(a) Discuss the role integrated marketing communications play in relationship

marketing. How might the mass customization of advertising and other forms of
marketing communication be possible? Use examples to effectively discuss the topics
(b)Why are marketers putting so much emphasis on developing strong brands? Choose
your favorite brand and discuss how the company has used integrated marketing
communications to build a strong brand image.

A Tale of Integrated Marketing Communications - Connect Discussion Forum 1 of 5

The link between Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) and Relationship

Marketing is related to the importance of ensuring that brand messages are strategically driven,
with the synchronization of communication being identified as one of the essential aspects. Thus,
IMC influences Relationship Marketing significantly where the message can become relevant to
the customer and improves the state of the relationship (Kang, 2022). For instance, Southwest
Airlines launched an integrated marketing campaign called "Transfarency." The airline uses
television, radio, print, and digital assets to demonstrate how customers will pay for checked
bags, flight changes, snacks, and drinks (Southwest Airlines Co., 2018). This is where IMC
supports the company's relationship marketing strategy by making it easier to record, track and
act on customer information. In addition, the company's ICM tools go further by helping to
extend relationship marketing into the social media sphere, allowing the airline to more quickly
monitor and address customer issues on social media platforms. One further aspect of IMC to
Relationship Marketing is that it seeks to create a long-term relationship between the customer
and the business by engaging the target consumer in a two-way interactive information exchange
(Kang, 2022). Again, these activities lie in the domain of IMC, implying that successful
marketing communication is critically dependent on the effectiveness of Relationship Marketing.
Furthermore, the combination of technology and segmentation can be implemented to
have a successful mass customization paradigm. For instance, mass customizations are evident in
the apparel industry. Custom Foot Inc. and Levi Strauss are examples of firms successfully
combining technology and the MC strategy. Custom Foot Inc., located in Florence, Italy,
manufactures customized shoes for its customers. They use a computer scanner that registers
information about the customer's feet, and then the customer selects the specific style, material,
and color from 160 different models. Levi Strauss, using a program called "Personal 10 Pair,"
manufactures custom-fitted jeans for women. Sales attendants in the store would take measures
and enter them into a computer system. The system would suggest initial test pairs that the
customer would try to decide on the needed adjustments. Following the suggestions, Levi Strauss
would deliver the final product perfectly customized for the customer (Saravanan, 2009).
Therefore, the basic idea behind mass customization of advertising and other marketing
communications is the requirement of continuous improvement to reach a segment unit
efficiently and profitably. Thus, ensuring there is a dynamic network of relatively autonomous
operating units.
Marketers and brands are evolving and cutting through because of strong branding. This
is because strong brands enhance business performance primarily through their influence on
customers, employees, and investors. Strong brands also strengthen a good reputation, amplify
loyalty, support the perception of a more excellent value and help customers realize that they
entered the world controlled by the same values (Mullan, 2020). A strong brand represents a big
idea, a system of beliefs that customers consider as unique and useful for them. It also affects the
satisfaction of customers, and it is a never-ending process (Goldstein, 2021). In other words, a
strong brand attracts consumers and creates connections to the brand through the emotions that
accompany it. A powerful brand is a reliable and effective tool for building a good reputation
and consumer loyalty that brings greater sales. A strong and famous brand is also a key factor
when finding top job applicants that can positively impact business growth.
Lastly, the production company Netflix has positioned its brand at a competitive price,
accessible across several platforms, and the most extensive library with exclusive content. Using
analytics, Netflix has been able to segment its content over several categories and target its
customers based on their habits. Several competitors have entered the market, but Netflix
maintains its edge by vastly increasing the quality of original content, promoting the content over
the brand, and allowing the marketing to extend over multiple mediums. As a result, Netflix
implements a position and differentiation strategy solidifying its position in an ever-increasing
market. In addition, Netflix has built a strong brand image by leading the way with an innovative
"product-based" approach. Through strong storytelling in advertising and a consistent brand
message of quality programming through multiple digital mediums, Netflix successfully reaches
its end users worldwide.
 References
Goldstein, K. (2021, May 21). What is branding? (complete guide)? Wix Blog. Retrieved August
20, 2022, from https://www.wix.com/blog/2021/05/what-is-branding/?
utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=15541610090%5E1348487416
70&experiment_id=%5E%5E568798457213%5E
%5E_DSA&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjIKYBhC6ARIsAGEds-
IBO3lFWcjp5Z12KeNRKsAPHqkxH_uFDdBdEVi7zIMs9cLpLoVrx3kaAsbUEALw_w
cB
Kang, J. (2022, June 23). Relationship marketing: The ultimate guide. Referral Rock Blog.
Retrieved August 20, 2022, from https://referralrock.com/blog/relationship-marketing/
Mullan, E. (2020, December 10). The importance of a strong brand image. Hurree's Marketing
Blog. Retrieved August 20, 2022, from https://blog.hurree.co/blog/the-importance-of-a-
strong-brand-image-and-how-to-influence-it
Saravanan, K. (2009, June). Mass customization, apparel industry, clothing manufacturers,
apparel market, mass production, fibre2fashion. Fibre2Fashion. Retrieved August 20,
2022, from https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/4206/mass-customization-in-
apparel-industry-have-it-on-your-own-way
Southwest Airlines Co. (2018, June 27). Southwest Airlines. Transfarency Consumer Campaign.
Retrieved August 23, 2022, from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/behind-
every-seat-is-a-story-southwest-airlines-launches-next-phase-of-transfarency-consumer-
campaign-300524643.html

