3rd November 2008, Teheran, Iran

Reema Sarin

AVP - Marketing and Corporate Communications

AppLabs

Evolution of Integrated Marketing Communications

» Advertising and promotion have been used by organizations for years to sell goods, services and ideas – however, the marketplace is continually changing, and traditional strategies are becoming archaic at a rapid pace.

» Competition has increased in both commercial and non-profit spheres. Consumers have become distrustful of business, new communication and information technologies have been developed, and organizations have discovered that it is more profitable to sell to current customers All these factors are causing traditional promotional practices to become obsolete, as these are no longer sufficient to achieve organizational objectives.

» Currently, organizations need more effective and efficient ways of communicating with customers than in the past, largely due to their increasing knowledge as well as their increasing scepticism.

» Consequently, an increasing number of organizations are starting to accept the philosophy of Integrated Marketing Communications, not

» only as a tool for effective communication, but often as the only manner to survive in a marketplace that suffers from information overload.

What is driving Marketing Communications today

Improve employeeproductivity

Distributedworkforce

Branding

Competitive imperatives

Social networking

GlobalizationOutsourcing

» Marketing Mix & Approach » Public Relations

» Industry Partner Program

» Analyst/Advisory Relations

» Strategic Relationship Marketing

» Web Marketing

» Webinar

» Blogging

» Social Networking

» Events/Speaking Opportunities

» Awards

» CSR

What are we going to talk about!

» A well crafted Marketing Plan focuses on effective ‘brand positioning’ which has the following three primary components –

» It should define your:» Target Market – locally, regionally, globally» Business focus – industry segment (s)» Key value propositions or USP

Positioning is Key!

» Marketing mix is a combination of marketing tools that are used to satisfy customers and company objectives, controlled by the 4 Ps - Product, Price, Place and Promise.

» All elements of sales and marketing must work in perfect unison so that the prospective consumer is being sent that ‘One Integrated message’.

» 5 essential components of the marketing mix are: Fit, Value, Uniqueness, Sustainability, Credibility

» 4Cs - Consumers, Cost, Convenience, and Communication, all mandated to deliver an effective Integrated Brand Management strategy for an organization

Marketing Mix

Approach

Modes

Source : our website - www.perfectrelations.com

Public Relations

PR - a RACE

» Research» Action » Communication» Evaluation

Evolution of PR Corporate Communications Public Affairs Communications Corporate Relations Corporate Public Affairs Unified Communications NOW -> Integrated Marketing Communications

Industry Partner Program

‘Build an Industry Partner program that generates long term profitable revenue globally. It should enable your company to enter into new markets with service offerings core to

your business strategy’

Analyst/Advisory Relations

‘Make Analyst and Advisory Relations a strategic tool in developing your brand globally. It is useful in creating new business opportunities, reaching out to prospects and supporting

existing client relationships”

Strategic Relationship Marketing

‘Develop and strengthen your relationship with clients globally, you must invest in client focused corporate events and targeted promotional activity – select Roundtable forums; Breakfast meets; Social meetings; host co-branded events.’

Web (SMART) Marketing

Web Marketing is Highly Targeted, Measurable, Cost Effective and ROI driven, which allows you to reach your global customer base fast!

You can target by:

CityCountryGenderAgeInterestsCompanyIndustryJob TitlesSearchWebsitesWebpage context

Control your cost on:

CPC (cost per click)CPM (cost per thousand impressions)CPA (cost per action)

Measure performance and ROI

Total impressions & clicksTotal email opens & visitorsTotal desired actions taken

Establishes you as a thought leader and generated good leads. However, they do Attract Too Many Tire-Kickers

Four Key Steps To Boost Webinar Results And Lead Quality-

» Use Webinars to Educate, Not Sell To, Your Target Audience» Employ Web 2.0 Tactics To Grab Audience Attention» Use Pre-Show Activity To Separate Tire-Kickers From Buyers» Engage With Qualified Attendees During The Webinar — And Right Afterward

Webinars

» Highly targeted:» Advertise on websites that your target audience frequently visits

» Advertise using various formats:» Text ads, Graphic ads, Animated ads, Peel throughs

» Pay as you like! Never need to exceed your monthly budget:» Pay per click, or pay per impression

» Target with social media site if applicable to your business:» Target by Age, Gender, Country, Education, Company

Online Advertising

Popular Online Advertising Networks

Search Engine Optimization

Excellent for creating consistent Brand Awareness and quality Lead Generation!

Email Marketing is one of the most effective and powerful tools for Lead Generation, applicable to every business today!

And why?

• Free & Direct Medium – It is free medium that immediately connects you to your target market directly

• It is Highly Targeted and Unique

• Highly Measurable – You can measure how many people opened the email, clicked on links

No-cost Email Marketing

Affiliates promote your products and services and drive additional traffic to your website. You only pay a comission when there is a sale!

Results based Affiliate Marketing

For your service / product, let your users do viral marketing or the ‘hard-work’ through word of mouth, email and other brand

promotion tools, e.g. Discount Coupons etc.

Intelligent Viral Marketing

Social Networking Websites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Flickr which were started as ways for people to keep in touch with their friends and family, share their

latest holiday photos, and post their favorite cute animal videos -- have become pretty powerful tools for Marketing

Online Social Networks

‘A Weblog is one of the latest and greatest tools for creating a ‘Marketing Buzz’.

And How?

• Blogs have content, distribution, and accelerated frequency – hence great education tool

• Popular blogs have one thing in common; an individual voice. A voice will not only gain readers, but it keeps them, creating brand loyalty

• Fantastic Credibility through third party promotion. Small In Number But Large In Influence

Are you Blogging yet?

Show ‘Thought Leadership’ and educate your prospects by ‘Pre-selling’ to them with White Papers, Webinars, Case Studies

White Papers, Case Studies: - For e.g. If you are an IT company you would promote your White Papers and Case Studies on:

Webinars: - Host ONE Webinar a month - Promote it through:

- Banner advertising on other related websites through Google (paid ads)- Email to prospects and customers ($0, No Costs!)

Collateral Promotion

Events/Speaking OpportunitiesBe Seen and Heard Globally!

AwardsMake sure you get many every year!

CSREffective Internal Communication & Employee

Engagement activity!

Firms change brand portfolio

Beforethe

Web

Turnover

Mass brands: seek new markets Invest in developing countries. Low margin, reduce ad spending More white labeling

Mid-size brands: stronger targeting Invest in market intelligence. Low margin, keep ad spending level More added value through experience

Niche brands: serve communities Invest in social networks. Keep ad spending low Network = experience

Portfolio

Integrated Communications requires careful preparation for high adoption

» Branding » Employee engagement» Float the idea » Strategic communications » Think strategically» Award-winning results » Targeted communications» Internal clients» Media landscape» Engaging our audiences» Interactive tools» Communications solutions» Reputation management» Join the conversation» Message-driven

»

Use Smart Marketing JargonBlow your trumpet 24x7!

Thank You

Any Questions?