Sales management is a business discipline which is focused on the practical application of sales techniques and the management of a firm's sales operations. It is an important business function as net sales through the sale of products and services and resulting profit drive most commercial business. These are also typically the goals and performance indicators of sales management.
For Amul, sales are typically in the retail stores. The consumer just has to ask for that particular Amul product in the retail shop or if its a super market he just has to locate it and buy it.
Amul also has some franchisee shops that offer typically only Amul products.
Healthy long term growth for a brand requires that the marketing organization be managed properly. Holistic marketeers must engage in a host of carefully planned, interconnected marketing activities and satisfy an increasingly broader set of constitutions. They must also consider a wider range of effects of their actions. Corporate social responsibility and sustainability have become a priority as organizations grapple with short term and long term effects of their marketing. Some firms have embraced this new vision of corporate enlightenment and made it the very core of what they do.
Amul has earned the reputation of the most well know and trusted milk and milk products brand in India. Amul not only gives superior value for money to its customers, but also serves the interests of its 2.6 million milk producers by providing remunerative returns through its nearly 13,000 village level societies.
The main objective of Amul has been economic development of the producer members. It has played a major role in women empowerment, provided health care for both humans and cattle and other animals. Through its advertising campaign Amul also acts as a social observer and comments on social situation in a very satirical manner which instantly connects to the buyers. It also ensures the end-customers get quality dairy products at affordable prices. It truly practices holistic marketing.
Organization buying:
Organization buying is the bulk buying that an organization does for resale or manufacturing purposes.
In Amul,Dairy Cooperatives in Gujarat have created an economic network that
links more than 3.1 million village milk producers with millions of
consumers in India. These cooperatives collect on an average 9.4 million
litres of milk per day from their producer members. Since the raw material for butter is milk, this is the only item that is bulk bought.
Another example are the retailers or the franchisees or the mom-pop stores that buy Amul butter in bulk to sell in their shop. Bulk buying helps in getting the buyer better and cheap prices for that product.
Also it helps Amul because they sell large volumes of butter. For example: Amul sells its small 10gm packs to airlines or railways in huge numbers, hence it helps Amul in terms of volume, it also helps the buyer because since they require only small quantity, these packs are perfect for them. Overall its a win-win situation.
Branding:
A brand is a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature
that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of
other sellers."Branding began as a way to tell one person's cattle from another by means of a hot iron stamp. Thus, branding helps a company distinguish itself from its competitor and also create a niche for itself.
Elements of Branding:
Brand Name: Amul
It is an abbreviation for Anand Milk Union Limited
The word Amul is derived from the Sanskrit word Amulya, meaning invaluable
Gives a sense of trust and consistency
Easy to memories, pronounce
Brand Logo:
The Amul girl was created by Eustace Fernandes in 1967
The Amul girls was initially only used for butter, but now we can she is also used to promote Amul ghee and milk
She is also considered as the most popular brand ambassador
Brand Slogan:
Amul the brand has its slogan as "Amul - The Taste of India"
Amul butter has its slogan as "Utterly Buttrely Delicious - Amul"
The slogan compliments the Amul girl, giving meaning to the tag line
Brand Promise:
The message clearly states about quality and superior taste.
It also clearly tells about being ready to cater to the whole country, thus generating trust
Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is an approach to brand
communications where the different modes work together to create a
seamless experience for the customer and are presented with a similar
tone and style that reinforces the brand’s core message. Its goal is to
make all aspects of marketing communication such as advertising, sales
promotion, public relations direct marketing, online communications and
social media work together as a unified force, rather than permitting
each to work in isolation, which maximizes their cost effectiveness.
IMC is becoming more significant in marketing practice because of the
reduced cost effectiveness of mass media and media fragmentation. As
consumers spend more time online and on mobile devices all exposures of
the brand need to tie together so they are more likely to be remembered.
Increasingly the strategies of brands cannot be understood by looking
solely at their advertising. Instead they can be understood by seeing
how all aspects of their communications ecosystem work together and in
particular how communications are personalized for each customer and
react in real time, as in a conversation.
How IMC helps:
1. It can create competitive advantage, boost sales and profits, while
saving money, time and stress.
2. IMC wraps communications around
customers and helps them move through the various stages of the buying
process. The organisation simultaneously consolidates its image,
develops a dialogue and nurtures its relationship with customers.
3.
This 'Relationship Marketing' cements a bond of loyalty with customers
which can protect them from the inevitable onslaught of competition. The
ability to keep a customer for life is a powerful competitive
advantage.
4. IMC also increases profits through increased effectiveness
5. Carefully linked messages also help buyers by giving timely
reminders, updated information and special offers which, when presented
in a planned sequence, help them move comfortably through the stages of
their buying process
6. Finally, IMC saves money as it eliminates
duplication in areas such as graphics and photography since they can be
shared and used in say, advertising, exhibitions and sales literature.
7. IMC also makes messages more consistent and therefore more credible.
This reduces risk in the mind of the buyer which, in turn, shortens the
search process and helps to dictate the outcome of brand comparisons.
Above the line (ATL), below the line (BTL), in organizational business and marketing communications, are advertising techniques, or different strategies companies use to sell their products.
In a nutshell, while ATL communications use media that are broadcast
and published to mass audiences, BTL communications use media that are
more niche focused. While both ATL and BTL communications can be used to
either build brand awareness
or drive sales through specific offers (promotions), it is BTL
communication that gives the marketer the ability to tailor their
messaging in a more personal manner to the audience ATL(Above The Line) Promotion:
ATL is a type of advertising through media such as television, cinema, radio, print, and Out-of-home to promote brands
or convey a specific offer. This type of communication is conventional
in its nature and is considered impersonal to customers. It differs from
BTL advertising, which uses unconventional brand-building and
promotional strategies, such as direct mail, sales promotions, flyers, point-of-sale, telemarketing and printed media (for example brochures) – and usually involves no motion graphics. It is much more effective than when the target group is very large and difficult to define.
BTL (Below The Line) Promotion:
BTL sales promotion is an immediate or delayed incentive to purchase,
expressed in cash or in kind, and having short duration. It is
efficient and cost-effective for targeting a limited and specific group.
It uses less conventional methods than the usual ATL channels of
advertising, typically focusing on direct means of communication,
most commonly direct mail and e-mail, often using highly targeted lists
of names to maximize response rates. BTL services may include those for
which a fee is agreed upon and charged up front.
BTL is a common technique used for "touch and feel" products
(consumer items where the customer will rely on immediate information
rather than previously researched items). BTL techniques ensures recall
of the brand while at the same time highlighting the features of the
product.
Another BTL technique involves sales personnel deployed at retail
stores near targeted products. This technique may be used to generate
trials of newly launched products. It helps marketers establish
one-to-one relationship with consumers while mass promotions, by
definition, make it difficult to gauge consumer-response, except at the
time of sales. Examples include tele-marketing, road shows, promotions,
in- shop and shop-front activities, display units.
