As discussed in the most recent blog ‘The Types of Sales Promotion’, these efforts can be categorised as push or pull approaches, as discussed by Bendle et al. (2018). Success will differ depending on the approach.
Push promotion has a different objective to pull, with the focus being on changing the behaviour of the marketing channel and hopefully impact the supply of goods within the market. While the success of any campaign is tailored, the overall objective could be to: counter a competitor’s actions and flood the market; fill a shortage of supply in a market; clear storage or reduce inventory or to stimulate new channels of production (Bendle et al. 2018).
Pull promotions differ as they intend to impact or change the behaviour of the customer rather than the market channel. The goals that could be measured to determine the success of a pull promotion campaign could include: gaining new customers to try a product; increase sales to existing customers; change the way existing customers use or the time in which they use products (Bendle et al. 2018). This type of promotion seeks to improve the immediate or short term market position of the product and looks to gain new customers and improve the loyalty of existing customers.
Bendle et al. (2018) summarises by stating that sales promotions can be seen as successful if the organisation changes its target audience, with the short term being at existing customers and the long term focusing on new customers.
References:
Bendle, NT, PW Farris, PE Pfeifer & DJ Reibstein (2016) Marketing Metrics: The Manager’s Guide to Measuring Marketing Performance, 3rd edition. Pearson: New Jersey.
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