1. Sales promotion consists of those promotional activities other than advertising, personal selling, and publicity. As such, any promotional activities that do not fall under the other three activities of the promotion mix are considered sales promotion. The trade often uses the term indiscriminately. Businesspersons may use the term “promotion” when they actually mean “sales promotion.” For purpose here, promotion is a broad term that encompasses sales promotion as well as the other three promotional activities.
1、产品促销指的是不同于(other than 除了)广告、个人销售和宣传(publicity)的推销活动(promotional activities)。因此,不属于(do not fall under)以上三种推销活动的推销活动都被认为是(are considered)促销。实际生活中经常不加区分地(indiscriminately)使用这一概念。商务人员在说“推销”(promotion)时,实际上指的是“促销”(sales promotion)。本文中,推销是一个广义的概念(a broad term),它包括(encompass)促销以及(as well as)其他三种推销活动。
2. The techniques of sales promotion are varied and numerous. The common ones used are coupons, sweepstakes, games, contests, price-offs, demonstrations, premiums, samples, and money refund offers. A combination of these can be used and sometimes is used in the same campaign.
2、推(促)销的手段(techniques)多种多样(varied),数不胜数(numerous)。普遍运用的手段(the common ones used)有附在商品上的赠券、各种抽奖活动、游戏、竞赛、降价销售(price-offs)、产品示范、各种奖励、样品试验(体验)以及钱款返还承诺(money refund offers)等等。在同一推销活动中(in the same campaign),多种手段可以结合使用,有时也确实结合使用。
3. Sales promotion is temporary in nature. Not being self-sustaining, its function is to supplement advertising, personal selling, and publicity. To launch Budweiser beer in Great Britain, Anheuser-Busch employed the “American” theme. Its TV commercials on the 4th of July and Thanksgiving Day were spots filmed in California with American actors. To supplement its advertising effort, the company used a variety of sales-promotion techniques. It made posters, bunting, flags, pennants, T-shirts, and sweatshirts available to pubs and discos for promotional parties. Bud ashtrays, bar towels, coasters, football pennants, and similar items were offered for sale. Moreover, American disc jockeys were brought in to program American music nights.
3、从本质上说(in nature),促销活动具有时间短暂的(temporary)特点。由于其本身没有自我持续的能力(not being self-sustaining),它的作用就是作为广告、个人销售和宣传等推销活动的补充(supplement)。(举例说明:)为了将百威啤酒打入(to launch)英国市场,Anheuser-Busch运用(employ)了“美国”主题(theme)。7月4日和感恩节的电视广告播的都是美国演员在加利福尼亚拍摄的(filmed)场景(spots)。为了加强(to supplement)广告力度,该公司运用了大量的(a variety of)促销手段,如制作海报(posters)、装饰旗(bunting)和三角旗(pennant)等各种旗帜以及T恤衫和汗衫(sweatshirt)等供促销团体出入酒吧和迪斯科夜总会。同时它还制作烟灰缸、酒吧餐巾、杯垫子、足球赛用的三角旗以及诸如此类的物品(similar items)用于销售。此外(moreover),该公司还专门邀请美国电台的音乐节目主持人(disc jockey=D.J.)开办美国音乐之夜。
4. Sales promotion is not restricted to the stimulation of demand at the consumer level. It may be used to gain middlemen's support as well. In Order to get Thai middlemen to carry Foremost's dairy products, the company used leasing and conditional sales contracts to provide small retail outlets' and restaurants with freezers for $1 if contract terms were met. Foremost also had to convince these resellers not to store other products in the freezers and not to unplug freezer units at night to save electricity.
4、促销不仅仅局限于拉动(stimulation)消费者的需求,也(as well)可以用来赢得中间商的支持(to gain middlemen's support)。为了使泰国的中间商销售其乳制品(dairyproducts),Foremost公司运用租赁(used leasing)和有条件销售合同(conditional sales contracts)以一美元的价格向那些零售小商店(small retail outlet)和饭店提供(provide with)冰柜,条件是要满足(meet)合同条款(contract terms)。同时,该公司还得说服这些转卖商(reseller)不要在冰柜中储存其他产品,并且不要为了省电而在夜间拔去(unplug)冰柜插座。
5. The use of sales promotion is not limited to consumer products. It can be used with industrial selling too. Misawa Homes promoted its House 55 by sending samples to U.S. Homes and Germany's Okal. Pfizer, like other drug firms, attracts drug wholesalers by sponsoring trips and other events. Gifts are given to doctors, and doctors' wives are taken on shopping tours.
