This document provides an overview of marketing communications strategies and tactics that can be used to build integrated marketing campaigns for events. It discusses various strategies like aspirational marketing, affinity marketing, peer-to-peer marketing, guerrilla marketing, stealth marketing and ambush marketing. It also covers the communications mix, pull and push strategies, and different marketing objectives. A variety of tactics are introduced, including advertising, direct marketing, public relations, sponsorship and different types of digital marketing. The document emphasizes the importance of an integrated approach to event marketing communications.

1. Events Marketing
Week 4 - Marketing Communications,
Strategies and Tactics

2. Today’s session will cover:
1. Various marketing communications strategies that
can be used to build marketing communications
campaigns
2. Pull and push strategies
3. Marketing communications tactics
4. An introduction to the concept of advertising
5. An overview of the communications mix
6. The Information Mix (seminar)

3. Role of Integrated Event Marketing
Communication strategies
• Put simply, the challenge for the Event
Marketer is to:
– Get attention and/or raise awareness
– Create relationships (through affecting perception)
– Influence behaviour (attitudes)
• And make best use of resources

4. IMC campaign objectives
‘Think, Feel, Do’
Think Feel
Do
1. Informational
objectives
2. Transformational
objectives
3. Behavioural objectives
4. Relational objectives

5. Generic Strategic Marketing
techniques
MarketingStrategies
Aspirational marketing
Affinity marketing
Peer to Peer marketing
Offensive marketing
Relationship marketing
Direct marketing Direct Response
Direct Mail/Insert media/DirectSelling
Email/Online/Mobile/Telemarketing/Voicemail
Guerillamarketing
Stealth
Ambush
Ambience
Viral
Street

6. Aspirational Marketing
Plays on the desires and aspirations of potential
target audiences by portraying your market
offering as fulfilling these.
How could you recognise aspirational marketing?
- Status/image/lifestyle/Tie-ins/Reputation
Dior Homme 2013
Nespresso 2012
Pepsi 2006
Heineken 2007
http://bacanal.com/

7. Guerrilla Marketing
Unexpected and unconventional
Cost effective, although some large-scale
productions could be expensive (T-Mobile dance
+ reactions)
Memorable, generates buzz and positive
associations
Folkoperan
Nike Guerrilla
Levi’s

8. Stealth and Ambient Marketing
Uses the target customer’s environment to
display the marketing message – tries to engage
the subconscious
Sometimes the message is aggressive and
obvious, sometimes it is more toned-down
Some examples:
Kleenex Seem Endless
Carrie
IKEA
Sony Ericsson
RainCampaign for Sea Life
Sneezing bus stop

14. Ambush Marketing
Specific to event marketing – implicitly associating
product brands with particular events (usually
mega events) without having the official sponsor
or partner status (avoiding high costs)
Intentional vs ‘incidental’ ambush – legal/ethical
implications?
Bavaria – World Cup 2010

15. Affinity Marketing
Aims to expand your pool of audiences through
partnering with other organisations whose
market offerings are potentially relatable to
yours
How could you recognise affinity marketing?
• Strategic partnerships
• Brand association
Red Nose Day
https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/

16. Direct Marketing
Direct communication with consumers
Usually sales-driven and requires some form of
customer response
Flyers
E-mail
QR codes

17. Offensive Marketing
Aggressive and competitive – purpose?
Product comparison – “my product is better than
yours!”
Get a Mac
I’m a PC 1
I’m a PC 2
I’m a PC 3

18. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Marketing
Tries to utilise the existing consumer networks to
support ‘spread the word’ approach in building
brand awareness and/or driving sales
Word-of-Mouth or Word-of-Mouse
Viral – attention grabbing, interesting, funny;
using existing social networks/channels
How can companies stimulate WoM? What tools
could they use?
RCR

19. Relationship Marketing
Customer acquisition and retention
Value-driven, emphasising benefits rather than
product features; customer delight
High level of customer service
Trust + Commitment = Loyalty

20. Other Strategic Marketing Initiatives
Trade Marketing (B2B)
Internal Marketing
Employees = Brand Ambassadors
Niche Marketing
New Media
Digital, mobile

