An Introduction to Integrated

Marketing Communications
 Definition of Integrated
Marketing Communications
 A concept of marketing communications
planning that recognizes the added value of
a comprehensive plan that evaluates the
strategic roles of a variety of communication
disciplines and combines these disciplines
to provide clarity, consistency and maximum
communications impact (through the
seamless integration of discrete messages).
 IDEAS INVOLVED IN IMC
APPROACH
Despite the increasing use of the term IMC approach by
both practitioners and academics in recent years, there
is little agreement on what the term actually means.
According to one recent review, at least two related
ideas are involved :
 One-voice Marketing Communications
 Integrated Communications

 The different elements of the communications mix

have to be used in a way that the strengths of one are
used to offset the weakness of another.
 One-voice Marketing Communications
As consumers increasingly being to be
addressed by the same marketer in a
variety of different ways ( i.e. through 5
tools of promotion) - there is a need to
ensure a consistency of positioning,
message, and tone across these different
media. These different communications
must reach consumers with one voice.
 II. Integrated Communications
 A marketer’s consumer communications need to not only raise
brand awareness, or create or change brand preference and
image, or to get sales trial or repurchase, but to do all of the
above at the same time. Increasing image without getting a sales
result is not good enough and getting short-term sales (e.g. via
sales promotion) at the expense of a brand’s long-term image is
also courting disaster. Thus , all marketing communications
should attempt to simultaneously achieve targeted
communication goals (e.g. raising attitudes or building image)
and lead to some behavioral action (e.g. trial or repurchase).
 The Marketing & Promotional Mixes
 Marketing Mix:
• Product or Service
• Pricing
• Channels of Distribution
• Promotion
 Promotional Mix:
• Advertising
• Direct Marketing
• Interactive/internet marketing
• Sales Promotion
• Publicity/Public Relations
• Personal Selling
Communication-Based Marketing Mode

Other Stakeholders
Corporate Level Message Sources Employees
Administration Manufacturing/ Marketing Finance Human Investors
Legal Financial Community
Operations Resources Government
Cross-Functional Brand Equity (IM) Regulators
Team

Marketing Level Message Sources Distributors

Interactivity Customers Suppliers
Product Price Marketing Distribution Competition
Mix Mix Communication Mix
Consumers
Cross-Functional IMC Team Local Community
Media
Marketing Communication Level Message Sources Interest Groups
Personal Adver- Sales Direct Public Pack- Events
Sales tising Promotion Marketing Relations aging
 Communication Levels
 Corporate Level
Messages sent by a company’s overall business practices
and philosophies such as mission, labor practices,
philanthropies, culture and other processes
 Marketing Level
Messages sent by or inferred from by various aspects of
marketing mix such as product performance, design,
appearance, pricing and distribution
 Marketing Communication Level
Strategic and executional consistency among all forms of
marketing communication
 Reasons For Growing Importance of
IMC
 Shift from media advertising to other forms of marketing
communication
 Movement away from advertising focused- approaches that
emphasize mass media
 Shift in power from manufacturers to retailers
 Rapid growth of database marketing
 Demands for greater ad agency accountability
 Changes in agency compensation
 Rapid growth of the Internet
 Increasing importance of branding
 IMC Communication Tools

IMC Communication Tools

Direct Interactive/
Advertising Marketing Internet Marketing

Sales Publicity/Public Personal

Promotion Relations Selling
 Advertising
Any paid form of non-personal communication about an
organization, product, service, idea or cause by an identified
sponsor.
 Advantages of advertising  Disadvantages of
– Advertiser controls the advertising
message
– Cost effective way to – High costs of producing and
communicate with large running ads
audiences – Credibility problems and
– Effective way to create brand consumer skepticism
images and symbolic
appeals – Clutter
– Often can be effective way to – Difficulty in determining
strike responsive chord with effectiveness
consumers
 Classifications of Advertising
 Advertising to Consumer Markets
 National advertising
 Retail/local advertising
 Advertising to increase demand
– Primary demand for the product category
– Selective demand for a specific brand

Business & professional advertising

•Business-to-business advertising
•Professional advertising
•Trade advertising
 Direct Marketing
A system of marketing by which organizations communicate
directly with target customers to generate a response and/or a
transaction.

 Advantages of direct marketing  Disadvantages of direct marketing

 Changes in society have made
consumers more receptive to direct-  Lack of customer receptivity and very
marketing low response rates
 Allows marketers to be very selective Clutter (too many messages)
and target specific segments of
customers  Image problems – particularly with
 Messages can be customized for telemarketing
specific customers.
 Effectiveness easier to measure
 Direct Marketing
 Direct marketing methods
– Direct mail
– Catalogs
– Telemarketing
– Direct response ads
– Direct selling
– Internet
 Interactive/Internet Marketing
A form of marketing communication through interactive media which
allow for a two-way flow of information whereby users can participate
in and modify the content of the information they receive in real time.