5、促销手段的运用不仅仅限于消费品,它也可以用于工业销售。MisawaHomes为了推销(promote)其House55产品而向美国的Homes公司和德国的Okal公司寄送样品。Pfizer公司同其他药品公司一样,通过组织(sponsor)旅游和其他活动(other events)来吸引药品批发商(drug wholesaler)。他们向医生们赠送礼品,而且组织医生的夫人们进行购物旅游。
6. The popularity of sales promotion has grown steadily both in the United States and overseas. A survey of executives conducted by Stimulus, Canada's leading advertising journal, revealed a shift from media advertising to sales promotion. Compared with five years ago, three of five firms had moved to spend more of their advertising budget on such non-media alternatives as trade shows, point-of-purchase displays, and publicity. According to a POPAI (Point-of- Purchase Advertising Institute) -Du Pont study of shopping behavior in the United States, almost 70 percent of all non-food purchases in supermarkets are generated by in-store decisions. If the same decision-making pattern is prevalent outside the United States, sales promotion should prove to be just as indispensable (as other promotional techniques).
6、无论是在美国还是在海外,促销活动越来越受人青睐,而且势头强劲。加拿大首屈一指的(leading)广告杂志Stimulus对公司经理们的一项调查表明(revealed),他们已从媒体广告转向促销活动。同五年前相比(compared with five years ago),有五分之三(three of fvie)的公司开始在广告预算(budget)中增加对非媒体(non-media)手段的投入,如交易展销、买点(point-of-purchase, POP)展示和宣传。根据买点广告机构和杜邦公司对美国人购物行为所作的一项调查,在超市里所有非食品购买行为中,几乎有70%源自(are generated by)顾客在超市内的临时决定(in store decisions; in store 将要发生, 就要出现)。如果这种购物方式(pattern)能在美国以外的其他地方(outside the United States)盛行开来(prevalent adj.),那么,将证明促销活动同样是必不可少的(indispensable)。
7. Sales promotion is effective when a product is first introduced to a market. It also works well with existing products that are highly competitive and standardized, especially when they are of low unit-value and have high turnover. Under such conditions, sales promotion is needed to gain that “extra” competitive advantage. A Japanese firm created a great deal of excitement in Thailand by including game cards in its detergent boxes, and consumers could not resist buying more and more in search of the winning cards, Likewise, most gas stations in Thailand at one time gave free washcloths with a gas fill-up. Middlemen were also allowed to participate in the sales-promotion program. Stores were informed of the display, and their salespeople or sales clerks were made aware of the program and benefits.
7、当某种产品首次进入(introduce to)一个市场时,促销活动是相当有效的(effective)。如果产品本身极具竞争力(highly competitive),而且比较规范(standardized),那么,促销也适用于现有产品。尤其是如果这种产品单价较低(low unit-value)而且流通量大(high turnover 营业额)。在这种条件下,就需要促销以赢得额外的(extra)竞争优势(competitive advantage)。一家日本公司通过将游戏纸牌装在其洗涤剂(detergent)盒子中,结果在泰国引起轰动效应(a great deal of excitement)。消费者情不自禁(could not resist),越买越多,希望得到(in search of)胜张。与此类似(likewise),在泰国大多数加油站,顾客每加一次油,即可免费得到一块清洗布(washcloths)。中间商(middlemen)同样可以参加促销活动。经销商店及时了解(be informed of)产品展示信息,商店的销售人员和职员(salespeople or sales clerks)对这些活动及其利益一清二楚。
8. The effectiveness of sales promotion can be tempered by psychological barriers, and this fact is applicable to middlemen as well as consumers. Some foreign retailers are reluctant to accept manufacturers' coupons because they fear that they will not be reimbursed. Consumers, on the other hand, may view rebates, mail-in coupons, and money-back guarantees with suspicion, thinking that something must be wrong with the product.
8、无论是中间商还是消费者,只要有了心理障碍(psychological barriers),便会使促销活动的效果(effectiveness)打折扣(be tempered)。有些国外零售商不大愿意(reluctant adj.)接受产品厂家附在其商品中的赠券(coupon),因为他们担心(fear)这些赠券中的款项无法返还(reimburse)。另一方面,消费者可能对折扣(rebate)、邮寄来的赠券和返还款项的承诺(money-back guarantees)持(view)怀疑态度,他们会认为,这样的产品肯定有问题。
9. Much like many other marketing aspects, sales-promotion methods may have to be modified. The techniques employed, to be effective, should be consistent with local preference. Philips offered a set of dominoes as a premium for electricity purchase in Brazil, where the game is national pastime and electrical products are treated as commodities. A player holds the colored side up to prevent an opponent from seeing the dotted numbers side. Since the company's name was on the back of every domino, electricians were often reminded of the brand.
9、促销方法同营销的其他许多方面(many other marketing aspects)极为相似(much like),应该加以改进。要使所运用的(employed)手段产生作用(to be effective),就应使它同当地消费者的喜好(local preference)相一致(consistent with)。电力在巴西是视为商品(electrical products are treaded as commodities),而在该国玩骨牌是一项全国性的娱乐活动(pastime),飞利浦公司即在那里推出(offered)一套骨牌(a set of dominoes)作为购买电力的奖品(premium)。一方要将骨牌反扣,使彩色的一面(the colored side)朝上,这样,对方就看不见带点数的那一面(the dotted numbers side)。由于(since)每张骨牌的反面印有飞利浦公司的名称,电工们(电器使用者)便会经常想起这种品牌的产品。