Tesco's Marketing Communication Strategy: A Concise Essay.

Introduction to Integrated Marketing Communication

Question:

Discuss About The Marketing Communication Strategy Of Tesco?

Developing a link to all the forms of communication and messages at one place can be considered as the process of integrated marketing communication (IMC). In simple terms integration of all the promotional mechanisms and tools, so that they work together in a harmony is the process of IMC (Arnold & Boggs, 2015). Promotion is one of the integral elements of the marketing mix strategy and also has its own communication tools.  These communication tools perform better if they are working together in a concord rather working in isolation. Integrated marketing communication plan is a system that is required to be developed by the business firm for promoting products and generating awareness in the targeted segments of the consumers. IMC plan is developed and designed by the firm when the entity is expecting to launch a new product or service and wants to create a hold in the market regions for the new product about to be launched (Multimediamarketing 2015). The below executed is an integrated marketing communication plan that has been developed for Woolworths Ltd. The business entity is a multinational corporation in the sector of supermarkets. The business entity was incorporated on 5^th December 1924 and its head office is located in Bella Vista, New South Wales, Australia, by F.W. Woolworth. The business corporation is serving to an approx. 18 million consumers all over the world.

For developing an effective integrated marketing communication some predictions are required to be developed on the basis of market trends and business environment. These assumptions can include some statistical data or market trends for the next 12 months or what will be the market conditions in up-coming years. The below presented are the assumptions that have been made for developing the IMC plan:

• On the basis of research, it has been predicted that the long intense drought was one of the reasons for the rise in the prices of the products (Knowler 2016).
• The drop in the value of rand will lead to bringing an increase in the price of the imported packaging and also a hike in the price of petrol and diesel can be considered as one of the biggest assumptions that will be affecting the business environment.
• Some of the financial predictions are presented in the form of the below presented diagram.

Woolworths Ltd is one of the leading brand names in the Australian supermarket sector. Apart from this multinational corporation, the Australian supermarket is having number of other brand names that are the top leading organizations in the industry. Tesco, Aldi, Walmart are the top rankers that are fighting for gaining the top position in the sector. These business corporations are the top competing brands for Woolworths Ltd and also the biggest threats. On the basis of the research it has been concluded that as Tesco is one of the market leaders among the sector, its share price is clearly reflecting how the business corporation can stimulate the whole retail grocery market. For the last 25 years, Tesco has gained a position of market leader in the UK grocery sector. The business corporation owns an approx. the number of more than 3000 stores in the UK and also shares 28% of the market region (Ivoryresearch 2018). Tesco is offering a varied range of grocery services so as to make attainments of different requirements that comprise of convenience outlets that are easily approachable, supermarket, superstores, and hypermarkets (Anton 2010). For developing its brand heritage the business entity is making an effective use of the slogan “Every Little helps” that is used as a marketing tool for communicating with the customers. This is one of the significant factors of the IMC plan of the Tesco.  By making use of this slogan the brand has penetrated the minds of consumers and this is considered as the point of scale of communication. Introduction of Cluboard 1995 as a sophisticated too that enabled Tesco in learning significant information about the customers and this improved the marketing strategy of the firm. The below presented is the positioning map:

Assumptions for Developing IMC Plan

Products: After furnishing various reports it has been concluded that Woolworths is ranked as one of the leading Australian retailer (Mbaskool 2018). The business entity is offering all types of grocery products. This list comprises of vegetables, meat, fruits and other packaged products. The business corporation is making diversification in the products range by selling magazines, stationery items and DVD’s etc. Moreover, the business entity is also offering a wide range of options in terms of local produce, international cuisine in various brands (Beach, 2014). The business entity is required to present the products in the outlets and stores in an attractive and presentable manner so that the customers get easily attracted towards it.

Price: Price is the value that is paid by the consumer for consuming the product or services of the entity. Woolworth's pricing strategies are varied in nature as the entity is having the wide range of products and the prices of products differ in terms of quality, quantity and other related factors. But the firm has developed a pricing range that is easily affordable by all the income group level consumers. Moreover, the prices of the products should be developed after considering the expenses incurred in the campaign. This may bring an increase in the price range as compared to the desired one.

