Pearson Education Marketing Podcasts podcast@pearson.com (Pearson Education)

The thrust of this podcast is to ensure students clearly understand the difference and relationship between advertising and media. Also, by implication the value an growth of new media in terms of communication. Furthermore students are reminded of the use of advertising to meet strategic objectives.

This is an interesting Podcast in the sense that the interviewee, Nicola Shann was able to illustrate the effectiveness of exhibitions as a communication tool and e-mail as an effective method of direct marketing. Be aware of the specialist nature of the exhibition - Nicola does briefly explain it at the beginning of the Podcast. It was for Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council to highlight 'Beacon Status' which they were recently awarded. Nicola interviews explains how the exhibition benefitted both her organisation and the visitors and how effective e-mail is as a DM tool, she does briefly link it to advertising as well but the major communication tool for the event was e-mail.

By reference to the Shannon-Weaver communications model the podcast illustrates the importance of integrated communications at both a strategic and tactical level. You will be able to empathise with some of the points made at a practical level but also better understand the relevance and application of theory. Listeners' attention is also drawn to the importance of communications in the context of the marketing mix

By noting that distribution is the 'poor cousin' of the marketing mix I have highlighted how important it is at a strategic level and as part of the integrated marketing mix. The theme of the strategic importance of distribution is carried over into the identification of some of the factors that determine distribution channels. Also identified is the difference between distribution and logistics.

This Podcast illustrates the link between personal selling, building relationships with customers and CRM. The point is made that training manuals and textbook theory does not necessarily work and that sometimes gut instinct is better at building customer relationships than following a fixed pattern.

While emphasis is placed on factors that determine pricing strategies such as psychological pricing and pricing against competitors and in the context of corporate objectives the listener is encouraged to consider how external factors can have a major impact on pricing. While organisations may have a clear set of objectives, prevailing conditions can have a major impact on the organisations ability to meet objectives therefore illustrating that theory while having a place cannot always be carried through into practice.