Marketing Fail: Inconsistent Messages

In class we are discussing the topic Integrated Marketing Communications, and how important it is to have a creative and consistent message for the consumers. There are a total of six steps in the marketing communication process: create awareness, provide knowledge, create a favorable impression, attain a preferred position in the customers mind, create a purchase intention, and finally make a sale. The message should be clear and consistent throughout each of these steps. It all starts with knowing who your customer is and what they want. Marketing research will help the manager of the company learn what stage the targeted customer is in and how to entice them to make a purchasing decision.

There are many ways to communicate to the customer. A business can communicate through mass media, direct mail, web, and sales.No matter what communication vehicle is chosen, the message must be consistent from packaging, point of sale displays, promotion materials, to the website. All of the activities involved in the communication process must be steady. It is a major challenge for marketers to effectively reach their target market through the messy sea of advertisements. This clutter creates an opportunity for managers to creatively formulate marketing messages for their customers. The last thing that a manger would want to do is to confuse the market by changing the messages in different contexts. Make sure the the sales person is communicating the same message as the social media and advertisements.