2.1.3.4 Promotion Mix
Promotion mix encompasses a broad range of activities designed to
communicate with individual groups or organizations in order to
influence members or a selected audience to accept the promoting firms,
services or ideas. The promotion mix facilities exchange (Anyanwu,
2003).
Kolter (2006) defined the promotion mix component thus:
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Advertising: this is any paid form of non-personal
presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services by an
identified sponsor. There are various media for advertising and these
include magazines, newspapers, electronic media-radio and television,
bill board, direct mail, cards catalogues and directories.
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Sales promotion: these are short term incentives, displays,
shows or exhibitions to encourage purchase or sales of a product or
services. The numerous contest and competitions sponsored by several
companies in Nigeria falls within this group.
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Publicity: this is a non-personal type of
stimulation of demand for a product or services. Although it is not
deliberately paid for but organizations do no leave publicity to
chance because of the goodwill and benefits derivable from a favorable
presentations of the organization good in the print or electronic
media.
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Personal selling: this is an oral presentation of
conversation with one or more prospective purchases for the purpose of
making sales. It involves a direct contact between the salesmen or
agents and the consumers.
All these components of the promotional mix need to be properly planned,
organized, executed and monitored to achieve the organizations set
objectives.
However, the major problem confronting organizations is determining the
optimal promotional mix, which will cope with the environment at
particular point in time.