Marketing Communication Strategy (MCS) Assignment Sample

Introduction of Marketing Communication Strategy (MCS) Assignment

TESCO is a multinational company known for trading healthy and basic necessities of life. This company is based in different parts of the world and enables customers to enjoy life with quality and standards. Moreover, this company gained a reputation due to various attractive features provided to them. They are the availability of a variety of products, cheap prices, brand quality, Customer orientation and many more. The strategies of IMC followed by this company are the "Push and Pull Strategy". The Marketing Communication Strategy (MCS) practiced by this company are the brand legacy, price adjustment and customer orientation.

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Literature Review - Integrated Marketing Strategy 

Concept of IMC

The concept of Integrated Marketing Strategy (IMC) is based on the process of planning and executing them in the business to improve the working strategies and business goals of a company (Eagle et al. 2020). It aims at spreading a brand name or quality across all market chains to make consumers aware of the availability of goods in the market. The use of this strategy in a company highlights the core features of the company and the type of product it deals with. It helps in the management of time, enhances the customer experience along with promoting marketing strategies according to the demands of the market. As per the view of Krizanova et al. (2019), this strategic component is based on several factors such as the brand legacy, customer orientation, innovative ideas and beliefs, researching the market along with the selection of the marketing tools. However, the IMC strategies chosen by this company are price adjustment, brand legacy and customer-oriented service. In addition to this, the IMC tools applied in managing the business of this company are relations with the public, direct marketing, marketing in social media, sponsorships provided by various companies, promotional activities, personal selling and marketing through mobiles.

Relations with the public

The maintenance of a positive relationship between the common people and a company is very essential. This is because flourishing a business in the market is a two-way communication in which the common people are allowed to share their experiences regarding the service and products offered to them (Eagle et al. 2020). This tool enhances the quality of the service provided thereby increasing the reputation of the company.

Direct marketing

This marketing tool is essential in maintaining a connection between the customers and organizations. Moreover, this tool focuses on attending the queries of the customers directly through emails, brochures and many more.

Marketing through social media

The introduction of social media has enabled trading through online platforms and has made it easier. Therefore, nowadays customers are provided with brochures of the products and services offered to the customers. The customers choose their services according to their preferences and therefore it has enhanced time management in the business.

Sponsorships provided by various companies

This IMC tool focuses on the promotion of the brand name and value across the markets. Therefore, it requires investment for performing the promotional activities and this fund is provided by different companies (Pepels, 2021). It also aims at enhancing public relations within the organization and also outside the organization. Moreover, this attribute of the company helps the company to retain its position in the markets and create and competition with other corresponding companies.

Promotional activities

The production of goods and services is not the ultimate aim of a company. The produced goods need to be traded to satisfy the demands of the customers along with maintaining the profit of the company. Therefore, this whole process of selling goods to customers requires promotional activities. These promotional activities include advertisements, interviews. Therefore, in order to increase sales, the company generates sample items, price packs and many more free items for the customers so that they can use and give their feedback to the company (Š?iltere and Bormane, 2018). The recognized brands take the advantage of the brand name and perform attractive sales promotions to attract customers from different sectors of society.

Personal selling

Personal selling is a strategy to sell produced goods to customers through grace to face interactions. This method is used since the initiation of business in the market and has been effective ever since. According to the principles of IMC, this tool has impactful behavior in the success of selling goods in the market (Pepels, 2021). Therefore, there are various companies in the market who still incorporate this tool to sell their goods and increase their economic standard accordingly. The implementation of this tool has enhanced the customer experience along with the understanding of the market more precisely (tesco.com, 2022). It also focuses on maintaining transparent communication between the customers and the organization.

Marketing through mobiles

The introduction of social media and modern technologies has shown an impactful change in the marketing conditions of the companies. Therefore, modern-day companies have incorporated several modern technologies to maintain their management and elevate their business strategies in the favour of the company. In addition to this, social media has shown progress in setting marketing plans to a new level. People do most of their shopping through online platforms nowadays. The different renowned companies have chosen partner retail companies who sell their products thereby increasing the reputation and economic standard of the company as a whole.

