Marketing communications in the twenty-first century.

Salgovicova, Jarmila ; Prajova, Vanesa

1. INTRODUCTION

Modern managerial concepts are often derived from the hypothesis that the new generation of customers is getting more and more beyond the common evaluation and classification. Defining and anticipating the customers' needs and wishes, which is a primary aspect in both, applied marketing concept and quality concept, is becoming more and more complicated. Relationship, however, may have chance to become such a stable. The quality of communication with a customer may directly influence the positive results of entrepreneurial activities built upon the relationship of confidence (Blythe, 2000).

2. THE RELATIONSHIP MARKETING

Relationship marketing currently means organizational building and supporting mutually beneficial relationship with the customers, integrating the management information systems for maintaining and improving the products quality, supported by the services, business strategy and organization mission aimed at satisfying a customer and assuring profitable and permanent business. Key elements of this definition are the customers and their changing demands, mutual benefit, keeping the promises, interaction, empathy and a long-term and smooth dialogue with the customers.

2.1 Substance of relationship marketing

The basic reasons for employing the relationship marketing are as follows:

* it offers a competitive advantage

* success of the Japanese companies whose understanding of marketing and quality underlines a long-term and restless care of their customers

* most of customer goods market is evidently characterized by the tendency towards individualism, a trend from mass marketing towards the purpose-built addressing their customers

* intensive development and increase in the share of direct marketing on the consumer market as a reaction to the excessive market segmentation

* rise of databases with a number of personal details on particular customers

* development OD direct marketing on the organized, reps. Industrial market owing to the increase of costs for the industrial markets assurance via the sales representatives

* universal termination of the "sale without guarantee" rule, introduction of stricter legislature on customers' protection, producers' responsibility for the damages caused by their products, delivery sales, inadequate contract terms, false advertising, etc.

Implementation of the relationship marketing brings advantages for both, a customer and a company. For the customer it is particularly : increased supplier activity, broader scale of products and services and higher reliability of the offer. For the company : possibility to maximize profit from every transaction thanks to the firm and permanent relationship with customers, possibility of higher turnover from repeated purchases, stability of income-flow and a complex reinforcement of the market stability.

The latest innovation is the introduction of new models of employing the relationship marketing followed by the development of information technology enabling useful and differentiated communication with customers and quick reactions to their requirements and preferences on continual basis (Cozzo, 2001).

2.2 Importance of communication in relationship marketing

Quality of marketing communication is a supposition for building up the relationship marketing.

Communication is carried out in two strands:

1) External communication

a/ with a customer

--within the market research

--within the combination of particular element's of the sales support

b/ with actual subjects of micro and macro marketing environment

2) Internal communication within the company

The attention in this article is focused on the quality of marketing activities aimed at mostly external communication with customers This field has undergone dramatic qualitative development in the last decade. Besides the abovementioned customers and suppliers' integration into the values-crating process, it is partially due to such important factors as:

* internationalization of the sales premises

* intercultural segmentation of the customers

* development of the information and communication technology

* development of costs, etc.

The current communication policy and strategy of the companies in general exhibit some deficiencies due to the absence of the system orientation in this field. Development of an efficient communication system with clearly defined elements, structure and mutual relationship, suggested application methods and sources, seems to be a solution to this problem (Urdzikova, 2006).

External communication with a customer is provided by a communication subsystem defined as a part of a complex plant communication system. It comprises the elements of promotion with specific activities, means and techniques. It is oriented on the field of the company presentation and its output is focused on the future customers. The company and the customers communicate on the products properties and their ability to satisfy the needs of the customers with the aim to encourage the sales and support the company long-term profitable output.

The communication system is based on five elements : advertising, sales support, public relations, personal sales and direct marketing.

Each of the five elements contains a set of specific means that may be combined according to the company needs and intentions, to generate a specific way of communication for influencing the customers in different phases of decision-making process while purchasing. The customers' feedback is a potential source of information on customers' demands regarding the product and, at the same time, an impulse for revaluation of the introduces communication system.

Quality of the communication system depends on the following factors:

* Company image and corporate identity

is an important part of the direct, personal communication. In indirect, impersonal communication it gives the person "on the other end of the wire" certainly of dealing with a reliable company. It forms a "wrapper" of the company communication channels, establishes the company trend and culture, promotes a positive picture of the company and positive attitudes of the public towards the company.

* Communication channels

the media for transmitting communication message, influence the identity of the communication relationship. They server as a discriminating criterion between the direct and indirect communication. They are decisive in planning the necessity of the sources for accomplishing the communication.

* Quality of communication message

is an important factor of influencing the final effect of the communication activities. A communication message may be either factually or emotionally based. The buying stereotypes indicate the existence of various factors, which effect the buyers' decision making process.

* Actual approach to the evaluation of the marketing communication importance

The current state of implementing the marketing communication in the Slovak companies is often criticized by the consumers, partially due to the aggressive advertisement with low level of professional processing encouraging the excessive consummation, braking the ethical principles and spending disproportionate money.

The basic deficiencies of marketing communication in the Slovak enterprises, regardless the proprietary relations, can be briefly divided into two fields:

* Vague definition of the company mission and consequently unclear intercourse with outer environment.

* Communication system does not contain a fundamental concept oriented on building perspective market position.

* Short life and big dispersion of communication tools discourage the customer's loyalty.

* Big attention is devoted to prices, underlining rather their reasonability than the service quality and its particular features.

* Artistic level and validity are often of low impression and attractiveness.

* Evaluation of the communication system impact is insufficient usually due to the lack of theoretical knowledge on evaluation methods.

* Deficiencies in the fields of legislation.

2.3 New trends

Regarding the current evaluation of the external communication, its importance and prospects, we may state that the communication via classical media in advanced countries is more or less declining. A new trend requiring new forms of communication with customers is based on multimedia. They are becoming a key/ notion in the field of communication for future markets. They may operate in both, mass and individual communication, presenting a complex method for organizing or developing the communication processes supported by innovative computer technology.

3. CONCLUSION

Quality of communication with customers may directly affect the positive results of entrepreneurial activities, the increase of the enterprise competitiveness, the increase of the sales and market share volume, the decrease in marketing costs, and particularly, the improvement of relationship with customers built on mutual trust. In the period of the rapid media development the company has to decide on a definite communication mix. The optimal and differentiated mixture rather than the quality of activities should be the criterion of communication quality. Perspectives of the marketing communication quality development rest on implementation of the integrated system approach and multimedia, which provide both external and internal communication regarding the final effect. In a next, it is necessary to expand it to the financial flow also.

4. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

An auxilium is a part of a problem solution of institutional project "Integrated Communication of the Quality--Oriented Organisation" No. 1/0290/09.

5. REFERENCES

Cozzi, G. & Ferrero, G. (2001). Le Frontiere del Marketing, G.Giappichelli Editore, Torino

Blythe, J. (2000). Marketing communications, Personal Education Limited, ISBN 0-273-63960-9, England.

Frey, D. (2003). The small business marketing bible, Marketing Best Practices, Inc., ISBN 1-931740-57-7, Texas

Boyett, J.H. & Boyett, J.T. (2003). The Guru Guide to Marketing--A Concise Guide to the Best Ideas from Today's Top Marketers, John Wiley&Sons, Inc., ISBN 0471-21377-2, Canada

Urdzikova, J. & Molnarova, D.(2006). Customer--the key to competitive advantage. In: Management, Economics and Business Development in the New European Conditions : IV.International Scientific Conference. ISBN 80-7204454-0; Brno, 26.-27.5.2006. Brno University of Technology, Brno