Ineffective communication is it the fault of the sender?
In this world no person can live in isolation, each and everyone interacts with one another. And the main medium of interaction between human beings and even animals is communication. Communication is the process of interacting socially wherein at least two individuals share a common set of signs and semiotic rules (, 2006). Communication comes in different forms in can be non-verbal communication, mass communication, development communication, interpersonal communication, organizational communication and marketing communication.
Communication is an important aspect in marketing; a company cannot sell its products and services without an effective communication with its target consumers. Marketing communication is composed of messages that are being conveyed to the market in which different forms of communication are utilized, the traditional marketing communication gives emphasis on creating and carrying out printed marketing subordinates, on the other hand as marketing communication evolves and different forms have emerged academics and professionals created marketing communication as a strategic principle of marketing and branding so that the consumers are assured that the message that are delivered by the organization is consistent (, 2006).
There are different forms of marketing communication utilized by different organizations such as advertising, direct marketing, graphic design, packaging and labeling, promotion, public relations, sales promotion and online marketing. Communication is an innate process of human beings as well as other forms of living things, however sometimes during the process of communication it becomes ineffective, the receiver cannot understand or perceive what the sender is telling or saying. Is it the fault of the sender if the communication between two or more persons becomes ineffective?
An inefficient communication cannot be solely blamed in the sender; there are a number of factors that makes the communication between two or more individuals ineffective. There are language barriers, environment, and technologies to name a few sources of ineffective communication. Aside from the sender the receiver could also be at fault in the inefficiency of the communication in both parties. Moreover, marketing communication cannot be categorized in only one type; there are various forms of communication wherein the ineffectiveness is not the entire fault of the sender.
As mentioned earlier, there are different types of marketing communications that are practiced by different companies. And in those forms of communication the sender in this case the companies are not always inefficient when it comes to sending the message to its consumers.
Advertising- it is a form of marketing communication wherein the organization pays a non-personal medium such as advertising agencies, sports events, celebrities and athletes in which the sponsor is identified and the message is limited. Advertising comes in many forms it can be in television, movies, radio, print ads and lately the World Wide Web. In advertising the sender of the message which is the company is clear with their goal which is foremost to raise revenues and sales of their products and services. The sender of the message cannot be blamed for the inefficiency of communication to the receiver which is the consumers in the form of advertisement because right from the start the companies are certain about the message they want to impart to the consumers which is to buy their products and services. It only becomes ineffective when the advertising strategy used by the company ignites controversy, however the shortcomings is not the fault of the sender but the channel used such as an inefficient advertising agency, a celebrity who does not have a commercial appeal and an event in which only few people watched or attended. Advertising is a powerful tool in communicating with the consumers; however it becomes ineffective if the medium used lacks the skills to perform effectively in conveying the message to the audience.
Direct Marketing- It is a form of marketing communication in which the companies contacts each of the potential and loyal customers directly through sending snail mails directly and getting their responses and eventually having transaction for the main purpose of creating a relationship in which will profit the companies. Examples of direct marketing include the catalogues and brochures sent by clothing companies to the consumers, and letters from banks and credit card companies. In direct marketing the sender cannot be blamed for the ineffective communication with the receiver because the purpose of the company is already indicated in the mails at the same time the information regarding their new products and services is already written in the mails they sent. The reason for the inefficiency can be attributed to the postal service and the receiver. In the postal service there are cases wherein the mails are not received on time by the consumers because of the inefficiency of the service, therefore the message delivered becomes ineffective. In the case of the receiver, when the consumer moves from one place to another the company will not be able to communicate with the consumers, another is that in some cases the receiver ignores the mails sent by the companies.
Graphic Design- it is often used by the static media such as books, magazines and brochures, graphic design is a form of marketing communication wherein texts and images are used to convey a message and give information to the general public. The ineffectiveness of communication between the receiver and the sender can also be the fault of both parties. In the case of the sender, the graphic designs that most artists create have an ambiguous message, therefore sending mixed messages to the consumers, on the other hand the misinterpretation of the messages in the graphic designs can be partly blamed for the receiver because of not understanding the underlying messages of the graphic design. Take, books for example, it uses graphic designs and illustrations on the cover; however there are some occasional readers in which based the content of the book with the cover, some of the readers only read a book because of the appealing graphic design even if the content is not good, and vice versa. It only shows that in some cases it is the receiver’s fault why they could not get the message of the sender efficiently.
