Page 226 - DMGT509_RURAL MARKETING

Unit 11: Promotion Strategies for Rural Market

Notes
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Caution Damage Control is a major responsibility of PR. This task is usually needed to be
performed once in a long while it is of great importance as not handling it properly could
lead to greater disaster. Natural calamities like floods, earthquakes cause problems for
firms, but how the firms deal with the problems and what becomes the publics’ perception
about it is of importance to the firms.

Self Assessment

State whether the following statements are true or false:
7. Successful campaigns are the result of this knowledge and how the agency uses it to a large
degree.
8. Profit remains the prime motive and to achieve a reasonable return on investment firms
have to struggle as competitors are equally focused on the same subject.

9. Selling is a distinct aid to improving sales.
10. The buyer or retailers need that extra benefit to stock and push the product these
promotional activities must be advertised to be of any value in increasing market share.

11. Sales programmes are known to increase sales and market share.
12. A major area of channel/distribution network promotion is training of its personnel.

11.5 Public Relations

Focus is on defining PR, common objectives of PR, the PR process, and the target public for PR,
the PR Message. PR can be and usually is an effective form of creating positive marketing
climate for the firm and thus becomes part of marketing communication methods. Rural PR
should start from the village elders, the panchayat members, the sarpanch the people who can
influence the village folks.
Marketing PR can be organized through publications that carry company’s annual reports, articles.
Besides events like press conferences, seminars, trade shows are used to reach the target public.
Sponsoring of cultural events, sports contests help in marketing PR. News items about the company
on television, radio or TV and the press are some other tools used for marketing PR.
Marketing PR achieves greater credibility of the public, as it has no bias of the company’s own
advertising. It can help generate excitement and product expectation in the market before the
product launch and the related advertisements. It creates an acceptance base amongst the customers
who become loyal and also help in increasing sales by recommending it to others. It makes
influencers more tuned to the product and the company.
What we see on TV as advertisements for eggs, milk and diamonds is not direct marketing/
advertising as you hardly find any sponsor. Drink more milk, eat eggs every day are meant to
create awareness among the public and hence can be called PR Campaigns. Unfortunately, the
task of PR is not appreciated by most of the persons and it tends to become a thankless one. In
election campaigns, after the candidate has finished and gone his secretary remains to answer
the questions regarding how the speech should be interpreted for improving the candidate’s
image. After the corporate Chairman has given an expose of the firm’s plans, its elaboration and
explanation is done by the PR Persons. Press releases are part of the PR job. In case of any
catastrophe the PR has to explain how the firm is coping with it and the damage control measures
it is going to take. The famous oil spill in the ocean had the oil company’s PR People on their
toes. It may bee added that in such crises situations even the CEO takes the role of PR.

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