Article - Exploring Corporate Marketing

24 Jun 2021

Exploring Corporate Marketing and Advertising

 

Although the terms “corporate marketing” and “corporate advertising” are often used interchangeably, they don’t mean the same thing. Advertising is a part of, or an arm of the marketing process, “process” being the operative word since marketing is by no means one-dimensional.

 

A Multi-Faceted Process

 

Corporate marketing is multi-faceted; advertising is one of its facets. An advertisement advertises or introduces a specific product, product range or service to a wide audience. The advertiser pays for the space or time that the ad occupies, as well as the frequency with which it appears.

 

 

Buy It

 

An advertisement or series of ads is placed on or in one or more media platforms, such as on radio or TV, during an ad break, in cinemas, during an interval or in the lead-up to the screening of the main movie, outdoors on posters, billboards and street poles, and/or in trade or consumer magazines and newspapers. Selling and convincing a buyer to purchase an advertised product or service is the ad’s principal objective.

 

Typical advertising is not usually interactive, and yet it does provide numerous benefits to the advertiser:

 

·         It assists in maintaining an existing customer base.

·         It attracts attention (and ideally, action too) from potential new customers with whom to extend the customer base.

·         It introduces new products or services, enhancements or improvements to existing products/services, plus presents the opportunity to emphasise their respective benefits and advantages.

·         It allows customers to identify at a glance what’s on offer.

·         it helps to establish familiarity with and trust in the product, service and the actual brand.

·         It provides educational or informative content about advertised products and services.

·         It enables customers to revisit the ad and its contents easily and conveniently.

 

Based on Market Research

 

The advertiser selects the media, based on the research and recommendations provided by the corporate marketing department, which identifies their target audience, its demographics, trends and interests while taking competitors, expected cost-effectiveness and value into account.

 

Promote a Brand in Its Entirety

 

Corporate marketing campaigns and initiatives strive to promote the entire corporate entity, inclusive of its brand, image, distinctive identity, image and corporate culture, plus its products and services as a whole to ensure that it becomes and remains top-of-mind to its target audiences and the choices they make.

 

Two Types of Corporate Marketing

 

There are two basic types of corporate marketing, both of which are geared to target a specific audience – corporate business to business and corporate business to consumer. Telephone or telemarketing to both types of recipients was commonplace before the advent of the Internet and the digital era, but, by and large, this formerly popular practice has fallen by the wayside.

 

Mail drops and pamphlets have also become almost obsolete, although the latter printed material is still used as handouts at expos and trade shows. In this digital age, technology has expanded the marketing realm and has largely taken over the role of certain traditional marketing methods.

 

Digital Strategies

 

Digital corporate marketing strategies have opened up a whole new sphere of opportunities with which to promote companies. It utilises electronic communication devices, such as smartphones and computers, via various techniques – emails, search engine apps, blogs and corporate websites. A variety of now popular platforms have emerged:

 

·         Social media – such as Facebook and Twitter, which have the advantage of being interactive and almost ubiquitous

·         Relationships – to establish and maintain a loyal, enduring, satisfied customer network and base, which returns repeatedly to its preferred corporate brand

·         Global – instantly and directly extends a brand’s reach locally, nationally and internationally, with the purpose of building and becoming a globally sought-after brand

·         Brand management – manages and directs your brand and its products/services to continuously satisfy customer needs or, ideally, exceed their expectations. Involves evaluation and research focused on customers, their experiences of your brand and others, as well as gathering information about competitors and potential new future marketplace trends

·         Product enhancement – identifying opportunities to develop new products or improve existing products, in line with identified customer needs, involving comprehensive but targeted research and analysis

 

Plan Marketing Before Advertising

 

Advertising incurs direct, immediate costs, which are normally substantial, especially when starting up a new business. First and foremost, the necessary research should be done and a relevant strategic marketing plan should be developed accordingly before embarking on an extensive and expensive advertising campaign – horse first, cart to follow, as it were.

 

By its very nature, advertising should support and enhance corporate marketing initiatives, not directly vice versa. Nonetheless, both strategies are important in the promotion of your organisation and its products – the essence of its existence.

 

Leading customisation specialists and suppliers of innovative digital corporate marketing solution packages, Pretoria-based XCO Group is on hand to assist you to expand your brand with the help of a number of user-friendly XCO brand strategy products and much more.