Page 240 - DMGT510_SERVICES_MARKETING

Unit 13: Promotions and Servicescapes in Services

Promotion consists of the following major areas of marketing: advertising, public relations, Notes
sales promotion, personal selling, word of mouth and direct mail. These areas are called the
promotion mix or the communication mix. The service marketer can use a blend of all of these
to achieve his communication and other goals.

Servicescapes can be defined as the environment in which the service is assembled and in which
the seller and customer interact, combined with tangible commodities that facilitate performance
or communication of the service. It was understood by marketers that the immediate environment
in which service delivery takes place has a great role to play in enhancing the quality of the
service experience and encounter. They therefore went all out to manage the Servicescapes.

13.1 Developing Integrated Communication Program

The word ‘communication’ is derived from the Latin word communicoi, meaning ‘to share’.
Communication needs an objective that the service marketer must set and achieve.
Following are the components of the communication programme:
Identify the target audience: Although this would have been done in the market segmentation
process, a more detailed picture of the target audience would be required for specific promotions.

Example: A high-priced hospital would have chosen the upper income group through
segmentation. But now for promotion it would require to address people who are interested in
the treatment of, say, cancer or heart diseases or plain cosmetic surgery. Its message, promotions
and media choices would be decided accordingly, i.e., tailor-made for this select audience.
Determine the promotion objectives: Every communication has an objective and the success of
the communication programme depends on how the marketer has been able to clearly perceive
his objectives and integrate the components. The service marketer has three promotional goals:
to inform, to persuade and to remind. Some of the objectives for a service marketer are:

Reinforce positioning

Develop brand image

Make customers aware of the offer, its attributes and benefits

Persuade customers to buy the offer

Continually remind customers about the service through remembrance exercises.

Develop the message: There are many models for describing the customer responses. One of the
simplest and widely used is the AIDA model, developed by E. K. Strong and is illustrated below:

Figure 13.1: “AIDA” Model of Hierarchy of Consumer Response

AWARENESS
Cognitive
“to know”

INTEREST

Affective
“to feel”
DESIRE

Conative or
Psychomotor
ACTION “action or drive”
Source: Adapted from E. K. Strong, The Psychology of Selling, McGraw-Hill, 1925, New York, pp. 9.

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