Integrated Marketing Communications, and the Changing Media Landscape: Elygenics Drink

Integrated Marketing Communications, and the Changing Media Landscape: Elygenics Drink

The Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) strategy is critical in marketing planning. The IMC strategy details how communication goals are achieved by coordinating different marketing mix elements. In other words, it details how individual elements of the marketing mix will work together as a cohesive whole. The objective of an IMC campaign is to create a unified and seamless brand experience for customers (Finne and Grönroos, 2017). The idea is to coordinate all contact points with the customer to deliver them consistently across all mediums. This paper seeks to discuss the application of integrated marketing communication in promoting the Elygenics drink-through promotional strategies such as advertising, sales promotion and direct marketing and the various media strategies applied to meet the objectives based on the AIDA framework.

Integrated Marketing Communication

Integrated marketing communication combines different marketing tools used to market a product. Elygenics Drink targets athletes and people who need to remain physically fit. Integrated marketing communications can add value for customers because it will target all types of media, and the customers will be able to get firsthand information about the product from various sources (Safitri, 2018).  For example, if the product is advertised on television, social media platforms like Facebook and also announced on radio stations, it will build trust among customers about the drink. The advertisements should also state clearly what ingredients have been used to make the drink and how it helps in keeping an athlete or a person physically fit (Kotler, 2017).

The Big Idea should be a single, unified message that communicates the brand’s core benefit or selling proposition. The Big Idea is the one thing the target audience will take away from advertising the brand. Simply put, it is what I want to say about the product (or service). The Big Idea for Elygenics drink is this: “Elygenics Drink: The best way to hydrate your body”. This Big Idea is clear and simple. It directly relates to how this product can satisfy the target market’s needs (University of Maryland Global Campus, 2022).  It is also something that I will remember and associate with this product. This experience can be further enhanced by incorporating this idea into all promotional activities. In this case, the philosophy behind the product is to prevent, treat and improve health conditions like obesity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure and high cholesterol (Valos, Maplestone, Polonsky, and Ewing, 2017).  The basic ingredients are a blend of natural herbs, minerals and vitamins that provide all the essential nutrients needed by the body to function properly.  The product has no side effects and can be taken daily. The product targets athletes who want to improve their performance and people who want to remain physically fit.

Marketing Communication Objectives

Objectives based on the AIDA Framework

Awareness.

• To raise awareness of Elygenics Drink and its benefits in the target market.

Elygenics Drink is the first product to combine the benefits of both caffeine and an energy drink.

Interest.

• To increase consideration of Elygenics Drink as an option for athletes and people who need to remain physically fit.

This new drink will provide long-lasting energy and increased stamina while improving focus and concentration. The product will also provide electrolytes, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants essential for maintaining good health.

Desire.

• To encourage subscribers to act by signing up for a free trial of Elygenics Drink.

Elygenics drinks can be used by people who exercise, athletes and people who need to remain physically fit. The product will provide a natural energy source without the jitters or crashes experienced by users of other energy drinks (Ultima Replenisher, 2022).

Action.

• To incorporate these three objectives into one integrated marketing communication that ensures that the drink is available in all retail stores by incorporating: promotional message, visual elements and a proper medium like media posts.

Promotion Mix

Promotion mix refers to various promotional tools in a specific combination to achieve marketing objectives and goals. The different tools are advertising, public relations, direct marketing, and sales promotion (Winchester, 2017).  These tools can be used individually or in combination with other promotional tools as part of the promotion mix. The best combination depends on the nature and objectives of the company, its target market and the products or services it wants to promote among consumers (University of Maryland Global Campus, 2022).

Advertising

Advertising refers to paid forms of nonpersonal presentation and promotion of an identified sponsor’s ideas, goods, or services. It is a one-way communication that only transmits messages but does not allow for any feedback from potential customers. In other words, advertising is a linear communication process that only allows for information flow from the sender to the receiver. Examples of advertising media include TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards, direct mail, and flyers (MMC Learning, 2022). In this case, companies can use advertising in various ways depending on their marketing objectives, such as brand building and awareness, product launch or trial, and gaining repeat purchases from existing customers. Elygenics Drink is a product that aims to help athletes and people who need to remain physically fit. Elygenics drinks can be advertised in different ways, the most efficient through social media (Safitri, 2018).  Many social media platforms would advertise the drink, such as Facebook and Instagram. The platforms have a very large audience; hence, they reach many people fast. Public relations would also be used since it helps create awareness of the product.

