Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Marketing is critically important and covers many different forms. In
simple terms marketing uses four basic media choices and as a marketer the
key is to select the right mix from across all the choices.
1.
Ink: print form can be used to promote a business via newspaper, maga-
zines, direct marketing, billboards and other ink-based formats.
2.
Broadcast: this includes television, cinema, video, digital television and
events. It revolves around the film media to get the message across.
3.
Voice: radio is the most common way of using the voice, but street noise
and other techniques can be considered.
4.
Net: Internet, Facebook, Twitter, web ads and net links. This is a rapidly
expanding media choice.
Before selecting any of the many choices, the first question to consider is
how rapidly does the message need to spread. For example, television, news-
papers and radio are aimed at a rapid response today, whilst magazines
and cinema advertising have a 'slow burn' option and the response may take
weeks to get a call to action.
Consider placement quality in the media you select rather than quantity.
The aim is to get maximum impact. Prime placement positions include the
last TV commercial on a television break, advertising in high profile pro-
grammes for your target market and the inside covers of target magazines
provide the most impact.
Before making a major investment in marketing, it is important to
experiment and test various media you are going to use before making a
large commitment and investment.
You also need to identify who is the real target consumer. This goes beyond
gender, age, income etc. Marketers often use the acronym SPADE
2
to focus
attention on the real target consumer.
•
S
tarter: the person who initiates an enquiry;
•
P
urchaser: the person who pays for the item;
•
A
dvisor: the person who influences the decision;
•
D
ecider: the real authority in the decision-making process; and
•
E
nd-user: the consumer of the product.
Consider a food tourist. A relative may read an article, the advisor, pass
it on to a married couple, the purchaser, the wife or husband makes the final
decision, the decider, and they take the children, the end-user, to a farm that
has a petting zoo.
Marketing today is more complex because consumers are using a wide
range of different tools to receive the message. When developing a marketing
strategy, remember there are three types of consumers.
1.
Traditional consumers: these are often older tourists who rely on trad-
itional marketing tools such as leaflets, newspaper advertising and articles.
2.
Digital consumers: these travellers will rely on a mix of traditional and
online marketing messages. They may expect a leaflet and then look at your
Facebook page.