Place: On the basis of the current analysis it has been noted that the business entity is operating through 1000 store outlets in Australia of which 950+ are the supermarkets and the other are convenience stores. In Victoria and Melbourne, the business enterprise is operating through Safeway stores. The organization also has a strong online presence (Blakeman, 2014). For instance, the entity has recently developed a mobile application for service the consumers online that will create a greater level of satisfaction for the users. The locations of the outlets play a significant role in the IMC plan as they are the platforms that are used for making the products available. The place of distribution should be easily accessible for the targeted audience.

Promotion: This segment of marketing mix has also been considered as a topic of keen significance for Woolworths Ltd. The business entity is constantly innovating in this segment for generating awareness about the products and services. For instance, the enterprise is offering various types of loyalty schemes and discounts on making the purchase of the products. Moreover, the business entity continuously organizes various marketing and promotional campaigns for promoting the products and services (Jensen, 2013). Extensive deals and offers are provided to the customers on bulk purchase, gift cards and cash back offers are provided by the firm.  

Communication objectives are considered as the goals for the messages that are required to be communicated to the audience in an effective manner. There are varied ranges of approaches that can be used by the business firm for developing the communication objectives for the campaign (Kasper & Kellerman, 2014). In the same manner, Woolworths is required to establish several communication objectives for the integrated marketing communication plan and the same is presented below by making use of SMART approach:

• Specific: Motivating the employees for the betterment of efficiency, the effectiveness of the delivery of services and thus increasing productivity by 25%.
• Measurable: Bringing an increase in the customer base 15% more as compared to last year by stimulating the consumers and thus developing a will to purchase the products.
• Achievable: Getting the workforce moving in a correct and same direction so as to attain fruitful outcomes.
• Relevant: Establishment of strong bonds with the clients and the audience so as to increase the demand, sale and customer loyalty. Loyal customer base brings a hike in the brand equity and goodwill that will also increase the profitability of the firm.
• Time bound: Increasing the rate of brand awareness as compared to the current one within 3 months from the date of marketing campaign.

Tesco in the Retail Grocery Market

Budget is the presentation of all the expenses that will be incurred throughout the course of communication plan (Lawrie, 2014). On the basis of the given scenario, an amount of $100000 has been offered as a budget for developing and designing the IMC plan. The below demonstrated is the estimated budget for Woolworths Ltd:

Communication has been considered as an integral part while developing the communication plan for any of the business entity as it bridges the gap between the audience and the business organization (McQuail & Windahl, 2015). The below mentioned are some f the most significant communication strategies that can be adopted by Woolworths for developing the IMC plan:

• A workforce of Woolworths Ltd should direct the focus on solving the issues and queries of the consumers rather than focusing just on the consumers.
• Fair and appropriate guidance on quality basis should be offered by the leader in the organization so as to motivate the employees.
• Contemporary means of advertisements should be adopted by the business firm for attracting and attaining new segments of consumers.
• Direct marketing can be considered as an effective medium or a strategy through which the entity can establish the newly launched products and services.

Woolworths Ltd can make adoption of a simple and effective execution style for executing the IMC plan in-front of the audience (Zillmann, 2013). The below presented is a five-step process that can be followed by the business corporation as an execution-style for IMC plan:

• An analysis should be developed for the current position of the business firm.
• Development of a tagline should be done, that should be able to describe the overall business or the product that is promoted through the IMC plan.
• The target audience should be selected so as to make the efforts in a correct direction.
• Mediums and platforms should be selected for developing effective communication between the audience and the organization.
• Defining objectives should be done precisely and correctly so as they are easy to understand by the workforce.

There is the wide range of options and strategies that can be adopted by a business firm for catching the attention of the consumers and these are commonly are known as appeals. The below described are some of the options that can be used by Woolworths for attaining the consumer’s attention:

Personal appeal: Under this approach, the business entity will have to develop a personal contact with the consumer. For instance, while selling a baby skin care product the entity will have to focus on the importance of taking care of the skin of infants is. In this approach, there is a personal appeal towards the mothers.

Social appeal: In this segment, the business entity will have to develop connections with the consumers by making use of social grounds (Middleton 2016). For instance, the business entity can promote the products by sharing a percentage of profit earned on a specific product as a charity. This will connect the audience socially with the products.

The below mentioned are some of the core components that will be used as a communication material in the developed IMC plan for Woolworths Ltd:

• Campaign name should be developed through which the plan will be recognized in front of the audience in the market regions.
• A theme of the message and the campaign should be decided, on which segment, the social aspect, and target audience should be made focused.
• Adoption of creative strategy is another significant element or communication material that can be used by the firm. For instance, Woolworths can make use of cognitive strategy through which the business corporation will be able to highlight and outline the advertisement that will affect the trust and knowledge of the audience.

