Business Communication Prolonged Answers

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Answer
Question:

CASE 1:
Nestle has launched quality street ,lion and after 8 choclates
imported from Europe. Qualtty Street is an
assortment of chocolates priced at Rs. 7 5 for 218 gm. After Eight is
a popular adult chocolate priced at Rs.25
for 20 gm and Lion is a caramel wafer bar priced at Rs. 20 for a 45
gm bar. (Kit Kat )is priced at Rs. 6 for a 17
gm bar and has a chocolaty taste while Lion has a crunchy taste).
The brands have different tastes and will
appeal to different target segments (though the target segment is
one which may have already been exposed to
these brands during visits abroad). These brands have been
introduced in metros in upmarket stores which sell
brands bears the label "lmported by Nestle India Ltd." indicating
that they may be better than smuggled ones
(which may be stale).
Question :

1 Suggest suitable media /media vehicles for promoting these brands. Give
reasons in support of your answer
THESE ARE BEING INTRODUCED IN THE METRO UPMARKET
STORES.
WHAT WE NEED IS AN INTEGRATED MARKETING
COMMUNICATION FOR AN EFFECTIVE MARKETING AND GOOD
RESULTS.
The primary goal of marketing communications is to build awareness
of a business, its products, and its position through customer-facing
materials such as brochures, press releases, Web sites, and trade
OUTLET presentations. Planning an integrated and consistent crossteam approach to these activities — one that reinforces a company's
message with target audiences and motivates customers to buy .
A good marketing communications plan requires you to do
substantial research. You need to have an in-depth understanding of
your target audiences and the processes involved in buying, selling,
and communicating. After you've armed yourself with the knowledge

that you need, you can determine what you hope to gain from your
marketing activities, what you want your customers to know, and
how best to communicate that information to them. You'll also need
to decide on a budget and schedule, and to evaluate any constraints
that these might place on the campaign. Ideally, your marketing
plan should outline the communications process step by step.
The following links take you to the tools and information that you
need to produce a first-rate marketing communications plan.
The marketing communications strategy process usually begins with
creating a "messaging strategy" -- determining the consistent theme
or fundamental selling message that will he used in all marketing
materials.
Another key part of the messaging process is creating the
positioning statement. This two sentence statement tells what you
sell, to whom, and why customers should buy it.
As you move through the process of creating a positioning
statement, you'll want to capture your brainstorming results, such
as in your marketing strategy mind map. Then, refine and test those
creative approaches until you settle on your company's positioning
statement.
Your positioning statement is critical to making all of the other parts
of the marketing communications strategy work well. This is
because every awareness-building and product information program
needs to paint a clear, concise picture of what you sell and how
customers will benefit from using your products.
Selecting effective marketing programs
Once you have settled on a strong positioning statement, you can
develop sound strategies for your marcom programs. For most
companies this means considering programs such as:
• Public relations
• Advertising
• Web site
• Direct marketing (offline & online)
• Packaging
• Merchandising promotions
A mind map is a good way to capture ideas about which programs
look like they will be most effective. Add these programs to the

Marketing Communications section of your strategic marketing mind
map. Later, evaluate each program to see if it should be in your final
strategic marketing plan.
In large companies where each marketing program has its own
manager, you can link your main strategic marketing mind map to
each program's own planning mind map.
In companies where the whole marcom strategy is implemented by
one team, you can add details about marcom programs in the team's
main marketing mind map.
Benefits of a sound marcom strategy
The process of creating a marcom strategy has gotten more complex
as more marketing activities move to the Internet. This has made it
even more important to understand customer segments and how to
communicate with those potential customers.
When you develop a marcom strategy based on a sound strategic
marketing view of your market your marcom program will be more
effective -- and customers will have a better, more consistent brand
experience.
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Integrated Marketing Communications Strategy
• The Communications Mix
• Advertising
– any paid form of nonpersonal presentation by a sponsor
• Personal Selling
– personal presentations by a firm’s sales force
• Sales Promotion
– short term incentives to encourage sales
• Public Relations
– building good relations with various publics
• Direct Marketing
– short term incentives to encourage sales
• Developing Effective Communication
• Identifying Target Audience
– Determining Communications Objectives
– Buyer Readiness Stages
• Designing Message
– Message Content
– Message Structure
– Message Format
• Media Selection

