Integrated Marketing

Communications
An Overview
 Customers in Rapidly Changing
Environment and the
communication challenges
• A wide variety of media beckon the companies
to spend advertising and marketing money
• In the light of sophisticated and cluttered market
conditions, firms try to be “heard”
• Marketing communications must however speak
with a clear voice and message so that the
customers will understand the business and
benefits that come from the use of the products
or services
 Two Important Trends in
Communication Arena
First one is about the emerging need for
accountability
Advertisement agencies are expected to
generate “tangible results”
Money must be spent wisely
Coupon programs, contests, rebates, ad.
programs … all should yield measurable
gains, brand awareness, or customer
loyalty
• Funneling cash into TV commercials and glossy ads.
have to be accounted for
• Companies should decide whether they should go for
expensive 30 seconds commercials or go to Internet
• Marketing has gone from being a cost or expense to an
investment – it should pay off in terms of new sales or
higher profits
 Another trend
• Major changes in the “tasks” performed by key
players in advertising
• Account Executive: The strong demand for
accountability has placed him on a “hot seat”
Today, apart from coordinating with all
sections/people, the account executive should
get involved in developing an overall strategic
communication program making sure at the
same time that the individual promotional
activities would achieve tangible results
• The Brand Manager: He should work with
the ad. agency, the trade and consumer
promotion specialist, and all others who
contribute to developing a brand or line of
products
• All attempts to be coordinated so that all
messages speak with the “same voice”
• Creative people: Most creative professionals
are employed by the Ad. Agencies or some of
them are employed by the companies.
• These days, they are made to share the work of
contributing ideas for developing strategic
marketing direction of the firm. They along with
accounts executives are held accountable for
the effectiveness of an ad. campaign
 A New Partnership
• A new partnership among the accounts
executives, brand managers, and creative
people is the result
• The ad. People are expected to do more
than create ads. ; but make sure that the
client company would develop integrated
marketing communication systems
 A communication model
• An integrated marketing communication
program can be built on the foundation
provided by the communication model
 Noise
Sender
Noise

Encoding
Noise
Transmission device

Feedback
Decoding

Noise
Receiver

The Communication Process

Most common form of noise is
clutter
 Clutter
• Eight minutes of commercials per half hour of
television and radio programs
• A Sunday newspaper jammed with advertising
supplements
Barrage of billboards
Which one you would look at?
Subway car ads.
Web sites full with flyer ads.
 IMC – A definition
IMC is the coordination and integration of
all marketing communication tools,
avenues, and sources within a company
into a seamless program that maximizes
the impact on consumers and other end-
users at a minimal cost.
• The IMC concept takes off from the marketing
mix
• Promotion is one of the four components of the
marketing mix
• Promotion component includes advertising,
sales promotions, personnel selling, database
marketing, direct marketing, event/sponsorships,
direct marketing, Internet marketing, and public
relations
 Why are IMC programs so crucial to marketing
success?

Development of Information Technology

Changes in Channel Power
Increase in competition (global competition)
Maturing markets
Brand parity
Integration of information by consumers
Decline in effectiveness of mass media