Integrated Marketing Communications

• Integrated Marketing Communications is the coordination and integration

of all marketing communications tools, avenues, and sources in a company
into a seamless program designed to maximize the impact on customers and
other stakeholders
• IMC covers all business-to-business, market channel, customer-focused, and
internally-directed communications
Trends Affecting Marketing Communications
• Emphasis on accountability, measurable results
• Mobile marketing
• Integration of media platforms
• Shift in channel power
• Increase in global competition
• Increase in brand parity
• Emphasis on customer engagement
• Focus on convenience
• Cause-related marketing, advertising
Accountability and Measurable Results
• Company leaders expect tangible outcomes
• Effort led by CEOs, CFOs, and CMOs
• Advertising agencies expected to deliver results
• Emerging social media changes communication
• Emerging alternative methods and media
• Less reliance on television and other mass media
Mobile Marketing
• Includes smartphones, tablets, text messaging
• Can create an emotional experience with the brand
• Many companies have moved traditional media dollars to digital media
• Social media, digital channels give consumers access to information on
companies, products, and brands
Integration of Media Platforms
• Consumers integrate platforms
– More than 5 hours per day on non-television screens
– As much as 10 hours per day combined with
television
• Ways consumers integrate media formats:
– Content grazing
– Investigative spider-webbing
– Quantum journey
– Social spider-webbing
Figure 1.6: Pathways Consumers Use to Interact across
Media Devices
Device roles in content grazing:

• Television: Used at home in the evening, often for entertainment.

• Laptop: Is the workhorse that’s mainly used alone early in the day. It’s useful
for time sensitive activities.
• Smartphone: Often used if others are present as a means to stay connected
socially and to gather useful information. Also for one-to-one communications,
mainly texts.
• Tablet: More likely to be used when alone for more involved activities like
gaming.
Actionable Content Marketing Tips:

• Provide entertaining content to entice prospects during their escape time.

• Make your content easy-to-consume. Think snackable content.

• Ensure your content is viewable on a mobile device, specifically a

smartphone or tablet, to allow prospects to find you when they’re looking. This
is particularly important for customers who are in your store or your
competitor’s store!
Device roles in investigative spider-webbing:

• Television: Is often the spark for seeking additional content. It’s used at home
in the evening.
• Laptop: Offers control to television viewing and answers questions.
• Smartphone: Provides a polite way to gather information if others are
present.
• Tablet: Likely to be used at home to enhance viewing. Can be used with
others around for information gathering and connecting.
Actionable Content Marketing Tips:

• Provide content to supplement relevant television shows. Think in terms

of extending the television experience or supplementing your television
advertising.

• Create content for tablet use that shows your product in context. Make it
easy-to-consume.
Device roles in social spider-webbing:

• Television: is the spark for engagement. About one out of five times it’s a live
event.
• Laptop: More likely to be used when alone. It’s often focused on helping
others.
• Smartphone: It’s used to communicate with others either one-to-one or via
social networks.
• Tablet: More likely to be used when others are present for fun activities than a
laptop.
Actionable Content Marketing Tips:

• Extend live television events with special content such as behind the

scenes interviews and footage or a conversation on Twitter.

• Use hashtags to help track and engage your audience.

Device roles in quantum:

• Television: is used at home when others are present. It’s often the spark for
engagement. Can meet discovery and enrichment needs.
• Laptop: Mainly used at home in the evening for information gathering. It’s key
to decision making activity.
• Smartphone: Is used all day both home and away to start and finish
activities. It’s used for communication or to get more information. Can bring
social engagement into the process.
• Tablet: Mainly used at home to discover and gather information.
Actionable Content Marketing Tips:

• Ensure that you provide content to aid prospects and customers gather
information related to purchase decisions. 

• Make it easy for prospects to share your information with influencers,

product user and/or social network. Remember many purchase decisions
require input from others for various reasons.
Changes in Channel Power
• Retailers
– Control channel
– Control shelf space
– Have purchase data
– Determine products and brands on shelves
• Consumers
– Internet shifts power to consumers
– Multiple methods of making purchases
Increases in Global Competition
• Information technology
and communication has
changed the marketplace
• Products can be
purchased from anywhere
on the globe
• Customers want both low
prices and high quality
• Manufacturers and
retailers must work
together
Increases in Brand Parity
• Brands viewed as providing identical attributes
• Shoppers select from a group of brands
• Quality and characteristics less important
• Price more important
• Decline in brand loyalty
Emphasis on Customer Engagement
• Marketers seek to engage customers with the brand at every contact point
• Digital and social media now part of total integrated marketing approach
• Two-way communication is key
• Firms strive to develop emotional commitment
Focus on Convenience
• Consumers value time in new and important ways
• Emphasis on making purchases quick and simple
• Home delivery systems and store pick-up programs increasing
• Many services now made from a consumer’s smartphone or tablet
Cause-Related Marketing and Advertising
• More consumers want to
buy products attached to
socially responsible
efforts and causes
• This trend greatly
increased during the
COVID-19 outbreak
Why Integrated Marketing Works
1. Unifies strategy and message across channels
2. Streamlines timing
3. Connects with multiple audiences
4. Creates meaningful insights
5. Maximizes impact
Overview of IMC Text