As per the analysis of this company, the IMC tools used to improve business strategies are focused on the utilization of different theories and models. TESCO has incorporated theories to manage the business in a more effective manner and focuses on formulating innovative ideas for business (tesco.com, 2022). The models used by this company are the linear models of communication, Word-of-Mouth communications, AIDA, Interactional model of communications, Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) of persuasion and many more. Market environment analysis

Market review of the UK

The market condition UK has a major trading capacity with international companies. Therefore, this country is regarded as the world's fifth largest economy circle according to the records of the World Bank. However, with the recent pandemic situation, the company faced many challenges and overcame the risks faced. Therefore according to the market analysis of this country, the economic standard of this country stands in the second position in the whole UK (trade.gov, 2022). The companies of this country have their tie-ups mostly with the US maintaining the bilateral stock in the direct investments in the market.

Businesses in the UK market have faced severe challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic situation. In addition to this, the markets are also segregated from the single market system of the European Union. Therefore, they had to manage the condition of the market single-handedly. However, the companies have managed to overcome these challenges and are flourishing in the markets of the UK (ukessays.com, 2022). Other than the challenges there are several opportunities available in the market such as the availability of trading partners in the industries such as defence, health, aerospace and many more. The success of the different companies in the market has helped the growth of the GDP rate in the economy of the whole country. The market of the UK maintains a monarchy government along with the realm of the Commonwealth. Therefore, it is clear that this company practices a system of "advanced open market economy".

Identifying the Competitors

TESCO is a company that deals with the trade of grocery and retailing items to customers. Therefore, the competitors in this industry are mainly retail businesses. The competitors of this company are Morrison's, Sainsbury's and ASDA. Other than this, there are other companies that provide strong competition to the business of this company namely, Lidl and Aldi.

Morrison aims at producing food items and has gained the reputation of the second-largest producer in the UK. Therefore, it produces competition for our company in the production of food (tesco.com, 2022). Moreover, it also focuses on the pricing of items and attracting the customer with discounts. Other than this, Sainsbury is renowned for providing quality products. It is also performing different experiments with evolved services to retain its position in the market. Lastly, ASDA aims at offering furniture and clothing along with food items. Therefore, it is increasing the variety of services provided.

Environmental factors

The Environmental factors that affect the flourish-ment of the business of this company are revenue rate, legislation, the instability of the political situations and the rate of unemployment in the market (Zatwarnicka et al. 2019). Other than this, the environmental factors that affect this business are the climatic conditions, maintaining sustainability in agriculture and lastly the wastage of food items. The marketing strategy of this company is based on these factors and has influenced the commencement of the business in many ways. Therefore, the company put focuses on the implementation of the IMC strategies to improve customer management.

Critical Analysis and Discussion

MCS Analysis

Figure 1: Marketing Mix Communication

(Source: Dwityas et al. 2020)

The marketing communication strategies used by TESCO had shown impactful changes in the market. MCS is a strategy to understand the marketing opportunities and customers' demands in the market more elaborately. This planning is incorporated by various companies to improve their business skills (Falahat et al. 2020). In addition, this strategic plan includes several activities regarding marketing and collecting market information. This process includes all the activities starting from paid marketing to the relation with social media for the promotion of goods in the market. As per the marketing strategies of this company, it is evident that it maintains a positive public relationship which is the main goal of retail companies (Cheung et al. 2020). Therefore, this company has applied several IMC tools to improve the standard of the company along with the economic standards in the markets of the UK.

The marketing of a good or service is based on different types of theories and strategies that help an organization understand the demands of the market. This enhances them to implement innovative ideas in modifying the quality to attract customers from all ranges of society (tesco.com , 2022). Moreover, the implementation of these tools and theories enables the company to gain a reputation in the international markets as well (Dwityas et al. 2020). In the case of TESCO, it already has a brand reputation in the market. Therefore, it has the responsibility to retain it in the markets with the implementation of progressive marketing mix strategies and tools of IMC to improve the communication marketing strategies. On the other hand, the company has faced several challenges regarding expansion of the company due to the recent pandemic outbreak. These problems have been mitigated by the company as it has struggled to manage the business along with the strong competition of new entrants in the business market.

