Overall..

Marketing communications is a lengthy process that organisations must go through in order to communicate their messages and intention to their target audiences. As many different tools are used throughout the process it can become aware to organisations what is effective and what is not effective within their marketing communication tools. Throughout looking into the marketing communications of both London Fashion Weekend and International Confex many things have become apparent from favoured traditional methods that have been used by both compared to methods that are used so differently due target audiences and event types.

Also when linking all of these factors to Schramm's communication model it highlights how different target audiences receive and perceive messages that are being sent to them by organisations depending on the form and medium that it is being sent in. Overall based on this model it would appear that both events were able to communicate with their targeted audiences. But there were some areas upon which the communication became confused due to the way the message was being sent. This happened within London Fashion Weekends advertising as messages were communicated but were confused with London Fashion Week which shows that they had not created a unique enough form within the chosen medium to stand out from London Fashion Week and truly advertise what the event is due to the continuous link with London Fashion Week. Although International Confex used many factors in different ways they were able to send messages through industry related media which directly impacts their chosen target audiences of industry professionals both specialists and generalists as this is the media that they will consume within their jobs. The message that was sent by International Confex through marketing communications was received by their consumers which then brought them to the event and feedback was given through their web presence such as Twitter.

Whereas London Fashion Weekend were able to communicate effectively through different forms such as their web presence overall having many members a part of their social media site being able to create constant updates with an easy navigational website. This highlights that they are able to reach more consumers than International Confex therefore having greater communication and exposure with their messages within their web presence. They have utilized modern advertising and communication method successfully through the creation of communities for London Fashion Weekend and the event which develops a relationship with their consumers. But each have achieved their own success and help successful events which all couldn't be done without marketing communication.

Marketing communications are used in unique and different ways within every organisation and event as each have different overall objective, communication objectives and target audiences. Therefore meaning that communication will be received differently by consumers as Schramm’s model highlights consumers will decode the messages sent differently and interpret them at freewill which shows the importance of target audience analysis and understanding so that organisations are able to communicate in tune with their consumers needs. Events organisers will always have areas of improvement within their marketing communications as there are so many advances in technology and the way in which media is received by consumers. Which is why they have to remain versatile to these changes for the communication to be effective and efficient enough to send the correct message. 

Public Relations

Black (1993) stated that public relations is planned in order to create goodwill and mutual understandings between organisations and their public. According to Matsterman (2011) public relations is valued high as traditional mass media and methods often become too expensive as an option for organisations. Public relations can generate a high credibility for organisations through the goodwill and image that is generated by it. But it can lead to a negative image if it is not used in the correct way which can be very detrimental to organisations. Jefkins and Yadin (1998) stated that understanding is created via knowledge being given. Public relations is a two way process where organisations give knowledge to their public but then they require a response from the public for it to be successful.

 PR and events involves creating media opportunities which links to the importance of relationships that events have with the media. As many events are reported on or commented about by many news media but they have no control over the content so it may be positive or negative depending on what is appropriate within their objectives and not the events objectives. Which is why events have the crucial aim to achieve positive coverage for their event in order to gain the best exposure. 

Events establish PR through many different methods such as advertorials which are paid from by the event and are designed to read editorials. Feature articles are also another form of PR that are a one off piece that allows a depth and quality of information on the event. Advance articles can also be used which allow events to give their consumers a notification of the event using pictures, information and any competitions that the event has so is a lot briefer that advertorials or feature articles. Spokespeople and expertise is when events will use events managers who have created a reputation of strong opinion are popular with news media. They will be the spokesperson when the media want a reaction to a story which is why targeted media are kept aware of how to contact them quickly so that they are able to gain the opportunity for additional exposure is taken to the full advantage. 

Listings are created within news media that provide daily, weekly and monthly lists of events that their reader may be interested in. Readers offers and competitions will include event tickets and hospitality for their readers. Therefore this is mutually beneficial as the event gains PR and exposure and the media are seen as providing their readers with extra services and value. Finally if there are no opportunities within all the other methods event's organisers will then create newsworthy items or stories in order to attract media attention. 

