Integrated Marketing Communications Media Strategy

Question: Discuss about theIntegrated Marketing Communicationsfor Media Strategy. Answer: Media Strategy Different media mixes were strategically used to campaign towards the brand awareness increment of LOreal Company. While conducting the campaigns, both men and women aged between 20 to 60 years was the targeted audience. A similar advert slogan, LOreals shampoo beauty Master was used by all media throughout the campaign, either by voice or through designed writing. The objectives of the strategy was to prove to the public how natural LOreals shampoo is, hence, increasing the awareness of the brand in the process (Chapter 9 Advertising and Promotion, 2011). To this respect, widely used radio and TV channels, Internet Banners, and Magazine Ads are intended to be used. The Radio As one of the planned channel of communication within the strategy, radio will enable LOreal to realize an immediate sale because it reaches customers within few hours. In France, the diplomatic communication channels to be used are the Radio France, Public radio independent of Radio France, the Independent Radio Network, Independent Local Radio and Category A Stations. Use of radio in the brand awareness campaign will also allow the company to sell with intimacy. It is also an effective media because it stars the minds theatre hence, appealing most (Sebastian, 2014). TV Channels The recent study on media strategies has revealed that television in the main media of communication in the US and the rest of the world. Therefore, it is equally considerable for LOreal to increase its brands awareness. Notably, most people spend at least four hours in a day watching the television. To a greater extent, these individuals watch TV as leisure. Apparently, the highly targeted audience by LOreal comprises of the youths, who have a tendency of watch TV for entertainment purposes. Therefore, it was very strategic to incorporate TV as one of the media strategies. To this respect, widely watched TV channels such as the ABC, BBC, and the FOX are going to be used. Using television as media strategy is a fruitful idea for LOreal because it is targeting the demography (Royo-Bordonada et al., 2016). Television advertising may cover a vast array of program options. Similarly, the impacts of Televisions can be used as a complement for other media mix (Okdie, Rempala, and Garvey, 2 016). Through the TV, the viewer can be told to visit the companys brand website hence, increasing its awareness. Likewise, viewers will be encouraged via the TV to see the full catalogue of the brand in certain newspapers (Dunnhumby USA 0003, 2016). They can also be made aware of the radio stations where the awareness campaigns are also conducted. Magazines The magazine is used to increase brands awareness by posting beautiful pictures of the brand especially, in the main parts of the paper such as the front and back pages. With the current global technology level, magazines are also read online. To progressive increase, the brand of LOreal, widely read magazine are going to be used. They include the Parents, Soap Opera Digest, Real Simple, Better Homes Garden and the Vanity Fair. Like any other media strategy, use of magazine imposes a message in a most efficient way. Therefore, most ads regarding the brand will be posted in full page. Images displayed in magazines are always attractive in colours thence, impose a picture imagery on the eyes of the readers. This visual imagery attracts the readers attention, thereby, enhancing the visual presentation of the brand. To increase the performance of the magazine as media, bleed images and colour backgrounds are used. Furthermore, such performances ensure the outstanding of a brand. Magazine will also enable LOreal to attract more audience through the interesting themes. Typically, people who read magazines are interested by topics. Therefore, the pages that are likely to rhyme with the brand are identified and attached to one page. Magazines will also enable the company to reach more people by creating repeated exposure. Mostly, magazines are put in bright areas or exposed for other interested readers. For example, in most homes and businesses, there are distinct stations where they are placed for other readers. In additions, most libraries around the world have magazines sections, where newsletters and related articles are dropped for students on a daily basis. Therefore, use of publications to increase the brand awareness by LOreal Company is very useful as most people will repeatedly be reached. Unlike the radios or the televisions whose programs are rarely recorded in at homes, magazines are rarely burnt or thrown away. Besides this effectiveness, the cost of a journal may be a limiting factor for LOreal. For example, ads on a national newsletter of magazine costs thousands of dollars (Pitts, Burke, and Adams, 2014). Therefore, besides being an efficient way of increasing the brands awareness, it is very expensive. The Internet LOreal has also advanced in the line of technology. It increases its brands awareness through the web. The power of LOreal to reach the targeted audience through the internet is an innovative strategy. This media strategy is a target market mechanism, where the brand is strategically located on the website to attract 100% relevant viewers (St?tesk et al., 2016). What it takes to attract such percentage of the audience is designing a website and strategic location of the product. The internet also enables the company to have more contact with online viewers hence, increasing the brands awareness. Here, an interactive ad of shampoo is located and allow consumers to comment freely. Such comments are used by other viewers to weigh the brand. This strategy is also cost-effective. While televisions and radios ads last not more than three minutes due to other programs, internet adverts last all day and night hence, accessed by millions of online users. Therefore, the Internet is a major med ia strategic technique that is beneficial to LOreal. LOreal Company Media Plan The purpose of this media plan is to select, plan