Theories

As per the analysis of this company, the MCS used for promoting the brand image and success, it has used several theories and models. However, this company follows the "Push and Pull strategy" of managing the demands of customers in the market. The utilization of MCS generally deals with the one way communication with the customers. However, this company has incorporated certain theories and model of communication that makes the communication a two way process to understand the demands of the customers (Dalstam et al. 2018). This way the company focuses meeting the requirements of the customers and provides them with the best quality of grocery items at a reasonable rate. The theories used by this company are:

Linear model of communication

According to this model the company sets up a line of communication with the customers and involves the processes of sending and receiving them through a medium. Therefore, this model aims at providing a linear communication between the organization and customer (Nash, 2018). In the case of this company, this model enhances to deliver information regarding the introduction of new products in the market. In addition, this model aims at providing the customers the details of products and services and makes them aware of the availabilities.

Word-of-Mouth communications

The theory of Word-of-Mouth communications deals with the transfer of information regarding a product directly from the organizations to the customers. This tactic is based on the reviews the customer gives regarding the service and products of a company. In other words, this is defined as a process in which the consumers generate reviews, discussions and recommendations of a company (Gopalakrishna et al. 2022). Moreover, this strategy is used to make the people to share their experiences with the quality of a product and improving their performance in the market. This theory enables a company to reach out to new audiences and build a reputation of the company as a whole. In the case of this company, the utilization of this theory is more impactful in the sales department and has increased the rate of sales and brand name in international markets.

AIDA

Figure 2: Model of AIDA

(Source: Butkouskaya et al. 2020)

The AIDA model is used to determine the strategies used in the market to expand the business to a new level. This model is based on the components namely, attention, interest, desire along with action. Therefore, it focuses on portraying the journey of a customer from the initial stages of choosing a product and ultimately to the action of buying it as a requirement. However, the implementation of this model aims at culminating the activities of advertising, marketing, sales and many more (Mogaji and Yoon, 2019). All these activities contribute to the journey of a consumer from choosing branded product till the action of purchasing it from the market. These processes also include the actions of gathering information regarding the chosen product before buying it. On the other hand, this process is done with the help of the promotional activities incorporated by the company to make the customers aware of the product information. In the case of this company, this model has been used to understand the demands of the customers and to incorporate them in modifying the goods according to the desires of the consumers (HR and Aithal, 2020). However, the implementation of this model has shown an impactful change in the economic standard of this company and hence proved to be helpful in developing the business strategies of TESCO. In addition to this, the theories of IMC are incorporated by this company to enhance the business in international markets thereby uplifting the economy of the whole country.

Discussion on IMC

The MCS strategies are used by this company to improvise the attributes of the company and improve the business goals that contribute to the success of retail business in the markets of the UK. Therefore, in the case of this company, the MCS are based on the principles of brand legacy, Customer oriented service and price adjustments according to the demands in the market. However, the brand Legacy is associated with the management of the brand name in the market with the help of the product quality and service provided (Butkouskaya et al. 2020). It is also associated with providing satisfaction to the customers by pricing the goods in respective means. All these steps help the company to expand its business international markets thereby raising the economic standards.

Recommendations for Tesco's Market Expansion and Improvement

TESCO is a renowned multinational retail company and therefore it is suggested that it retains its position in the market. The introduction of social media has evolved the marketing strategies to a new level and therefore, there are certain areas in which this company is lagging behind. It can be suggested that the company makes the proper use of the technologies to improve the business strategies and set new goals for the company (Mogaji and Yoon, 2019). In addition, this company is suggested to do a market research more precisely to understand the risk and challenges they are facing thereby modifying their goods according to the demands. However, in this modern era, it is very easy to start a retail business in the market with the help of capital and proper business plans (tesco.com, 2022). Therefore, competition in the market is growing rapidly in the market. On the other hand, this company is recommended to improve the communication skills to interact with consumers more elaborately.

Nowadays, online platforms have given opportunities in trading goods through the digital marketing processes. However, the proper management of this process is very essential otherwise the business will not be effective. Therefore, it is suggested to this company to incorporate modern strategies to improve the business chain and expand its branches in international markets as well. In addition to this, it is recommended that the company improves its management in the expansion of branches in different parts of the world. This company has its outlets in many places but in order to compete with the international retail companies, TESCO needs to improvise the number of outlets (Laurie and Mortimer, 2019). The marketing strategy through the social media requires online and physical store houses for collecting the goods, however the shortage of outlets in the company has refrained it from gaining the attraction of international customers. Therefore, the opening of outlets in different remote parts of the world will help the company to be more successful in the markets of retail business.