Sales promotion

Sales promotions are generally short-term and create buzz around the product or service. There are two types of sales promotions: consumer-focused and trade-focused. Consumer-focused sales promotions include price offs and buys one get one free offer, whereas trade-focused promotions are directed at retailers to convince them to stock up on a particular product or push it more aggressively in their stores. Sales promotion tools include special offers, discounts, free samples or special events (Finne and Grönroos, 2017). Sales promotions work well as they stimulate demand in the short term while helping promote brand loyalty over time.

Direct Marketing

Direct marketing will include all activities related to contacting prospects directly by mail, telephone, email, coupons, catalog, or other means to generate an immediate response to sell a product or service (Prasad, Garg, and Prasad, 2019).  This approach is effective because it allows the message to target audiences most likely to buy Elysgenic Drink.

Public Relations

Public relations is a way to inform people about your company through press releases and announcements. It also facilitates relationships with reporters and journalists so that you can secure positive coverage (Shin and Jang, 2007). It allows you to remain relevant in the news media. For Elygenics Drink, public relations would allow us to publish press releases about endorsements from professional athletes such as Venus Williams or Usain Bolt, who could tell their stories about how using Elygenics Drink has helped them in their competitions.

Media Strategy

The Message: Stay hydrated and healthy with the Elygenics Drink

The message should be “Stay hydrated and healthy with the Elygenics Drink,” and this message should be used in all forms of advertising mediums for them to remember this advertisement easily. For example, a billboard with this message would make people look at it twice because they are curious about what the advertisement conveys (Chukwu, Kanu, and Ezeabogu, 2019).  This advertisement will reach millions of people who are always active or need an energy boost during their daily activities and athletes who want something refreshing after their exercise sessions to help them recover faster (Bruhn and Schnebelen, 2017).  Elygenics Drink is a new sport drink with several benefits for athletes, fitness enthusiasts and people who need to remain physically fit. Its main components are water, glucose, citric acid, salt and electrolytes. The drink provides the body with a good supply of vitamins such as vitamin B6 and vitamin C. It also contains antioxidants that help the immune system of the body fight off diseases. The product has become an important part of the sports industry, and its popularity has increased dramatically due to this. However, many consumers are unaware of it, and the product needs to be promoted more for the consumers to know about it.

Media Plan (Television, and Social Media)

I would choose the two media that will target the audience most effectively for this ad campaign. These media are Facebook, television and Instagram. Facebook has a lot of benefits for this campaign. The first benefit is targeting very specific people with my ad campaigns. I can choose to only show ads to people who have demonstrated an interest in fitness by liking pages related to exercise, health and nutrition (Camilleri, 2018). Facebook allows the company to create a targeted audience based on users’ behaviors and interests. So, I can target people who have expressed an interest in sports drinks, energy drinks, or similar products and services. Instagram provides many of the same benefits as Facebook when targeting users (Boundless, 2022).  Instagram also allows me to show my ads when they will be most effective, allowing me to reach the target. Lastly, television is another medium that can promote Elygenics Drink. Television offers many benefits, including wide coverage area and high-impact messages due to audio or visual imagery. Television can also be segmented based on programming during certain times of day and demographics such as income level and household size.

In conclusion, this paper has discussed the application of integrated marketing communication in promoting the Elygenics drink-through promotional strategies such as advertising, sales promotion and direct marketing and the various media strategies applied to meet the objectives based on the AIDA framework. Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) creates a unified and seamless brand experience for consumers across channels. It involves strategic business decisions, internal communications, external communications and engagement to achieve common goals. Since people in the target market are athletes, it is necessary to provide them with a product to help them remain physically fit and healthy. The product is designed to meet the needs of athletes who follow an active lifestyle or those who need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This is done by using all-natural ingredients like botanical extracts and amino acids, which promote an individual’s overall health. The company uses several promotion tools like advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, public relations, and direct marketing. Each tool is used for distinct objectives. Direct marketing, public relations advertising and sales promotion tools would also be used as key promotional and marketing tools for Elygenics Drink that targets athletes and people who need to remain physically fit. They increase sales volume by using incentives to attract potential customers. Incentives such as discounts, rebates, contests, games and free samples are used to attract customers into making purchases; hence the market increases significantly.

References

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