Once a budget has been obtained, the airline marketing manager’s task is to
decide how to spend the budget in the most effective way. In doing so,
they have a clear problem: the number of ways in which money can be
spent is now a bewildering one. Choosing between them will therefore
require a great deal of thought and analysis. It is possible to spend money
on sponsorships, database marketing, media relations, trade entertaining, on
various forms of advertising (including through the Internet) and through
personal selling through investment in a field sales team.
Each of these will have different advantages and disadvantages. Our
next task is to discuss them in turn, and also to consider the ways in which
each technique should be used to ensure that it provides the best value-formoney.
Once we have done so, it will become clearer as to how the
different methods can be combined into an optimum Communications Mix.
10:3 Marketing Communication Techniques
10:3:1 Sponsorship Policy
The term ‘Sponsorship’ is used to describe a situation whereby a firm has
its name associated with an event, a team or a competitor, in exchange for
money.
In recent years, sponsorships have become increasingly important in
marketing communication generally. They have certainly done so in the
airline industry. It is not difficult to see why. A successful sponsorship can
result in a firm’s name becoming widely known, very quickly. This can be
especially valuable for a new airline, or for an established operator opening
a new route into a market area where it has had no previous presence.
Sponsorships can also help in building and reinforcing brand values. They
can provide useful opportunities for corporate hospitality and trade
entertaining. They can sometimes produce directly increments of new
business, especially if an airline is nominated as the ‘Official Carrier’ for an
event, as part of a deal to sponsor it. Lastly, they address problems
associated with the fragmentation of media advertising opportunities which
multi-channel broadcasting has caused.
Despite these advantages, the question of sponsorship remains a
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