RESPONSES

Happy,
Excellent overview. It was a pleasure to read your forum. Allow me to elaborate on your very
compelling statement, “”
I think it is emphatically clear that the concept of branding is indispensable to any business.
Brand plays an important role when consumers are making purchasing decisions. Branding is a
crucial element of building profitable companies with long-term sustainability. Knowledge of the
individual factors of brand equity can support managers in developing a successful brand
strategy. If a brand strategy is executed correctly, it ensures the competitiveness of firms by
increasing market share, gaining consumer confidence, increasing sales, adding value to products
and services, and reducing marketing costs. For example, Apple adopted various communication
tools and techniques to effectively reach customers in their market. The company's Integrated
Marketing strategies use communication tools and media to spread a message. By combining
various tools, Apple ensures that its target audience is reached and can leverage the various tools
effectively. Thus, for the products of a company to be competitive in the market, there is a need
for brand building to be consistent, true to the organization, embodied throughout their activities,
and consistent with consumers' expectations. A strong brand should be the main focal point in
companies' marketing and corporate strategy as it provides a compelling platform for the
competitiveness of companies (Scott, 2021).

Reference

Scott, C. (2021, May 18). Top advantages of a strong brand equity. Your Marketing
Operations & Sales Enablement Partner. Retrieved August 20, 2022, from
https://www.fuseboxone.com/blog/top-advantages-of-a-strong-brand-equity

The points you have

I am very appreciative of your views on this week's forum topic.
added to your overview are very much valid. For instance, you cited that ….

it is emphatically clear that the concept of branding is indispensable to any

business. Brand plays an important role when consumers are making
purchasing decisions. Branding is a key element of building profitable
businesses with long-term sustainability. Knowledge of the individual factors
of brand equity, as well as, the application of the factors´ conjoint effect,
supports managers to develop successful brand strategy. If brand strategy is
properly executed, it ensures the competitiveness of firms by increasing
market share, gain consumer confidence, increase sales, add value to products
and services and reduce marketing costs. In order for the products of a
company to be competitive in the market, there is a need for brand building to
be consistent, true to the organisation, embodied throughout their activities
and consistent with the expectations of consumers. The strong brand should
be the main focal point in the marketing and corporate strategy of companies
as it provides a compelling platform for the competitiveness of companies.
Also, based on

The marketing communications environment has changed dramatically in recent years,

resulting in new challenges to marketers to build and manage their brands. However, I
believe marketers must identify means to track marketing communications to create
intense, active loyalty relationships and brand equity. For example, Apple adopted
various communication tools and techniques to reach customers in their market
effectively. The company’s Integrated Marketing strategies take advantage of a
combination of communication tools and media to spread a message. By combining
various tools, Apple is able to ensure that their audience is reached and can leverage the
various tools in ways that are most effective. Thus, when a company creates a strong
brand it attracts customer preference and a company is more protected against a
competition efford. Strong brands obtain good prices and large market shares through
their strong brand management initiatives, and companies can plan for growth through
the penetration of new markets ( ). In business, having a strong brand can ensure a
company's long-term success; companies with portfolios of strong brands create value
for the company's competitiveness in the market.

