Promotional communication
Promotional communication is the process of transmitting the information regarding the products and the company to the consumer target market. The purpose of this communication is creating a positive attitude in customers' perception and convincing them to purchase the company's products and not competitors'.Promotional communication also implies an inverted process of gathering the information from the target market, as feedback. This is only a part of the promotional communication, that also involves other activities like:
- Information exchange with the customers
- Solving clients' problems or suggestions
- Communication with distributors and collaborators
Depending on the communication objectives, there is:
- Commercial communication – focused on increasing the sales
through:
- Stimulating the product purchase
- Raising the awareness for the product
- Improving the product image
- Corporate communication - focused on developing the
corporate value of the company using:
- Rising the company awareness
- Creating a distinctive image for the company
- Associating the company with positive social symbols
The purchasing decision process follows the stages:
- The cognitive stage - “Learn”
- The affective stage - “Feel”
- The behavioral stage - “Do”
One of the most popular models that a promotional message must follow is the AIDA model: Attention – Interest – Desire – Action. Another, similar model is the TFD model: Think – Feel – Do.
AIDA stages:
- Attention – is the beginning of the cognitive stage, the moment when the customer notices the existence of the promoted product. He will try to find more information about the product, and a boost in interest is possible.
- Interest – the affective factors are triggered. Comparing the product with other similar goods, a purchasing decision might result.
- Desire – part of the affective stage, triggered by both rational factors, regarding the product utility and subjective factors, depending on each individual's personality and affiliation to social groups.
- Action – follows the desire and represents the behavioral stage. The action supposes the actual buying act, the main barrier for this act being the availability of financial resources required to purchase the product.
The “ Think – Feel – Do” model
Another model for promotional communication stimulation, that is based on the same stages mentioned above is the TFD model.
This is similar to the AIDA model and imply the same stages, except that it also depicts the substantial drop in the number of persons that follow each stage of the model. This explains some companies' choice of advertising, sometimes very expensive. Although, because the commercial reaches to a high number of people, the probability of people finalizing this purchasing process in a higher number is greater than if the commercial reaches a lower number of possible customers.