| dc.description.abstract | The survey was conducted to establish the application of promotion mix elements
in the agrochemical industry in Kenya. With increased competition among the
agrochemical firms following the liberalization of the Kenyan economy, misuse of
pesticides is on the increase and there is a rise on adulterated pesticides in the
market. The objectives of this study were, to establish promotional mix elements
used by agrochemical firms in Kenya, determine among the agrochemical firms,
the extent of use of the promotion mix elements, the objective of each of the
promotion mix elements, and the factors that influence the choice of promotion
mix.
In this study it was found that all the agrochemical firms in Kenya use all the
promotion mix elements, with personal selling being most preferred. The main
objectives of personal selling were to obtain information, increase new accounts
and to educate customers. In addition, majority of the companies used
advertising to inform, whereas sales promotion was used to increase the number
of users. Publicity and public relations was also considered important in
increasing awareness and increasing sales volume. With direct marketing,
majority of the firms considered gaining access to buyer as the most important
objective. The tools used to a large extent in advertising are newspapers and
magazines with limited use of television, cinema, and outdoor advertising. Trade
fairs and shows are the tools commonly used in sales promotion. Among the
factors influencing the choice of promotion mix were identified as the type of
product, availability of funds, company strategy, market competition and
regulatory requirements.
The study shows that the agrochemical firms in Kenya require to increase the
use of various promotion elements to increase awareness, neutralize competition
and improve their company image.
It is suggested that, further research could be carried out to establish the
methods used to determine the promotion budget, the effectiveness of the
promotion mix currently in use, and the nature of promotion mix used by other
members of the Agrochemical Association of Kenya. | en |
