营销传播的实践理论与沃尔玛营销传播计划.doc

Key Word: Market, Marketing Communications, Wal-Mart IntroductionThis report critically evaluated current marketing communication practices of Wal-Mart conducted in both China and USA from an intergrated approach. Wal-Mart Stores is one of famous company in the world and has long history over 40 years. It is the worlds largest private employer and retailer with over 1.9 million associates worldwide and more than 7,000 stores in 14 countries. Nowadays, Wal-Mart has expanded its business to 14 countries, among which there are developed countries like USA and developing countries like China. It is expected that this report can conclude current successful experience of Wal-Marts Intergrated Marketing Communications and its deficiency needing to be improved. In the last part, an outline plan is made for future improvement in Chinas market.Part One C Review of Current Practice1.1 The change of global market and integrated marketing communicationThe change of global market and the challenge of marketing The global marketplace has changed greatly because of the rise of customer demand, continuing stream of new and innovative products, rapid technical development, and new means of mass communication ( Lindgreen et al., 2004) . With the increase of the customers power, the focus of the market has also transferred onto the development of service and the way in which it can be incorporated into products( Gummesson et al., 1997). A lot of scholars has pointed out that marketing has passed several stages (Brady & Davis, 1993; Dickson, 1992; Webster, 1992), and the current emphasis has transferred from transaction marketing to relationship marketing( Gummesson, 1999; Jackson 1985; Payne, 1995).The highly competitive and saturated markets market in this new century has removed some traditional marketing concepts and ideas which were once applied into previous marketing practices. Accordingly, many scholars have stated that the conventional marketing, which is also known as 4ps classic or transaction marketing could not give sufficient support to the promotion of the products and services in current commercial environment (Brady & Davis, 1993; Doyle, 1995). More and more companies and corporations also are realizing that they must seek more and better ways to increase the attractiveness of their products and service while adding their value. Relationships, networks and interactions present this opportunity ( Lindgreen et al., 2004). Technology development has enhanced marketing development and sophistication. The development of computer technology, communication technology and fragmention of media have made the storage and collation of the customer information possible. More and more companies are benefiting from segmenting and targeting customers with more direct and perosonal communcations. Customised marketing are overrunning the traditional mass marketing even at a glaobal level( Pickton & Broderick 2005:157).The above discussion has showed that the global market has changed a lot. Furthermore, the player in this global arena has also transformed a lot. More and more transnational companies are expanding their business to each corner of our globe. In this process, they have to deal with the new customers who have different cultural background and consuming needs, and to respond quickly to the change of different local market where they are not familiar with. Thus, these factors also brings new challenges for those multinational companies on the matter of relationships with new customers, network building, and interaction.Integrated marketing communicationIntegrated Marketing Communication based on the holistic approach is defined as IMC is a concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a comprehensive plan that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of communications disciplines (for example, general advertising, direct response, sales promotion, and public relations) and combines these disciplines to provide clarity, consistency, and maximum communications impact . (Schultz, 1993).The marketing communication has become more and more important in the marketing of business organizations. Meanwhile, the emergence of new technology has provided various communication channels for them to communicate with the customers in a faster and more effective way . Hence, this constructs a solid technical basis for the practice of intergrated marketing communication.The essence of relationship marketing is a quicker and more efficient response to a changing, largely adverse, mature business environment . ( Lindgreen et al., 2004). There is no doubt that this goal requires a more effective and efficient marketing communication approach. Marketing communication is defined as communications by means of promotion within a target audience or market( Kitchen 1999:2). However, this is not enough to meet this goal. In Chinese, the word crisis ( wei ji) is made of two characters, namely ( danger) and ( opportunity). The wisdom of ancient Chinese is validated by the change of marketing communication. The digital economy which was resulted from the electronic technology has brought challenges to the traditional marketing; nevertheless it also brings new communication tools and new ways to enhance the relationships, networks and interactions between the corporate and its customers.According to the theory of communication study, the communication is two way. The business organizations are both the message sender and the message receiver. On one hand, they send the proper commercial and social message to its customers and the public through the media, with the purpose to inform and persuade; on the other hand, they also receive the feedback from the market in order to develop