Marketing in a Digital Age: The Warehouse Group Marketing Report

This report provides an in-depth analysis of The Warehouse Group's marketing initiatives, focusing on integrated marketing communication (IMC) strategies. It begins with an executive summary and table of contents, followed by an introduction that outlines the company's background and product offerings. The report then examines the company's traditional marketing communications, including television ads, magazine advertisements, and bus stop ads, evaluating their effectiveness. Subsequently, it analyzes the digital marketing communications, such as website, search engine optimization (SEO), social media, and mobile app, assessing their impact on customer engagement. The report also explores the segmentation of consumers targeted by The Warehouse Group, considering demographic, geographic, psychographic, and behavioral factors. Furthermore, it discusses the integration of traditional and digital marketing communications, and proposes a new digital marketing communication campaign. The report concludes by outlining metrics to measure the performance of the new campaign, providing a comprehensive overview of The Warehouse Group's marketing strategies and recommendations for improvement.

Running head: MARKETING MANAGEMENT
MARKETING MANAGEMENT
Name of the student
Name of the university
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Executive summary
The report aimed at examining the integrated marketing communication initiatives that are
currently undertaken by Warehouse Group and thereby formulate an integrated marketing
campaign for the launch of a new product offering as per the needs of the customers. The report
also enumerated the key performance indicators of the campaign in order to judge the success
factors of the same while developing the product as per the needs of the customers.

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Background of the company and product..............................................................................3
2. Analysis of traditional marketing communications.....................................................................4
3. Analysis of digital marketing communications...........................................................................5
4. Segmentation of consumers targeted by The Warehouse Group.................................................7
5. Integration of traditional and digital marketing communications...............................................9
6. New digital marketing communication campaign.....................................................................12
7. Integration of new digital campaign with traditional marketing communication.....................14
8. Metrics to measure performance of new campaign...................................................................15
9. Conclusion.................................................................................................................................16
References......................................................................................................................................17

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1. Introduction
The marketing management initiatives are undertaken by the organizations in order to
maximize awareness among the targeted customers. The primary objective of undertaking an
IMC campaign is to make the target customers aware of the competitive offerings of the business
(Ashley & Tuten, 2015). On the other hand, the integration of the traditional marketing
communication with the digital marketing communication tools helps an organization in
designing an appropriate marketing initiative in order to maximize customer awareness. The
report will focus on identifying the marketing initiatives that are undertaken by The Warehouse
Group in New Zealand. The discussion will examine the traditional and digital marketing
initiatives undertaken by the organization and the manner in which the integration of the
marketing communication tools helped the business in making most of the segmented customers
aware of the propositions.
1.1 Background of the company and product
The Warehouse Group was established in the year 1982 as a retail group that is located
in New Zealand. The concerned organization consists of The Warehouse, Warehouse Stationery,
Noel Leeming and Torpedo7 Group (Thewarehousegroup.co.nz., 2018). The concerned group
holds discount retail department stores that proposes a broad range of non- grocery and grocery
products as per the needs of the customers. It has been reported that the concerned organization
took steps to expand to the Australian retail markets in the year 2000 through Clint's Crazy
Bargains and Silly Solly's retail chains (Thewarehousegroup.co.nz., 2018). It has helped the
concerned group in undertaking vast expansion while supporting the sustenance of the same.
However, apart from the expansion, the concerned organization faced several issues in marketing

