MBA404 Report: Asus Marketing Communication Mix and Recommendations

This report offers a comprehensive analysis of Asus's marketing activities, focusing on its product overview, market performance, and current marketing communication mix. The report assesses the effectiveness of various marketing tools, including online product placement, advertising, and direct marketing, considering their impact on consumer behavior and brand image. A critical analysis of the communication mix is presented, examining grassroots marketing, sales promotion, and public relations strategies. The report identifies strengths and weaknesses in Asus's approach, and concludes with strategic recommendations, such as increasing online marketing efforts and utilizing social media, to enhance sales, brand awareness, and customer engagement within the competitive laptop industry. The report considers consumer behavior, group influences, culture, consumer learning, and decision-making processes.

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Marketing 1
Executive summary
The report defines the marketing activities of Asus. Asus is a Taiwanese based MNC (Multi-
National Corporation). Asus is the fifth-largest company in terms of sales. The company is
dedicated to producing products for the smart life of today and tomorrow’s. Asus has
revolutionized the laptop industry in 2007. Asus is progressively advancing virtual and
augmented reality products along with the IoT services. This report describes the product
overview along with the product performance. The current marketing communication mix of
Asus has been assessed in the report. Further the marketing communication mix of Asus has
been critically analyzed. Finally, in the end, the strategic recommendations have been given
to address the misalignment. As compared to the previous assignment, this report entails the
critical analysis of the marketing communication tools used in order to attract customers. The
survey was conducted in the previous assignment concerning preference of the people in
purchasing laptops in the business environment. The recommendations in this report will help
Asus successfully increased sales in the target market.
Finally, in the end, it can be concluded that Asus can improve its position by expanding itself
through the marketing communication mix.

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Contents
Executive summary...............................................................................................................................1
Product overview and market performance...........................................................................................3
Assessment of current marketing communication mix of the company.................................................3
Critical analysis of the communication mix...........................................................................................5
Strategic recommendations....................................................................................................................7
References.............................................................................................................................................8

Marketing 3
Product overview and market performance
The laptop industry has become quite competitive in the last few years. In the laptop industry,
innovative technology comprising HVDs (Hosted Virtual Desktops) and cloud computing
have emerged. The innovative technologies have altered the requirements of the laptop
industry. At present, the laptops have stimulated to the less powerful wirelessly networked
laptops from the powerful standalone laptops. In the last few years, Taiwanese corporations
like Asus have successfully marketed their products and have increased the market share
globally. The future demand of the laptops is indefinite therefore it requires companies to
progressively adapt the integrated marketing communication mix to focus and market
laptops.
The future demand for the laptops is indefinite so it requires companies to progressively
adapt the marketing communication mix in order to focus and market services and products
of the laptop industry. The marketing communication mix most evidently used by the
companies comprises advertisements and online product placement. The marketing
communication tools have assisted companies in the laptop industry to construct strong brand
image with the customers.
The laptop market has been anticipated to expand a CAGR of .4%. The increasing internet
penetration, disposable incomes, growing population and increasing insight among the
customers about the occurrence of innovative technologies are liable for the primary growth
stimulants for the market. Asus is launching some of the best laptops on a constant basis.
Asus covers an extensive range of budgets to the customers in the marketplace. The company
has enabled its exclusive price comparison tool to get the best Asus laptop deal. The company
has expanded itself by offering budget-friendly laptops enabled with the new affordable
models of Vivobooks to target mid-range buyers in the marketplace. Asus has even planned
to make gaming laptops available to the customers everywhere. Asus is also working with
channels such as Paytm, Amazon, Chroma and its own stores.
Assessment of current marketing communication mix of the company
The marketing communication mix is majorly used by the Asus comprising of online product
placement and advertising. The marketing tools have assisted laptop industry in constructing
brand image with the customers. The marketing tools have equally influenced the

