"It's not the towering sail, but the unseen wind that moves the ship"
You have launched a new product or service and have planned a marketing communications campaign to promote it that you hope will have enough creativity behind it to catch the imagination of your target audience and tower above your competitors. However, behind the scenes, will the campaign be integrated enough to ensure its success?
With the growth of social media and the growing number of competitors in both the offline and online marketplace, consumers are increasingly bombarded with companies promoting their marketing messages. As a result, audiences are becoming increasingly fragmented which reduces the chance of any message being seen or heard. In my experience, if you continually reinforce a consistent brand identity with a consistent and cohesive message through a variety of channels (e.g. direct marketing, digital, word-of-mouth, advertising, sales promotion, face-to-face and PR) you will have more chance of making sure your messages stay in the minds of your customers.
The key things to consider when developing an integrated marketing communications campaign for a new product or service are:
1) Does my communication material look like it is being produced by the same company?
2) Is my positioning and brand image being promoted consistently across all communication channels?
3) Do I understand my target market's demographics and media preferences?
4) Do I fully understand the target audience’s perception of competing products which are in the same market and are competing for the same consumer spending?
5) Does the chosen media channel achieve the product launch objectives?
6) Share your message with your internal audience, such as employees to make sure your business is on board with your campaign before being communicated to your external audience.
The main obstacle when developing an integrated marketing communications campaign to promote a new product is that if everyone involved is not working towards the same goals and objectives, both internally and externally, the message can become disjointed. By having a consistent and compelling message to communicate why your product should be purchased, the better your customers will feel they know your business, hence will develop more trust in your product or service. Each time one of your existing or prospective customers view the same message promoted through one of your selected channels, it is reinforced, thereby generating greater awareness and a more likely desire to purchase.
Having a clear and comprehensive integrated marketing communications campaign to promote your new product or service will ensure you are at the forefront of the minds of your target customers. If successfully implemented, it will differentiate your product or service from your competitors and the work done behind the scenes will ensure your product or service will sail on its way to success!