BUS7B29 Integrated Communications Assignment Sample
Introduction
Communications in marketing can be rationalised as the best usage of various marketing channels and incorporation of different tools for improving organisational efficiency levels. Therefore, the current report assesses relevant communication models and theories implemented across business organisations in the UK. Furthermore, the communication strategies implemented within Sainsbury have been discussed in detail along with their effectiveness levels within the firm. In addition to that, incorporation of newer communication strategies within Sainsbury shall also be included within the study.
Background of the company
Sainsbury Plc was established in 1869 by John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury which has currently emerged to be the longest running retailing chain in the UK. Furthermore, the company currently owns approximately 600 stores across the country and also holds the maximum amount of products held by any food retailing chain within the UK. Therefore, the Sainsbury company was also found to incorporate a “Partnership in produce” agreement along with cooperation from ENFRU as a part of their marketing strategies (Hughes and Merton, 1996). However, currently, the firm has emerged to incorporate marketing strategies like building a strong and effective brand image and reputation by providing a range of food products for their consumers.
Moreover, Sainsbury was also found to modify their business proceedings by bringing in simplifications in its operational activities. In addition to that, the firm has a communication strategy of “Try something new today” for the current economic conditions faced by the customers of the company. Additionally, Sainsbury currently holds a strong position in the retail industry with over 800 convenience stores, and their online marketing website “Argos” has recorded itself as the third most visited website in the UK (Sainsbury.co.uk, 2021). However, the firm is mainly focused on improving customers’ passion via the quality and reputation of food products served and focus on helping each customer.
Marketing communications mix and methods used by Sainsbury
Marketing communication mix refers to the process of involving tools and measures to establish effective communication levels with the potential customers within a business. Furthermore, words of Todorova (2015), states that marketing communication mix helps in building adequate communication levels for a company’s brand image by driving favorable public attention levels to facilitate essential investment funds. Furthermore, the study also highlighted the different combination of elements for marketing communication mix as personal selling, advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, and public relations that has been further shown below:
Figure 1: Elements of the marketing communication mix
(Source: Influenced by Todorova, 2015)
The figure depicted above highlights the important and major elements of the marketing communication mix that are further discussed below.
Advertisement
Advertisement has emerged to be a vital communication prospect for organisations that also effectively performs multiple operations like providing information, persuasion of customers, and creating a reminder of the additional impact of utility for perceptions of people (Tibebe and Ayenew, 2018 and Usman and Mohammed, 2012). Additionally, advertisements help products to gain upscale and stylish branding than competitors’ products and further add additional valuation to risky and expensive products. Sainsbury has emerged to implement advertisements as a communication strategy to market its products.
Personal Selling
Personal sales are associated with persuasion from sellers for delivering a product to buyers. In addition to that, it helps in providing a two way communication process for the selling procedure conducted between both seller and buyer (Stros et al. 2019 and Adesoga, 2016). However, the current element is mainly used as a supporting medium within the total promotional mix helping in added modifications highlighted by buyers giving better customer satisfaction.
Sales promotion
Sales promotion communication strategy is found to be customer oriented focusing on providing stimulation of customers for immediate purchase. As per the words of Todorova (2015), stimulation related to sales is divided into consumer and business oriented promotions. Furthermore, sales promotional strategy incorporates additional incentives, reduction in prices, and providing samples to increase total sales. Sainsbury was also found to incorporate sales promotional activities to persuade their customers in buying their products and services.
Analysis of current integrated communication strategy in Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury Plc was found to incorporate communication strategies including the majority of the elements included like newsletters, cooking magazines for their food products, news conferences, new product releases, and oral communications. Furthermore, the incorporation of newsletters is found to be effective communication strategies utilised by Sainsbury to market and advertise its products. In addition to that, the newsletters published by companies like BP or Sainsbury have emerged to provide important information regarding the products and services along with relevant information of the company (Ellis‐Chadwick et al. 2007). In addition to that, Sainsbury’s magazine has also emerged to be an important component of Sainsbury’s communication strategy.
The magazine website is found to house numerous food recipes from around the world along with different lottery games to engage their prospective customers (Sainsburysmagazine.co.uk, 2021). Currently, the Sainsbury magazine can be considered as an important marketing tool utilised by the company to maintain effective communication levels with their internal as well as external stakeholders. In addition to that, Sainsbury Plc has also emerged to be actively involved in the celebrity endorsements to further improve their communication levels with the customers and gain a strategic advantage over its consumers (Pöyry et al. 2019). According to the words of Halonen‐Knight and Hurmerinta (2010), Sainsbury was successful in collaborating with the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver along with Sainsbury Supermarkets Ltd which has emerged to be one of the longest running and financially successful relationships for the company. Therefore, the firm has implemented celebrity endorsements to communicate their marketing message for their external stakeholders who are their customers.
