discuss 1/6 and 2/6

Student 1

In what other business contexts is a promotional strategy, such as that employed by Red Bull, effective in targeting a specific audience and why? From your research, identify promotional campaigns run by other successful brands and evaluate their effectiveness in terms of the markets within which they operate.

            Promotional marketing effectively raises awareness through fostering brand loyalty and informing the target audience of the relative advantages of the product or service over others. Red Bull has been a trailblazer in the marketing strategy that justifies its market domination through the use of unique cartoon adverts. The company prioritized sports sponsorship over traditional media marketing techniques, gaining recognition during cultural events, music, and sporting activities. The promotional strategy is effective in different businesses, including service delivery and merchandising (Santomier, 2008). The method focuses on winning the audience's attention with loyalty programs for contributive clients and brand awareness during the events. The strategy is effective in competitive markets through increased visibility and broad target. The companies gain publicity and exposure as increasing their competitive advantage and a natural consequence on the media. Merchandizing businesses, including retailers and resellers such as Walmart, gain brand recognition with an expected increase in sales and market share. Similarly, businesses offering services such as airlines, insurance and healthcare will benefit from recognition by interested individuals.

            AT&T is a successful conglomerate within the telecommunications industry with successes in providing telephone services. The company’s primary promotional campaigns are based on social media, an accurate targeting technique for its audience. The platforms break down the 4Ps (Promotion, Place, Price, and Product) through differentiation and collaboration with exclusive smartphones dealers such as Apple Corporation, making it easy to reach their target service consumers (Brázda, 2014). The collaboration with other companies enhances the loyalty of customers and increases brand awareness. The company remains effective in its operation market despite its dependence on traditional advertising techniques via print media, social media and TV. The target market is effectively reached through the platforms justifying their promotional techniques.

References

Brázda, M. (2014). A marketing strategies analysis of the Skype: Skype as a new mobile operator. Tomas Bata University.

Santomier, J. (2008). New Media, Branding 

Student 2

Today's generation enjoy the quick fixes of high energy and convenience. Red Bull fit that needs with the advertisements and attention of giving their customers wings once they consume the product. It seems as though the out of the box thinking from the marketing department knew the target audience they were going after with social media and who to sponsor for the high energy sports. Along the lines of the healthy snacks, this generation seem to want the sugar, high protein and low carbs. Red Bull I believe would be successful if they were to make an energy bar with almost the same ingredients as the drink. The marketing strategy would be about the same packaging as the can, blue and silver with the bull. If I were a marketing manager for a company, I would utilize the principles of getting that specific audience's attention. 

 "The Monster and Rock Star brands from Hansen Natural and PepsiCo are developing and have adopted similar techniques for becoming recognized" (MarketLine, 2012, p. 114). We have all perhaps heard of the 5-hour energy drink that come in the little bottle. According to Robert Williams, he states that "Caffeine drink brand 5-hour energy boosted sales and short-term return on ad spend. The campaign drove a short-term ROAS of $6.11, more than six times higher than the $0.92 average of social media food campaigns" (Williams, 2019). With the label showing a person having the energy to walk up a mountain and having the endurance to do seems to draw the attention of energy seekers. Red Bull seems to have made their customers want the product, according to our text, "Moving from interest to desire means that a customer has to move past a need and begin to really want that specific product" (Marshall & Johnston, 2019, p. 349). 

References:

MarketLine. (2012).  MarketLine Case Study: Red Bull: A trailblazer in marketin g strategy.  Red Bull: A Trailblazer in Marketing Strategy. http://eds-s-ebscohost.com.vlib.excelsior.edu

 (Links to an external site.)

Marshall, G. W. & Johnston, M. W. (2019). Marketing Management. (3rd ed.). McGraw Hill. 

Williams, Robert. (2019).  5-Hour Energy pumps up influence marketing with 23M impressions on Instagram.  Marketing Dive. https://www.marketingdive.com/news/5-hour-energy-pumps-up-influencer-marketing-with-23m-impressions-on-instagr/

 (Links to an external site.)