal selling
E) public relations

Question 70

If a firm's promotional budget were extremely limited, for which of the following reasons would it be more likely to rely on personal selling as its main promotional tool?

A) People are more likely to believe a human being than a print ad.
B) TV and radio ads are not feasible for smaller companies.
C) It can achieve more sales through business customers than through individual consumers.
D) It is easier to measure a salesperson's effects on sales than advertising's effects on sales.
E) The firm is charging a higher price to cover the expensive salaries of its salespeople.

Question 71

A consumer contest is an example of:

A) personal selling.
B) sales promotion.
C) advertising.
D) word-of-mouth marketing.
E) public relations.

Question 72

With respect to the promotion mix elements, kinesic communication is a component of .

A) advertising
B) public relations
C) personal selling
D) packaging
E) sales promotion

Question 73

Hunt's decided to put a much larger share of its promotion budget into because of the heavy reliance it will be placing on coupons in the second quarter.

A) advertising
B) sales promotion
C) public relations
D) telemarketing
E) personal selling

Question 74

An activity and/or material which acts as a direct inducement, offering added value or incentive to resellers, salespeople, or consumers is known as:

A) advertising.
B) personal selling.
C) public relations.
D) sales promotion.
E) packaging.

Question 75

Paid personal communication that seeks to inform customers and persuade them to purchase products in an exchange situation is:

A) sales promotion.
B) advertising.
C) personal selling.
D) public relations.
E) publicity.

Question 76

As their meeting concludes, Jamal rises and thanks Gina for taking the time to come by and explain her firm's new line of industrial fasteners. A handshake, which is best described as a form of communication, concludes the session.

A) public relations
B) word-of-mouth
C) tactile
D) proxemic
E) verbal

Question 77

Public relations:

A) should be used mostly to counteract any competitive promotions or negative publicity.
B) is an element of promotion that should be handled on a continuous basis.
C) should be used solely to respond to emergencies that could significantly damage the company's reputation.
D) is paid communication that helps enhance a company's image by highlighting its philanthropic efforts.
E) is generally not given much weight because the information is generated by the company itself.

Question 78

Albott Laboratories offers ceramic coffee mugs to its physician customers when it promotes a new drug. This example illustrates Albott's use of .

A) packaging
B) personal selling
C) sales promotion
D) public relations
E) telemarketing

Question 79

Latisha works for a promotional consultant who develops sweepstakes, games, coupons, and rebate plans for various marketers. According to the information given, Latisha develops:

A) advertising techniques.
B) sales promotion techniques.
C) publicity examples.
D) personal selling techniques.
E) direct marketing techniques.

Question 80

When McDonald's uses the Monopoly game in which customers receive game pieces with each visit and try to assemble a set of properties to win prizes, McDonald's is utilizing:

A) sales promotion.
B) advertising.
C) guerilla marketing.
D) personal selling.
E) public relations.