Book review - Marketing Communications

I presented my book, Marketing Communications, A European Perspective by Patrick De Pelsmacker et al. (2007), earlier and stated that it is an extensive basic book. Extensive does not even start to describe it. It was no doubt an ambitious task to read a complete presentation of the marketing communication field on almost 600 pages, thus my decision to focus on the necessary chapters and read them more thoroughly than others.

The aim of our group is to figure out the future radio. Here are a few chapters that could prove to be useful in Kunstenniemi. Marketing communication is important when applying, integrating and distributing the new innovation of a future radio.

Integrated marketing

A company’s marketing strategy includes different parts and all of them support each other and are highly integrated. A successful marketing strategy involves the marketing communication mix within the marketing mix. A communication mix that would suit DIgita OY could include advertising, sales promotions, sponsorship, PR, direct marketing communications, e-communications, personal communications and mass communications. One of the problems we identified during our last working day is, that commercial radio stations are financed through marketing, but many clients do not wish to listen to commercials.

Target groups

During our last working day we thought that one possibility for a future radio would be a more segmented radio, although radio channels are fairly segmented as they are today.

Market segmentation, effective segmentation, targeting strategies and selecting target groups are useful knowledge from this chapter regarding radio marketing in the future.

Media planning

As radio is in the field of media, the knowledge of media planning is important. Media planning and the way companies use media in their marketing strategies is something that needs to be taken into consideration. Media objectives within marketing are frequency, reach, weight, continuity and cost. How can Digita improve their services for radio stations? How can Digita provide services that are lucrative for radio stations?

E-communications

Internet radio is a growing phenomenon. Therefore it is important to understand how e-communications work. The importance of e-media is growing and also mobile marketing. This chapter presented different strategies for this type of media. Digita could use this type of media in their marketing and in their development of radio.

Business-to-business

All direct customers of Digita Oy are businesses. B2B-marketing and B2B-marketing communications differ from consumer marketing and although Digita has a monopoly it is important for DIgita to keep its services interesting. Otherwise commercial stations might move to a complete use of e-distribution.

All in all, this book is a good handbook regarding marketing communication on different levels.

/ Maria