future appropriate messages, adapt existing messages, collect the marketing data and give fast response to the changing business environment.With the development of the internet, the media in the above communication process has experienced revolutionary changes. IT technology has made the marketing communication step into a new stage, the integrative marketing communication. Traditional marketing communication strategy highly relies on the mass media to send the generalized message. In addition, the feedback from the marketplace is not instant and is quite difficult to be collected. However, the integrated marketing communication is based on the personalised, customer-oriented and technology Cdriven approaches (Fill 2005:296). Furthermore, it also enables a consistent set of meanings within the messages that customers receive and high interactivity with them. Although the IMC has been heated discussed and various marketing researchers have proposed some type of IMC approach or concept, there is still no consistent or mutually agreement upon its definition, description or process to indicate what is the IMC on earth. These ideas and theories of IMC are so diverse for they are so independent of each other. It is obvious that marketing researchers stand in their own shoes to propose the concepts and ideas. In addition, there are still many grey areas that need to be clarified. 1.2 The Integrated Marketing Communications practices of Wal-Mart in USA and ChinaWal-Mart has been titled with Relationship marketing King. Walton once states that one of the secrates of the business success is to let the customer know you appreciate them. Wal-Mart uses lots of one-to-one relationship marketing tactics to show their appreciation of the customer.Message communicated by Wal-Mart Fill (1995) states that the main theme and set of core messages used in any promotion campaigns should first be determined and then deployed as an integrated whole across the promotional mix. Wal-Mart company holds this principle both in USA and in China. The companys most competitive advantage is its low cost in its business operation, and its main business strategy is the cost leadership strategy. Thus, the core messgae of low cost is repeatedly sent to the USA market and Chinese market through various communication channels. In USA, the core message sent to the market once was always low price, which has been used by Wal-Mart for 19 years. In order to attract the customers who can bring high profit, they finally changed the advertising slogan to Save Money Live Better. This messge not only emphazes the low cost, but also the quality it can bring to customers life. Thus, it also brings the possibility to attract the potential customer groups who also cares the quality of life. In addition, this new message shows that Wal-Mart well knows the customers need: seek a better life with low cost. Therefore, this gives a good siganal to the customers that I know your needs, and I can satisfy them. Based on this, a mutual trust and good relationship can be built on this understanding.Wal-Mart continues to use the core messge of low price as a strategic weapon to dominate the retailing market of China. It entered China on August 12, 1996, when its main global competitor Carrefour has already stepped onto Chinas land for a year. In order to grasp the market share, Wal-Mart uses the advertising slogan (every day lowest price) in its outdoor advertisement, television advertisement and printed materail, et al. As we all know, China is still a low income developing country. Hence, there is no doubt that Wal-Mart reached its expected communication results: immediate arousing customers purchasing desire. Based on this appreciation of Chinese customers needs, this message could quickly grasp receivers attention and change their attention to purchasing action. The instant success of Wal-Mart in China should partly credit to the core message they carefully selected and consistently delived.The key visual triggers ( design, colors, form and tag line) used in advertising of Wal-Mart is also replicated across the range of promotional tools used, inclduing the point of purchase and the sales force. From the above analysis, the core messages delived to the market is slightly different because of different social situation e and living standards in USA and China. Wal-Mart successfully determines the most effective core message to meet different level of needs in the market of USA and China. In addition, it constistanly delived the unified message to the market across the promotional mix and media. One of the popular idea with respect to the IMC is that the messages communicated through various media tools should be harmonised in order to keep the audiences perceive a consistant set of meanings within the messages they receive(Fill 1995: 297). These messages communicated to the market by Wal-Mart have been consistantly received by the customers through the broadcasting advertisement, print material, sales promotion, website, product placement, etc. This makes the customer connect Wal-Mart with the low price in both China and USA. Therefore, the core message Wal-Mart sent to the market well serves its business strategy-the cost leadership strategy.Furthermore, Wal-marts messages about the organization itself and the market, which is delivered within the organization should are also consistant through companys inner communication channels and training programmes. Thus the shared and widely accepted message could enhance Wal-mart corporate culture(likebest service for the customer) and accelerate the respoonse to the changing market.Marketing Communication ToolIn this part, the marketing communication tools are considered as the communication channels