Other than these, TESCO is recommended to improve the communication skills and flexibility in maintaining diversity in the workplace and in customer management. It can also focus on developing innovative gadgets that will attract customers from all ranges of society thereby supporting the diverse culture and standard. The increased utilization of the Social media has enhanced the marketing through online platforms and therefore, this company can put more focus on improvising innovative techniques in managing this system to attract customers.

Conclusion

TESCO deals with the business of retail management in the market. It focuses on fulfilling the demands of the consumers thereby incorporating customer oriented goal for the favor of the company. The basic philosophy of this company is to serve consumers according to their demands along with the aim of gaining profit from the business. However, this company has faced major challenges in expanding the business but overcame them with the implementation of innovative business strategies. This report is based on the IMC followed by this company to improve the business policies and how bit has influenced in its success.

References

Journals

Butkouskaya, V., Llonch-Andreu, J. and Alarcón-del-Amo, M.D.C., 2020. Entrepreneurial orientation (EO), integrated marketing communications (IMC), and performance in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): gender gap and inter-country context. Sustainability, 12(17), p.7159.

Cheung, M.L., Pires, G. and Rosenberger III, P.J., 2020. Exploring synergetic effects of social-media communication and distribution strategy on consumer-based Brand equity. Asian Journal of Business Research, 10(1), pp.126-149.

Dalstam, M., Nordlöf, H. and Holmgren, D., 2018. The NA-KD Truth About Influencer Marketing: Exploring influencer marketing through integrated marketing communication and the influencer’s role in strengthening a brand.

Dwityas, N.A., Mulyana, A., Hesti, S., Briandana, R. and Putrianti, M.K., 2020. Digital marketing communication strategies: the case of indonesian News ‘Portals. International Journal of Economics and Business Administration, 8(3), pp.307-316.

Eagle, L., Czarnecka, B., Dahl, S. and Lloyd, J., 2020. Marketing communications. Routledge. Pepels, W., 2021. Marketing Communications (pp. 1-326). DUNCKER UND HUMBLOT.

Falahat, M., Ramayah, T., Soto-Acosta, P. and Lee, Y.Y., 2020. SMEs internationalization: The role of product innovation, market intelligence, pricing and marketing communication capabilities as drivers of SMEs’ international performance. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 152, p.119908.

Gopalakrishna, S., Lilien, G.L. and Donsbach, A., 2022. Trade shows in the business marketing communications mix. In Handbook of business-to-business marketing (pp. 247-265). Edward Elgar Publishing.

HR, G. and Aithal, P.S., 2020. Integrated Marketing Mix Framework for Baby Care Retailing in India. International Journal of Applied Engineering and Management Letters (IJAEML), 4(1), pp.191-218.

Krizanova, A., L?z?roiu, G., Gajanova, L., Kliestikova, J., Nadanyiova, M. and Moravcikova, D., 2019. The effectiveness of marketing communication and importance of its evaluation in an online environment. Sustainability, 11(24), p.7016.

Laurie, S. and Mortimer, K., 2019. How to achieve true integration: the impact of integrated marketing communication on the client/agency relationship. Journal of Marketing Management, 35(3-4), pp.231-252.

Mogaji, E. and Yoon, H., 2019. Thematic analysis of marketing messages in UK universities’ prospectuses. International Journal of Educational Management.

Nash, J., 2018. Exploring how social media platforms influence fashion consumer decisions in the UK retail sector. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal.

Š?iltere, D. and Bormane, S., 2018. Integrated marketing communication as a business management tool in the context of sustainable development. Open Economics, 1(1), pp.115-123.

Zatwarnicka-Madura, B., Siemieniako, D., Gli?ska, E. and Sazonenka, Y., 2019. Strategic and operational levels of CSR marketing communication for sustainable orientation of a company: a case study from Bangladesh. Sustainability, 11(2), p.555.

Websites

tesco.com , (2022), Analysis of TESCO in the UK, Available at: https://www.tesco.com/ [Accessed on: 9th December, 2022]

trade.gov, (2022), Market analysis of the UK, Available at: https://www.trade.gov/knowledge-product/united-kingdom-market-overview [Accessed on: 9th December, 2022]

ukessays.com, (2022), Marketing communication strategy, Available at: https://www.ukessays.com/assignments/marketing-strategies-tesco.php [Accessed on: 9th December, 2022]

Bibliography

Journals

Butkouskaya, V., Llonch-Andreu, J. and Alarcón-del-Amo, M.D.C., 2020. Entrepreneurial orientation (EO), integrated marketing communications (IMC), and performance in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): gender gap and inter-country context. Sustainability, 12(17), p.7159.

