Promotion Decisions

6. Message Control

Most promotions are controlled by the marketer who encodes the message (or hires specialists such as advertising agencies to create the promotion) and then pays to have the message delivered.  However, no marketer can totally control how the news media, customers or others talk about a company or its products.  Reporters for magazines, newspaper and websites, as well as posters to Internet forums may discuss a company’s products in ways that can benefit or hinder a company’s marketing efforts.  This is particularly true with non-paid promotions where a marketer is looking to obtain a free “mention” by an influential message medium (e.g., newspaper article).

7. Message Credibility

The perceived control of the message can influence the target market’s perception of message credibility.  For example, many customers viewing a comparative advertisement in which a product is shown to be superior to a competitor’s product may be skeptical about the claims since the company with the superior product is paying for the advertisement.  Yet, if the same comparison is mentioned in a newspaper article it may be more favorably viewed since readers may perceive the author of the story has possessing an unbiased point-of-view.