The Promotion Mix
Kotler and Armstrong (2018) group promotion into five tools: advertising (paid, non-personal communication through mass media), sales promotion (short-term incentives to encourage a purchase), public relations (building goodwill through non-paid media coverage and events), personal selling (direct, personal contact with the customer), and direct and digital marketing (direct communication with individually targeted customers, and building a one-to-one relationship). Which tools a company uses, and how much of each, depends on the product, the target market, and the budget available.
A Promotion Mix for Colorado Ricardo’s E-Mountain-Bike Launch
Public relations: pitch Denver and regional press an authentic story (“a 100% Colorado-built bike brand goes electric”) rather than paying for advertising space that a small budget cannot sustain.
Sales promotion: a free test-ride weekend at the factory showroom, with a trade-up discount for existing owners, turning loyal customers into word-of-mouth advocates for the new model.
Promotion choices should reinforce the channel and pricing decisions made elsewhere in the launch plan – see the Place, Distribution, Channel, or Intermediary and Segmentation exercises.
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