London Fashion Weekend

London Fashion Weekend have created a PR campaign that consists of features, advance articles, listings and advertorials (editorials). These PR campaigns will be present in all targeted forms of media that they have also used for their print advertisement in order to create relationships with the right media for their target audience. All of these have been placed both in magazine and online mediums in order to gain greater exposure. With all of these factors in mind London Fashion Weekend have created PR in: 

• Vogue 
• Marie Claire
• Elle
• Stylist
• Harpers Bazaar
• The Telegraph
• Local London publications

International Confex

When looking at the public relations that International Confex have done it can be seen that they have been extremely effective within their public relations in order to ensure that the best possible image is created of International Confex through releasing various press release starting from January 2011 right up until March 2012. All of these press releases made available on the International Confex website in the press section. With headlines varying from; Confex launch for award winning conference guide with face lift, London & Partners gets business “in the bag” for London at International Confex 2012, INTERNATIONAL CONFEX Creating Sporting Memories for Sport Relief and Olly Murs to headline outdoor summer event at newly developed Eirias Event Centre. There are hundreds of other press releases available on the list which can be seen in the image below and from the link: http://www.international-confex.com/page.cfm/Action=Press/t=m/goSection=4 

They have also had editorial pieces in over 60 worldwide publications. At least 20 industry and trade publications that run previews of the event detailing what exhibitors will be present and the event and what they will be promoting at the show itself. They also have feature articles from the director of Confex in Conference News order to present International Confex in the most positive light possible. 

The PR for each of these events are crucial to them in different ways this is because London Fashion Weekend rely on the PR they use to generate solid relationships which then in turn become their sponsors such as Elle which is one of their main sponsors. If they were to have bad PR they could lose the sponsorship of Elle which is a big deal to London Fashion Weekend due to the links and reputation that Elle have nationwide. They have a massive input into the London Fashion Weekend through clothing, modelling and experience. Whereas International Confex use the PR to generate industry bonds and establish secure foundations within the most influential publications within the industry which therefore is beneficial to their exhibitors of the event as they will gain positive PR through the positive PR that International Confex generates. But they both have the objective of creating good PR and PR relations for the success of the event and image of the organisation.

References

Bowdin,G. Allen, J. O'Toole, W. Harris, R. McDonnell, I. (2011) Events Management Third Edition. Great Britain. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.

Masterman,G. Wood, E. (2011) Innovative marketing communication strategies for the events industry. New York. Routeledge. 

Advertising

What is Advertising?

Bovee (1992) gave the definition of advertising as that advertising is a form non-personal communication of information usually paid for by the organisation. This form of non-personal communication is usually given in a persuasive nature about the products, services or ideas of the organisation closely linked to an identified sponsors through the various media.

Marshall McLuhan established an element that “The medium is the message”. The medium of an advertisement is the way in which it is received by consumers. This means that the medium which is used to be sent to consumers is as important as the content within the advertisement. Advertising is crucial to organisations as it allows them to ensure that consumers are aware of their products, services or events, which is why the correct mediums must be used when advertising. There are three categories that the mediums have been placed in to, these are: print, broadcasting and e-media.

This advert for Citroen C4 shows how advertising is created to be memorable and vivid within a consumers mind. The advert grabs attention and keeps it whilst the advert progresses as it is unique and individual in the design, imagery, sound and story which are all factors that add up to creating an effective advert. Even though the product itself may be viewed as a less accessible product the advert raises awareness of Citroen as an organisation and generates brand awareness.

The medium broadcasting is advertising using video or audio forms of communication. This includes mediums such as television, radio or web broadcasting. Web broadcasting has become a successful form of advertising due to the social cultures around the web. Television is seen as being more persuasive an effective than radio as imagery is used and instantly attracts consumers attention. But it all depends on the target audience and the way information is received as to whether the advertisement is successful or not.

Print media can be seen through forms such as magazines, billboards, leaflets and posters. It is a very traditional method within the advertising mediums so is commonly used by organisers as they are able to communicate the information of their product, services and events in various forms within various locations. Print media allows organisers to be select with their advertisements are placed which allows them to appeal to their specific target audience.

E-media has developed due to then many advances within technology which means that organisers are able to communicate through various forms such as websites, e-mails and pop ups. E-media has become a more popular medium when taking into account this generations increasing internet culture. This make information form organisers instantly accessible through the web via website created by the organisers or emails sent virally to consumers.

According to Clow and Baack (2004) consumers on average are subjected to at least 600 advertisements in a single day. This will have increased as the years have progressed due to the ever expanding variety of media that is used and consumers are exposed to.

Strong and Weak Theory

The strong and weak theories are the two main theories that are used to highlight how advertising works. The strong theory shows that advertising can be used to persuade consumers to purchase a product or service that they have never purchased before. It also established that if organisations continue to advertise their product consumers will continue to purchase it. An advert will be created to appeal to all of the needs of the consumer making it personally relevant to them as an individual. As well as being aesthetically pleasing to them. Many adverts will include celebrity endorsements in order to appeal to the nature of culture in such times, which is very much celebrity focused. With including these factors advertising is then meant to increase the sales of products and services of the organisations. Although consumers may not see an advertisement then want to purchase the product or service instantaneously, this is because the advertisement itself needs to be memorable and vivid to the consumer.

