A firm makes heavy machines used in factories. Its buyers are a small number of industrial firms. Because of this nature of its product and market, which tool is the firm likely to use more of in its promotion mix?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Personal selling
Option (1) Advertising through mass media — Incorrect. Mass media suits consumer goods, which have a very large number of buyers. For a few industrial buyers, most of that reach is wasted.
Option (2) Personal selling — Correct. Industrial goods firms use more of personal selling. It suits buyers who are few in number, and the sales talk can be adjusted to each buyer’s needs.
Option (3) Sales promotion such as free samples — Incorrect. Free samples are short-term incentives meant for ordinary customers, often at the launch of a new brand. They do not fit costly factory machines.
Option (4) Publicity through news stories — Incorrect. Publicity is unpaid news that the media decide to carry, so it is not in the firm’s control. The firm cannot rely on it to reach its few buyers.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “Promotion Mix Promotion mix refers to combination of promotional tools used by an organisation to achieve its communication objectives. Various tools of communication are used by the marketers to inform and persuade customers about their firm’s products. These include: (i) Advertising, (ii) Personal Selling, (iii) Sales Promotion, and (iv) Publicity. These tools are also called elements of promotion mix and can be used in different combinations, to achieve the goals of promotion. For example, consumer goods firms may use more of advertising through mass media while the industrial goods firms may be using more of personal selling. What combination of these elements is used by a firm will depend upon various factors such as nature of market, nature product, the promotions budget, objectives of promotion, etc. …” |