Packaging and Labeling- In marketing a product, the package and the label is an important aspect, especially in food products. A package even though it is not direct already sends the message to the consumers, apart from the package the label is important because it tells the receivers about the contents of the products especially medicines and food. In this case, the sender and the receiver are responsible for the inefficiency of the communication. In the case of the sender, there are incidence in which it is their fault, example is the packaging of food products, sometimes the package is so pretty but when the food is tasted it is far from the consumers expectations, the package of the company sends a wrong message to the consumers, another case is that some of the companies do not have good packages and in severe cases the products do not come with a label of the contents. In the case of the receiver, an example of the inefficiency of the receiver is when the package and the label of the product indicates that it contains high calories and fats which are possible threats in health but the consumer ignores it, then it is the fault of the receiver.
Promotion- it is a form of marketing communication wherein the information regarding the products, product lines, brand and company are distributed in the general public in order to inform the potential customers. There are different types of promotion used by different companies such as personal selling, advertising, sales promotion, direct selling and tradeshows. In promotion just like graphic design, and packaging and labeling, the receiver and the sender can also be responsible for the miscommunication. Example in the case of the sender the receiver, is when a company does not effectively promote its new products the receivers may not buy the products. In the case of the receiver, the promotional strategy used by the sender no matter how good it is if the receiver is not interested or could not grasp the idea it will be ineffective.
Public Relations- it is another form of marketing communication wherein the company especially an established one, is managing communication between the company and the public in order to develop and maintain a positive image. In public relations the company hires a medium such as a public relations company to handle, build and maintain the image of the company. The miscommunication only happens between the company and the consumers if the publicist hired by the company is not effective and does not address the inquiries of the consumers. In this case neither the sender nor the receiver is the problem but the channel used by the sender to communicate with the receiver.
Internet Marketing- as technology becomes more accessible to people all over the world, the new trend in marketing is the online marketing wherein companies spend money to advertise in popular websites through pop-ups and banners. This is a new and effective form of marketing, however it can also be a case of ineffective communication between the receiver and the sender but in this case neither the receiver nor the sender could be responsible for the ineffective communication but the medium used in communication which is the internet, if the internet or the site breaks down the sender and receiver would definitely be affected.
Aside from the receiver and the message there are also a number of factors which can be the reason for the ineffectiveness of communication. There are the language barriers, physical and mental disabilities, technology and the environment.
Language Barriers- It is one factor that increases the inefficiency of communication between the sender and the receiver. Example, a new product from another country will have a hard time marketing the products to another country especially are the management of the organization is not familiar with the language of that particular country. Language is one element that contributes to the inefficiency of communication if the sender and the receiver do not speak the same language and does not have a common language that both parties understood, the communication of the individuals will render ineffective.
Physical Disabilities- The physical disability of an individual is another factor that can be partly responsible for the inefficiency of communication. Physical disabilities such as hearing loss and muteness can also be the reason for an inaccurate communication. People with hearing loss such as old people will have a hard time listening and understanding the advertisements of companies in the radio and television, thus misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the messages often happens to the receiver. Another is muteness, the sender or a receiver that is mute have a hard time addressing their concerns and views regarding the products that they bought. These people often use sign languages in which most people cannot understand and do not know, therefore communicating with a mute person will be most likely ineffective if the sender or the receiver does not understand and know sign languages and other forms of communication employed by mute individuals.
Mental Disabilities- Mental disabilities such as autism can also be the reason for ineffective communication. Most individuals who have mental disabilities have limited understanding of different forms of communication such as non-verbal. Their comprehension skills are somewhat limited; therefore an individual who does not know and understand the limitations of these individuals will have a hard time communicating with them and vice versa. Example is when a child having autism spectrum disorder wants something from the store but is unable to express what he or she wants the store clerks will most likely misunderstood what the child wants.
Technology- Technology is another factor in the ineffectiveness of communication, although technology is a big help in connecting people all over the world it is also one of the reasons for the communication inaccuracy. An example is the cell phones, it is a big help in communicating with the people around you however it can also be the reason for ineffective communication when the lines and signals are not good. Another is the internet, it is one of the technological innovations that revolutionized the communication of people but it can also be the source of inefficiency in communication the products and the services that are offered online cannot be accessed when the internet breaks down. Technology is a useful tool in communication but it can also be another factor that contributes to the ineffectiveness of communication.
Environment. Although environment does not have a huge impact on the ineffectiveness of communication, it somehow contributes to it. Example, a store clerk and a potential customer is communicating and the environment is loud and noisy, the tendency of miscommunication and misinterpretation will happen during the transaction.
Communication is an important part in the lives of every living individual in this world; persons exist because of interaction with one another. However during interactions the messages cannot be deciphered by individuals because of ineffectiveness, often the sender is blamed for it but there are a number of reasons aside from the sender that could contribute to the inefficiency of communication, it can be the message, the medium used in transmitting the message, the surroundings or even the receiver. There are a lot of factors that leads to the ineffectiveness of communication; the sender could not be solely blamed for it.
Reference:
0 comments:
Post a Comment