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personal and nonpersonal communications channels
Message Source
Feedback Collection
Promotion Budget
Affordable
Percentage of Sales
Competitive Parity
Objective and Task
Promotion Mix
Advertising
reaches many buyers, expressive
impersonal
Personal Selling
personal interaction, relationship building
costly
Sales Promotion
generates immediate response
short-lived
Public Relations
more believable, economical, underused by firms
Direct Marketing
customized, interactive
Promotion Mix
Push Strategy
directing communications to channel members
Pull Strategy
directing communications to end users
Factors
type of product/market
buyer readiness stage
product life-cycle stage
Emerging Communications Environment
Shift from mass marketing to segmented marketing
Shift from mass media to focused media
Integrated Marketing Communications
Coordinate and integrate communications channels
advertising
personal selling
sales promotion
direct marketing
public relations

– packaging
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2 What business communication media you will utilize if you have to
launch a soap in rural India?
Advertising goes hand in hand with economic growth. With economic
liberalization and increasing rural prosperity, marketers are keen to
inform villagers about the benefits of buying and consuming their
products and services. Prior to the introduction of economic
liberalization in 1990s, there was little incentive for marketers to
advertise their products and services, as rural markets were
predominantly a seller's market.
The influence of the electronic media, in particular television, video
and the Hindi film industry, is contributing to the growth of rural
aspirations, which are being manifested in rural India in the form of
increasing consumerism.
The rural environment is different from the urban and therefore
communication to potential customers in a proper and effective
manner is a major challenge for corporate marketers. The majority
of advertisements designed by corporate marketers, are largely
urban oriented and extend themselves to rural areas without any
consideration to the values and sensitivities of the rural audience,
which are often in striking contrast to those of their urban
counterparts. This has led to a negative perception in the minds of
villagers, about urban media planners and advertisers.
Rural communication is not a 'peripheral activity'. It does not, for
instance, involve taking an audio-visual van to a village and
assuming that this step is enough to reach out to customers. It
requires an entirely different mindset, which demands getting rid of
many mental barriers. Companies have to realize that rural is a longhaul market, as gains in the short term are neither immediate nor
large.
CHALLENGES IN RURAL COMMUNICATION
There are many challenges to communication in rural. Low literacy
level; poor media reach and exposure and vast, heterogeneous and
diversely spread rural audiences characterized by variations in
language, culture and lifestyle-all these factors pose multiple
challenges to marketers looking to take their messages to the
largely media-dark or media-grey areas, of rural markets.
Heterogeneity and spread

The communication pattern in any society is a part of its culture. No
communication medium can exist in a cultural vacuum.
Communicating the message to rural consumers ha posed enormous
challenges to the rural marketer, because of the large numbers of
consumers scatters across the country. The problem is further
compounded by the heterogeneous nature of consumers there are
16 scheduled languages and 114 local vernaculars. For example, the
dialect used in the Vidharbha region ,in konkan region, in costal
Maharastra.
Limited Media Reach
The limited reach of the mass media imposes limitations on
universal communication to rural consumers. These factors lead to
poor message comprehension and negligible impact, which fail to
translate into consumer awareness and hence fail in generating
consumer pull.
Understanding the Rural Audience
It is not sufficient to understand rural communication challenges as
stated above: rather, what is equally crucial is the need to
understand the behavioral and psychographic characteristics of the
rural audience, in order to develop an effective rural communication
strategy.
CREATING ADVERTISEMENTS FOR RURAL AUDIENCES
Communication experts need to keep the following factors in mind
when creating advertisements for rural audiences.
* Understanding the mindset of potential customers, including their
hopes, fears, aspirations and apprehension conducting a qualitative
study among the target audience would help in better understanding
of the consumer mindset.
* Pick up 'gems' in the form of idioms, expressions, words, etc. in
relation to the product category for later use in the creative.
* Tricky, clever, gimmicky, or even suggestive advertising does not
work with rural audiences. 'Flicks' using very expensive computer
graphics without any human presence go over the heads of rural
audiences.
* Combining education with 'entertainment is a good route to take
when targeting rural audiences. Using locally popular film stars or
even featuring religious events (melas) popular in the region, helps

