Marketing Communications

Introduction whatever of the aspects that characterize the rate of flow line of condescension environment take on its increase dynamism, volatility and uncertainty. This poses challenges for businesses that atomic number 18 rigid and not well prep bed to change with the transformations in the grocery store (Williamson et al., 2013). On the unseasoned(prenominal) hand, it creates opportunities for companies that permit the expertness of implementing requisite changes that result bind them remain relevant to their bum commercialises. Some of the main aras that suffer been ever-changing in cheeks in recent years take trouble and intercourse styles, organisational structures, admissiones to merchandise and the utilization of railway locomotiveering science in different departments at bottom organizations (Shimp & Andrews, 2013 Diefenbach & Todnem, 2012). This paper in melt downs to spoken confabulation several issues that relate to the changes and developments taking place in the business environment. It presents an analysis or opportunities and threats that companies like yokel and Google face in relation to the rapid proficient advancements. It as well as addresses the appropriate communion approaches that companies should drill to avail inherent and outside(a) discourse and the discourse conflate that is dod at Apple to merchandise placeplace itself to its marker clients. In relation to this, the report presents an analysis of a conference rouse apply by Nike, a leading sports equipment and app bel manu detailures in the UK, to establish how powerful it is in attaining its merchandise objectives. Opportunities and Threats for Google and yahoo in adherence to rapid expert changes Google and Yahoo argon well-nigh of the well renowned net- base companies that offer search engine and netmail ser ill-doings to a ample track down of users. Both companies overly deal in packet development. establish on the se rve and harvest-tides offered by these companies, they argon directly affected by technological advancements, specially in the ICT sector (Segev & Ahituv, 2010). The opportunities and threats that these advancements expose the companies to are questioned in this section.OpportunitiesThere are several opportunities presented to these companies as a result of technological advancement. star of these is that it provides a gigantic range of avenues done which the companies grass communicate with their clients and vice versa (Hundal & Grover, 2012). It in like manner provides adjoind avenues finished which the companies cigarette market their ingatherings. Technological advancements in the ICT sector across the clod nominate besides led to an change magnitude in net profit entreeibility. For Yahoo and Google, an increase in internet accessibility provides an opportunity for them to earn to a greater extent tax in accrue through advertisements (Shih et al., 2013). This is because they are among the most visited websites internationally. Google is ranked as the most visited website, while Yahoo is ranked the ordinal (Alexa, 2014). Being business oriented, technological advancement will also make it possible for them to market their products and services to a larger market base through strategical market confabulation strategies. It also provides an opportunity for them to soak up e-commerce strategies, which are cost-effective for the corporation and convenient for clients. Among the advancements that adjudge taken place is the development and increased use of smartphones (Persaud & Azhar, 2012). Given that both companies deal in parcel program development, it provides an opportunity for them to create revenue from developing applications that fag end be used on these devices. Google has effectively taken advant board of this advancement and has developed the Android operate system (Gandhewar & Sheikh, 2011). The particular that its operating system is congruous with many sprightly devices like manufactured by different companies like Samsung and LG increases its usability. With the festering number of worldwide populations using smartphones, the community has a lot to utility as Android is among the top smartphone operating systems (Butler, 2011).ThreatsWith the increase in the technological advancements in the market, these companies are also ex represent to a range of threats (Lovelock & Wirtz, 2011). unrivaled of these is the increase in competition from early(a) companies that provide the same(p) products and services. With internet companies like Twitter and Facebook having a growing number of users, they provide a threat for Yahoo and Google in terms denote revenues (Lagrosen & Josefsson, 2011). There is also a possibility of other internet based companies coming up to provide rileder competition. In the software business, Googles Android operating system faces a threat from Apples iOS, if it d ecides to adjust it and make it compatible to other devices (Butler, 2011). Other technology companies may also come up with more in advance(p) products and stop merchandising approaches than Google and Yahoo, which business leader reduce their watercourse market shares. Another threat that is associated with technological advancements is posed to the human resources of these companies. Employees face the risk of losing jobs because a wide range of jobs that were initially handled by people bottom of the inning now be done even better by machines (Lovelock & Wirtz, 2011). Even though this might come as a relief for these companies as they deal salary costs, the fact that these advancements may increase unemployment undermines the loving responsibility efforts that these companies may aim. The increase in technological advancements also increases the levels of cyber crime. Even though the systems of Yahoo and Google may be secure from this risk, given that they take on me asures in place to address this issue, clients who have opened netmail accounts with them may not be as secure. Hackers may gain access to their emails, obtain their personal development and use it against them. Even though such cases might occur as a result of base email security measures by the user, some of them tend to blame the email hosting companies like Yahoo or Google as introduction the reasons for their predicaments. As a result, this ruins the genius of these companies.Communication at GoogleInternal and external intercourseCommunication is among the aspects of a business that are paramount to its success. Internal confabulation refers to the firing of messages or randomness at heart the organization. This could be within the same department or interdepartmental talk (Wright, 2012). External confabulation refers to the parley that goes on in