Cheung, M.L., Pires, G. and Rosenberger III, P.J., 2020. Exploring synergetic effects of social-media communication and distribution strategy on consumer-based Brand equity. Asian Journal of Business Research, 10(1), pp.126-149.

Dalstam, M., Nordlöf, H. and Holmgren, D., 2018. The NA-KD Truth About Influencer Marketing: Exploring influencer marketing through integrated marketing communication and the influencer’s role in strengthening a brand.

Dwityas, N.A., Mulyana, A., Hesti, S., Briandana, R. and Putrianti, M.K., 2020. Digital marketing communication strategies: the case of indonesian News ‘Portals. International Journal of Economics and Business Administration, 8(3), pp.307-316.

Eagle, L., Czarnecka, B., Dahl, S. and Lloyd, J., 2020. Marketing communications. Routledge. Pepels, W., 2021. Marketing Communications (pp. 1-326). DUNCKER UND HUMBLOT.

Falahat, M., Ramayah, T., Soto-Acosta, P. and Lee, Y.Y., 2020. SMEs internationalization: The role of product innovation, market intelligence, pricing and marketing communication capabilities as drivers of SMEs’ international performance. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 152, p.119908.

Gopalakrishna, S., Lilien, G.L. and Donsbach, A., 2022. Trade shows in the business marketing communications mix. In Handbook of business-to-business marketing (pp. 247-265). Edward Elgar Publishing.

Goworek, H., Oxborrow, L., Claxton, S., McLaren, A., Cooper, T. and Hill, H., 2020. Managing sustainability in the fashion business: Challenges in product development for clothing longevity in the UK. Journal of Business Research, 117, pp.629-641.

HR, G. and Aithal, P.S., 2020. Integrated Marketing Mix Framework for Baby Care Retailing in India. International Journal of Applied Engineering and Management Letters (IJAEML), 4(1), pp.191-218.

Krizanova, A., L?z?roiu, G., Gajanova, L., Kliestikova, J., Nadanyiova, M. and Moravcikova, D., 2019. The effectiveness of marketing communication and importance of its evaluation in an online environment. Sustainability, 11(24), p.7016.

Laurie, S. and Mortimer, K., 2019. How to achieve true integration: the impact of integrated marketing communication on the client/agency relationship. Journal of Marketing Management, 35(3-4), pp.231-252.

Lin, Y., Yang, S., Hanifah, H. and Iqbal, Q., 2018. An exploratory study of consumer attitudes toward green cosmetics in the UK market. Administrative Sciences, 8(4), p.71.

Martin, S.L., Javalgi, R.R.G. and Ciravegna, L., 2020. Marketing capabilities and international new venture performance: The mediation role of marketing communication and the moderation effect of technological turbulence. Journal of Business Research, 107, pp.25-37

Mogaji, E. and Yoon, H., 2019. Thematic analysis of marketing messages in UK universities’ prospectuses. International Journal of Educational Management.

Nash, J., 2018. Exploring how social media platforms influence fashion consumer decisions in the UK retail sector. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal.

Š?iltere, D. and Bormane, S., 2018. Integrated marketing communication as a business management tool in the context of sustainable development. Open Economics, 1(1), pp.115-123.

Zatwarnicka-Madura, B., Siemieniako, D., Gli?ska, E. and Sazonenka, Y., 2019. Strategic and operational levels of CSR marketing communication for sustainable orientation of a company: a case study from Bangladesh. Sustainability, 11(2), p.555.

Websites

tesco.com , (2022), Analysis of TESCO in the UK, Available at: https://www.tesco.com/ [Accessed on: 9th December, 2022]

trade.gov, (2022), Market analysis of the UK, Available at: https://www.trade.gov/knowledge-product/united-kingdom-market-overview [Accessed on: 9th December, 2022]

ukessays.com, (2022), Marketing communication strategy, Available at: https://www.ukessays.com/assignments/marketing-strategies-tesco.php [Accessed on: 9th December, 2022]