HUFFMAN TRUCKING INTERNAL MARKETING CULTURE PLAN

Huffman Trucking Internal Marketing Culture Plan and Defense

Huffman Trucking Internal Marketing Culture Plan and Defense

Introduction

Integrated Marketing Communications, according to its creators, means talking to buyers based on what they see, hear and feel, rather than simply talking about one's products. It means realigning communications to reflect the way the consumer receives information - not as discrete bits, but as a continuous flow of information from a variety of indistinguishable sources. Today, we speak not of advertising or public relations or sales promotion in discrete terms. To the consumer - and to astute marketers - it's all one thing. This paper discusses Huffman Trucking internal marketing culture plan and defense in a concise and comprehensive way.

What Is Internal Marketing Communications?

Ambler (2000) mentions that internal marketing communications is: The process of creating, packaging and distributing a company critical business marketing messages within its organization, then directly to customers and prospects through the company's sales channel using personal communications. Critical business marketing messages at Huffman Trucking include:

* corporate image, market positioning and corporate values information;

* brand-related differential advantages and value information;

* and product- or service-specific features, benefits and advantages over competitive offerings (Ambler, 2000).

There are three levels of information transferred through internal marketing communications:

* marketing information intended for training and orientation of Huffman's sales force and customer service personnel;

* marketing information intended for receipt by customers and prospects, which will be delivered by Huffman's sales and/or customer service personnel;

* and marketing information intended for the general employee population to foster company-wide understanding of the company's marketing objectives and key messages.

How Internal Marketing Communications Work Together To Achieve Integrated Marketing Communications for Huffman Trucking

In its most basic sense at Huffman Trucking, integrated marketing communications delivers critical business marketing messages to customers and prospects in a consistent and compelling way through strategic utilization of multiple media. Some call it 'speaking with one voice' (Ambler, 2000).

Through external communications, Huffman Trucking delivers critical business marketing messages to customers and prospects using non-personal communications methods such as advertising, publicity, direct mail and electronic media (Harris & de Chernatony, 2001). Through internal communications, Huffman Trucking delivers critical business marketing messages to employees and people in the sales channel who then deliver them to customers and prospects through personal communications methods. Obvious examples are: telephone contacts, in-person sales calls, customer service contacts, group presentations, trade shows, video conferencing and special events. While the Internet is a medium largely for external communications, Huffman Trucking's Intranet is an internal marketing communications channel (Harris & de Chernatony, 2001).

Huffman Trucking cannot have truly integrated marketing communications unless it creates superior internal communications to work in tandem with its external communications; the two are inter-dependent.

Huffman Trucking sells through a captive national sales force, which makes direct sales calls on larger users. The company also sells through a network of independent dealers who concentrate on smaller users.

Huffman Trucking has a clear leadership position in digital copying technology. This differential advantage is well-communicated in the company's award-winning trade advertising, its outstanding vertical segment ...