Firms want to tell consumers about their business and products so that they will buy from them. An effective communication strategy requires thought and planning. A firm's plan to communicate with consumers is known as its media strategy. An effective media strategy, aimed at the firm's target audience, will save the firm valuable time and money by getting the "right" messages across to the "right" people.
Before deciding its media strategy, a firm should answer the following questions so that it is clear about what it would like to achieve and how it would like to achieve it.
Media strategy messages should reinforce product benefits and help the company develop positioning strategy for products. Companies with effective message strategies include:
Coca-Cola: The Real Thing
McDonalds: I'm Loving It
Nike: Just Do It
The above examples send out effective messages because they appeal to the target audience and reinforce product benefits. For example Nike produce sports products and their strapline "just do it" is about motivating sports people to complete their sports activity with the help of Nike products. Whilst Coca-Cola's strapline "The real thing" is reinforcing the message that they are the original coke drink brand and that competitor drinks are not the same. It is aimed at consumers who purchase competitor coke drinks and existing consumers who may be considering switching to competitor's coke drinks.
Media strategy is how the organisation delivers its message to customers; consumers and businesses that the firm would like to sell to. A firm's message strategy will incorporate aspects of the promotional mix and take the behaviour, wants and needs of their target audience into account. A firm's media strategy is a long term plan which runs through all communications internal and external. Media strategy could be the difference between success and failure.
