Page 199 - Corporate Communication

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Glossary 187

DESTEP Demographic,economic,social,technological,ecological
and political analysis. A broad analysis of macro factors
that may impinge upon an organization’s business and
operations
Differentiation A competitive strategy whereby the unique and added
(competitive strategy) value of a product or service is emphasized (which then
warrants a premium price)
Direct mail Delivery of an advertising or promotional message to
customers or potential customers by mail
Direct marketing All activities that make it possible to offer goods or ser-
vices or to transmit other messages to a segment of the
population by post, telephone, e-mail or other direct
means
Direct response Communications (e.g. advertising) incorporating a con-
tact method such as a phone number, address and
enquiry form, website identifier or e-mail address, with
the intention of encouraging the recipient to respond
directly to the advertiser by requesting more informa-
tion, placing an order, and so on
Distribution channels The process and ways of getting the goods from the
manufacturer or supplier to the user
Domain similarity The degree to which two individuals or disciplines share
similar goals, skills or tasks
Dominant coalition The group of people, usually the executive or senior
management team, within an organization making the
important decisions (concerning the direction and focus
of the firm, etc.)
Economic market stake A stake held by those who have an economic interest in
an organization, such as employees, customers, suppliers
and competitors
Economies of scale The greater efficiency associated with groupings of
larger size
Encoding The process of putting information into a symbolic form
of words, pictures or images
Endorsed identity A structure whereby businesses and product brands of an
organization are endorsed or badged in communications
with the parent company name
Environmental scanning The process whereby the environment of an organi-
zation is continuously scanned for issues and trends,
usually in relation to important stakeholder groups
Equity stake A stake of direct ownership in an organization (e.g.
stockholders, directors)
Evaluation The process of assessing communications effects, often
against predetermined corporate, marketing and commu-
nications objectives