 Advantages of interactive/  Disadvantages of interactive/

internet marketing internet marketing
 Can be used for a variety of IMC – Internet is not yet a mass medium
functions as many consumers lack access
 Messages can be tailored to specific – Attention to Internet ads is very low
interests and needs of customers – Great deal of clutter on the Internet
 Interactive nature of the Internet leads – Audience measurement is a
to higher level of involvement problem on the Internet
 Can provide large amounts of
information to customers.
 Interactive/Internet Marketing
 Use of the Internet as an IMC Tool
– As an advertising medium to inform, educate
and persuade customers
– As a direct sales tool
– To obtain customer database information
– To communicate and interact with buyers
– To provide customer service and support
– To build and maintain customer relationships
– As a tool for implementing sales promotion
– As a tool for implementing publicity/public
relations programs
 Sales Promotion
Marketing activities that provide extra value or incentives to the
sales force, distributors, or ultimate consumers and can
stimulate immediate sales.

 Consumer-oriented  Trade-oriented
– Targeted to the ultimate – Targeted toward marketing
users of a product or intermediaries such as
service retailers, wholesalers, or
 Coupons distributors
 Sampling  Promotion allowances
 Premiums
 Rebates
 Merchandise allowances
 Contests  Price deals
 Sweepstakes  Sales contests
 POP materials  Trade shows
 Sales Promotion Uses
 Introduce new products
 Get existing customers to buy more
 Attract new customers
 Combat competition
 Maintain sales in off season
 Increase retail inventories
 Tie in advertising & personal selling
 Enhance personal selling efforts
 Publicity
Nonpersonal communication regarding an organization,
product, service, or idea not directly paid for or run
under identified sponsorship.

 Advantages of publicity
– Credibility
– Low cost (although not totally free)
– Often results in word-of-mouth
 Disadvantages of publicity
– Not always under control of
organization
 Publicity Vehicles
 News Releases:
– Single-page news stories sent to media who might print or
broadcast the content.
 Feature Articles:
– Larger manuscripts composed and edited for a particular medium.
 Captioned Photos:
– Photographs with content identified and explained below the
picture.
 Press Conferences:
– Meetings and presentations to invited reporters and editors.
 Special Events:
– Sponsorship of events, teams, or programs of public value.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
OF PROMOTIONAL COMPONENTS
Promotional Scope Cost Advantages Dis -Advantages
compo.

Advertising Mass Relativity Allows Hard to measure

Inexpensive per expressiveness results
contact and control over
message
Publicity Mass Inexpensive Has high degree Not as easily
of credibility controlled as other
forms

Personal selling Personal Expensive per Permits flexible Costs more than all
contact presentation & other forms per
gains immediate contact
response

Sales Mass Can be costly Gains attention Easy for others to

Promotion and has imitate
immediate effect

(***Packaging and public relations also play Imp.

role in promotion mix.)
 Public Relations
The management function which evaluates public attitudes,
identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or
organization with the public interest, and executes a program
of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.

 Tools used by Public Relations

– Publicity
– Special publications
– Community activity participation
– Fund-raising
– Special event sponsorship
– Public affairs activities
 Personal Selling
Direct person-to-person communication whereby a seller
attempts to assist and/or persuade perspective buyers to to
purchase a product or service.

 Advantages of personal selling

– Direct contact between buyer and
 Disadvantages of personal
seller allows for more flexibility selling
– Can tailor sales message to
specific needs of customers – High costs per contact
– Allows for more direct and – Expensive way to reach large
immediate feedback
– Sales efforts can be targeted to audiences
specific markets and customers – Difficult to have consistent
who are best prospects.
and uniform message
delivered to all customers
 Promotional Management
Coordinating the promotional mix elements to develop a
controlled, integrated program of effective marketing
communications.

 Considerations for developing the

promotional program include:
– Type of product
– Buyer’s decision process
– Stage of product life cycle
– Channels of distribution
 Models That Help to
Conceptualize the Buying Process
 Two very specific models that aid in
understanding the buying process,
as well as in framing communication
are:-
(1) A I D A Model
(2) Hierarchy–of–effects model
 A I D A MODEL
Attention (awareness)

Interest
Desire
Action
According to ‘AIDA’ model, A marketer should begin
by winning attention or gaining awareness, creating
interest, inspiring desire and precipitating the action
for purchase, in the prospects in order to enable its
product to be adopted by the target public.
Hierarchy–of–effects model
Awareness

Knowledge

Liking

Preference

Conviction

Purchase