Question

topic: Innovation today
Highlight a topic from an article then discuss how a retailer created an effective marketing campaign utilizing currrent technologies? what is the relationship of selling? what are some of the major tools in direct marketing.

Answer 1

Companies need to continually re-evaluate their strategies to stay updated with the current trends if they are to use technology for their marketing ( digital marketing).One does not have to make new strategies and formulate new ideas, just have to upgrade the existing strategy depending on current trend and situations.

Lets take an example of Starbucks, It has introduced Artificial Intelligence assistant in its application called "My starbucks Barista". This AI assistant helps you order from anywhere and lets you pick your drink without the hassel of standing in the queue to get the same. Starbucks also allows you to make payments online or at the pick up point. It saves your time and also helps you in making or choosing an order. It also suggests you what to order based on your previous orders or after learning your order choice pattern. This move of introducing an AI assistant to help you choose and make orders from anywhere has made customer experience very pleasent. It has also helped the company in reducing cost and improving productivity of the employees.

The relationship between selling and marketing is that, selling is the outcome of successful marketing of products or services. When a marketer successfully makes the customer aware about the product, creates an interest for the product in the customers mind, and an intention to purchase is created, that is when the selling happens and the customer evaluates the product and finally purchases the product. The first part is for the marketer to do which is marketing and the last part of evaluation and purchase leads to selling. This is the relationship of marketing and selling.  

Some of the major tools used in direct marketing are emails, mobiles ( sms, mms, mobile apps), tele marketing ( making direct calls to the customers),door to door marketing, fax, personal relationship with client, social media (facebook, instagram), and trade fairs/ trade exhibitions.These tools help the companies sell or market directly to the customer. The information passed on is reliable and immediate.There are also options of direct and immediate feedback possible when you meet the customers in person.