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the line of products and services, which affected the revenue streams and net income drastically
(Bacile, Ye & Swilley, 2014). The fluctuations in the revenue streams and net income of the
business affected the sustainable measures that are undertaken by the business.
2. Analysis of traditional marketing communications
Television ads
The television ads help an organization in attracting the attention of maximum customers
towards the product or service offerings. Vernuccio and Ceccotti (2015) stated that the
television advertisements provide the marketers with the opportunity of demonstrating the
different elements of the product or the service. In this relation, the concerned organization holds
a fewer advertisements on the television which has affected the capabilities of the organization to
make the target consumers aware of the unique propositions made by the venture. On the other
hand, Jankovic (2012) noted that the television advertisements helps an organization in making
the customers aware of the value that might be received by the same through the utilization of
the proposition. Therefore, the development of the television ads will be helping the
organization in maintaining the efficiency of the operations as per the needs of making a vast
amount of target customers aware of the propositions.
Magazines
The utilization of magazines as a mode of marketing communication helps an
organization in targeting the specific group of customers while operating in diverse international
markets. Finne and Strandvik (2012) noted that magazine advertisements have a longer life
than the newspaper ads which helps an organization in building trust and confidence in the minds
of the customers. The Warehouse Group has undertaken minimal initiative for creating magazine

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advertisements, which has affected the capabilities of the venture in making most of the
customers aware of the propositions that are made by the business. On the other hand, the lack of
suitable marketing communication technologies has affected the competitive edge of the
business while operating in the Australian markets, apart from New Zealand’s market (Berger &
Meng, 2014). Utilization of magazine advertisements would have helped the concerned business
in making the target consumers aware of the diverse range of grocery and non- grocery products
and services that are offered by the venture. On the other hand, the utilization of magazine
advertisements would have helped the business in making the customers aware of the offers that
might be considered by the customers while making a buy of the products or services (Delgado-
Ballester, Navarro & Sicilia, 2012).
Bus stop ads
The bus stop advertisements help an organization in attracting the attention of huge
amount of travelers and customers. On the other hand, Timofeeva et al. (2016) stated in a
research that the bus stop advertisements helps an organization in significantly reducing the
costs of undertaking marketing communication. In this relation, the bus stop ads would have
assisted the concerned organization in attracting the attention of the free customers towards the
product and service offerings (Dumitru et al., 2015). However, the concerned organization
undertakes a minimal utilization of bus stop ads, which has affected the capabilities of attracting
the free customers apart from the loyal customer base. It has also restricted the organizational
capabilities of maximizing the customer base of the business in Australian markets while
expanding (Einwiller & Boenigk, 2012).

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3. Analysis of digital marketing communications
Website
The website development helps an organization in building trust and confidence among
the customers relating to authenticity of the product or services (Finne & Grönroos, 2017). On
the other hand, the development of company website helps an organization in updating the
modifications that are undertaken by the same in order to empower the consumers while making
a buy of the products or services. Ashley and Tuten (2015) stated that the website of an
organization helps the same in making the customers aware of the product and service offerings
of the business along with the financial position of the same. Therefore, the websites creates a
linkage between the customer groups and the organization and acts as an appropriate medium of
communication fort the venture. The concerned business has taken every possible steps of
developing their official website to uphold the efficiency of the operations as per the needs of the
customers (Finne & Strandvik, 2012).
Search engine optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization helps an organization in adhering to the needs of gaining a
competitive advantage while improving user experience while searching for the business at web
(Jankovic, 2012). Effective positioning of the official website link in the different relevant
websites, adhering to the white hat SEO technique, helps an organization in attracting the
attention of the potential customers (Berger & Meng, 2014). The SEO operations help an
organization in utilizing effective keywords that would help the customers in undertaking a
potential search. In this relation, the concerned organization has not undertaken a suitable SEO

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function, which has restricted the operations of the same while attracting the attention of the
potential customers towards the product and service offerings (Lindridge et al., 2013).
Social media
The utilization of the social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and the like would
help an organization in attracting the attention of huge amount of worldwide customers.
Lindridge et al., (2013) stated in a research that more than 72% of the world population are
active in the social media platforms. Therefore, the social media integration helps an
organization in making the potential customers aware of the product and service offerings of the
business. The Warehouse Group has successfully integrated to the social media platforms like
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn (Luxton, Reid & Mavondo, 2015). The social
media integrations helped the business in attracting the attention of the potential customers while
marketing the products and services.
Mobile app
The development of mobile application helps an organization in keeping the customers
and the different other stakeholder groups aware of the recent modifications that are planned by
the business (Mihaela, 2015). The development of the mobile apps also helps an organization in
making the target customers aware of the price and the diversity of the product offerings. Bacile,
Ye and Swilley (2014) noted that most of the mobile apps that are developed by the
organizations holds an online buying option. The online buying option helps an organization in
offering the propositions to the customers in their leisure time, which boosts the sales volume.
As per a report published by the concerned organization, the Warehouse App was one of the top
rated shopping apps in New Zealand after its development in the year 2014 (Thaichon & Quach,

