IMC

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.
 Integrated Marketing Communications

A marketing communications planning

concept that recognizes the value of a
comprehensive plan.
A plan that evaluates the strategic roles of
several communications disciplines:
 Media advertising
 Direct marketing
 Interactive/internet marketing
 Sales promotion
 Publicity/Public relations
Combines the disciplines to provide:
 Clarity
 Consistency
 Maximum communications impact
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
The Traditional Approach
THE IMC APPROACH
 The Communication Planning Process - Guidelines

 Consumer-centric brand positioning.

 Engage consumers by “fitting in” not “Standing out”.

 Leverage the emotional code of the context of

consumers live.

 Change the everyday life experience Not Just The

Purchase Experience.

 Link the brand across the consumer journey.

 Communication-Based Marketing Model

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

Marketing Level Message Sources Distributors

Interactivity Customers Suppliers
Product Price Marketing Distribution Competitors
Mix Mix Communication Mix

Cross-Functional IMC Team

Consumers
Marketing Communication Level Message Sources
Local Community
Personal Adver- Sales Direct Public Pack- Events Media
Sales tising Promotion Marketing Relations aging Interest Groups
 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
Anypaid
paidform
form of
of nonpersonal
nonpersonalcommunication
communication
about
about an
anorganization,
organization, product,
product, service,
service, idea
idea
or
or cause
causebybyan
anidentified
identifiedsponsor.
sponsor.
Advantages of advertising Disadvantages of advertising
– Advertiser controls – High costs of
the message producing and running
– Cost effective way to
communicate with ads
large audiences – Credibility problems
– Effective way to and consumer
create brand images skepticism
and symbolic appeals
– Often can be effective – Clutter
way to strike – Difficulty in
responsive chord with determining
Classifications of Advertising

Advertising to
Advertising to Consumer
Consumer Markets
Markets
National advertising
National advertising
Retail/local advertising
Retail/local advertising
Advertising to
Advertising to increase
increase demand
demand
––Primary
Primary demand
demand forfor the
the product
product category
category
––Selective
Selective demand
demand for
for aa specific
specific brand
brand

Business &
Business & professional
professional advertising
advertising
•• Business-to-business
Business-to-business advertising
advertising
•• Professional
Professional advertising
advertising
•• Trade
Trade advertising
advertising
An example of a business-to-business ad

Source: Courtesy Honeywell.

 Direct Marketing
AAsystem
system of
of marketing
marketingby
bywhich
which
organizations
organizationscommunicate
communicatedirectly
directly
with
withtarget
target customers
customerstotogenerate
generateaa
response
responseand/or
and/oraatransaction.
transaction.

Advantages of direct marketing Disadvantages of direct marketing

• Changes in society have made • Lack of customer receptivity and
consumers more receptive to very low response rates
direct-marketing
• Allows marketers to be very • Clutter (too many messages)
selective and target specific • Image problems – particularly
segments of customers with telemarketing
• Messages can be customized for
specific customers.
• Effectiveness easier to measure
Direct Marketing

Direct marketing methods

– Direct mail
– Catalogs
– Telemarketing
– Direct response ads
– Direct selling
– Internet
 Interactive/Internet Marketing
AAform
formof
ofmarketing
marketingcommunication
communicationthrough
throughinteractive
interactivemedia
media
which
whichallow
allowforforaatwo-way
two-wayflow
flowofofinformation
informationwhereby
wherebyusers
users
can
canparticipate
participateininand
andmodify
modifythe
thecontent
contentof
ofthe
theinformation
informationthey
they
receive
receiveininreal
realtime.
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
functions medium as many consumers
• Messages can be tailored to lack access
• Attention to Internet ads is
specific interests and needs of
very low
customers
• Great deal of clutter on the
• Interactive nature of the Internet Internet
leads to higher level of • Audience measurement is a
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
Marketingactivities
activitiesthat
that provide
provideextra
extra
value
valueor or incentives
incentivestotothe
thesales
salesforce,
force,
distributors,
distributors, oror ultimate
ultimateconsumers
consumersand and
can
canstimulate
stimulateimmediate
immediatesales.
sales.

Consumer-oriented Trade-oriented
– Targeted to the – Targeted toward marketing
intermediaries such as
ultimate users of a retailers, wholesalers, or
product or service distributors
• • Promotion allowances
Coupons
• • Merchandise allowances
Sampling
• • Price deals
Premiums
• Rebates • Sales contests
• Contests • Trade shows
• Sweepstakes
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
Nonpersonal communicationregarding
regardinganan
organization, product,
organization, product, service,
service, or
oridea
ideanot
not
directlypaid
directly paidfor
for or
orrun
rununder
underidentified
identified
sponsorship.
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
– Can be negative
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.
Advertising Versus Publicity

FACTOR ADVERTISING PUBLICITY

Control Great Little
Credibility Lower Higher
Reach Achievable Undetermined
Frequency Schedulable Undetermined
Cost Specific Unspecified/low
Flexibility High Low
Timing Specifiable Tentative
Public Relations

Themanagement
The management function
functionwhich
whichevaluates
evaluatespublic
public
attitudes, identifies
attitudes, identifiesthe
thepolicies
policiesand
andprocedures
proceduresofof
anindividual
an individualor
ororganization
organizationwith
withthe
thepublic
publicinterest,
interest,
andexecutes
and executes aaprogram
program ofof action
actiontotoearn
earnpublic
public
understandingand
understanding andacceptance.
acceptance.