Whereas the weak theory established that advertising does not make consumers purchase products, services or buy into brands. It also does not emphasize the different between brands within advertising.   The theory states that advertising merely reinforces past behaviours of the consumers and enhances brand loyalty. The information that is given within weak theory advertisements is used by consumers to evaluate other products, services or brands, as well as act as a reminder that the consumer needs to purchase into a product or service.

London Fashion Weekend 

London Fashion Weekend have favoured the print medium within advertising as their market campaign has highlighted that they have features in Vogue, Marie Claire and local London publications. Alongside a leafleting campaign, billboards and posters all adding up within their marketing communication. This video shows the promotional team of last year handing out leaflets around London in order to create a word of mouth buzz. This is also what happened at this years London Fashion Weekend but no footage has been uploaded yet. They have also used the broadcasting method by advertising through Fashion TV. 

They also have targeted print media within Elle, Stylist, Vogue, Marie Claire, Harpers Bazaar, The Telegraph and local London publications. 

International Confex 

International Confex have advertised widely through the print media and e-media as their main mediums within advertising. This is the same as London Fashion Weekend which shows that these two mediums are favoured within both business to consumer and business to business events as they are effective in achieving the organisations marketing communication objectives.

International Confex have placed printed adverts and inserts in the UK's leading trade titles in order to get maximum exposure to the industry professionals. With ads and inserts being present in:

• Conference & Incentive Travel 
• Event and Meetings & Incentive Travel 
• Marketing and Executive PA
• Event Magazine 
• Conference News 

They have also had posters around London advertising International Confex with all the relevant information needed for consumers. All of these images show the posters and adverts that have been placed in advertising materials that have been selected by International Confex in order to reach their target audiences effectively. The have also used E-media within their advertising campaign by setting up a website that is available to all consumers as well as sending email advertising media to targeted consumers and potential consumers. 

Overall looking at the mediums of advertising that both London Fashion Weekend and International Confex has used through print media, e-media and broadcasting it can be seen that both have aimed their advertising at their target audiences through the way in which the advertising is printed in magazines that are either fashion related or industry related. When relating the advertising campaigns of each event to the strong and weak theory, London Fashion Weekend have used the strong theory of advertising as they are using their campaign to persuade consumers to purchase tickets to their event so therefore London Fashion Weekend have created interesting and attractive advertising to appeal to their target audiences and entice them they "HAVE" to come to this event and if they do not they will be missing out. All of this is communicated through their advertising. In having advertisements plastered over London and the location of the event it continuously keeps it in consumer's minds and acts as a subconscious form of persuasion as it is in continuous eye sight. Also by then having advertising in London publications and all fashion related magazines and publications it targets the core audiences more specifically so that they are unable to miss the advertisement of the event. 

Whereas initially from a visitors point of view International Confex appears to have the weak theory of advertising as their objectives are to create awareness of the event and get consumers to register so the advertisements that they place act as a reminder of the event and that consumers need to register. It does not make consumers want to buy or purchase into the event; it generates a form loyalty in their targeted consumers and increases it within their existing loyal consumers. International Confex is an event that consumer will either want to go to or not there isn’t much room for persuasion as the event is so specialised in the context and activities of event. But from the exhibitors at the events perspectives the strong theory applies as they are using advertising in order to sell what they have to offer and will therefore create persuasive advertising and utilize any advertising or promotional opportunities that International Confex has to offer, for example the sponsorship packages that International Confex offer to their exhibitors. This will enhance the factor of persuasion within their advertising creating the effect of purchasing by consumers. 


References

Bowdin,G. Allen, J. O'Toole, W. Harris, R. McDonnell, I. (2011) Events Management Third Edition. Great Britain. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.

Masterman,G. Wood, E. (2011) Innovative marketing communication strategies for the events industry. New York. Routeledge. 


YouTube (2012) Citroen-C4 Commercial [online] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhtGBaEOEVs [Accessed 8th March 2012]

Direct Marketing

Direct marketing has been established through the increasing development in database and communication technology and is a desirable form of marketing communication as the needs and expectations of consumers become more individual. Masterman (2011) stated that the main methods within direct marketing include personal selling, direct mail, e-mail and telesales. All of these methods are crucial to developing a long term relationship with consumers. It also allows organisations to develop commitment, loyalty and involvement form consumers. Direct marketing allows organisations to view their consumers as individuals rather than a group of unified people and allows an individual response to be given as feedback to the organisation meaning that they are kept constantly up to date on the needs and expectations of the consumers. This allows for constant adaptation.

Personal selling involves face to face contact with consumers and is known as one of the most persuasive methods of communication.Personal selling is not used to create awareness or initiate interest within consumers as the cost is too high, instead it is used as a follow up method to generate preference, conviction and a purchase decision within consumers.

