Discuss the role of integrated marketing communications in the marketing program for a brand such as Charmin, the case outlined in your text. Discuss how Procter & Gamble uses the various IMC tools (name them) to market Charmin and maintain its position as the leading brand of toilet tissue. What value does the IMC approach offer and why was this particular mix of media selected?

Global Marketing Communications: (Chapters 1-6)

Chapter 1: Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC):

1. Discuss the role of integrated marketing communications in the marketing program for a brand such as Charmin, the case outlined in your text. Discuss how Procter & Gamble uses the various IMC tools (name them) to market Charmin and maintain its position as the leading brand of toilet tissue. What value does the IMC approach offer and why was this particular mix of media selected?

Chapter 2: Target Marketing and Positioning

2. With respect the Buick case outlined in your text, consider the media mix employed in this IMC approach and answer the following questions.
a. What does this IMC approach say about the market segment chosen for this brand?
b. Review the segmenting strategies outlined in the chapter; what was Buick’s market segmentation approach?
c. Review the positioning strategies outlined in the chapter; what was Buick’s positioning strategy?
d. Why were these segmenting and positioning strategies successful?

Chapter 4: Consumer Behavior

3. Your text talks about the consumer decision-making process (Stages, Figure 4-1, p. 113) that is influenced by various psychological states (Psychological Process, Figure 4-1, p. 113). In particular, consumers are influenced by their attitudes toward a brand, beliefs about a brand’s performance or attributes, the importance the consumer attaches to those attributes, and the number of attributes that matter to him/her (pp. 125-126).

As marketers, we aim to understand the underlying attitudes that influence the consumer’s decision so we can develop communications strategies to create, change, or reinforce certain attitudes. Your text lists four strategies marketers employ to do so (p. 126):
• Increasing or changing the strength of or beliefs about an important brand attribute
• Changing consumers’ perceptions of the importance or value of an attribute
• Adding a new attribute to the attitude formation process
• Changing perceptions of beliefs for a competing brand

a. Take a look at this anti-smoking advertisement by ThaiHealth Foundation, ThaiHealth Anti-Smoking TV Advertisement.
b. Which strategy(ies) did ThaiHealth Foundation employ to impact the audience targeted in this anti-smoking ad?
1. Identify the target audience (be specific/detailed).
2. Identify the target audience’s apparent attitudes and/or beliefs that ThaiHealth needed to address.
3. Identify the strategy or strategies ThaiHealth used to do so.

Chapters 5-6: Communication Process

4. Regarding the Under Amour case outlined in your text (pp. 183-184), discuss the elements of the persuasion matrix (p. 185) within the company’s control that you think delivered the most success for the brand—do you think one or more element(s) were pivotal to the brand’s success or a combination of all three? Explain.