Marketing Interviews - Essay Example

This paper seeks to explore the marketing communications function and structure within organizations. It explains how marketing content is innovatively developed and produced for the organization. The function of communication in marketing continues to generate significant debate and research. However, prior to discussing marketing communications in organizations, it is essential to distinguish the divide between communication and marketing as they are different concepts. According to Varey (2001), marketing holds the role to respond to demand in a particular market. This implies that, marketing observes and fulfils the needs of clients. In response this as well meets the organizations needs. Therefore, to meet the needs of both sides, the two entities must communicate. Consequently, marketing communications entails effectively and competently providing information concerning the organization, as well as the products to selected consumer groups. On the other hand, communication may also pursue the objective of promoting information in addition to marketing. It is essential to note that communication advances the organizations reputation, enhances awareness of its services and products, in addition to supporting customer relations. In brief, marketing devoid of the communication function is incomplete and valueless.

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According to Tukiainen (2001), marketing communications involve advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, and personal selling. Marketing communications also involve marketing public relations which the organization uses in communicating with its clientele and prospects. Therefore, marketing communications is principally concerned with clientele. On the other hand, other communication roles within the organization can also influence marketing communications, as well as its performance. In order to employ the strategic approach towards communications, it is fundamental to integrate every communication function to attain a comprehensive strategic impact. In this context, in marketing communications, marketing specialists ought to take into consideration internal communications with staff, and financial communications with investors. The marketing specialists must also take into account community relations that entail Corporate Social Responsibility, media relations with all stakeholders, as well as government relations as the regulator.

It is evident that marketing communications is one component of the extensive communication structure in any organization. In order to understand this more clearly, it is essential to look into a companys marketing communications performance. In this perspective, marketing goals, for instance creating a positive organizational image is directly influenced by internal communications. This is because various employees are the point of contact between the clientele and the organization, thus, fashioning the companys image. Various employees may as well constitute the organizations client-base, and as a result, be a key stakeholder faction for marketing communications. Philip (2011) asserts that, a multi-level approach in any organizations communication function is essential to facilitate fulfilling the needs of primary, as well as secondary stakeholders, in addition to continued business growth.

The Structure of Corporate Communication in Siemens

The graphic representation below demonstrates the corporate communications structure at Siemens. The diagram illustrates a consolidation of different communication disciplines within Siemens. This underlines the diverse disciplines in the central corporate communication section. In addition, there are defined project teams that deal with mergers and acquisitions, as well as crises integrating personnel from these diverse fields within corporate communication. It should be noted that Siemens runs a structured market communications as a component of the broad corporate communication function instead of as a detached department. This is informed by the reality that Siemens is largely a corporate-to-corporate company, and does engage in marketing itself to end-users or end-clientele of its technology.

Marketing Communications and Integrated Marketing Communications

It is important to explore integrated marketing communication due to two factors which include significant prominence given to measurement and the existing technological, as well as societal drivers in regard to marketing communications. According to Tukiainen (2001), integration, as a conception is broadly discussed between scholars, and supporters of integrated marketing communication admit that marketing communications ought to consistently collaborate to be able to address the pertinent issues. In other words, this entails pursuing the identical critical selling points, as well as positioning platform which consequently produce one image and one voice for the necessary marketing communications. A key aspect of the integration in any specific context is shifting from inside-out thinking to outside-in thinking in order to respond to customers needs. It is imperative to understand that the outside-in approach entails that all possible communication ought to focus on consumers perceptions. For this reason, marketing communications ought to take into account first the demand of its markets instead of imposing anticipated services and products.

Conclusion

It is important to understand that marketing communications and integrated marketing communication essentially can be utilized as synonyms. Integrated marketing communication should be considered as being a comparatively younger concept which broadens the concept of marketing communications. It is more in sync to the contemporary marketing environment. The synergy of every communication initiative that the integrated marketing communication construct proposes presents the benefit of increased transparency, which consequently, can facilitate in building additional dependable measurement platforms. This paper has demonstrated that marketing communications entails a multilevel construct which demands a well-structured incorporation of all its actions to facilitate the realization of the best achievable results.

References

Philip, S. (2011). The Business of Influence: Reframing Marketing and PR for the Digital Age. London: Wiley.

Tukiainen, T. (2001). An Agenda Model of Organizational Communication. Corporate Communications Journal, 6 (1), 47-52.

Varey, R. (2001). Marketing Communication: An Introduction to Contemporary Issues. Florence: Routledge.