Telesales is used to target larger audiences as it is less costly than personal selling. Telesales consists of telephone contact between an organisation and individual target audiences. It has the advantage of quick response, flexibility and person to person contact. But as Masterman (2011) stated telesales can be viewed by consumers as intrusive and with suspicion. Which is why telesales are more likely to have a negative response which is why they are not generally used as a form of direct marketing.

Direct mail is a rapidly growing medium within direct marketing and marketing communications over all. Direct mail relies on mailing lists and databases that have been accumulated by organisations. Leafleting is also included within direct mail as it is a form of direct contact with consumers. It involves mailing relevant information to all the selected audiences.

E-marketing involves mediums such as SMS, video messaging and e-mail. This is one of the most commonly used mediums due to the advances in technology and societies behaviour with technology. Messages and information are sent to consumers through SMS when they sign up and wish to receive updates through that medium. E-mails are also done the same way. Video messaging is not used as commonly depending in which way it is used e.g. through the web or mobile technology.

London Fashion Weekend & International Confex 


London Fashion Weekend have used direct marketing as a part of their marketing communications campaign. They have done this by using the method of direct mail that will be sent to 10,000 of the highest spenders that are within their records. Therefore increasing the probability that those consumers will attend the event again and spend a large amount of money. Alongside this London Fashion Weekend have devised an extensive targeted leafleting campaign of over 150,000 postcards that have been distributed to consumers within the London Fashion Weekend database through existing sponsors and partners of London Fashion Weekend such as Toni&Guy salons and Elizabeth Arden concessions. International Confex have taken a similar decision and chosen to use the method of direct mail which will begin 4 months prior to the event itself and is sent to 150,000 contacts from the International Confex database and external lists. Alongside this they have all specified their direct mail to over 200,000 events organisers in order to gain the most exposure through direct marketing. Within the direct mail tickets and insert will be present in order to ensure that the right message is received from the direct mailing by the right audience. Both event have also used e-marketing extensively by sending out emails to consumers that register with them for news letters and updates. This ensures that both events are continuously at the fore front of the consumers mind due to being updated by e-mail.

With both of these event choosing direct mail as their method within direct marketing it highlights that both see it crucial to directly contact their consumers within their target audiences in order to generate a relationship between in order to create loyalty and commitment to the events which then creates repeat custom and visit .

References


Bowdin,G. Allen, J. O'Toole, W. Harris, R. McDonnell, I. (2011) Events Management Third Edition. Great Britain. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.


International Confex (2012) Marketing Campaign [online] Available from: http://www.international-confex.com/Content/Marketing-Campaign/3/ [Accessed 12th March 2012]


London Fashion Weekend (2012) London Fashion Weekend sponsor & show [online] Available from: http://www.londonfashionweekend.co.uk/ [Accessed 12th March 2012]


Masterman,G. Wood, E. (2011) Innovative marketing communications strategies for the events industry. New York. Routeledge

Sponsorship

Masterman (2007) has defined sponsorship as a mutually beneficial agreement that is used to achieve objectives for commercial gain. The agreement itself consists of the provisions of resources and funds along with goods and services with return being a set of rights that can be used in communication activities.

With sponsorship there are many factors that must be considered especially the rights. These must be taken into consideration by both the sponsor and the event in order to ensure that their is no confusion or inconvenience is created by not establishing the rights that will be had within the sponsorship. The crucial rights that must be considered by both are if the sponsor is the official sponsor of the event, the signage rights at the event, the right of the sponsor to promote their products and if they are able to bear their name or logo on products that are related to the event.

Another issue that can arise within sponsorship is consumers attitudes towards sponsorship. Mintel (2006) shows that only 3% of consumers feel that sponsors support events because they genuinely care about them. Which highlights the negative attitude that consumers have about sponsors and highlights that sponsorship is used for more selfish reasons. Also another issues that has arisen within sponsorship is their ability to make an event too commercial, Mintel (2006) established from research that the majority of adults do not feel that sponsorship has commercialised events.

Sponsorship of the events 

London Fashion Weekend have established Vodafone as their official sponsor for the event as they are also the official sponsor for London Fashion Week and the two events are closely linked. Vodafone have been given the right to bear their logo and name on the website and other forms of marketing promotions. Along with their logo being printed on gift bags that are given to customers of the event. 

Vodafone benefit from the sponsorship in many different ways as this is known as a commercial sponsorship and will lead to many advantages of sponsorship on the event. This is because it allows Vodafone to gain a competitive advantage against their competitors in the industry. As well as allowing them to generate awareness of their company within a completely different target market than what they are primarily within which is within mobile phone market. 




Another benefit is that it allows them to continue their image building as a company and the brand that they are. Sponsorship can also enable them to develop and maintain relationships within the industry, along with new, existing and potential customers. Masterman (2011) also stated that it will allow them to create and develop financial relationships with investors, lenders and financial markets. 



