Page 468 - Foundations of Marketing

Integrated Marketing Communications | Chapter 15 435

Encourage Product Trial

When attempting to move customers through the product
adoption process, a marketer may successfully create aware-
ness and interest, but customers may stall during the evalua-
tion stage. In this case, certain types of promotion—such as
free samples, coupons, test drives, or limited free-use offers,
contests, and games—are employed to encourage product
trial. For example, Starbucks offered free samples of its new
light roast coffee, “Blonde Roast,” after research showed that
54 million U.S. coffee drinkers prefer a lighter roast coffee
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than Starbucks house blends. Whether a marketer’s product
is the first in a new product category, a new brand in an exist-
ing category, or simply an existing brand seeking customers,
trial-inducing promotional efforts aim to make product trial
convenient and low risk for potential customers.

Identify Prospects

Certain types of promotional efforts aim to identify custom-
ers who are interested in the firm’s product and are likely
potential buyers. A marketer may run a television advertise-
ment encouraging the viewer to visit the company’s website
and share personal information in order to receive some-
thing of value from the company. Customers who respond to Courtesy of Origins
such a message usually have higher interest in the product,
which makes them likely sales prospects. The organization
can respond with phone calls, e-mail, or personal contact by
Stimulating Product Demand
salespeople.
Origins stimulates product demand in its advertisements by taking
a transparent tone with consumers and supporting its claims with
Retain Loyal Customers statistics and testimonials.

Clearly, maintaining long-term customer relationships is a major goal of most marketers.
Such relationships are quite valuable. Promotional efforts directed at customer retention can
help an organization control its costs, because the costs of retaining customers are usually
considerably lower than those of acquiring new ones. Frequent-user programs, such as those
sponsored by airlines, car rental agencies, and hotels, aim to reward loyal customers and
encourage them to remain loyal. Regal Entertainment, for example, introduced the Regal
Crown Club. Membership entitles consumers to earn points that can be used for free movies,
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popcorn, or beverages at a Regal Cinema. Some organizations employ special offers that
only their existing customers can use. To retain loyal customers, marketers not only advertise
loyalty programs but also use reinforcement advertising, which assures current users they
have made the right brand choice and tells them how to get the most satisfaction from the
product.

Facilitate Reseller Support

Reseller support is a two-way street: producers generally want to provide support to resellers
to assist in selling their products, and in turn they expect resellers to support their products.
When a manufacturer advertises a product to consumers, resellers should view this promotion
as a form of strong manufacturer support. In some instances, a producer agrees to pay a certain
proportion of retailers’ advertising expenses for promoting its products. For example, when a
manufacturer is introducing a new consumer brand in a highly competitive product category, it
may be difficult to persuade supermarket managers to carry this brand. However, if the manu-
facturer promotes the new brand with free samples and coupon distribution in the retailer’s

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