There are various forms of media mix strategies that can be adopted by the business firm for enhancing the quality of the IMC plan:

Social media: One of the biggest platform that can be used by Woolworths for promoting the products and communicating with the target market. This mechanism is one of the fastest means of communicating and advertising. 

Digital media: This is a contemporary means of advertising the products and services and under this, the entity makes use of tools and mechanisms such as blogs, cell phone applications, email etc (Marsh 2009).

Print media: One of the cheapest forms of communication under which pamphlets, business magazines, newspapers, billboards etc. are utilized by the business enterprise.

The below presented is the Gantt chart of Woolworths Ltd:

Evaluating means determining the task and identifying whether it is meeting the set objectives or not (Bdc 2018). Evaluation of IMC plan will enable Woolworths Ltd with an opportunity for making adjustments in the established goals and strategies of the campaign. For instance, the entity can formally or informally ask the stakeholders for the feedbacks, reactions, and recommendations for improvement. Direct improvements can also be done in the communication processes wherever required.

Conclusion

In the limelight of the above-executed analysis, it has been analyzed that an integrated communication plan is one of the integral tools for Woolworths Ltd and the same can be used for promoting the products and services in Australia.

References

Arnold, E. C., & Boggs, K. U. (2015). Interpersonal Relationships-E-Book: Professional Communication Skills for Nurses. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Bdc, (2018). How to create a communication plan to promote your business, Assessed on 5^th March 2018, https://www.bdc.ca/en/articles-tools/entrepreneurial-skills/become-better-communicator/pages/how-to-create-communication-plan-to-promote-your-business.aspx.

Beach, L. R. (2014). Decision making in the workplace: A unified perspective. Psychology Press.

Belch, G. E., Belch, M. A., Kerr, G. F., & Powell, I. (2014). Advertising: An integrated marketing communication perspective. McGraw-Hill Education.

Blakeman, R. (2014). Integrated marketing communication: creative strategy from idea to implementation. Rowman & Littlefield.

Jensen, K. B. (Ed.). (2013). A handbook of media and communication research: Qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Routledge.

Kasper, G., & Kellerman, E. (2014). Communication strategies: Psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives. Routledge.

Knowler, W, (2016). Assumptions that could cost you at the till, Assessed on 5^th March 2018, https://www.ecr.co.za/news/consumerwatch/assumptions-cost-you-till/.

Lawrie, A. (2014). An exploration of perceptions of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies on intercultural group interactions and how they impact on learning and teaching in higher education. Internationalisation and the Student Experience, 14.

Marsh, C, E, (2009). Woolies takes pick ‘n’ mix approach to digital marketing, Assessed on 5^th March 2018, https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/woolies-takes-pick-n-mix-approach-digital-marketing/896711.

Mbaskool, (2018). Woolworths marketing mix, Assessed on 5^th March 2018, https://www.mbaskool.com/marketing-mix/services/17155-woolworths.html.

McQuail, D., & Windahl, S. (2015). Communication models for the study of mass communications. Routledge.

Middleton, A, (2016). 23 types of advertising appeals most commonly used by brands, Assessed on 5^th March 2018, https://blog.visme.co/types-of-advertising-appeals/.

Multimediamarketing, (2015). Integrated marketing communication, Assessed on 5^th March 2018, https://multimediamarketing.com/mkc/marketingcommunications/.

Richards, J. C., & Schmidt, R. W. (2014). Language and communication. Routledge.

Zillmann, D. (2013). Selective exposure to communication. Routledge.

Ivoryresearch, (2018). Strategic Management of TESCO supermarket: PESTLE analysis, Porter’s 5 Forces analysis, Critical success factors, SWOT Analysis, VALUE CHAIN analysis, TESCO’S strategic options, Core Competences & Cultural Web, Assessed on 5^th March 2018, https://www.ivoryresearch.com/samples/economics-essay-example-strategic-management-of-tesco-supermarket-pestle-analysis-porter-5-forces-analysis-critical-success-factors-swot-analysis-value-chain-analysis-tesco-strategic-options-core-comp/.

Anton, (2010). Marketing communication strategy of Tesco, Assessed on 21^st March 2018, https://www.essays24.com/Business/Marketing-Communication-Stratergy-Of-Tesco/20432.html.

Answer:

Communication objectives