London Fashion Weekend also have other sponsors and partners such as Cannon, Elle, Elizabeth Arden, Toni & Guy, Lavazza, Chambord, Diet Coke, The May Fair Hotel, My Daily, ShopStyle.co.uk, Toptable, Compeed and Veet. 

When looking at the sponsors and partners of the London Fashion Weekend it can be seen that the sponsors are all relevant to the target audience of the event and the purpose of the event itself. This can be seen as TGI (2008) shows that women in the age range of 25 to 34 have a high brand association with branded cosmetics such as Veet and Compeed. It also states that woman have a high brand association. So by using well known brand names London Fashion Weekend are appealing to their target audiences behaviour within brands. 








International Confex

International Confex have created sponsorship packages for any exhibitors that wish to heighten their profile within the event and the events industry as a whole. Their packages are designed to help increase a exhibitor return on taking par in the event. As well as increase brand recognition and awareness within the key customers of the event along with increasing awareness in new customers. All of these factors taking place in a competitive market. Which therefore leads to competitive gain.

They have created different sponsorship packages in order to suit different exhibitors budgets and also giving the the ability to reach the target audiences in different forms. The first package is aimed at creating the best first impression possible and includes:

• Entrance Area Branding                     
• Entrance Corridors
• Entrance Area Entertainment
• Entrance Drink
• Visitor Badges
• Event Carrier Bags
• Inserts in Carrier Bags
• You Are Here Boards
• Lanyards

The second package is aimed for maximum floor impact at the event and includes:

• VIP Lounge
• Branding of the Take 5 areas (catering and entertainment areas)
• Provide Music in the Take 5 areas
• Seminar Sponsorship
• Press Office / News Cafe Sponsorship
• The Advice Centre
• Information Point
• Wall Banner Sites
• 1sqm Carpet Graphics
• Promotional Characters

The third package available gives the opportunity for maximum digital sponsorship and exposure as the International Confex website will receive over 600,000 page impressions between now and the exhibition in March, with an average of over 15,000 unique monthly users. The package allows sponsors the target audiences before the event has happened and long after it has finished. This package includes:

• Home Page Banner               
• Home Page Skyscraper
• Exhibitor List Banner
• Exhibitor List Skyscraper
• Other Page Banner
• Other Skyscrapers
• Website Buttons

The fourth and final package of sponsorship is email opportunities as a sponsorship of driver emails sent to approximately 75,000 and the reminder emails sent to all pre-registered visitors. With 50 words available with their logo linked to the sponsors website and one image included.  This package also includes:

• Online Registration page banner
• Confex TV
• Visitor Direct Mail Pieces
• Custom Research Services

When looking at the ways in which each event uses sponsorship it can be seen that International Confex are taking a greater interest and care into the exhibitors of their event by creating sponsorship packages that are available to any exhibitor that wishes to sponsor ad heighten their profile. Rather than having one official sponsor like the London Fashion Weekend that have linked all of their sponsors to their target audience giving more consideration on the sponsors being linked with the target audience to generate an increase in sales for them. Whereas International Confex have used sponsorship in order to create more awareness of the exhibitors which highlights that they are a business to business event which is why they create opportunities in sponsorship for the exhibitors rather than using more commercial sponsorship objectives like London Fashion Weekend.

References 

International Confex (2012) Sponsorship Opportunities [online] Available from: www.international-confex.com [Accessed 8th March 2012]

London Fashion Weekend (2012) Sponsors [online] Available from: www.londonfashionweekend.co.uk [Accessed 8th March 2012]

Masterman, Guy (2007) Sponsorship For A Return on Investment, London: Elsevier

Mintel (2006) Sponsorship - UK- October 2006 Consumer attitudes towards sponsorship [online] London. Mintel Available from: http://academic.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show&&type=RCItem&sort=relevant&access=accessible&archive=hide&source=non_snapshot&list=search_results/display/id=173631/display/id=242704#hit1 [Accessed  9th March 2012]


TGI (2008) Brand repertoire [online] Available from: https://www.kmrsoftware.net/netquestuni2/default.aspx [Accessed 9th March2012]

Sales Promotions

What is Sales Promotions?
Sales promotion is a way of persuading potential customers and existing customers to purchase a product or service or to attend an event. It is used as a short term plan to increase sales. There are many different tactics that are used within sales promotion, some of these are:

• ·   Competitions
• ·   Coupons
• ·   Free Gifts
• ·   Loyalty Cards
•     Discount Vouchers  

Masterman (2011) has stated that over the last two decades sales promotion has succeeded advertising as the first choice for many organisations.

There are marketing objectives that are within sales promotions in order to make them as effective and successful as possible. Also by having objectives within them as it allows events to monitor the effectiveness and success rate of the sales promotions they have used. Therefore allowing them to use the correct methods of sales promotions with their targeted audience.

