A PR-Based Approach to Creating Awareness and Visibility
Due to increase in competition and also the need to increase the market share of products, producers are moving towards the direction of developing tailored awareness to target specific group of people. The choice of which group of people to target is determined by several factors, such as the utility the group can derive from the product, thus the sustainability of such a market segment. It is for such reasons that Banana Boat would like to launch a customized campaign of Ultra-Mist sunblock targeting Hispanic women between the age of 18 and 25.
In order effectively build awareness and visibility among the Hispanic women, Banana Boat should therefore employ methods that all geared towards creating a good impression and name for the product, reaching out to those people using the best means of communication and using the best and most convincing language while marketing the product., most importantly the use of local radio stations. For instance, use of ethnic media is an effective tool for creating awareness. It not only creates a feeling of great affiliation and connection with the product but also increases its credibility due to use of local language, which increases understandability. This is especially important with the Hispanic culture being characterized by group identity, collectiveness, and interpersonal relations. Banana Boat should therefore reach out to the women through local networks or media as opposed to other media, such as national television stations.
Traditional media remains very significant even with the digitalization of the globe. It forms a very good platform for creating awareness and increasing visibility for the Ultra-Mist sunblock product among the Hispanic women. This is especially because of its credibility and positioning for factual and complete stories compared to the electronic media. Taking advantage of group cohesiveness and value for traditions by the Hispanic culture, Banana Boat should engage the women to talk about the product through things, such as poems and drama. They should design poems that mention the product and qualities and the benefits that accrue the use of such a product, for example, prevention from dangerous sunrays. Such poems and dramas could be displayed in planned activities, such as cultural festivals. The advantage of this is that those presentations will be passed from generations to generations and the product’s name will remain relevant.
Promotion is perhaps the most effective method of creating awareness amongst the Hispanic women. This could be done in open days, roadshows or any public gatherings. Banana Boat could offer free samples of Ultra-Mist sunblock or give sales promotions or offer discounts. As many women get to know and try the product, they will speak favorably about it hence more women will use it. The sales persons and the promoters should be keen to talk convincingly about the product by highlighting its key benefits and qualities that differentiate Ultra-Mist sunblock from other sprays and ordinary lotions. Smooth skinned ladies could be used as sales persons as an evidence of the benefits derived from this product.
Lastly, having taken advantage of the traditional media in creating awareness, Banana Boat should venture in creating more awareness through social media. Facebook is perhaps one of the most effective platforms for promoting a product. For instance, pictures of the product could be uploaded with very catchy captions, which prompt users of those social networks to like the pages and talk about them while inviting or challenging their friends to do so and the effect is progressive.