and budget for the most amicable media channels that can help LOreal to increase the awareness of its brand. Currently, LOreal is facing high completion due to the existence of so many worldwide players in the same market. Besides, these players have reputation and brand power compared to LOreal. Basically, those players have the power of the current market condition. While its competitors such as Procter Gamble had 11.5% market share in 2011, LOreal had 9.8% only. LOreal was followed so close by Unilever who had 7.8%. To excel and overtake Procter Gamble and become the worlds best manufacture and supplier of cosmetic products including shampoo, LOreal needs an effective media plan. Therefore, this part of the paper represents outsourced media strategy and the selection of the media platform for the companys brand. To this respect, all channels within the media mix i.e. the radio, television, magazines, and the internet are going to be planned for accordingly, after which the best media combination that can be effective when used by LOreal to increase its brand awareness is pointed out. Through the journey of enhancing the awareness of the brand, LOreals objectives are to engage customers by making them interact with the brand through the highlighted media devices. This interaction will help the company to shape the entire campaign process. It will also promote a sense of loyalty between the consumers and the company hence, drive more sales. Not only will the brand awareness campaign will better the existing market share for LOreal, but also make more consumers aware of the brand. In relation to this plan, the strategies used are planned for in the most appropriate manner to reach all households in Paris, Maybelline, the Asian market and the rest or the world. The target for this plan is summarised in the table below; Qualifier Index Target Women and men 20-60 153 Income per household $65,000-$70,000 125 Region Europe and Middle East 120 Radio Ads, entertainment 110 Television ads 100 Internet Shampoo website 130 magazine Ads, entertainment I50 107 The targeted audience lead an active live. Most of them are youths who love entertainment. Therefore, most ads items will be accompanied with entertainment. Shampoo, one of the products produced by LOreal, is used by most women across the globe. The planning for the increase of brand awareness affirms that most investments are going to done on the most effective and cost efficient Medias. Little funds would be allocated for the most expensive media mixes.Therefore, the media strategy planned budget is as shown below; Budget Media Cost Activities Magazine $2,500 Per Basic photography 10 $ 1,200 Per Image linked campaigns 10 TV $ 2000, 000 Per ad 30 Radio $ 4,500 1 and an extra ad. 20 Internet $ 11,000 Maintenance and ads (per month) - Campaign Evaluation $ 10,000 - - Total $ 218, 000 70 The campaign period was set to run for one month. While planning, the television, the internet, and the radio were found to be both efficient and cost friendly. At the same time, the magazine is an effective way of increasing the brands awareness, but it is very expensive. Therefore, the T.V campaigns will be conducted after every four hours every day, likewise to the radio. The internet is going to be used throughout the election period, which is expected to last for one month. In readiness to the brands awareness, $170, 000 was allocated towards the intended campaigns over the T.V and radio channels. The website banners and general website maintenance activities are expected to cost $11,000, and the magazines to be $37,000. Evaluation of the campaign is also set to be done after the one month campaign period, and is expected to cost $10,000. Hence, a total of $ 228,000 for the entire brand awareness campaigns. Evaluation of the Campaign The campaign period lasted for one month. Within this period, various media mix; the television and radio channels, widely read magazines and the internet websites were used. While conducting the campaigns, the media strategy was aiming at increasing LOreals brand by at least 70%. Fortunately, the performance of the strategy was very effective. The brands awareness increased by 10% more than expected. After the one month period, most customers were leaving other companies in favour of LOreal. This great achievement was in courtesy of the effort of all media mixes used. However, some channels came out as good performers than the rest. Therefore, the purpose of this segment of the paper is to evaluate the general campaign, and also highlight distinct performance of each media channel. To begin with, the entire process was expensive as $ 228,000 was invested. However, the Internet was a major player to ensure that the project realises its objective. Through the internet survey, it was observed that 30% of new customers interacted by the firms product vie the internet. Interestingly, this was an area that received least funds during the plan budgeting. Besides the survey, the evaluation team observed the companys shampoo website which was very impressive. The page had garnered more than $2 million likes within a period of three weeks. Also, most of the charts at the website were very positive. Both the television and the radio tied at 26% each. According to a group of customers, the picture that was used to publicize the shampoo over the various Television channels was very attractive. In respect to the radio channels, the customers really appreciated the voice of the woman used to attar the brands slogan, LOreals shampoo beauty Master. The percentage presented by the customer who are alerted by the magazines was 18%. However, these customers confessed that they first heard about the brand over television and radio, which also acted as subsidiaries for other media by directing customers to visit certain sites to get more information about the natural and valuable products offered by LOreal. The results according this campaign evaluation is presented in the pie chart below. From the above evaluation, it is evident that the internet is the best media mix. 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