The marketing objectives that are used within sales promotions are:

• Developing brand loyalty. 
• Developing sales to new customers.
• Pre-empt/counter competitor activity. 
• Developing sales leads/creating a database. 
• Developing repeat sale

There 4 methods that are used within consumer sales promotion. These are win, free, save and cause related.

Win - Consumers of the event can win a prize by entering a competition. Prizes can vary from holidays, cash prizes, product prizes and experience prizes.

Free - Consumers will be given a product or service for no charge. This includes things such as 50% off, BOGOF deals and free sampling.

Save - Consumers will have to save up things such as tokens, loyalty cards and coupons in order to receive something once they have saved.

Cause Related - This is when a consumer buys a product and another organisation will be benefit, for example the consumer buys a bottle of water and 10p of that purchase will be donated to Water Aid.

London Fashion Weekend


London Fashion Weekend have used a variety of methods within their sales promotions. They have used the free method by offering all London Fashion Weekend attendees the chance the subscribe to Elle for 50% off alongside a free Soap & Glory gift and Elle goody bag. They are also offering attendees of the event a free topping when using the quote "FRAELFW"at counters on Frae Frozen yogurt. Which will be available at the event all weekend. Another offer they have given their consumers is a VIP package to stay in the May Fair Hotel for the Weekend for just £280 with the luxury of champagne, full English breakfast and chocolates. Along with this they have given their consumers 2 vouchers for Quinces restaurant, one offering 20% off afternoon tea and the other 25% of lunch. These need to be printed from London Fashion Weekend's website to be used at the restaurant.

They have also used win as one of the methods where they have offered customers the chance to win being on the front cover of their very own Elle magazine if  they visit a canon studio. They also then offer them as chance to win a Canon Ixus. Within this methods they have used it to generate repeat custom as they have given attendees the chance to win VIP tickets and a free shopping spree for next years London Fashion Weekend if they are able to explain what they have done for the love of fashion to the ElleUK team that will be around on the London Fashion Weekend in Somerset House. They have also created a prize within the winning method when consumers buy tickets between certain dates that get put in a prize draw to win £10, £20 or £30 Kristina goes West vouchers.

Another offer that London Fashion Weekend have to offer their attendees is the chance of winning a fully inclusive hospitality package for two people including a couture fashion show, four course luncheon, afternoon tea and a complimentary bar through the Royal Ascot. All they have to do is answer a question correctly and send it to an email address and wait for the winner to be announced.

All of these sales promotions I was sent through email after registering with London Fashion Weekend. 

Whereas International Confex will have completely different objectives within their sales promotions as they are not selling tickets to their event their objective is to increase loyalty within International Confex  events by using the method of win and free. They offer competitions through companies that are at the International Confex such as Crafty Arty Parties who are allowing attendees are able to win £100,000, free theme vouchers, fishing for diamonds on the Great Barrier Reef and the ability to win 60 Jubilee Princesses. Newswire also offer a free digital health check along with a free event guide. Many of the methods are used at the event itself such as offering free shots, goody bags, cakes and coffee available. 

But competitions within the win method and free are not found through the website but through direct mailing. This is how International Confex make their target audience aware of the sales promotions through directly informing them through e-mail. This is linked to the type of event that International Confex is which is business to business. Many free products that are available will not be notified to the audience they will receive them upon visiting the event and have a choice as to weather they wish to accept it or not. 

Each event using sales promotions for different reasons, London Fashion Weekend with objective of increasing sales in tickets and International Confex having the objective of increasing loyalty and promoting exhibitors at the event. But London Fashion Weekend using sales promotion more effectively than International Confex as they have created sales promotions that are specific to what their target audience are interested in. 

References

International Confex (2012) Press Release [online] Available from: www.international-confex.com [Accessed on 8th March 2012]

London Fashion Weekend (2012) Treats [online] Available from: http://www.londonfashionweekend.co.uk/ticket-rewards-and-offers/ [Accessed 8th March 2012]

Masterman, G. Wood, E. (2011) Innovative Marketing Communications strategies for the events industry. New Work. Routeledge.

Web Presence - Viral and Social Media

Viral media 

According to Masterman (2011) viral media is closely related to the use of direct e-mail. But viral media is created through word of mouth campaigns over the web. Masterman (2011) stated that the concept of viral media or viral marketing as it is known is that the market or organisation will spread the information themselves if it is presented in the right way. An idea will be created by the organisation linked to the event which can be a graphic, text, website link, video or audio clip. The idea that is created must be able to grab the consumer's attention otherwise the viral media will be pointless as a form of communication and web presence. This will then be communicated to a small selected target audience which will generally include audiences within groups, websites or individual opinion leaders. Once this has happened based on the effectiveness of the viral media it will then be passed on by the initial audience and passed on and so forth. This is a fast and effective form of communication and an effective tool used by organisations. This is because each recipient that receives the viral media can then forward the media to many contacts through email at no cost.

