Five Ways Study Area InvestigationTransport

Question: Discuss about the Communication Plan. Answer: Introduction Toyota Motor Group is the largest automobiles manufacturers of Japan. Toyota leads in the hybrid electric vehicles across the world. It is the world first automobile company that has produced more than ten million vehicles in a year. Toyota is also the largest company that encourage the market to adopt the hybrid vehicle across the globe (Achterkamp Vos, 2007). It produces its vehicles under five brands, and they are Lexus, Ranz, Hino, Daihatsu and Toyota. Toyota automobile manufacturers have come up with a new car Electra in the hybrid electric segment with advance new features available at a very economic range that is to be launched in the recent future into the lucrative market of Australia. In this report, a communication plan is drafted for the launch of the car and to determine the best way to promote the car in the targeted customer segment. Communication planning is necessary as it helps the management in reaching the target audiences as it is the science and art of it. It uses various marketing communication channels like public relations, advertising, experiences, or a direct mail. Who to target, when to target, how to target and what the message should be used to target is all considered under the communication plan (Agostinelli, Campillo, Magnoler, Rossi, 2011). Companys Communication Plan Stakeholders of the Company A person, an organisation, or a group of people who has an interest in the actions and affairs of a particular company are known as the stakeholders of the company. Shareholders are generally divided into two categories internal stakeholders which include the shareholders and employees of the company, and external stakeholders consist of communities, suppliers, creditors, customers, partners, and the government. But when a car company is being talked about, then it is not bounded in a single country. It aims to cover the market globally. Toyota is already a global brand so it has a third category of stakeholders and they are the across the cultures stakeholders (Babatunde, 2013). The stakeholders of the Toyota Motors Group are as follows:- External stake holders- External stakeholders are the most important part of any company. The different stakeholders are: - Customers- This car is segmented in a small car category which is good for a small family. Thus, the targeted customers would be middle aged, married people with a small family who have family responsibilities, so they prefer an economic vehicle for themselves. The eco-friendly car will attract the people who care about the environment. Australia is a country of diversified culture. Thus, the customers can be of any religion or ethics (Fleming, 2013). Government- The government of all the countries is working the ways to reduce the pollution level from the atmosphere, so they can prefer using such hybrid vehicles to promote eco-friendliness. Communities- The communities that deal with the environmental issues may like to promote the hybrid electricity car for saving the environment (Gilà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Lafuente Barcellos Paula, 2013). Internal Stakeholders- the internal stakeholders that include the employees and the stakeholders prefers to use the newly launched car as they get the benefit out of it. The employees will get the employee benefit that a company grants if an employee of the company purchases the product of that company like zero percent interest on EMIs, free insurance, employee discount, and maintenance. The share holders will be gaining from the increased share prices if the product gets famous in the market, and people prefer to purchase the product (Heldal, 2011). Across the Culture Stakeholders- All around the world the awareness about the environment is increasing. People prefer to use thing those who are environment-friendly. Electra is such a car which is environment-friendly and economic also. This attracts the customer not only where it has been launched but also around it. Electra can always be launched in the other markets where stakeholders are showing interest in the product (Kamiya, 2006). The Objectives and Scope of Communication Plan Objectives- Objectives are set to clarify the targets that the organisation is aiming at with the help of planned actions. A communication plan is designed with a basic objective of informing the targeted customer segment about the product, its efficiency, its need for the buyer, and its uniqueness. The other objectives of a communication plan are as follows: - The customers need to make aware of the product, its qualities, and its brand name. The new car Electra belongs to the new generation technology, so that information is required to be given to market. A buzz or an excitement need to be created for the new car (Kandlousi, Ali, Abdollahi, 2010). Motivating customers to find out more about Electra by visiting its website, or the local dealer, or ordering a test drive. Communication should be able to convert showroom visits to the sale of the car. Thought Electra is being launched in Australia but the news about the car and its special feature should spread all over the world. If few of the objectives are even attained with the help of a well-framed communication plan, then it will give a good effect in the achievement of the targets set by the company (Kaplan, 2008). Scope- The scope of a communication plan means how well the designed communication plan will work for the launch and success of the new car of Toyota Motors Group Electra. Electra is a new generation car and thus, it is necessary that this information should reach the targeted segment of customer. Communication planning is the most important part of a project, and it is necessary that it is done in an effective manner within the regulation of the time, resources, and budget allocated for it (Lique Faure, 2012). The scope of the communication plan can be described in the following points: - If well communicated the targeted customer will get all the information about the product. It will help increasing the brand value of the product. The awareness about the car will be spread out throughout the world. Will help in the sale of the car and achieving the set target by the company. Communication is very important as this is the most effective source to make the customer aware about the product all over the world (Maiorescu, 2016). Communication Channels- Communication channel means the source of communication used to create awareness about the product. These channels can be of two type Informal and formal. It is necessary to select the most effective means of communication to advertise the new car Electra as it will help in creating customers for the car. If a wrong means of communication will be used than it may harm the brand value of the product and rather than increasing it may decrease the possible customer (Morsing, 2006). The most effective means of communication for promoting the new innovative car of Toyota Motors Group along with the advantages and disadvantages are as follows:- Print media- The most popular means of communication for advertising a product in the current scenario is print media. It the easiest way to reach the customer segment targeted by the company. It is a formal type of communication happening between the direct customer and the company. Print