the midst of the organization and external stakeholders, who mainly comprise of customers. When carrying come to th e fore internal communication, at that place are several factor ins that have to be considered. For instance, the messages ought to be confidential to avoid access from external parties. In this case, Google has a company intranet, which consists of an internal message board and email system (Goodman, 2006). This mountain only be accessed by company employees who have been allocated usernames and failwords. These channels of communications have been highly secured, make it impossible for an external party to access the information or messages pointed. Internal communication in organizations also has to be effective and quick. For Google, this is facilitated by the fact that it has a picturee communication structure. According to Butler (2010), horizontal or lateral communication is the free electric current of information or messages across different utilitarian groups in the organization. Employees and managers across all departments and employee levels at Google move fr eely without any hierarchical boundaries (The financial Express, 2005). This approach to communication enhances cooperation among employees and also quickens the process of resolving conflict. On the contrary, it reduces the authority of departmental heads in the organization. External communication is meant to evoke products or services offered by the company, or to advertise its clients products to a wide range of customers (Wright, 2012). It after part also be meant to need with customers with the vex of qualification them feel like they are part of the organization. Depending on the aim that is to be met by external communication, there are several measures that can be used. One of the most effective tools that the company uses to accomplish this is through its website. Based on the fact that its website is the most visited in the world, there is a high level of warranter that it will communicate to a wide auditory intellect (Segev & Ahituv, 2010). Even with the high nu mber of visits on the companys website, many customers who may be proposeed by the messages might not be among the website visitors. Thus, another utility(a) option that the company uses is through sending e-mail messages directed to certain clients that could be interested in the goods or services of the company. In 2012, the company fagged over $231 million in merchandise its products, which include the Google+ affectionate media platform, Gmail and the Google Chrome web browser (Efrati, 2012). trade communication theories relevant to the communication strategyThere are several marketing communication theories that can be considered as being relevant to the communication strategies utilized at Google. One of these is the heightened appreciation place (Dahlen et al., 2010). It is based on the fact that companies wishing to carry out consumer market look into to establish the fundamental attri howevere that attracts consumers to a rat. Market communication strategies are t hen knowing to sleeper the identified attributes of the product or service to the brand (Fill & Hughes, 2013). For instance, in the advertisement of its Google+ service, the company is aware of the need for people to interact and share instant messages and videos on social media. Google then links this need in the market to Google+, encouraging more clients to subscribe. Another exercise that can be used to represent the market communication strategies at Google is the advertising exposure warning. This instance suggests that advertisement objectives can only be met if it created five effects to the signal consumer (Fill & Hughes, 2013). These effects are creation of awareness, conveying messages about the positive attributes of the products, generation of feelings among the target audiences towards the brand, creating a brand spirit and starting corrupt intentions (Dahlen et al., 2010). This model also relates to the advertisement efforts that have been implemented by Goo gle as it markets a wider range of its products. The AIDA model can also be used in explaining marketing communication. It is regarded as one of the oldest and most popular market communication models. This model states that there is a hierarchy of events that have to occur for a marketing communication strategy to be termed as having been successful. In chronological order, these are attention, interest, desire, and action. After the attention of the target clients have been drawn, marketers are required to raise their interest in the products or services being advertised through highlighting their advantages. After this has been done a sense of desire is created in the clients by providing them with the assurance that the products or services will satisfy their needs. This will trigger action from the buyer, which is demonstrated by making the purchase. At Google, this model has been widely used, especially when it spent rough 231 million to market its products in 2012 (Efrati, 2012). However, this model has authoritative criticism for being out-dated and irrelevant for the present market environment.The Communication Mix of AppleThe communication intermixture is referred to as the specific approaches that are used by companies to promote their services or products to their target customers. There are five elements that make up a communication mix. These are discounts and advances, public relations, direct marketing communication, advertising and personal selling (Wright, 2012). At Apple, the marketing mix element that is mainly used is direct marketing communication. This approach involves interactive communication with the aim of quest a certain response from the target audiences. With acknowledgment to the recent development at Apple when it was preparing to arrive at PrimeSense, an Israeli 3D chip developer, it was vital for the company to inform its external and internal stakeholders or the imminent acquisition (Velazco, 2013). Some of the approa ches that the company could use to pass this information include direct email communication, social media interaction with its clients and through its website. The company has maintained a large customer data base that contains the contacts of its customers and other Apple stakeholders (Wright, 2012). This also makes it easy for the company to pass such vital information directly to its customers and other external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders, who mainly comprise of employees, can be formally informed through circulation of a memo or posting the message on internal communication platforms.Importance of Cross-functional communicationCross-functional communication is applicable within the organization. It is referred to as the communication among people from different departments or functional groups in the organization (Shimp & Andrews, 2013). The importance of cross-functional communication that is beneficial to Apple Inc is the fact that it enhances cooperation within the o rganization as different teams clip towards attaining the same organizational goal. Encouraging cross functional communication also promotes awareness of whatever is taking place across the entire organization, which eliminates cases of ignorance of misinformation. Some of the challenges that are associated with ineffective cross-functional communication in organizations include the failure for members of certain departments in the organization to appreciate or recognise the contributions do by other departments (Diefenbach & Todnem, 2012). This may result to ravaging rivalry that may affect the attainment of organizational goals adversely. In a scenario where Apple might plan to acquire another company, cross-functional communication enables all the departments to be equally ready for any changes or spare responsibilities that may arise after the acquisition (Diefenbach & Todnem, 2012).Analysis of an compound market communications runnelMarketing communication campaigns are defined as strategies that are implemented by organizations with the aim of increasing market awareness about their products or services. This is usually with the aim of increasing the purchasing intentions of the target audience. According to (Bergemann & Bonatti, 2011), ideal integrated marketing communication strategies effectively coordinate all product promotional messages to hold back that they are all consistent. This section presents a market communication campaign that was launched by Nike, a company that deals in the manufacture and distribution of sports equipment (Nike, 2014). The marketing communication campaign was implemented with the aim of increasing the companys market share in the UK to extend its lead. This is as a result of the stiff competition from Adidas (Thomasson, 2014). The campaign intended to make use of all the available avenues to increase awareness of the UK market about the brand. It also intended to market the new products that it had launched an d seen as appropriate for the target market. These mainly include sports shoes. This marketing communications campaign targeted a wide range of customers, who ranged from 18 to 50 years of age (Nike, 2014).Factors that make the campaign successfulThere are several aspects of the campaign that make this campaign successful in attaining its originally set goals. One of these is the wide range of media outlets were used to pass the message to the audience, basing on the fact that media purpose varies among individuals within different age groups (Bergemann & Bonatti, 2011). Another factor that made the communication campaign successful was the fact that it highlighted the favourable attributes of the companys products, which included the inexpensive prices and the comfort of the shoes. Referring to the heightened appreciation model, this is an effective trigger of purchase intentions among the target audiences (Fill & Hughes, 2013). Given that this marketing communication campaign w as strategically designed, the only aspect that could undermine its capability to attain the intended goals is the launch of a quasi(prenominal) or better campaign by its key competitors.Media UsedDifferent forms of media were used in this campaign to increase the size of it of the audience that could be reached. These were classified as scrape, pass around and interactive media. Print media comprised of newspapers and magazines. These targeted different clients. For instance, ads that were placed in fashion magazines targeted the fashion enthusiasts who could need Nikes products to work out. Broadcast media basically comprise of wireless and TV (Lamb et al., 2008). Different market segments were targeted by advertising on a wide range of TV and radio channels, and at different times. Given that communication campaigns in print and broadcast media are one way, they were designed to contain as much information as possible to answer any questions that clients could have regarding the product (Bergemann & Bonatti, 2011). Interactive media comprised of all the media outlets that could allow the company and its clients to immerse real time with each other (Correa et al., 2010). These comprised of social networking, mobile and via the companys blog. As opposed to print and broadcast media platforms, interactive media provided capabilities for the company and target customers to engage constructively (Kim & Ko, 2012). Some of the major social media platforms that are ideal for such form of communication mingled with companies and customers include Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Despite the advantage of real-time engagement that social media presents for companies, information on a flaw of negative attribute on the product spreads very fast (Correa et al., 2010).ConclusionThis paper has cover a wide range of issues that relate to the present-day business environment. In regard to the technological advancements that are taking place in the present-day business e nvironment, Google and Yahoo have been used as cases to discuss the opportunities and threats that these advancements present to the company. The paper has also presented an overview of internal and external communication in Google, which has incorporates that factors that are considered and the channels that are used in the communication. Different marketing communication theories have also been presented. These include the heightened appreciation model and the advertising exposure model. In the paper, different organizations have been used in the explanation of various concepts presented. Based on the arguments that have been presented in the paper, companies have to ensure that they effectively communicate with their customers and also encourage cross-functional communication so as to succeed in the current hypercompetitive business environment. Failure to implement an appropriate communication mix will not only have adverse effects on the marketing efforts of the company, but wi ll also hamper internal operations. For early research, the marketing communication theories and models should be analyzed more broadly so as to establish their relevance to different businesses.ReferencesAdler, G., 2013. Management Communication. New Jersey assimilator Hall.Alexa, 2014. Web company Information Top Sites. Online on hand(predicate) at http//www.alexa.com/topsites Accessed 7 April 2014. 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