An advantage of viral media is that when the media is received by a recipient from a friend or family member it is likely to be read and taken into consideration, rather than the mass of inbox clutter that gets sent through companies and organisations which is generally ignored and deleted unless there is a major relevance to a person life and interests. But there is a potential for the message to be lost among the inbox clutter and perceived by the recipient as spam mail, chain mail or an e-mail scan. This factor can be a great disadvantage to organisations if this is how the majority receive their viral media campaign. But overall this method of marketing communication can be extremely effective if done in the correct way by organisations.

London Fashion Weekend & International Confex 


London Fashion Weekend established within their marketing campaign that they will be using the method of viral media by accessing 150,000 records from their database to send their viral media to. This shows that they have selected their core audience for the viral media from within their own database which gives them a higher opportunity that the viral media will not be perceived as spam mail. As London Fashion Weekend are sending viral media to 150,000 consumers it gives them a greater chance of the viral media being spread faster and further with such a high number within their targeted audience for this marketing communication.


International Confex have stated within their market campaign that they will be sending emails regularly to over 200,000 events organisers. But as the emails will be regularly sent to their targeted audience it does not act as a form of viral media as it is direct marketing. Also these emails will not be sent on as a number of them are being received as a form of update rather than an attention grabbing statement.

As each of these events is different within their target audiences it effects whether viral media is an effective method of marketing communication to be used. As London Fashion Weekend is a business to consumer event and relies on the interest of consumers being generated in order to meet their objectives of generating awareness and selling tickets viral media is a method that they have used in order to gain exposure with as many consumers as possible. Whereas International Confex have a very specific target audience of professionals within the events industry that are communicated with more effectively via direct marketing which is why they chose this method over viral media. Overall the web presence of each of these events is effective within each market and target audience giving them an equal success within their web presence.

Social Media
Masterman (2011) stated that the creation of communities can be created when organisations have a more sophisticates and value laden focus use of the internet other than their website. This is where social media is introduced as a form of web presence for organisations and must be used effectively as Mintel (2011), have resulted in the information that 42% of the population use social media sites to keep up to date with the news. With Facebook being the most widely used social networking site in the UK. This is bound to increase as more of the population are becoming a part of social networking sites.

Social media is when people come together through social networking sites over similar interests and create discussion and constant updates on the interest through the networking sites. Social media allows organisations to spread their message further and faster due to the fast paced nature of social networking and media.

London Fashion Weekend

London Fashion Weekend have utilized specific areas within social media mainly Facebook and Twitter which are the two main social networking sites in the UK. With 9755 people being a part of their Facebook account which shows how many people can be joined together over a shared interest. All of the people on their Facebook are following what is happening with London Fashion Weekend with the updates that they give. It also allows London Fashion Weekend to keep in contact with all the people that have become part of that internet community and have the ability to see how many people are talking about the event currently with 177, which out of the 9755 isn't many and maybe indicates that the information and updates they have on Facebook are not enough to generate a mass discussion.

Their Facebook has many different things to offer from their wall which is filled with updates and notifications alongside info which has all the information about the event such as location, company overview and links to their website. A welcoming page is available to introduce people to London Fashion Weekend. Photos of the event and other photos that are linked to event such designers photos. YouTube and Twitter links along with links to their website and sponsors websites such as Compeed, ShopStyle and Elle. They also have an events calendar so that people are able to see what events are coming up and the final areas is questions which consists of a question which London Fashion Weekend have asked about the event in order to generate feedback from people that went to the event on what was their favourite part. 

When looking into London Fashion Weekend through Twitter it can be seen that they have reached less people through Twitter with 3389 followers, but with Twitter it allows London Fashion Weekend to receive feedback from their followers directly and instantly. London Fashion Weekend have made 535 tweets which shows that they have kept their followers continuously up to date on everything that is happening and has happened with the event. It also allows followers to upload photos and give opinions on the event which is vital for developing relationships with consumers. 

They also have a YouTube account that has 4 videos that have been uploaded one official London Fashion Weekend which is a look into the event and what it has to offer with interviews, which has had 206 views, 2 of the other videos are videos that have been uploaded by attendees of the events which show the Vesta collection and a selection of clips from London Fashion Weekend. The final video id fro Elle UK TV which shows a beauty breakthrough. Their account has 1 subscriber. Overall they have not used YouTube effectively or utilized the potential it has to draw in many viewers by having a poor selection of videos available for viewers to watch. 