In order to achieve customization, along with low costs, high quality, and high customer
satisfaction, mass customization has to be applied in combination with some relatively
new manufacturing concepts. These techniques may help increase the flexibility and
responsiveness of the process and hence the ability to increase variety and
customization without an upward cost pressure. One well known application is Dell’s
approach to configure personal computers, where customers work with Dell to identify
the components they want in configuring their personal computer (Cohen and Pine,
2007). With the widespread use of the Internet, this approach has been adopted and
implemented effectively by other computer manufacturers, such as Sony, Toshiba,
Hewlett-Packard, etc.
Happy Wednesday, Mr. Gillett!
Thank you for taking the time to join our online discussion forum and share your
thoughts. Please allow me to continue the discourse. I saw that you referred to one of the well-
known footwear manufacturing companies, Nike, and I could not agree more with the details
provided. The business combines a variety of communication channels and supports its fair use.
The firm heavily invests in digital marketing, as seen by the high caliber of the content it posts
on social media, its website, and its apps. The functional side of Nike’s apps and website is
excellent, contributing to users’ experience with the company. Since Nike is one of your favorite
brands, you might want to head to the following link for additional information about the
company’s strong brand (Milnes, 2022): https://studycorgi.com/integrated-marketing-
communication-plan-for-nike/. 
Another fun fact would be that companies, especially Nike, are valued not just by
tangible property but by soft matters such as name reputation, ideas, intellectual property, or
customer relations because the brand is power. Branding belongs to many factors. It affects
customers daily. Even in the case of expensive trades, most tend to decide according to those soft
factors despite comparing complex data. In the present time, what one company can do, another
can also do. So there is a lot more of it happening. It focuses mainly on the strategic brand-
building process (Scott, 2021). Thus, the objective is to offer value so the firm may thrive in a
constantly evolving and fiercely competitive market. 

Reference

Milnes, J. (2022, March 11). Integrated Marketing Communication Plan for Nike.
StudyCorgi.com. Retrieved August 20, 2022, from https://studycorgi.com/integrated-
marketing-communication-plan-for-nike/

Scott, C. (2021, May 18). Top advantages of strong brand equity. Your Marketing
Operations & Sales Enablement Partner. Retrieved August 20, 2022, from
https://www.fuseboxone.com/blog/top-advantages-of-a-strong-brand-equity
There are a few examples of successful mass customization implementations

For mass customization to be a successful paradigm, the use of

segmentation can be implemented.

level of domain autonomy found in current product development cycles

needs to be reduced further. Therefore, it is important to consider advances
in MC techniques in the context of the design process, which might lead to
identification of the most appropriate ‘‘mode’’ for delivering MC goods
(MacCarthy et al. 2003).
Relationship marketing helps in conceptualizing and taking into account the impact of factors
influencing the messages in IMC originating from various sources. In some cases several factors
may have an impact, that is, are integrated with a communication message, whereas in other
cases their impact is more limited.

As the receiver of communication messages, the customer performs the integration, and inthis
integration process meaning creation takes place. Hence, whereas integratedmarketing
communication refers to an integration of messages that takes place at thecompany level,
integration according to the Relationship Communication Model refers tointegrating the message
with the consumer’s time and situation. The integration takesplace at the consumer level. Instead
of integrating outbound messages the focus is shiftedto the consumer’s integration of inbound
messages.Because the time and situational contexts are unique for any given person,
theintegration and meaning creation processes differ between individuals. The same messagemay
trigger different meanings. Hence, relationship communication is not an input that isplanned as
such and by definition differs from some other type of communication. Instead,relationship
communication is an outcome. It is the receiver who determines whether acommunication
message or campaign is relationship communication or not. A message orcampaign that triggers
an integration and meaning creation process resulting inrelationship communication for one
person may not result in relationship communicationfor another person. Its success depends on
the time and situational context of the customer,as described by the Relationship Communication
Model proposed in the present article.Although the receiver of communication messages
determines whether or not acommunication effort or campaign functions as relationship
communication, the marketermay, and if it is considered appropriate, should attempt to plan and
execute the firm’smarketing communication efforts or campaigns in a way that leads to a
relationshipcommunication outcome. This, however, requires that the marketer has obtained
sufficientinformation about the relevant time and situational dimensions of its target custome