21. IMC definitions
A planning process designed to assure that all brand
contacts received by a customer or prospect for product
service or organisation are relevant to that person and
consistent over time
American Association of Advertising Agencies
The co-ordination of various promotional elements and
other marketing activities that communicate with a firm’s
customers. IMC focuses on the synergistic role of
advertising, sales promotions, direct marketing, internet and
interactive marketing, public relations and personal selling
in the communications program
Institute for Integrated Marketing Communications 2006

22. Marketing Communications Tactics
Integrated Marketing Communications Mix adapted from Brassington & Pettitt (2006)

23. The IMC process model for Events
Event Brand Messages
(strategic consistency of
event positioning the big
creative idea to market
the event)
Event Media Strategy
(mass or niche;
interactive – at the event,
online or direct
Event databases (visitors,
vendors, media)
IMC media
- Event advertising
- Visitor services
- Direct marketing
- E-marketing
- Events packaging
- Ticket selling
- Sales promotion
- PR
- Sponsorship media
- Marketing
opportunities
Event brand relationships
(visitor acquisition,
retention, growth)
Event viability, growth and
improved brand equity
SWOT analysis
zero based
planning for IMC
Whole of event
focus on IMC
(monitoring and
evaluating event
brand relationships
(Allen et al, 2008:328)

24. Advertising
Any form of paid, non-personal communication
Mass media – TV/radio, newspapers/magazines,
internet, outdoor, tube, buses...
What are the essential parts of an ad?
 Layout
 Heading / Subheading
 Copy/script
 Logos

25. Advertising – Media Buying
Research relevant media type (TV, radio,
newspapers, magazines, outdoor, websites...)
TV/radio – number of slots, duration,
scheduling
 e.g. three 30-second TV/radio spots running
lunchtime Mon-Fri)
 http://www.advertisingonitv.com/
Newspapers/magazines – number of
insertions, size, color, scheduling...
 E.g. one ¼ page advert, full-color, published
every Saturday

26. Advertising – Media Buying
 Outdoor – number of ads/posters, location,
scheduling
 http://www.jcdecaux.co.uk/products/
 Online advertising
 Ads
 Web banners
 Social media (Facebook, YouTube, MySpace,...)
 PPC
 Videos

27. Advertising Approaches
Brand/image vs. Sales-driven advertising
What is the difference?
How can you recognise it?
Carphone Warehouse (2010)

28. Advertising for Events
2014 Seattle Wedding Show TV ad
Phobophobia Halloween Experience Youtube ad
Ideal Home Show TV ad

29. IMC – direct marketing

30. IMC timeline of the Language
Show Live
July 2015 September October
Mailshot x1
E-shot x1
E-shot x1 E-shot x2
Message – generic –
registration open
Message – generic –
register now
Message – personal
1. This weekend
2. Opens today

31. Pull vs Push strategies
PUSH
• Bringing the product to the customer – pushing it
towards them (by many different means)
PULL
• Making the customer come to the product –
pulling them in (by many different means)
“Pull” is mostly preferred – a combination often
necessary

32. Push vs Pull marketing strategy
Producer
Retailers &
Wholesalers
Consumers
Producer marketing activities
(personal selling, trade
promotion etc.
Reseller marketing activities
(personal selling, advertising,
sales promotion etc.
Producer
Retailers &
Wholesalers
Consumers
Producer marketing activities (consumer advertising, sales promotion etc.)
DemandDemand
PUSH STRATEGY
PULL STRATEGY
(Kotler & Armstrong, 2013:445)

33. Sources and further reading
Follow-up reading (see WebLearn)
Masterman and Wood (2006) - Chapter 4
Brassington and Pettitt (2013) - Chapter 9
Jackson (2013) – Chapter 2
Further reading:
Fill, C. 2011. Essentials of Marketing Communications, Harlow: Financial Times
Prentice Hall/Pearson
Hollensen, S. 2010. Marketing Management: A Relationship Approach, Harlow:
Financial Times Prentice Hall
Meerman Scott, D. 2011. The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to use social
media, online video, mobile applications, blogs, news releases & viral marketing to
reach buyers directly, 3rd Edition, Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons