B1) Research undertaken by your company has identified that school-aged children are the heaviest

consumers of muesli bar. The company positions muesli bar as a healthier alternative to other snacks, such
as chocolates and candies. Governments, communities and parents are becoming increasingly concerned
about children’s diet and skeptical about the company’s offering. How can Public Relations assist in
positioning and promoting a favorable attitude towards the muesli bars? In your discussion highlight
the advantages and disadvantages of Public Relations and recommend a minimum of TWO public
relations tools.
Public Relations can be defined as the management of communication between the organization and public.
Public Relations is a tool to build good relations with company’s publics by obtaining favorable publicity,
building good corporate image and handling or heading off unfavorable rumors.
Advantages of PR include –
1. Credibility - A key part of a PR promotion is to obtain mentions of an organization in independent
media outlets (e.g., television, online) as the target market generally views the mention as being
more credible since it is not based on payment (i.e., advertisement) but on the media outlet’s
judgment of what is newsworthy.
2. Cost Efficiency - PR can be an economical way to reach a large audience in comparison to paid
for advertising media placement, particularly if it is done in-house.
3. Clutter Avoidance - Because they are typically perceived as news items, public relations messages
are not subject to the clutter of ads. A story regarding a new product introduction or breakthrough
is treated as a news item and is likely to receive attention.
4. Lead Generation - Depending on the media outlet, a story mentioning a company may be picked
up by a large number of additional medias, thus, spreading a single story to many locations.
5. Image Building -
Disadvantages of PR include –
1. Lack of Control over Media - There’s no guarantee that a reporter or industry influencer will give
your company or product a favorable review—it’s the price you pay for “unbiased” coverage. You
also don’t have any control over the accuracy or thoroughness of the coverage. There’s always a
risk that the journalist will get some facts wrong or fail to include important details.
2. Media time and space not guaranteed - you may spend time and money on writing a press release,
getting suitable photography and speaking with journalists, but you can never guarantee your story
will be published. This can result in a poor return-on-investment.
3. Difficulty in coordinating messages -
4. Measurement problems - it can be difficult to measure the effectiveness of PR activities. You can
count media mentions and published stories, but it’s harder to determine the impact this has on your
audience.
Sponsorship – Sponsor Sport event with muesli bar and get host to speak about benefits of the products for
school kids
Cause Related – The muesli bar can be advertised in a school event that is conducted to make awareness
about eating health for their students and their parents. The bar can be advertised as an effective and
nutritious snack for school going kids. It can also positions itself as a on the go snack item for busy
parents to keep for their kids for school snack time.
Scenario: As part of their consumer research, SC Smith (a company making household cleaning products)
found that consumers hate household cleaning and are typically undertaking less frequent bathroom
cleaning because they are time poor. To make cleaning more convenient and quicker, the company is
about to launch the ‘All-in-One’ cleaning device. It consists of a single, nozzle pressure pump that uses
tap water to carry concentrated versions of glass cleaner, furniture cleaner, and toilet cleaner. The
company wishes to use television commercials to communicate their message to end-users.

Part A: Explain the differences between a ‘consumer orientated sales promotion’ and a ‘trade orientated
sales promotion’. Recommend ONE consumer oriented and ONE Trade oriented tool as part of their sales
promotion campaign. (20 marks)

Answered difference in previous question

Trade Contests – are done to achieve sales target and other objectives. Winners receive prizes or cash or
spiff money. Contests can be between brokers or agents, wholesalers or retail stores. Employees are
prohibited to take part in trade contests to prevent undue influence on buyers. For SC Smith, they can run
a contest for distributors and each distributor achieving their sales target of selling 150 devices within 90
days will be entitled to 5 cleaning devices.

Sampling is the actual distribution of a product to consumers for their use or consumption. SC Smith can
utilize instore distribution by giving out samples of the product to consumers purchasing other cleaning
supplies for example laundry detergent. These samples should be given to frequent customers of the store
and to those that often buy cleaning supplies. This will be an effective way to introduce “All in One”
cleaning devices to the right segment of customers and encourage trial and purchase.

Part B: Discuss which particular type of media schedule you would recommend the company use when
marketing their ‘All-in-One’ cleaning device. What are the limitations of using this media schedule?
(10 marks)

Higher cost
Potential for over exposure
Limited media allocation possible

Continuity scheduling method is recommended for “All in one” cleaning device.

Part C: Discuss one (1) pre-test AND one (1) post-test method that the company could use to evaluate
the effectiveness of their TV commercial.
(10 marks
WONT BE TESTED