Marketing Channels And The Sales Performance Of Monitor Publications Limited, Uganda

ABSTRACT

Distributing a newspaper calls for creation of marketing channels through which it will move from the publishing house to the end-user (the reader). In this study, the researcher set out to assess the effect of channel design, channel administration and channel management technologies on the sales performance of the Daily Monitor Newspaper, a publication of Monitor Publications Limited. Quantitative data was collected from 226 respondents and analyzed to derive the following findings. Channel design, channel administration and channel management technologies were found to positively predict the sales performance of the Daily Monitor Newspaper by 10.5%, 7.6% and 14.7 % respectively. The study revealed that the design of marketing channels for the Daily Monitor Newspaper was generally good, and MPL had acceptable commission policies. It was also found that MPL had not fully utilized the internet and social media to support Daily Monitor Newspaper sales, yet a significant number of respondents were using the internet and social media. Utilizing qualitative data from 34 informants, however, some customers revealed that it was not easy to access the Daily Monitor Newspaper out of town, while others reported that some of the vendors lacked business etiquette and delivered the wrong consignment of Newspapers. Based on the above findings, the study recommends that MPL should devote more resources to channel management and preferably appoint at least one dedicated manager, whose sole responsibility is to manage customer relationships and to develop marketing programs meant to drive revenue through the channel. Dedicating more resources to channel management would enable MPL address issues like gathering or sharing Newspaper industry intelligence information, and organizing trainings for retailers / distributors to improve customer management. MPL should also develop measurement tools to track performance of vendors, and improve on communication with intermediaries and customers to build stronger relationships at each step of the channel.