Tools used by Public

Relations
 Publicity
 Special publications
 Community activity
participation
 Fund-raising
 Special event sponsorship
 Public affairs activities
 Personal Selling
Direct
Direct person-to-person
person-to-personcommunication
communication
whereby
wherebyaaseller
seller attempts
attemptsto toassist
assist
and/or
and/orpersuade
persuadeprospective
prospectivebuyers
buyersto
to
purchase
purchaseaaproduct
product oror service.
service.
Advantages of personal selling Disadvantages of personal selling
– Direct contact between buyer –
and seller allows for more High costs per contact
flexibility – Expensive way to reach large
– Can tailor sales message to audiences
specific needs of customers – Difficult to have consistent and
– Allows for more direct and
immediate feedback uniform message delivered to
– Sales efforts can be targeted all customers
to specific markets and
customers who are best
prospects.
Promotional Management

Coordinating
Coordinatingthe
thepromotional
promotionalmix mix
elements
elementstotodevelop
developaacontrolled,
controlled,
integrated
integratedprogram
program of
of effective
effective
marketing
marketingcommunications.
communications.

Considerations for developing the

promotional program include:
 Type of product
 Buyer’s decision process
 Stage of product life cycle
 Channels of distribution
 Integrated Marketing Communications
Planning Model
Review of Marketing Plan

Promotional Program Situation Analysis

Analysis of the Communications Process

Budget Determination

Develop Integrated Marketing Communications Programs

Sales PR/ Personal Direct Internet/

Advertising
Promotion Publicity Selling Marketing Interactive

Advertising Sales PR/ Personal Direct Internet/

Promotion Publicity Selling Marketing Interactive
Objectives Objectives Objectives Objectives Objectives Objectives

Message Sales PR/ Personal Direct Internet/

Promotion Publicity Selling Marketing Interactive
Strategy Strategy Strategy Strategy Strategy Strategy

Integration & Implementation of Marketing Communications Strategies

Monitor, Evaluate & Control Promotional Program

The Marketing Plan

A document that describes the overall

marketing strategy and programs
developed for a company, product or
brand. The plan includes:
1. A detailed situation analysis
Specific marketing objectives
2. A marketing strategy and program that includes
selection of a target market and plans for
marketing mix elements
4. A program for implementing the strategy
5. A process for monitoring and evaluating
performance
Situation Analysis

Internal Factors
– Assessment of the firm’s promotional
organization and capabilities
– Review of the firm’s previous
promotional programs
– Assessment of firm or brand image
and implications for promotion
– Assessment of relative strengths and
weaknesses of product/service
External Factors
– Customer analysis
– Competitive analysis
– Environmental analysis
IMC Program Situation Analysis
External Factors

Environmental analysis
– Technological Political/Legal
– Demographic Socio/Cultural
– Economic
Competitive Analysis
– Direct and indirect competitors
– Position relative to competitors
– Size of competitors’ advertising/
promotional budgets
– IMC strategies being used by competitors
IMC Program Situation Analysis
External Factors

Customer Analysis
Who buys our product or service?
Who initiates and makes the decision
to purchase and who influences the process?
How is the purchase decision made?
What attributes or criteria are important to
customers?
What are customers’ perceptions of and attitudes
toward our company, product/service or brands?
What factors influence the decision making process?
Contact points where customers can be reached?
Analysis of Communications Process

 Analyze response process of customers

in the target audience.

 Analyze best combination of source,

message and channel factors for
communicating with target audience.

 Establish communication goals and

objectives.
Potential Communications Objectives

Individual sales
Customer loyalty
Company image
Brand image
Store patronage An inquiry
Service contract A visit by the prospect
Product trial
Prescription for use
Recommendation
Adoption of the product
 Contact Points Where Customers
Can Be Effectively Reached

Mass media Events/sponsorships

 Broadcast - radio/TV  Local
 Newspapers  Regional
 Magazines  National/international
Direct Marketing Sales Promotions
Internet/interactive In-store
Brochures, sales Product placements in movies
literature and television shows
Publicity/PR Promotional products
Develop Integrated Marketing
Communications Program

Advertising
Determine objectives and budget
Message development
 Called “Creative Strategy”
 Determine basic appeal
 Determine main message
Media strategy
 Communication channels
 Type of media . . .
 Newspapers/Magazines
 Radio/Television
 Outdoor/Specialty
Select specific media
 Specific papers, magazines, TV
programs, radio stations, billboards, or
other media
Integrate and Implement Marketing
Communications Strategies

 Integrate promotional mix strategies.

 Create and produce ads.
 Purchase media time and space
 Design and implement direct
marketing programs
 Design and implement sales promotion
program
 Design and implement public relations/
publicity programs
 Design and implement interactive/
internet marketing programs
Monitor, Evaluate and Control Integrated Marketing
Communications Program

Evaluate promotional program

results and determine
effectiveness

Take actions to control and

adjust promotional programs