Advertising

SMEs generally cannot afford the high advertising fee. Although advertising can be very effective in promoting brands, any misuse or miscommunication can bring about negative impact. If an advertisement carries a message that is different from that of the brand, it will become counter-productive as consumers may develop misconceptions and even resentment about the brand.

Public relations

Public relations generally get messages across through the media. If the media get hold of negative messages or disseminate incorrect information, it will have a significant negative impact on the brand or company.

Point-of-sale promotion

Companies should carefully select their target customer groups because point-of-sale promotion usually has a relatively small coverage. Besides, excessively hard-selling sales personnel might offend the consumers.

Word-of-mouth

Word-of-mouth is very important to brand image and goodwill. If negative information is being spread among consumers, it will cause long-term negative impact on the company and the brand.

Promotion through distributors

To effectively promote a brand through distributors, the distributors should have the right customer groups matching the positioning of the brand. If the distributor does not understand the brand or product well enough, it may pass the wrong information to other distribution channels.