media includes magazines, leaflets, newspaper, etc (Nagananda, 2013). Advantages of Print Media Flashy magazines have regular customers who often read these magazines at a certain time of the month. A monthly magazine is the best way to approach customers by publishing an advertisement in it. Newspaper can reach everywhere thus covers a huge number of audience for advertising a car. Print media has trusted and religious followers who can provide a great boost to a product. Print media has several options which give a chance to ascertain the best option as per the budget, time and other requirements of the product (Poland, 2013). Disadvantages of Print Media The reach of print media is limited to the local area. It does not have the global appeal. Print media requires a lot of planning, designing, and attention. So not very flexible if the work is to be presented in tight deadlines. The lifespan of the advertisement in a newspaper or a magazine is very small. People have a habit of reading and then throwing them aside. Online Media- With the increased use of internet all over the world, most of the companies are using online media as an option for advertising their products. Online media includes websites, email, social media, etc (Steel, 2006). Advantages of Online Media Online media doesnt have any limit demographically, or geographically. With the boundaries of online media is increasing as the users are increasing. Online media has a global approach because an advertisement can be viewed anywhere around the world. The information given in the online media do not have any limit. Whereas other Medias have limited number words, and time that can be used to advertise the product. Latest information of the product can be advertised on online media and if a mistake is found than can also be rectified very quickly (Talke Colarelli O'Connor, 2011). Disadvantages of Online Media Advertising Online media advertisement is for all and for none. Most of the people do not pay attention to the advertisement displayed online. Online advertising needs more technical brains to create an advertisement that can attract the customers in comparison with the print media. Online advertising lacks the personal touch and attention (Talke Hultink, 2010). Television and Radio Advertising- it is one of the oldest methods of advertising. Television has the largest number of audiences and a much greater chance to reach the targeted customers. Radio is available everywhere, even their where there is no television. The impact of television is a bit more than radio because it is an audio-visual method of communication. Advantages of Television and Radio Advertising The impact of television advertising is the widest in comparison to any other means of communication available. The frequency of advertisement in a day is also more than any other means of communication for television and radio. Because a single advertisement can be repeated a number of time in a day which allows it to reach the maximum number of audience. Television and radio have a global approach which is not there in most of the means of communication (Thanky, 2012). Disadvantages of Television and Radio Radio is just an audio means of communication, thus not fit for advertising all types of products. The short duration of an advertisement on a radio or a television allows people to forget about the product very easily. People prefer watching or listening to what they want to listen so when an advertisement comes they prefer to change the channel rather than watching or listening the advertisement. The cost of producing a commercial is quite very expensive (Torppa Smith, 2011). Outdoor Advertising- any type of advertisement that reaches the customer when he or she is outside his or her home is known as outdoor advertising. The examples of outdoor advertising are like posters, billboards, digital boards, etc. Advantages of Outdoor Advertising Billboards are generally set up on the sides of the roads so people will definitely see the advertisement while crossing from near. The channel could not be changed, or a page cannot be turned, one has to see the advertisement displayed on the billboard. This type of means of communication is less costly as compared to other advertising means (Vangelisti, 2016). Disadvantages of Outdoor Advertising The message has to be brief because the time duration to understand the message on the billboard is less. Billboard and digital board companies demand a long term commitments because putting up an advertisement as billboard takes a lot of time and efforts (Achterkamp Vos, 2007). Effectiveness of the Communication Plan A communication plan is very necessary because if people do not get aware of the new car Electra its new features and eco-friendly nature then how a company is going sell it to the customer. A communication plan defines the method of making people aware of the product. A successful communication plan has all the necessary framework like it should come under the allocated budget, and it should be able to create awareness in the allocated time frame. Sometimes a communication plan fails also because the use of incorrect media options or even over advertising the product that the customer get bored from the product even before purchasing it (Agostinelli, Campillo, Magnoler, Rossi, 2011). A communication plan should have all the necessary approaches to attract the potential customer. It should make people visualize the product with them which can be done with the help of television advertisements. It should be brief but informative which can be done with the help of newspaper and bill boards. Online media will be able to target the young generation as they spend most of their time on the internet. The middle-aged, office going people will get the idea about the launch of Electra through newspapers as most of them read it? The duration period needs to be determined as to when and where and what type of advertisement media can be used to create a buzz and excitement about the Toyotas new car Electra. If the expected outcome is not reached by the company, then a change of planning becomes necessary to increase the sale of the product because that is the ultimate target of any management, leadership or a communication plan (Babatunde, 2013). Conclusion A communication plan is very beneficial and important part of an organisation. It is very necessary to inform the potential customer about the product that would be soon coming to the market. And the information should be given in such a way that the product should look like a necessity for the person. For this, a communication plan is designed. A well-versed and effective communication plan can help the company to raise the step to success. A communication plan is drafted by identifying the stakeholders as they are the people who have the maximum interest in the product launched by the company. After determining the stakeholders the objectives and the scope of the communication plan need to be determined that will help in designing the appropriate communication plan. The means of communication or the channels of communication that can be used to promote the product need to identify with their pros and cons that will help to find the best for the promotion. The evaluation of the form ulated communication plan will help in determining the success of the product. 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