Marketing Telephoning II

What is marketing? It is the business of advertising, promoting and selling a product. Marketing attracts customers and persuades them to buy a product. In marketing you must find out what customers want and meet their needs, but it must be done at a profit.

Marketing involves: All the activities which bring the products and services to the end user (including advertising, sales, packaging, promotion and printing) Identifying your customers, developing and promoting your products. Communication with a specific market to offer your services for sale.

Marketing also involves minimizing the costs (expenses) and maximizing the returns to make a profit. It means selling: the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money.

The marketing mix, or the four Ps are: Product: deciding what product or services to sell in the first place. Prices: setting prices that are attractive to particular groups of customers and that are profitable for the company. Place: finding suitable distribution channels to reach these customer groups. Promotion: all the activities used to support the product

From the customers’ point of view there are four Cs: Customer solution: offering the right product to satisfy particular customer needs. Customer cost: the price paid directly by the customer to buy the product. Convenience: distributing the product in the way most suitable for each type of customer.

Communication: exchanging information with the customer. Customers are informed about products through advertising, sales literature and so on, but customers also communicate with the seller through customer helplines. This is a good way for sellers to find out more about customers and their requirements.

There is no marketing without a good campaign: It is a planned and coordinated sales effort for a specific product or service. The purpose of a campaign is to acquire (get), retain, stimulate usage, build or reinforce a brand. A campaign has established goals and time parametres.

The key to successful marketing: It is not just a good creative campaign It involves good marketing communications, clear marketing messages and working well with sales teams to get the right sales channels. Customer orientation: making the customers’ needs your priority!

Selling dreams: Ferrari Italy’s maker of sports and racing cars is among three most recognisable brands in the world. Ferrari created a marketing department only in 1993, until that time they no help form advertising. “Just parking our exciting automobiles is enough to draw the crowds” says Gian Luigi Longinotti-Buitoni.

It is a fact that customers are now spending more money on products they desire rather than on products they simply need. So, modern companies must establish a brand with strong emotional qualities that match customers’ strongest desires. They must create and sell dreams.

Reaching the smokers Philip Morris, maker of Marlboro, the world’s best selling packaged product, spends bilions of dollars a year on advertising. “We have to be creative in reaching out to our adult consumers” says Kati Otto, manager of media affairs at Philip Morris USA.

The company’s “Marlboro Ranch” parties, often held in bars in big cities, have become a common part of American nightlife. They are heavily advertised. Competitions at these parties send winners to a five-day ranch holiday in “Marlboro Country”, mountainous western states such as Montana and Arizona.

Guests also take home various prizes: cameras, sunglasses, jackets and bags – all in Marlboro colours. “The Marlboro ranch parties increase brand value, and reinforce loyalty to the brand” Otto says. “It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and people often come back as loyal Marlboro smokers.”

“This kind of advertising is almost on a one-to-one basis” says David Adelman a tobacco analyst. “People often smoke the cigarettes their friends smoke. It is very hard to get people to try a new brand because it is about loyalty, image and taste.”

Telephoning II: exchanging information Useful lanuage

Checking information: Asking for information: Sorry, did you say...? Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat that please? Let me read that back to you. Could you give me a few details? What about the new range? Did she say when she’d like to meet?

Finishing a conversation: OK, that’s it. Thanks very much. That was very helpful. I must go now. I think that’s everything.

Planning Future tense

What do you consider when you plan these things: A holiday A special family occasion (a wedding) An ordinary working day/week Your career

Match the verbs to nouns 1 to 5: estimate, collect, consider, forecast, do 1)__________ costs 2)__________ sales 3)__________ research 4)__________ information 5)__________ options

Future tense: 1) We use the present continuous for future arrangements: What are you doing next weekend? 2) We also use going to for arrangements, plans and intentions: We’re going to visit our suppliers next week.

3) But, we do not use the present continuous to make predictions, compare: The transport strike is going to cause a real problem. The transport strike is causing a real problem. 4) Will is very often used for predictions: I don’t think they will complain.

5) We use the short form ‘ll to make spontaneous offers: I’ll help you write the report if you like.

Rewrite the sentences using the verbs in brackets: We are going to launch a new range next summer. (intend) We will beat our competitors before long. (hope) We are sure we will open three new subsidiaries before long. (expect) We are going to open a new sales office in Zagreb. (intend)