Introduction
Technological development has been prevalent creating more efficiency in human day-to-day lives. The emergence of digital technology has transformed services into innovative services which have promoted more performance in organizations. The current generation is a digital age whereby people have significantly embraced technology and more importantly the digital technology such as media and social media (Coney, 2002). Therefore, most organizations have applied these digital technologies into their integrated marketing strategy for the purpose of creating value for their targeted consumer markets as well as their best business practices for growth. The media is found to be more effective in facilitating marketing of products of an organization and as a result, organizations who intend to grow by reaching more consumers and as well influence their customer behavior, they have adopted such form of digital technologies (Liang & Mackey, 2011). This paper will assess how Roche New Zealand and Refining NZ apply digital technology (media) in their integrated marketing strategy in order to create value for its targeted consumer markets as well as best business practices for growth.
Assessment of Roche New Zealand
Roche New Zealand is a pharmaceutical company which manufactures medicine. It focuses on developing medicine which helps patients to heal their illnesses, live longer and have better lives. Roche New Zealand is concerned with all medically related services from early detection and prevention of diseases, to the diagnosis of diseases, treatment and also monitoring patients’ progress (“Roche in New Zealand,” n.d.). Roche New Zealand places the country and its people at its mission; to improve the health of all people in New Zealand by providing easy access to and usage of their medicines. Just as the population of New Zealand is diverse, its health needs are diverse as well. Therefore, Roche New Zealand has provided innovative solutions supported by innovation, distribution, and research thus making a real difference to the people of New Zealand. Essentially, Roche New Zealand is a leading facilitator of oncology medicines in New Zealand. It also provides various innovative medications for other specialties. The facility has an on-going development of new products (“Roche in New Zealand,” n.d.). The objective of the company is to benefit the wider community through clinical research and by underlining all their work through lean principles helping them to focus on most important issues. The goods and services of Roche New Zealand are supplied and distributed across the country such they are easily accessible in the community. It is pharmaceutical division is a matrix organization comprising of product supply, medical services, marketing and sells as well as financial and human resource aid (“Roche in New Zealand,” n.d.). Essentially, the roles of Roche are diverse, challenging and stimulating thus attracting top performers.
Critical evaluation of Roche New Zealand application of digital technology
Product and service promotion is one of the most significant elements of the marketing strategy of Roche New Zealand. To improve its sales and increase its consumer base, Roche New Zealand tends to carry out its product marketing through undertaking product promotions. For the promotion to be effective, the company tends to use digital technology such as the above line promotion which is the media to facilitate the promotional strategies in order to attain its marketing advertising objectives. Roche New Zealand normally uses media such as television, radio and print advertising to promote their products (“Roche in New Zealand,” n.d.). This is because these media are widely adopted in the current generation and helps businesses to reach a bigger population, therefore, being suitable for reaching both prospective consumers and also creating a bigger influence on consumer behavior to the wider population.
In the company’s below line promotion, Roche New Zealand uses direct mail campaigns. Roche New Zealand uses direct mails campaigns for value creation on its targeted consumers in order to influence their consumer behavior. The company creatively designs emails that are for their target market that are aimed at influencing their consumer behavior. Roche uses this direct mail campaign to maintain its brand image among its existing consumers and also to encourage them to make more purchases (“Roche in New Zealand,” n.d.). The company also uses catalogs as its below line promotion to promote its services and products. Therefore, to publicize and reach a wider population, the company has to use the media by posting and advertising the catalog in the various media.
Roche New Zealand also tends to use social media advertising in its marketing strategy. Given the power of social media and the wide embracement of social media in the country, Roche New Zealand tends to significantly use social media promoting its products in New Zealand, influencing customer behavior and also to reach a target market which helps in facilitating growth for the company (“Roche in New Zealand,” n.d.). Social media marketing popularity has substantially increased in the previous few years. Therefore, the use of mass media advertising as a promotional strategy has enabled Roche New Zealand to reach the mass market economically. The use of social media also provides an opportunity to actively interact with customers, establish a mutual relationship and as well manage e-WOM to attain better results (Liang & Mackey, 2011). This helps in influencing value consumer behavior and also attracting new consumers thus contributing to the growth of the company economically. However, there exists a risk of uncontrollable negative e-WOM that Roche New Zealand encounters. They are exposed to the risk of a bad reputation due to negative feedback from the pessimist critiques in social media.
Assessment of Refining NZ
Refining NZ is the only oil refining company that exists in New Zealand as well as the leading supplier of pure refined petroleum products into the market encompassing, diesel, aviation fuel, and petrol amongst other products. The business purpose of this company is to supply New Zealand with refined petroleum products to be used in machines and automobiles (“Refining NZ,” n.d.). Its services and products are linked to New Zealand’s energy infrastructure as well as being a main social and economic contribution to the local community. The company has a reputation as one of the safest and reliable refineries in the Asia Pacific. The objectives of Refining NZ are to take environmental responsibility by ensuring that it enhances environmental sustainability and with a commitment to protect the unique environment of the refinery. As a national energy infrastructure, Refining NZ supplies about 85% of the country’s jet fuel, about 67% of diesel, about 58% of petrol, 75-85% of bitumen, all ship fuel oil, Sulphur for purposes of making farm fertilizers and also carbon dioxide for use in the carbonated drinks industry (“Refining NZ,” n.d.). Half of the fuel productions are supplied through the 170-kilometer pipeline while the rest is supplied to other parts of the country by coastal tankers (“Refining NZ,” n.d.). This company is a big contributor to the New Zealand economy.
Critical evaluation of Refining NZ application of digital technology
Refining NZ mostly tends to use targeted advertising to reach its targeted consumers. This is particularly done through the use of digital technology. The company uses media such as television, radio and print media to reach targeted consumers (“Refining NZ,” n.d.). Since the company produces petroleum products, it does not target the entire population but rather companies that sell or consume petroleum products. Therefore, it uses media advertisement to reach its target consumers by creatively designing the adverts to suit and capture the attention of only their target consumers. The advertisements that are made in the televisions, radios or print newspapers are specifically designed and twisted to suit and address their consumers of petroleum products (“Refining NZ,” n.d.). These media advertisements are designed to influence consumer behavior in order to increase purchases of their products. Its media advertisements are also designed to attract more consumers to purchase their products. This is because media advertisements reach a wider population thus increasing chances of growing its population (Coney, 2002).
Refining NZ also uses social media in order to meet its best practices for growth by actively interacting with its target consumers and prospective consumers. Social media such as Twitter and Facebook provides a platform that facilitates interaction between the company and its consumers (“Refining NZ,” n.d.). Refining NZ actively interacts and communicates with its consumers on social media. This is possible since the consumers are able to give their compliments and complaints about the products and services offered by Refining NZ which enables the company to track its performance and identify areas of weakness which they can focus on to improve. As a result, this improves the company’s best practices and customer satisfaction leading to good reputation and brand loyalty for the company.
Refining NZ also uses social media to understand its market and the needs of the market so that it can improve its services and the best services of the company. As the company strives to build its image and brand loyalty as it progresses towards growing, it must understand the needs of the consumers and understand them better (Liang & Mackey, 2011). Therefore, the company uses social media to solicit comments from its consumers on their level of satisfaction of the services and products they offer and which needs they need to be addressed.
Conclusion
To sum it all, the use of digital technology has dominated advertising in the current generation. Most organizations apply the use of digital technologies such as the media to their marketing strategy and have proven to be more effective. Both Roche New Zealand and Refining NZ have significantly adopted the use of media into their marketing strategies. It is certain that the application of media has enabled these companies to reach their target markets effectively and also improve their best business practices which have facilitated their growth.