Promotional Methods

Getting the word out

Promotion is one of the four parts of the marketing mix, alongside price, product and place. It means telling customers about a product and persuading them to buy it. There are several methods. Advertising pays to show a message on television, posters or online. Public relations builds a good image through news stories and events. Sales promotion uses short-term offers such as discounts, coupons or free samples. Sponsorship pays to link a brand to an event or a sports team. Social media reaches customers cheaply and lets them share and reply. A business chooses a promotional mix to suit its budget, its target audience and its product, and it promotes to raise awareness, inform, persuade and boost sales. This module covers the methods and how to choose them.

Promotion words

Learn these before you match any method, and remember each one suits a different budget and audience.

Advertising against social media

Two common methods reach customers in very different ways, which is why the choice depends on the firm.

How to choose a promotional mix

Do not just name the methods. Fit them to the firm in front of you. Ask three things: how much money is there to spend, who the customers are, and what the product is. A tiny budget aimed at young people points to social media. A big launch to the whole country can justify advertising. A quick sales boost calls for an offer. Name the methods you would use and say why each suits this business better than the rest.

Match the method to what it is

Which method is this?

A drinks company pays to put its name and logo on a football stadium and the players shirts. Which promotional method is this?

• Sponsorship.
• Sales promotion.
• Public relations only.
• A pricing method.

Reasons to promote

Select the TWO genuine reasons a business promotes a product.

• To raise awareness of the product
• To persuade customers to buy it
• To stop making the product
• To hide the product from customers

Total advertising spend

A firm books 4 adverts and each advert costs 200 pounds. Multiply to find the total advertising spend, in pounds.

Order a promotion campaign

Put the steps of running a promotion campaign in order, earliest first.

• Decide the aim of the promotion
• Choose methods to fit the budget and audience
• Run the campaign
• Check whether sales and awareness rose

Complete the facts

Telling customers about a product and persuading them to buy is _____. Paying to show a message to a wide audience is _____. Paying to link a brand to a team or event is _____. A cheap method that lets customers share and reply is _____ media.

Match the business to the best method

Spot the true promotion facts

Tap the TWO statements that are true about promotion.

• Promotion can raise awareness of a product
• Social media is usually a cheaper way to promote
• Advertising is used to hide a product from customers
• A business may only ever use one promotional method

Pick the promotion

Read each case and choose the best method, with a reason.

• A new skateboard brand has almost no money and wants to reach teenagers. Which method fits best?
• A supermarket wants shoppers to try a new ready meal quickly this month. Which method fits best?
• A student names a promotional method but never says why it suits the business. How could the answer be improved?

Recommend a promotional mix

A small new bakery with a limited budget wants local people to hear about it and try its bread. Recommend how it should promote itself.

• Explain what promotion means and why the bakery needs it
• Describe two promotional methods it could use
• Recommend a promotional mix suited to a small local bakery
• Justify your choice using its budget, audience and product
• Finish with a judgement on which single method would matter most and why