Trnavská univerzita V Trnave Fakulta zdravotníctva a sociálnej práce Sprachkompetenz in der Wissenschaft Language Competence in the Science

Michaela hromková, lukáš pavelek, petra vráblová

Slovakia, Trnava University in Trnava


Abstract

Marketing is a process consisting of a number of activities that lead to customers and meet their needs. The contribution highlights the importance of marketing and the use of alternative strategies in promoting the NGO sector. The contribution focuses on selected forms of alternative strategies, and on a study to detect the position of guerrilla marketing in its promotion of the NGO sector in Slovakia.

Key words:

Marketing. Guerilla marketing. NGO´s. Promotion.

An introduction to the issue of marketing in NGO
The essence of marketing is particularly promoting a product for which there is demand and over the means of communication to ensure its sale. Due to this fact companies closely cooperated  together with advertising and media agencies, and employ their own marketing consultants and PR managers to create a campaign for products and services to thereby increase their marketability.

Marketing is associated mainly with the private sector and it used to be an ethical question whether it has own place in non - profit organizations and whether their activity must somehow promoted. Today we can safely say that even with NGO's it is good to know that through marketing can be achieved their prosperity. There was in fact a time when competition is not increasing only in the private sector, but we also show an increase in the non - governmental sector, even competition in this sector is percieved still very gentle.

Non - profit organizations are characterized by their low budgets, while advertising on the other hand by the high cost of its implementation. Nowadays there are new possibilities of promotion, available for small and also for medium - sized enterprises as well as for those organizations that have not been established for profit. These alternatives, which are still only establishing here in Slovakia, are guerilla marketing, viral marketing, online marketing or event marketing.
Alternative marketing strategies and promotion of NGO´s
Marketing strategy in general defines marketing goals and activities of holistic strategy of organization. It is clear that every organization has its own vision, mision and goals. Also all organizations operate in very specific socio – economy conditions. From this reason it is neccessary to have own strategies. (Foret, 2012) Alternative strategies in marketing are called also as a boom of 21st century. (Vráblová, 2015) There is an increasing number of using this new – alternative - strategies also in third sector, in NGO. In this contribution we selected several types of alternative marketing strategies for promotion in NGO:

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  Event marketing – according to Jurášková (In Matúš et al, 2008) the goal of event marketing is mediation of emotions, offering non - traditional experiences and the opportunity to experience something unusual, surprising, entertaining. This type of marketing must offer something more - anticipation, joy, sharing emotions and experiences, and enthusiasm. In practice event marketing is focused on  organizing various cultural, sporting and social events, and its purpose is to induce psychological and emotional incentives to encourage the company's image. (Šindler, In Vaštíková, 2008) The basic division of events is on public events and corporate/ bussines events. The public, as the name implies, are designed for the general public. Their primary advantage is the breadth of the target group, so anyone who has the desire and participate in the attractive cultural program full of entertainment events can come and visit this kind of events. Those public events are ussualy use by the charity, which is important especially in the field of PR. On the other hand, corporate events have already become an important kinds of external communication. This event represents the "family silver" of the company, and thus as direct advertising through which it presents to the general public. (Šesták, In Matúš a kol., 2007)
  
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  Online marketing – according to Vráblová (2015, s. 33) „cheaper version of organization's products and services promotion is through the web.“ Internet is the two - way street, and communication costs are not directly dependent on the distance to which is being communicated. It follows that, thanks to the Internet can be cheap to interact with the world. Additional amenities in advertising through the internet making it the possibility of direct targeting, simple measurement of responses, constant possibility of ad sharing, high flexibility and interactive action. (Vaštíková, 2008) According to Durham (2012) for online space, there are the following instruments - The websites, E-mails, whether in HTML, text format or viral, Blogs and discussion forums focused or different servers, and other interactive content created by users, Online seminars, Social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc., Social media and aggregators whose representatives are Twitter, Delicious, Digg and others, Pay – per - click advertising, banner ads and various other online advertising and marketing tools, Virtual worlds like Second Life.
  
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  Guerila marketing - requires particular imagination, creativity, energy and time, as opposed to classic marketing that needs to their activities mainly money. Classic marketing is fixed on large companies with big budgets and guerilla gives priority to small and medium organizations, which have big dreams. the difference lies in the fact that the proponents of the older methods based on experience, judgment and estimation and the younger rely more on psychology, human behavior and demeanor. In traditional marketing philosophy are enshrined the ideas that it may be effective only if it is an increasing number of new customers, thrives on competition reduced using marketing tools that have lead to a sale. The guerrilla marketing relies more on the growth of its prestige, works with all, even with competition, relying on relationships and therefore uses not one but a whole range of marketing tools. (Veselá, In Matúš et al, 2007) Most famous tools of guerilla marketing are Low budget marketing, Online and mobile marketing (blog, buzz, viral marketing), Offline marketing (ambient, ambush, sensation marketing), Strategic marketing (guerilla, niche marketing). Guerilla marketing thus provides to companies and nonprofit organizations unlimited possibilities how to use the tools and means to promote their activities, products or services. In NGO sector weknow several types of guerilla marketing actions (Half for happiness in Brazil, Woman in suitcase in Germany, Ice bucket challenge in USA).
  