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2016). It has largely helped the organization in attracting the attention of the customers in New
Zealand. Therefore, the development of the mobile apps helps an organization in keeping he
potential customers updated of the different modifications that are undertaken by the business.
4. Segmentation of consumers targeted by The Warehouse Group
Demographic
The concerned organization targeted the customers within the age 18- 42 years as their
primary concern while proposing their products and services. However, the organization also
targeted the age groups between 30- 72 years as their secondary priority while developing the
products and the services (Ots & Nyilasy, 2015). The organization also aimed at attracting the
attention of customers from the middle and higher income groups with a minimal education
background from high school. The demographic segmentation of the customers has helped the
concerned organization in identifying the primary target consumers of the venture while
developing and designing the products and services (Royle & Laing, 2014). On the other hand,
the delineation of the needs of the target consumers will be helping the business in maintaining
the efficiency of the positioning activities undertaken by the same.
Geographic
The organization has undertaken steps to attract the attention of the customers in
Auckland and Northland as their primary potential customers (Porcu, Barrio-García & Kitchen,
2012). As per a report, the concerned organization undertook the largest distribution of their
products and services in Auckland and Northland (Dumitru et al., 2015). The geographic
segmentation of the customers has helped the business in upholding the efficiency of the

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positioning activities as per the demand faced by the same while operating in the different
regions of New Zealand.
Psychographic
The concerned organization targeted the medium and high income group of customers
who are concerned with the higher quality of the products and services for a slightly higher price
than the other competitors (Rakić & Rakić, 2014). The organization has developed and
designed the propositions as per the needs of the professional customers, who are concerned of
the quality of the products over the price offerings of the same. On the other hand, the
potentiality of the customers is backed by the higher rate of employment and the enhanced
lifestyle of the same (Reinold & Tropp, 2012). It has helped the business in maintaining their
standards as per the needs of the business.
Behavioral
The behavioral pattern of the target audience of the concerned organization is related to
their inclination towards the better quality products. The target consumers of the organization are
more concerned of the quality of the product offerings over the price concerns (Delgado-
Ballester, Navarro & Sicilia, 2012). In this relation, the concerned organization aimed at
positioning their products to the rational customers who undertakes a decision based on the
quality of the products rather than concentrating on the price of the offering. It has helped the
business in maintaining the efficiency of the marketing operations as per the needs of attracting
the attention of the potential customers towards the product and service offerings of the same
(Royle & Laing, 2014).

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5. Integration of traditional and digital marketing communications
The integration of the digital marketing communication with the traditional marketing
communication techniques has helped the concerned organization in attracting the attention of
maximum amount of target customers towards the product and service offerings (Delgado-
Ballester, Navarro & Sicilia, 2012). The section will enumerate the different strategies that
were undertaken by the concerned organization to integrate traditional and digital marketing
communication for attracting the customers.

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Sales promotion
Digital
Online coupons and discounts
Traditional
Coupons and discounts
Advertising
Digital
Website/ SEO
Traditional
TV/ Radio/ bus stops/ Billboard
Personal selling
Digital
Bots
Traditional
Sales representative
Public Relations
Digital
Facebook/ Twitter/ Instagram
Traditional
Media release/ Events
Integrated Traditional and digital marketing communication
Advertising
The organization undertook Television, radio, bus stop ads and billboards from among
the traditional marketing communication practices in order to attract the attention of the target
customers in New Zealand (Finne & Strandvik, 2012). On the other hand, the organization also
undertook steps in order to redesign the official website in order to bring forth modifications in