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stakeholders into the processing. The internet and rapid technological development have
exposed several online marketing communication opportunities for laptop manufacturers.
Originally the customary approach to marketer communication was originated on the single
way customer and market communication. Whereas marketing communication has enhanced
because of the two-way interactive media procedure. The two-way or dual marketing
communication has enabled companies to attain conditional and instant responses (Pronina, et
al. 2016). The internet as an interactive medium puts impact on the customer’s perceptions
and therefore varying the marketing communication procedure.
Asus targets the customer’s attitude in the form of commercial and home use. The
promotional activities for the segmentation possibilities will concentrate on home-usage. This
segmentation process is deliberated to be crucial for the company as it assists to target people
on the basis of knowledge, loyalty, attitude, frequency, and utilization. Asus makes use of
grassroots marketing to outlook the customer’s attitude. It helps the company in increasing
insights and promoting new product launches (Andaleeb and Hasan, 2016).
Group influences a lot to market communication mix of Asus. It is believed that the right
focus group now days increases sales and transactions. Asus recognizes and manages the
needs of each customer segment and it is precarious to determine the amount and types of
communication spent for each group. For instance, new customers are majorly required to be
welcomed and educated regarding range of products offered by the company. On the other
side, existing customers are benefitted more from cross-selling messages.
The marketing communication mix focuses on culture as a part of the sales promotion. It adds
distinctive value to the Asus. The company believes that the structure core focuses on the
alignment between vision and culture of the organization. Asus aims to be a leader in its
segment by inventing technologies and services and adding value to the business culture. The
company creates social benefit to the lives of the customers. Asus considers that prevailing
culture in the marketing communication mix should be respected otherwise brand can be
rejected in the host country (Kotler, et al. 2018).
Asus focuses on the upper-middle to lower class customers, students, and small home office.
The company makes use of advertisements to influence customers. The advertisement is
simple yet costly form of promotion. The company uses large campaigns or utilize lots of
time in such promotions. The advertisement is deliberated to be type of non-personal
promotional mix as the company does not come to know whether the message has been

Marketing 5
received by its customers or not (Gurkov and Saidov, 2017). But Asus can repeat its message
to the customers several times as it can help customers to compare the product with the
competitors.
The consumer learning process is focused on Asus through direct marketing. Asus makes use
of the mails, catalog and telemarketing as an effective form of communication. The customer
responses can be taken to account to enhance sales and grab new customers from the
competitor companies. For instance, sometimes Asus make use of other schools of thought
with e-marketing as a part of the communication such as e-mails for promotions or sales.
Four types of direct marketing are enabled by Asus such as Non-public, customized, up-to-
date and interactive. The e-mails and calls are for the limited and specific persons who have
subscribed to the offers. The customization is made possible for two different customers
depending on the purchasing history. E-marketing is also used by Asus in delivering quickly.
In the interactive option, customers are offered more and differentiated choices (Steenkamp,
2017).
The personal buying decision-making process is conducted by the Asus through public
relations (PR). It is significant to enhance sales of the laptops in the market. The laptops are
used and owned for a long period of time. Therefore, it becomes significant for Asus to
identify the issues of the customers by maintaining good relationship with them. Public
relations has great role in satisfying the customers in the marketplace. Efficient PR strategies
create world of mouth for Asus in the marketplace. It also helped to Asus in forming a good
market base and to link with the customers all the time. The quick responses by the company
satisfy the customers in the marketplace.
Critical analysis of the communication mix
Grassroots marketing is used by Asus in conventional ways to enhance awareness and
promote new products. It was used by Asus through flash mobs, flyers, marketing campaigns,
cheap advertising and more. Grassroot marketing helped company in keeping check on the
customer’s attitude. Customer awareness was created through grassroot marketing. The
company was able to create an outlook in the mind of the customers regarding product. The
customers were appealed through their loyalty, knowledge, frequency, attitude, and usage
(Larimo, et al. 2018).

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Asus has been successful in focusing on the appropriate group by understanding the needs
and requirements of the customers. It helped Asus in enhancing sales and transactions. Asus
offers products known-how before bringing new laptops in the market. The company has
been successful in identifying and managing the requirements of each customer group. The
new customers are welcomed by the company by offering sufficient product knowledge.
Asus maintains the interest of the existing customers by keeping in touch with them on a
regular basis (Agustina, Anggoro, and Anggraini, 2018).
The sales promotion enabled in the organization by Asus by offering frequent discounts and
sponsorship programs. The company has been successful in communicating to the customers
by the sales promotion. The sales promotion increased demand of the customers along with
sales to Asus. It even enhanced public presence of Asus in the marketplace and interaction
with potential customers. The sales promotion efforts of the company promoted culture and
resulted in customer satisfaction. It assisted company not only in the short term but in the
long term as well.
The advertisement demonstrated a strong alignment in concerning the social class. The
advertisement played great mode of communication for Asus. Asus made use of online
advertisements. The online advertisements are considered standard by the people. The
company generated sales by in-store demonstrations, displays, trade shows, and special
discounts. The advertisements used by Asus appealed more to the young generation. Asus
reached the customers through the social media viral effect which is not possible through the
traditional media (Nigam, 2016).
The direct marketing enabled Asus to reach out directly to the customers without
involvement of the intermediary channels like those necessitated for the advertisement. Direct
marketing helped Asus in targeting the specific group of customers by creating long-lasting
relationships. The consumer learning process was enabled by the company by interacting
with a large number of customers. It helped company in encouraging call to action which is
transformed into the purchase (Kitchen and Burgmann, 2015). The non-public as a part of
direct marketing was used by Asus for the people who have subscribed the offers.
The PR helped Asus in making the image better in the eyes of public. It is more personal
form of communication that has great role in buying decision making process of the buyers.
PR has proved successful for the company as it resulted in high credibility. It was easy for
Asus to appeal people who avoid personal selling (Grewal, et al. 2018). The message is read

