1. Afjal Hossain Assistant Professor Department of Marketing
MKT 5207 Service Marketing
Afjal Hossain
Assistant Professor
Department of Marketing

2. Chapter 16 Integrated Services Marketing Communications

3. Provider Gap 4 Not matching performance to promises
CUSTOMER
Gap 4: The Communication Gap
External Communications to Customers
COMPANY
Service Delivery

4. Key Factors Leading to Provider Gap 4
Service Delivery
External Communications to Customers
Figure 2.5

5. Communications and the Services Marketing Triangle
Company
External Marketing Communication Advertising Sales promotion Public relations Direct marketing
Internal Marketing Vertical communications Horizontal communications
Providers
Customers
Interactive Marketing Personal selling Customer service center Service encounters Servicescapes
Figure 16.1
Sources: Adapted from M. J. Bitner, “Building Service Relationships: It’s All about Promises,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 23, no. 4 (1995); and C. Gronroos, Services Management and Marketing (Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1990).

6. Integrated Services Communications
a strategy that carefully integrates all external and internal communication channels to present a consistent message to customers
This means coordination across:
sales and service people
print
Internet
other forms of tangible communication including the servicescape
How is this done in services?
advertising
sales presentations
service encounters with employees
servicescape and other tangibles
Internet and web presence
public relations
pricing
service guarantees
customer education

7. Five Major Approaches to Overcome Service Communication Channels
Figure 16.2

8. (1) Approaches for Addressing Service Intangibility
Use narrative to demonstrate the service experience
Present vivid information
Use interactive imagery
Focus on the tangibles
Use brand icons to make the service tangible
Use association, physical representation, documentation, and visualization
Feature service employees in communication
Use buzz or viral marketing
Leverage social media
Aim messages to influencers
Create advertising that generates talk because it is humorous, compelling, or unique
Feature satisfied customers in the communication
Generate word-of-mouth through employee relationships

9. Services Advertising Strategies Matched with Properties of Intangibility
Exhibit 16.2

10. (2) Approaches for Managing Service Promises
Create a strong service brand
Coordinate external communication

11. Service Branding Model
Source: Leonard L. Berry, “Cultivating Service Brand Equity,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 28 (Winter 2000), pp. 128–137.

12. (3) Approaches for Managing Customer Expectations
Make realistic promises
Offer service guarantees
Offer choices
Create tiered-value service offerings
Communicate the criteria and levels of service effectiveness

13. (4) Approaches for Managing Customer Education
Prepare customers for the service process
Confirm performance to standards and expectations
Clarify expectations after the sale
Teach customers to avoid peak demand periods and to seek slow demand periods

14. (5) Approaches for Managing Internal Marketing Communication
Create effective vertical communications
Sell the brand inside the company
Create effective upward communication
Create effective horizontal communications
Align back-office and support personnel with external customers through interaction or measurement
Create cross-functional teams of sales, service, and operations people when developing new services or engaging in service improvements
Maintain a customer focus throughout all functions

15. Interactive Imagery: Travelers

16. Service Brand Icon: The GEICO Lizard

17. Focusing on Tangibles Associated with the Service: The Sierra Club

18. Best Practices for Closing the Communication Gap (Gap 4)
Employing integrated services marketing communication strategies around everything and everyone that sends a message or signal.
Manage customer expectations effectively throughout the experience.
Develop mechanisms for internal communication to avoid over-promising and ensure successful delivery.

19. DHL’s Integrated Marketing Campaign
Source:

20. DHL’s Outdoor Advertising

21. DHL’s Print Advertising

22. DHL’s Print Advertising Links to Employees

23. Service Brand Icons

24. “Relax, It’s FedEx” Campaign
Campaign objective:
demonstrate that FedEx’s portfolio of services will help businesses meet their needs more effectively
Aimed at all businesses:
from small businesses to corporate customers
Integrated marketing communications campaign involves TV, print, and radio ads
the message: the reliability that customers have come to expect is now more certain than ever, so they can “relax”

25. FedEx Print Advertisements
Ad copy:
Keeping costs down is the most important thing. Right after the 107 other things.
Give your customers what they want, when they want it with FedEx Ground and the vast FedEx® transportation portfolio. It's a variety of services that is sure to meet your variety of transportation needs. Like giving you product visibility throughout the delivery process via FedEx InSight® so you can increase customer expectations and customer service all while keeping costs down. To find out everything we can do for you call Go.FedEx ( ).
distribution.fedex.com/01
Relax, it's FedEx.

26. FedEx Print Advertisements
Ad copy:
Make your customers happy, even when they're not.
Turn dissatisfied customers into customers who come back. FedEx Ground and the FedEx® transportation portfolio can give you a returns process that's easy for your customers and cost effective for you. Giving the customer what they want, when they want is a must. No matter how many tries it takes. To find out what we can do for you call Go.FedEx ( ).
retail.fedex.com/03
Relax, it's FedEx.

27. FedEx Website www.fedex.com
easy to use
ties in with whole value proposition of campaign
Print ads drive customers to websites with information on how FedEx provides solutions for specific industries:
retail, wholesale, apparel

28. Sports Sponsorship
Does not tie in directly with the “Relax, It’s FedEx” campaign, but increases brand awareness

29. FedEx: Metrics for IMC Campaign
FedEx must be able to evaluate the effectiveness of integrated marketing communication campaign
customer surveys and focus groups about brand awareness
number of telephone inquiries
number of website hits and click-throughs
number of shipments by customer segment
growth in sales since campaign inception

30. FedEx: IMC Campaign Effectiveness
Consistency of message
Use narratives to demonstrate service experience
Presents vivid information
Promises what is possible
Encourages word-of-mouth communication
Indirectly features service customers

31. FedEx: Internal Communications
Service employees must be well versed in what ads are promising
Knowledge of services offered across the organization
call centers
web design
response mechanisms
InSight (new service offered)
Cross-functional communication
operations
public relations/marketing