to carry the messages delived by Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart uses both online and offline marketing tools to communicate messages to the customers in Both China and USA. The offline channels include traditional newspaper, magazine, mail order, public relations, radio and television. The online communication tools include e-marketing campaigns or programs, pay-per-click, e-amil, website, database. Furthermore, above-the line and below the line communications needed to be moduled into one cohesive bundle, from which tools can be selected and deployed as consitions require( Fill 1995 :298).Traditional Offline marketing Communication ToolsWal-Mart frequently uses the traditional offline tools for marketing communication purpose in both China and USA.This includes broadcasting media including television and radio; print media including newspapers and magazines; out door advertising on billboards, transit and street furniture; in-store media of point of purchase; exhibitions and product placement. However, Wal-Marts expendure on the broadcasting and printed advertisement is much less compared with its competitiors in both China and USA. For example, a large-sized retailing business company in USA has 50-100 advertisement on the TV or newspaper on average. However, Wal-Mart has only 12 advertisements in total in order to save the cost. In fact, it more relies on outdoor advertisement, in-store media, exhitions and product placement. The situation in China is the same thing.However, there is a conspicuous sign of Wal-Mart in both USA and China that the sporsorship is one of its most important tools to communicate the positive corporate profile to its exsiting and potential customers. It is quite natural to align the advertising with sponsorrship, which can arouse the awareness and convey positive message to the audience. Wal-Mart has sponsored 22,500,000 RMB to the local communitys charity and environment protection in China since it entered China. In USA, Wal-Mat has donated countless founding to the charity organizations, University scholarships, and public schools, and so on. This sponsorship of Wal-mart could arouse the association of the corporate with community contribution and a particular cause. In addition, it provides sponsors with opportunity to blend a variety of tools in the promotional mix and use resources more efficiently and arguably more effectively.( Fill 1995: 713). The core idea of intergrative marketing communication theory is that both the producer and dealer cooperate together to make full use of different communication tools to arouse the consumers purchasing desire. Therefore, the goal of low advertising cost and high avertising effectiveness can be achieved through combined advantage of all kinds of communication tools. In the practices of Marketing Communications in USA and China, Wal-Mart usually brings together the promotion tools. For Example, the sponsorship is always with outdoor advertising, or with local newspaper.Online Media and Database marketing Database is a driving tool to promote the IMC, which can accelate the two- ways communication between the company with its thousands of customers without geographic limits . It is also fundamental in changing transactional marketing to customer relationship marketing, increasing the customer loyalty, keeping the right customers and resulting in better profit and lower costs ( Stone et al., 2001).Web enabled communications, customer care centers and sales promotions can be linked together, through database applications and all are designed to communicate the same message. ( Fill 1995 :297). Hartley & Starkey (1996) further points out that there are three components of data base marketing: computer-aided sales support, direct response marketing, and customer information and service. In USA, Wal-Mart has fully used database (or Information System) in their marketing communicatuions activities. It highly relies on IS and IT technology to lower the cost, contact with the customers, build and maintain customer relations. During the 1985 to 1987, Wal-Mart invested over 400 million dollar in business secondary planet to achieved globally network and communion transferability. We can also imagine the total expenditure Wal-Mart has spent on its world famous database system. In any country, the information of the branches could transfer as soon as possible to parent company of Wal-Mart. Wal-Marts branch in USA utilizes the database in the following area:1. Compter-mediated sales support (CASS).The field sales team, sales support team, and telemarketing team of Wal-Mart have the access to the datebase, through which the electronic communication with the customers can be conducted, for example e-mails.2.Direct response marketing (DRM). Wal-mart uses the database for campaigns using addressable communications, such as direct e-mail, mail order, telemarketing, e-mail, text messaging .3.Customer information and service (CIS). It is very common for the customers to cantact with Wal-Mart company throng the website W and Internent for the information of bill query, warranty claim, technical problems, and service information.From the above discuss, it can be found that multiple communication tools are coordinated with database, such as telephone, fax, e-mail, direct mail, et al. They complement and intergrat with each other to reach the best impact on the marketing communication. With the help of Internet, customer care centers and sales promotions can be linked together, through data base applications, and all are designed to communicate the same message ( Fill 1995 : 298).Customer relationship management has become a popular focus in marketing with the help of Information System and Information tech