The firm is also found to incorporate cross-channel communication levels that have incorporated major elements like internal communications, free tip cards, in-store point of sales, advertising via magazines and televisions. Ideas for internal communications were found to be established by the workforce of 150,000 employees in Sainsbury to incorporate a competition for submitting their “Fiver” ideas and distribution of free samples (Marketingsociety, 2021). Weekly press advertising is conducted by the company for helping shoppers plan their daily meals and the inclusion of POS (point of sale) has helped the customers to locate the food ingredients easily.
Figure 2: Effectiveness of supermarket slogans by Sainsbury
(Source: Marketingsociety, 2021)
The figure depicted above highlights the importance of different slogans incorporated by Sainsbury to further motivate their stakeholders and customers. Upon closer analysis, the majority of the consumers were found to either improve the brand recognition level for the firm or prompt growth in their respective products.
In addition to that, a single mode of communication channel is also implemented by the firm in highlighting their communication strategies towards their external and internal stakeholders via publishing their yearly annual reports. Moreover, the company is found to share relevant information regarding its financial positions and marketing or communication strategies that are open to the public as well as its stakeholders. According to the words of Stukan (2018), cultural differences in organisations can affect the same through miscommunications, barriers to organisational efficiency, and lack of adaptation to new strategies or behaviors. However, Sainsbury was found to not provide due importance towards the cultural differences occurring within the organisation due to a variety of internal and external stakeholders. Therefore, the lack of adequate communication between the stakeholders should be further addressed by the firm in appropriate senses.
New communication strategy for Sainsbury
Sainsbury Plc was found to lack adequate focus on their rising issues of cultural differences associated within the firm regarding the cultural differences within their internal and external stakeholders. Moreover, a new communication strategy can be further devised to consider Sainsbury’s cultural differences, values, and beliefs associated with the firm. According to the words of Rossolini et al. (2021), an effective communication strategy shall incorporate all essential needs of a firm along with its internal and external stakeholders through the usage of efficient communication tools. In addition to that, building communication with stakeholders also requires pursuing different objectives and appropriate communication channels are required for the selection of achieving the same.
Thus, the current communication strategy for Sainsbury’s includes provisions for effective communication levels and highlighting the cause of cultural differences in their employees, consumers, suppliers, financial institutions, media as well as the government. Sainsbury’s external stakeholders or consumers should be considered to reduce negative imprints by focusing on Muslim and Jewish customers and their lack of affinity to consume pork. Additionally, assessment of the cultural background of each employee working within the organisation shall help in improving communication levels for better organisational efficiency through the removal of cultural barriers (Martin, 2014).
Conclusion
Success levels of business organisations are found to depend on the efficiency and effectiveness of different stakeholders through meeting objectives and choices for communication channels. Moreover, the current report has incorporated the different communication channels via different strategies like celebrity endorsements, newsletters, point of sales, and advertising via magazines and television commercials. Moreover, a lack of proper cultural communication channels was highlighted after the analysis and recommendation of a new communication strategy has been incorporated within the study.
Reference List
Adesoga, A., 2016. Examination of the relevance of personal selling in marketing activities: A descriptive method. Journal of accounting and management, 6(2), pp.103-116.
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Halonen‐Knight, E. and Hurmerinta, L., 2010. Who endorses whom? Meanings transfer in celebrity endorsement. Journal of Product & Brand Management.
Hughes, D. and Merton, I., 1996. “Partnership in produce”: the J Sainsbury approach to managing the fresh produce supply chain. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal.
Marketingsociety, (2021). Sainsbury’s: Feed your family for a fiver Available at: https://www.marketingsociety.com/sites/default/files/thelibrary/marketing%20excellence%202%20sainsburys%20caser%20study.pdf [Accessed on: 26/10/2021]
Martin, G.C., 2014. The effects of cultural diversity in the workplace. Journal of diversity management (JDM), 9(2), pp.89-92.
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Sainsbury.co.uk, (2021). About us Available at: https://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/about-us [Accessed on: 26/10/2021]
Sainsburymagazine.co.uk, (2021). Recipes and cooking tips | Sainsbury`s Magazine Available at: https://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/ [Accessed on: 26/10/2021]
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Stukan, D., 2018. Sociopragmatic failure: Struggling with cross-cultural differences in communication. Open Journal for Anthropological Studies, 2(1).
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Usman, U.M.Z. and Mohammed, Z.B., 2012. The Impact of Mobile Advertisement and Communication on Customer Relationship Management (CRM). In International Conference on Economics, Business and Marketing Management.
