Promotion is an element within the marketing mix that helps an organization identifies the right resources and strategy to market its products (Ruskin-Brown, 2006). It involves development of a market communication plan that effectively conveys the right message of the product to the right audiences through the most appealing methods. An effective promotion strategy therefore seeks to satisfy the desires of the customers because it tells them what they want to hear about the product or the service being marketed (Kermally, 2004). This report evaluates an effective promotion plan, explaining some of the major aspects, such as the communication strategy and promotion strategy, involved at every stage of promotion. The analysis is based on REI’s Apparel product line marketing strategy.
Company analysis
The success of REI has been based on its vast experience in inspiring, outfitting and educating the society on outdoor stewardship and adventure. The company’s continuous innovation of new and more satisfying products together with effective marketing strategy have been the background of its market dominance and increased competitive advantage (Komvopoulos et al., 2013). Product promotion is one of the key marketing approaches that have seen the overall success of REI’s marketing strategy (Ruskin-Brown, 2006).
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REI’s Communication strategy
For an organization to succeed in promoting its products or services within the highly competitive market, it has to come up with more appealing and competitive communication strategies, which promote the creation and transmission of the right message to the right audience. Communication strategies determine how well the marketers generate an appealing message about the products or services offered in the market and how they convey that message to the right people within the market (Ruskin-Brown, 2006). Failure to develop and implement a proper communication strategy may lead to poor marketing thus reduced sale, which can as well lead to business downfall.
In references to REI, the company has adopted a number of communication tools through which they convey the information regarding the products and services they offer to specific market segments. For instance, REI is currently investing heavily on social media networks and the internet whereby reaching out to their customers has been much easier and efficient (Komvopoulos et al., 2013). The company has opened Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest accounts which they use to interact with their customers whereby the marketers try to communicate directly through these platforms to the customers (Komvopoulos et al., 2013). Also, the company portrays short videos and messages in form of interacting ads thus increasing their audience base. Bearing in mind that the number of people using social media networks is increasing every day, this has helped the company to convey the message to more potential customers than before. REI is also using other tradition methods of communication to reach out to their diverse customers. These efforts have helped the company increase its customer base and expand its market base thus increasing the overall sales, which defines the revenue generation.
By vamping up the presence of the social media network and connecting such social media networks to the webpage, REI will manage to increase market communication thus attracting more customers from the diverse market segments. Social media and online marketing approaches help in capturing different demographic groups of the customers, which then helps in convincing more to purchase the company’s products (Komvopoulos et al., 2013). When such a development happens, the company is likely to raise its overall sales that promote its economic growth rate.
Promotion strategy
REI promotion strategy can be associated with its recent efforts of venturing into the online market through massive application of social media networks and the internet together with its massive intensive education programs (Komvopoulos et al., 2013). As indicated earlier, the company has opened numerous accounts in different social media networks through which they communicate to their markets. This effort has facilitated effective marketing thus increasing the overall sales. Through its employees’ education programs, REI has managed to improve its market communication and public relations, which are key determinants of a successful promotion strategy (Wilcox, Cameron & Reber, 2015). Marketers are trained on the best ways to conduct market researches, how to explain the features of the products to the potential customers and how to create and retain a positive relationship within the market (Ruskin-Brown, 2006). Such efforts have helped in promoting company’s competitive advantage and market expansion.
However, there is a limitation through which the company is applying its social media platforms. For instance, due to lack of proper connection of social media networks to the company’s website, customers lack proper ways of connecting to the brand and experiencing the real products (Olson, et al., 2005). It is therefore recommendable for the company to connect its social media networks to its website so that customers can access and evaluate the products once they receive the message from the social media. By doing so, customers will have an easier way of accessing the products of their choice and placing their orders (McDonald & Wilson, 2011). This will also make the work of the management easier and improve the internal performance of the stakeholders.
References
Kermally, S. (2004). Gurus on marketing . London, GBR: Thorogood Publishing.
Komvopoulos, J., Labinov, A., Iseri, B., Leon, D., Trad, K., & Lopez, K. (2013). REI Strategy Brief . Retrieved from Slideshare.net: http://www.slideshare.net/JoannaKomvopoulos/rei-strategy-brief .
McDonald, M., & Wilson, H. (2011). Marketing plans: How to prepare them, how to use them (7th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Olson, E. M., Slater, S. F., & Hult, G. T. M. (2005). The performance implications of fit among business strategy, marketing organization structure, and strategic behavior. Journal of marketing , 69(3), 49-65.
Ruskin-Brown, I. (2006). Mastering marketing (2nd ed.). London, GBR: Thorogood Publishing.
Wilcox, D. L., Cameron, G. T., & Reber, B. H. (2015). Public relations: Strategies and tactics . New York, NY: Pearson.