Study on guerilla marketing use in NGO sector in Slovakia
The goal of the qualitative study realized in 2014/ 2015 was to find out the importance of guerilla marketing as a one posiible form of alternative marketing strategy in promotion of NGO´s in Slovakia. Another aim was to find out which methods of guerilla marketing are useful and used by NGO´s, if the size of organization is important in choosing strategy, and if the form of promotion is influenced by the orientation and target group of selected NGO. Study had 5 respondents – organizations/ advertising agencies (WTF Factory, Staachi and Staachi, Made by Vaculík, Ambient media group and Triad).

From the research findings it is clear that guerilla marketing can be a good and effective form of promotion of NGO´s. This results for example from the properties of this alternate form, which are in particular creativity and lowcostness. For nowadays NGO´s it is neccessary the creativity of young empolyees and work of volunteers. NGO sector does not have enough money for promotion because it´s goal is not to make a profit. From this reason guerilla marketing is considered as very appropriate for its lowcostness. According to research fondings it is also clear that there are another important properties as to make a shock, to contain joke and hidden meaning. Guerilla marketing should always be targeted as well as the promotion of NGO´s, but if it will also address other groups, it is also a great success for these organizations. And according to the fact  that their campaigns will shock or be funny, or shrouded in secrecy and after some time they say its true message, it can cause an overrun. (Vráblová, 2015)

The aim of the study was to find out the most common methods of guerilla marketing. From the research results it is clear that NGO´s in Slovakia most commonly use viral videos and social networks. Boyd and Ellison (2007) explains that social networks have three basic purposes, namely: the establishment of public or semi - public profile within a closed system, formulating a list of other users with whom you can share the connection and allow to observe and comment on the work of people in their list. The best known social networks include Facebook and also popular MySpace or Twitter. Viral videos are considered either to as a separate form for alternatives, or a branch of online guerilla marketing. Research respondents express this form only in a positive direction. It's something that is effective and can hit an unlimited number of people spreading only via the Internet.

Another research findings according to Vráblová (2015) shows that for the promotion in NGO sector it is neccessary the creation of strategy. This creation is influenced by the target group – its age, place, possibilities and functional concept. For example if NGO´s want to reach students, they need to move around the dormitories, if it is not addressed to specific target group, place of performance may be for example the city center. The basis for the quality of the strategy is to identify the target groups in line with the mission of the organization. If the NGO prepare more and more specific analysis of the target group, it will be possible to prepare better offer for target group. (Šedivý, Medlíková, 2009)

The last aim of the study was to find out how NGO prepare for promotion of their activities. According to Vráblová (2015) it is clear that promotion and advertising are a very important means by which the non - profit organization can not only to report its activities, to introduce its brand and to gain credibility of public, but can also serve as a means of two - way communication between the organization and clients.

The more NGO´s try to get closer to their target groups, and also to the wider public who may represent, for example, potential donors, NGO´s can become an organization with a reputation that makes beneficial activity and tries its business to positive changes in society. (Vráblová, 2015)

Instead of the conclusion
By people from NGOs in realizing guerrilla marketing is required creativity, imagination, originality and enough time. In what they have significant advantages over commercial sector characteristic by lack of time and the idea is that they work with young people on a voluntary basis, ie without any financial reward.

Alternative marketing strategies imply countless ways to promote the organization, to get something into the consciousness, to reach people, to attract new donors. However, the problem may be on the side of NGOs concerns over the failure, insecurity in the implementation of campaigns by their own means.

A good way that could help to these organizations to gain more commitment, ideas and especially new partnerships can be a larger number of workshops or similar events.

Alternative marketing is characterized in particular that it not burden the budget of organizations, although this is partly offset by investing energy, time, patience and ideas that are necessary to implement them. These remarkable new forms are constantly being developed and their positive is the fact that the occurrence of one good idea can remodel several other, similar, but still something different.

From the reaized study it is clear that guerilla marketing has a place in the promotion of the third sector in Slovakia. This form may be suitable for NGOs on the basis of several characteristics but also because NGOs have identified their target audience and it is  guerilla marketing which requires targeting for its success.

„However, NGO´s in realizing their campaigns should not forget the rules of successful guerilla marketing. Likewise, they should not forget their purpose for which they were established and message they want to get into awareness. They also should not forget the ethical principles, namely that the promotion should not go beyond decency, which could cause damage to their reputation.“ (Vráblová, 2015, p. 100)

Promotion of non - profit organizations is essential to their business and can provide multiple benefits ranging from donor recruitment to establish positive change in society and the use of alternative strategies may appear in this regard as satisfactory.