ABSTRACT
This chapter presents three aspects of strategic decisions for brand communications. First, understanding the difference between exposure and engagement is presented with accompanying tactics for each. Second, an overview is given of communication channels that can be used by marketers to implement a brand communications strategy. Third, channels that are not under the marketer's control are described. Marketer-controlled channels to build awareness and engagement include media advertising, sales promotions, public relations, sales force, and direct response marketing. Traditional media advertising, one of the best integrated marketing communication tools for creating brand exposure, is not as effective for engaging consumers to spend more time interacting with a brand. Advertising opportunities for television are available on networks, cable channels, and local cable systems. The advantages of radio as an advertising medium are offset by some limitations. An effective channel for reaching local audiences is newspapers.