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by more people through PR and resulted in more sales to the company. PR even assisted Asus
in product reputation.
Strategic recommendations
Asus is recommended to make more use of online marketing and promotional strategies than
going for traditional strategies. It has been observed that people now days have shifted their
focus from physical sales to online sales. Therefore, it has become significant for Asus to
increase its presence online in the market. Add on, Asus is recommended to make use of
social media marketing tools to increase its presence online. The company must advance e-
commerce strategies in the marketplace to enhance sales and appeal to the customers online.
Asus already offers discount to the customers on a rare basis, but the company can promote
sales by offering a discount on a regular basis. Asus should also conduct survey and generate
feedback from the customers online to attain required information from the online customers.
The online campaigns for the company can enhance brand awareness on the social media
platform. Such strategy can assist the customers in attaining information concerning the day
to day activities of Asus conducted in the marketplace (Venaik and Midgley, 2019).
The expansion can be a great opportunity for Asus to increase its revenue in the external
market. Therefore, Asus is recommended to expand itself in the business environment. The
company is recommended to differentiate the business operations through opening outlets in
the new locations. It can be helpful to the company in reducing the transportation cost. The
laptops can also be delivered to the customers within a short period of time. Asus is
recommended to hire professionals for expanding its business activities. New outlets will not
only help company in increasing the level of production but also sales (Akinola and Okunade,
2016). Moreover, decision of expanding business will assist Asus in increasing the brand
insight and attain more customers in the marketplace. This way, company will be able to
target a number of customers. It will increase the presence of the company and as a result
decrease in the competition.
An effective performance management strategy can be effective to be used by Asus in the
marketplace. Such strategy can greatly result in increased satisfaction of the employees. The
strategy will assist Asus in offering benefits to the staff on the basis of the performance
parameters. Add on, performance management tools can also be used by Asus to evaluate the
work performed by the employees. Such employees can be rewarded accordingly. Such tools

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can enhance satisfaction level of employees as recognition enables customers to perform to
another level. It also encourages staff in attaining organizational objectives. The staff should
be rewarded on the basis of their performance. There should be a grade of rewarding them in
the form of cash and non-cash.
References
Agustina, D., Anggoro, B.S. and Anggraini, D., 2018. Optimasi Penjualan Laptop Asus dan
Acer dengan Metode Simpleks. Unisda Journal of Mathematics and Computer Science
(UJMC), 4(1), pp.1-8.
Akinola, O.O. and Okunade, D.O., 2016. Evaluating the use of internet as a medium for
marketing and advertising messages in Nigeria. African Journal of Marketing
Management, 8(2), pp.12-19.
Andaleeb, S.S. and Hasan, K. eds., 2016. Strategic marketing management in Asia: case
studies and lessons across industries. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Grewal, R., Saini, A., Kumar, A., Dwyer, F.R. and Dahlstrom, R., 2018. Marketing Channel
Management by Multinational Corporations in Foreign Markets. Journal of Marketing, 82(4),
pp.49-69.
Gurkov, I. and Saidov, Z., 2017. Communications between managers of manufacturing units
of multinational corporations. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 25(5),
pp.894-908.
Kitchen, P.J. and Burgmann, I., 2015. Integrated marketing communication: making it work
at a strategic level. Journal of Business Strategy, 36(4), pp.34-39.
Kotler, P., Keller, K.L., Ang, S.H., Tan, C.T. and Leong, S.M., 2018. Marketing
management: an Asian perspective. Pearson.
Larimo, J., Zucchella, A., Kontkanen, M. and Hagen, B., 2018. Patterns of SME’s marketing
mix combinations and their characteristics in export markets. In Advances in Global
Marketing (pp. 333-364). Springer, Cham.

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Nigam, S., 2016. Impact of social media on consumer brand preference for
laptops. ACADEMICIA: An International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 6(4), pp.36-
47.
Pronina, M., Kuivalainen, O., Torkkeli, L. and Gracheva, P., 2016. Dynamic capabilities in
MNCs: subsidiary international business competence in the Finnish-Russian
context. International Journal of Multinational Corporation Strategy, 1(2), pp.87-106.
Steenkamp, J.B., 2017. Global Marketing Mix Decisions: Global Integration, Not
Standardization. In Global Brand Strategy (pp. 75-109). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Venaik, S. and Midgley, D.F., 2019. Archetypes of marketing mix standardization-adaptation
in MNC subsidiaries: Fit and equifinality as complementary explanations of
performance. European Journal of Marketing, 53(2), pp.366-399.