strike a chord with rural audiences. According to a study, it is
Govinda and Sharukh Khan who is most popular among rural folk in
north India.
* 'Quickies' (short television commercials) do not register well with
rural audiences. Advertising agencies need to provide for ample time
and space to communicate a message properly and effectively to the
intended audience. This is seen for instance, in the popularity of the
two-minute theatre commercials screened in rural cinemas.
* RURAL MEDIA
* Rural media can be classified broadly into conventional mass, nonconventional media and personalized media. The various media
vehicles are as follows:
CONVENTIONAL MASS MEDIA NON-CONVENTIONAL MEDIA
PERSONALIZED MEDIA
Television Haat and mela Direct mailer
Radio Folk media (puppet show, magic show) Point of
sale(demonstration, leaflet)
Press Video van Word of mouth
Cinema Mandi Interpersonal communication
Outdoor: wall painting, hoarding
Animator
INOVATIVE MEDIA
OUTDOOR MEDIA: WALL PAINTING
* This medium is the most widespread form of advertising and is the
favorite of the Indian rural masses, as they can view it at their
leisure. Wall paintings are important because they constantly remind
rural people about name and logos in addition to highlighting the
key brand promise. They also reflect the vibrant economic and social
life of the area.
Characteristics of wall paintings
* They are economical as compared to other traditional media forms,
as the manpower and infrastructure requirements are low.
* They can easily be customized in accordance with regional
language variations without this impacting their artistic content.

* Audience recall rates are high.
Limitations
* The lack of availability of wall space at prominent locations is an
issue.
* The quality of the wall space available is not always satisfactory.
The base of rural wall structures is generally not smooth and this
impacts the final output.
* No exclusive wall rights are given to the company. It may happen
that a company gets a wall painted and after sometimes when the
company executive passes through, he finds that the painting has
been replaced by the advertisement of some other company.
* The quality of the painters available is also low. Companies prefer
hiring painters locally as they are familiar with the area and the cost
of hiring them is lower when compared to the cost of hiring painters
from outside.
FOLK MEDIA
* Folk media consist of folk songs, folk dances and other theatrical
forms, including puppetry, street theatre and magic shows, which
are an intrinsic part of the culture and heritage of the land.
* They are capable of communicating message about contemporary
issues, topics and concerns as per the needs and demands of a
changing society.
* They are a face-to-face and personal form of communication.
* The essential characteristics of folk media are that are interactive,
repetitive and narrative
Kinds of Folk Media
* Folk theatre
* Magic show
* Puppet shows

* Interactive games
* Folk Theatre
Folk theatre, interspersed with folk song and dance, is a simple and
entertaining form of communication. It can also be informative and
educational. In the past, folk theatre has been used to arose public
opinion against the British Raj, to draw attention to atrocities
against the girl child and raise public consciousness about other
socially relevant issues.
* Folk songs
Folk songs are basically simple and direct compositions that are
usually transmitted orally from one generation to the next and not
through the written word. The structure of the folk song is
characterized by simplicity and uniformity in rhythm. The songs
consist of many stanzas sung in more or less the same tune. Each
region and state has its own particular traditions of folk songs and
ballads.
* Folk Dances
Folk dances are basically simple and rhythmic and mostly religious
in nature. Communication takes place through dramatic gestures
and the accompanying music. Folk dances are visually very
arresting, attracting audiences with their elaborate costumes and
stage settings.
* Magic shows
Magic shows are another very entertaining form of folk
entertainment and draw large crowds, particularly because of the
curiosity factor and the use of hypnotic effects.
* Puppet Shows
The kathputli puppet performance is the most common form of this
folk tradition.The origin of puppet theatre is closely linked to the
performance of religious ceremonies. The connection between
rituals and the use of puppets is found in almost all the states in
India.
Traditional puppeteers were mostly itinerant performers who
depended on royal patronage for their survival. Even today tales of

chivalrous kings like Prithiviraj C hauhan and Amar Singh Rathor are
narrated through puppet performances in the villages and towns of
Rajasthan.
The different forms of traditional puppetry are glove, rod, string-rod
and shadow puppets. The differences exist not only in name but also
in form, structure, manipulation techniques and geographical origin
spread.
CONCLUSION
To sum up, it is clear that in any form of rural communication, while
we may have a national strategy, we have to think and act locally.
The need for focused communication aimed at the rural market,
should not be underestimated. This calls for innovation and
substantive changes in marketing strategies and approaches. The
innovation should be carried out within the framework of what can
best be characterized as the 4-R principle:
Reincarnate innovation
If the Indian advertising industry is to reach out to rural India in an
effective and efficient manner, it has to be grounded firmly in rural
perceptions, value and traditions. It has to immerse itself in local
colours, customs and modes of communication in order to make
itself relevant to the needs and desires of rural society. It has to
gain the trust of the masses by undercutting its own excessive
dependency on western styles of advertising, on the one hand and
on its use of
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CASE 2:
The herbal shampoo market is valued at around Rs. 100 crores.
Ny/e, Ayur, Dqbur and Biotique are some of the
established brands in the market.
Helene Curtis (JK Group) has introduced a premium herbal shampoo
(with variants Shikskai, henna and qmla
and brqhmi and josur) priced between Rs. 80 and Rs. 90 (500 ml) for
different types of hair. The proposition is
the benefits offered by lhe variant based on the combination of
herbs, benefits offered by the variants range
from extra protection and nourishment to colour, body and bounce.
The shampoos have been launched under

