Effects of marketing communication strategies on organizational performance of beauty product firms in Kisumu

Abstract

The marketing industry today is facing a massive challenge. The old traditional media channels used to market products and services and persuade customers is losing its momentum and effectiveness due to changing customer generational needs. The marketing of beauty products in Kenya has become a real challenge in the industry due to dilution of brand-name power by fake products, imitations, increasing consumer preferences towards the use of natural cosmetic products, intense pressure from established international players within the mass-market cosmetics space and some firms have therefore bowed out of the beauty care market. To counter this and retain their market share, the beauty companies have been adopting the emerging marketing strategies to woe customers such as mobile marketing, social media and also the use of sex appeal. However, it is not clear whether this translate to better performance. Previous studies have attempted to establish the relationship between marketing strategies and performance. However no previous study focused on emerging marketing communication strategies on organizational performance in the Kenyan context. It is in this regards that this study purposes to establish the effects of emerging marketing communication strategies on organizational performance with reference to Beauty products firms. The study specifically seeks to establish the effect; of sex appeal marketing strategies on organizational performance, social media marketing strategies on organizational performance and mobile phone marketing strategies on organizational performance of beauty product firms in Kisumu. The study is anchored on media richness theory and the theory of impression management. The study will adopt a correlational research design. The target populations will be 103 staff working in the marketing departments of the firms selling beauty product in Kisumu County. Census survey will be employed to include all the staff working in the marketing department s of the firms because of the small number. Data will be collected by use of semi-structured questionnaires. To ascertain the instrument validity the instruments will be exposed to experts in the field of study such as the researcher’s supervisor for review. Half split method will be employed by the researcher to ascertain the reliability of the instrument where a threshold of 0.7 coefficient will indicate sufficient reliability. Data will be analyzed using multiple regression analysis. The results of this study may benefit the management of beauty products companies in Kenya and other organizations in beauty product commodities market in understanding various market entry strategies and specifically how they can effectively use social media, mobile marketing and use of sex appeal as an innovative new market entry strategy into market. It may also provide an insight on the effects of emerging marketing communication strategies on organizational performance of beauty product commodities. The government and policy makers may gain value added information on emerging marketing communication strategies. The study may be useful to the government in policymaking regarding social media marketing strategy, mobile marketing and use of sex appeal in Kenyan market. To the academicians and researchers, the findings may contribute to professional extension of existing knowledge on use of emerging marketing communication strategies. The study may provide a useful basis upon which further studies on these strategies in general.