IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications)

Problem Based Learning (PBL). Trigger 2.

IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications)

Problem

How to communicate value through IMC ?

Learning objectives

1. What does integrated marketing communication mean?

·       How can we define the term IMC? What’s the difference between the term Integrated Marketing?

·       Why should we use IMC? And what are the barriers to IMC?

·       What is the stages model of the IMC approach?

2. How to integrate value proposition / methods to different audiences?

·       What are the different methods to show the competitive advantages?

·       How should companies communicate to be adapted to the audience? Examples of relevant communication plans, golden rules …

·       How to get feedbacks or results, to know if it’s profitable?

 IMC- A concept of marketing communications planning that recognises the added value of a comprehensive plan that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of communications disciplines and combines them to prove clarity, consistency and maximum communications impact through the seamless integration of discrete messages. (by the american Association of Advertising Agencies).

Pail Smith (1996, Admap): "Integrated marketing communications is a simple concept. It brings together all forms of communication into a seamless solution. at its most basic level, IMC integrates all promotional tools so that they work together in harmony."

Consumers receive impressions of brands from a whole range of sources- first-hand experience, impressions of where it can be bought, of people who use it or people who do not, from its role in cultural mores or rituals, from movies, literature, television, editorial, news, fashion, from its connection with events and activities, and finally from paid advertising media. (Lannon, 1994).

Nowadays to this wide list we must also add online-preense of the brand and in particular social media presence and active involvement with the audience there.

Integrated Marketing-

      The benefits of IMC:

•      Consistency of message delivery (ensuring that all marketing components deliver the same message to the target audience/ holistic strategy or the brand communications/avoidance of potential confusion in consumers' minds)
•      Corporate cohesion (internal and external influence of overall image projection-important both for customers and for employees - to understand company's values and goals and to be able to present the company in the most presentable light)
•      Client Relationships (effective imc -a supportive tool for communication with customers+ advantage over competitors)
•      Interaction (Providing open information flow- to ease interaction between the company and its clients)
• 
  

     Potential barriers to IMC:

•       Lack of understanding what is IMC and its benefits 
•       Focus on mostly short-term solutions rather than long-term, which are more broad. (Mostly due budget reductions)
•      Difficulty to restructure the company so to make marketing, communication, branding divisions integrated with each other.

Stages (From:An examination of integrated marketing communication in US public institutions of higher education,Dawn Edmiston; adapted from Schultz and Schultz, 2004):

   Stage 1: Tactical coordination of marketing communication 

             (Coordinate interpersonal and cross-functional communication within the organization and with external partners)

    Stage 2: Commitment to market research in support of IMC  

       (Utilize primary and secondary market research sources as well as actual behavioral customer data. Maintain a multitude of feedback channels to gather information about customers and effectively act upon customer  feedback throughout the organisation)

    Stage 3: Application of information technology in support of IMC 

       (Leverage technologies to facilitate internal and external communications. Adopt technologies for market research and data management purposes. Employ technologies to determine individuals who have the potential to deliver the highest value (financial or service contributions) to the institution)

    Stage 4: Strategic integration of IMC (Active support of institutional leadership. Marketing communication staff empowered by senior leadership to lead the integration of external communication with internal communication directed to students, staff, alumni and other constituents. Measure effectiveness of marketing communication and incorporate findings into strategic planning)

  Competitive advantage:

   example Zara 

   Examples: Ikea, Tiffany,Redbull, GoPro

  

    Resources:

    http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ijea/journal/v8/n3/fig_tab/ijea20091t1.html#figure-title

    http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/competitive-advantage/

    http://www.multimediamarketing.com/mkc/marketingcommunications/

    Chris Fill, Marketing Communications: Interactivity, communities, and content. 5th edition 2009

    Tony Yeshin, Integrated Marketing Communications. The holistic approach, 1998