the brand name Premium Herbsl Shsmpoos and they target urban
housewives with a monthly household
income of Rs.25,000. The brand is distributed through 7 0,000 retail
outlets and 120 Raymond shops. The
company has planned only point of purchase (POP) posters initially
and may consider the electronic media
later. The shampoo has an annual advertising expenditure of Rs. 10
crores.
Question :

1 Comment on the marketing mix of JK's Premium Herbsl
Shampoos ?
1 Comment on the marketing mix of JK's Premium Herbsl
Shampoos ?

[THE POP ALONE IS A VERY WEAK APPROACH TO THE
PROMOTION .
THE INITIAL PROMOTION MIX MUST
-create awareness
-create interest
-influence the buawareness
-create interest
-influence the buying decision
-sell the benefits
-complete the sales transaction.
-------------------------------------------------------------

2 How can you make their communication more effective ?.
2 How can you make their communication more effective ?.
TO MAKE THE COMMUNICATION MORE EFFECTIVE , WE
SHOULD SELECT
THE PROMOTIONAL MIX ARE:
Personal Selling ,
-here the marketing communication is used

*to inform the customers/ prospects
*to create awareness
*to present the product
*to influence the customer
*to sell benefits
*to help the customer to make the buying decision
*to seek commitment
*to help to close the sale.
-------------------------------------Sales Promotion
-here the marketing communication is used
*to inform the customers
*to physically present
*to influence the customers
*to help the customers to feel the product
*to help the customer to make the buying decision
*to offer consumer incentives
*to help the final transactions
-------------------------------------------Public Relations (and publicity)
-here the marketing communication is used
*to publicise the company
*to publicise the product
*to publicise the company's research/ development
*to publicise the company image
*to create the company brand
*to inform public
*to communicate with the community.
*to establish relations with government
*to establish community relations
-------------------------------------------------Direct Mail
-here the marketing communication is used
*to inform
*to talk to individuals
*to focus on niche market
*to inform the decision makers directly
*to advertise cost efficiently
*to promote selected market segments
*to contact individuals for one-to-one marketing
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Trade Fairs and Exhibitions
-here the marketing communication is used
*to inform individuals
*to provide visibility
*to talk to individuals
*to inform the decision makers directly
*to advertise cost efficiently
*to promote person to person
*to contact individuals for one-to-one marketing
-------------------------------------------------------------------Advertising (above and below the line)
-here the marketing communication is used
ABOVE THE LINE
*to MASS inform the customers/ prospects
*to create MASS awareness
*to present the product
*to influence the customer
*to sell benefits
*to help the customer to make the buying decision
BELOW THE LINE
*to physically present
*to make it visible at the point of sale.
*to influence the customers
*to help the customers to feel the product
*to help the customer to make the buying decision
*to offer consumer incentives
*to help the final transactions
*to display and promote
*to merchandise the product
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Sponsorship
-here the marketing communication is used
*to MASS inform the customers/ prospects
*to create MASS awareness
*to present the product
*to influence the customer
*to sell benefits
--------------------------------------------------------Packaging -here the marketing communication is used
-here the marketing communication is used

*to MASS inform the customers/ prospects
*to create MASS awareness
*to present the product
*to influence the customer
*to make it visible at the point of sale
-------------------------------------------------------------Merchandising (and point-of-sale)
-here the marketing communication is used
*to create visiblity at the point of sale.
*to influence the customers
*to help the customers to feel the product
*to help the customer to make the buying decision
*to offer consumer incentives
*to help the final transactions
*to display and promote
*to merchandise the product
-------------------------------------------------------------------EMarketing (and Internet promotions)
-here the marketing communication is used
*to inform
*to talk to individuals
*to focus on niche market
*to inform the decision makers directly
*to advertise cost efficiently
---------------------------------------------------------------Branding (and corporate identity)
-here the marketing communication is used
*to create an unique position for the company
*to create an unique position for the product
*to create unique visibility
*to make it easy to identify
*to make it easy to buy
*to make it easy to sell
----------------------------------------------------------ALL THE MARKETING COMMUNICATION EFFORTS ARE DIRECTED
-TO MAKE IT EASY FOR THE CUSTOMERS TO MAKE THE BUYING
DECISION.
-HENCE MORE SALES.
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CASE 3:

(i) Iran Rafsanjan Co., Rafsanjan City, Iran has taken a marine
insurance policy No. VB/84/3629/29 dated
20th December, 2005 from Albroz Insurance Co., Kerman City, Iran
for the import of 500 tractor gears
from Apex Products (India) Ltd., Delhi. The exporter shipped the
cargo on board vessel — SEEMA on
26th December, 2005 for Bandar Abbas Port of Iran.
As per the letter of credit condition, the exporter was required to fax
the shipment details to Albroz
Insurance Company within 24 hours of the shipment. However, the
exporter could not fax such details due
to change in telephone (fax) number of the insurance company.
Draft an express telegram to intimate shipment details.
Draft an express telegram to intimate shipment details.

Albroz Insurance Co., Kerman Cityv

subject
Iran Rafsanjan Co., Rafsanjan City, Iran
Sub marine insurance policy No. VB/84/3629/29 dated

Apex Products (India) Ltd., Delhi.
The exporter shipped the cargo-500 tractors-- on board vessel —
SEEMA on
26th December, 2005 for Bandar Abbas Port of Iran

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ii) Yours is a multinational company having joint venture with a
Chinese company. Plant is to be located at
Surat. The company immediately needs an Executive - Foreign
Affairs (male/female) with ability of
“writing and speaking Chinese language.
Draft a recruitment advertisement for publication under classified
column of a national daily. Salary-is no
bar for the right candidate. E-mail address
AN INDIAN MULTINATIONAL CO. HAVING JOINT VENTURE WITH
A CHINESE CO.—LOCATED IN SURAT SEEKS AN EXECUTIVE—
FOREIGN AFFAIRS --EXPERT INTERPRETOR WITH THE ABILITY
TO WRITE/SPEAK CHINESE MANDARIN LANGUAGE. RIGHT
SALARY PACKAGE FOR THE RIGHT TALENT.
POTENTIAL CANDIDATES MAY APPLY TO
EMAIL:………………………………………

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iii) The local head office of State Bank of India is located at 11,
Parliament Street, New Delhi-110001. The
bank wants to construct 76 flats at Noida for its employees and
invite applications for pre-qualification of
contractors. Full details are available on its website - www.sbi.co.in
or www.statebankofindia.com/
procurement_news.
Draft a notice for pre-qualification of contractors.
Prequalification for CONTRACTORS
The local head office of State Bank of India is located at 11,
Parliament Street, New Delhi-110001. invites application from
reputed CONTRACTORS for
prequalification to render professional services for construction of
Bank's 76 flats at Noida for its employees . For further information
and downloading of

application form, log on to Bank’s website
www.sbi.co.in or www.statebankofindia.com/procurement_news.
Last date of submission is XXXXXXXXXX
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iv) The Joint Admission Board (JAB) of Indian Institutes of
Technology in its meeting held on 17th
September, 2005 at Kolkata has taken some decisions with regard to
Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)
2006, i.e., to appear in JEE, one must secure at least 60% marks
(55% for SC/ST and PD) in 10+2
examination; a candidate can have only two attempts with effect
from JEE-2006; and a candidate who
joins any of the IITs through JEE-2006 will not be permitted to
appear in JEE in future.* It was also
decided that candidates, who have passed their qualifying
examination in 2005 or earlier, will be allowed
to appear in JEE-2006 as the last chance, with no consideration of
marks or attempts at JEE subject to age
requirements. On behalf of the JAB, draft a suitable press release to
be issued by organizing chairman
highlighting these decisions.
-------------------------------------------------Based on the resolution passed unanimously by the members of
The Joint Admission Board (JAB) of Indian Institutes of Technology
in its meeting held on 17th September, 2005 at Kolkata
I wish to inform the press and the people in general , about
the decisions taken with regard to Joint Entrance Examination
(JEE) 2006,
No. 1
to appear in JEE, one must secure at least 60% marks (55% for
SC/ST and PD) in 10+2 examination;
No. 2
a candidate can have only two attempts with effect from JEE-2006;
No .3
a candidate who joins any of the IITs through JEE-2006 will not be
permitted to appear in JEE in future.
No. 4
candidates, who have passed their qualifying examination in 2005 or
earlier, will be allowed to appear in JEE-2006 as the last chance,
with no consideration of marks or attempts at JEE subject to age

requirements.
Thank you ladies/ gentlemen.
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