世纪商务英语Unit10.docVIP

Unit 10 产品与促销 Background Knowledge I. Product In commerce, a product is a good or service which can be bought and sold. In marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a market that might satisfy a want or need. In retailing, products are called merchandise. In manufacturing, products are purchased as raw materials and sold as finished goods. Commodities are usually raw materials such as metals and agricultural products, but a commodity can also be anything widely available in the open market. In general usage, “product” may refer to a single item or unit, a group of equivalent products, a grouping of goods or services, or an industrial classification for the goods or services. The verb produce is from the Latin prōdūce(re), (to) lead or bring forth. The noun product is “a thing produced by labor or effort”. Since 1575, the word “product” has referred to anything produced. Since 1695, the word has referred to “thing or things produced”. II. Promotion Single element of an advertising campaign. A promotion might be a short-term price reduction, contest or sweepstakes, package giveaway, or free sample offer. A promotion might also be a single mailing within a direct mail campaign or series of advertisements that make up part of an ongoing print advertising campaign. The Milk Advisory Board has employed celebrities with milk mustaches in a series of magazine ads. These “Got Milk?” print ads are a promotion within an overall campaign to increase milk consumption. It would be safe to say that most companies engage in some form of promotional activity every day of the year. Promotion is one of the four Ps of marketing—price, product, place, and promotion. Promotion is generally thought of as a sequence of activities designed to inform and convince individuals to purchase a product, subscribe to a belief, or support a cause. All of the various tools available to marketing managers for promotional activities constitute what is known as the promotional mix. Pr