London Fashion Weekend have used different forms of social media which allows them to access a variety of different consumers and their target audience in different ways. Facebook and Twitter appear to be the most successful forms of social media that London Fashion Weekend have created due to the number of followers, information and the relationships developed between consumers. This really highlights web presence that is aimed at their target audience as TGI (2008) states that women of the ages between 25 to 34 with an income bracket of £43,000 - £46,999 and £50,000 and over use social networking sites. 

International Confex

International Confex has also used different forms of social media like London Fashion Weekend. But each of these forms of social media will be used differently by International Confex compared London Fashion Weekend as they both have different target audiences that will be reached in different ways due to different tendencies and behaviours in media consumption which will show an indication in the differences in web presence between the two events. They have created a Facebook account, Twitter account and Linkedin. All of these different in what they have to offer. 

Their Facebook account has 1537 people a part of it with 70 people discussing the International Confex which is a dramatically lower number than London Fashion Weekend has especially when the show is on an international scale. In having lower numbers this may show that this stems from the target audiences behaviour with social media networking sites such as Facebook. The Facebook account has a wall available with exhibitors and International Confex able to post updates on the event. The wall also acts as a form of feedback with some attendees giving their opinion on the event. They also have an info section which has a company overview, mission, products and website link which is all the core information about the event. Photos of the exhibitions at the event alongside images and videos that are also relevant to International Confex. But there is not many photos available. They also provide an events calendar the same as London Fashion Weekend with any event that is up and coming. The final area they have to offer is a poll they wish people part of their Facebook account will take part in. The poll is in about deciding which political party will be best for the events industry. 

International Confex have become a part of Twitter and the art of tweeting, which they have become very effective at doing with 1040 tweets being published which is a far greater number of tweets compared to London Fashion Weekend's 535. This show that they have really utilized the impact that Twitter has within social media and the ability to remain constantly update and vigilant with the news, changes and factors of the event with their 2777 followers which is an increase compared to the number of people on their Facebook account but is yet again still a lower number than London Fashion Weekend. International Confex has utilized Twitter massively as a form of instant communication and interaction between their followers in order to gain feedback, opinions and suggestions on the event along with other factors. They have also used it to continuously keep their followers up to date on all the information around the event and as a way to continuously gain exposure on the event and all the activities involved.   

Linkedin is one of the world largest professional networks and consists of over 150 million members in over 200 countries and territories. This form of social media is aimed at their target audience of professionals within the events industry and will gain a mass of exposure through the amount of members and countries that it covers. This is also links in with the event being internationally spread so will therefore link together consumers from around the world under one social media site to discuss, receive and give information. As well as to generate professional networking across countries and develop relationships and contacts through this form of social media. It also allows professional statements, reports, ideas and concepts to be posted and shared across the community of International Confex within Linkedin. Information that is given is more sophisticated and industry related due to the nature of the site. This is a significant form of social media that has been utilized by International Confex in order to generate a higher web presence. This being the most effective of all the forms of social media that they have used as it is aimed at their target audience specifically. 

When looking at the overall web presence of each of the events it can be seen that International Confex has specialized in the forms of social media that they have used in order to specifically target their exact audience. But within the usual forms of social media that are the most popular within the UK they have not been as successful at gaining a web presence as London Fashion Weekend has with their Facebook account providing more information and areas for the consumers compared to International Confex. As well as having more people a part of their Facebook account and Twitter account. With these factors in mind London Fashion Weekend would appear to have a greater web presence than International Confex overall as their target audience is more generalized than International Confex. But International Confex has been immensely successful in utilizing a social media that is specific to a professional target audience and gaining web presence within that. 

References

Facebook (2012) Confex Group [online] Available from: http://www.facebook.com/ConfexGroup [Accessed 12 March 2012]

Facebook (2012) London Fashion Weekend [online] Available from: http://www.facebook.com/pages/London-Fashion-Weekend/149537531044 [Accessed 12th March2012]

International Confex (2012) Marketing Campaign [online] Available from: http://www.international-confex.com/Content/Marketing-Campaign/3/ [Accessed 12th March 2012]

Linkedin (2012) About us [online] Available from: http://press.linkedin.com/about [Accessed 12th March 2012]

Masterman, G. Wood, E. (2011) Innovative marketing communications strategies for the events industry. New York. Routledge. 

TGI (2008) Internet any social networking (e.g facebook, myspace,bebo) [online] Available from: https://www.kmrsoftware.net/netquestuni2/default.aspx [Accessed 12th March 2012]

Twitter (2012) Fashion weekend @ LFWEnd [online] Available from: http://twitter.com/#!/lfwend [Accessed 12th March 2012]

Twitter (2012) International confex @intlConfex [online] Available from: http://twitter.com/#!/intlconfex [Accessed 12th March 2012]

YouTube (2012) London Fashion Weekend Channel [online] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/user/LondonFashionWeekend?ob=0&feature=results_main [Accessed 12th March 2012]