Comparing the Application of Integrated Marketing Communication (Imc) in Magazine Ads Across Product Type and Time

| Adherence: Marketers are integrating new media with the traditional IMC tools to help understand the consumers and how they wish to interact with the brandDeviations: The tools must be understood and tested to prove that they are being used effectively to create the brands that consumers want, and not brands that the clients wish the consumers to want

| Objectives are integrated within TV, print and direct mail. Internet focuses on building consumer relationships rather than getting awareness. Bonds did not show any objective on its package design.

2.     Being a low involvement good, repetitive advertising is needed to increase high brand exposure. The purpose is to remind consumers of the brand and to maintain high awareness so that they will be included in the evoked set. Reminder advertising that incorporates the jingle and mermaid icon serves to increase positive associations to the canned tuna. IMC in the form of point of sales displays is particularly vital in the last touch point to stimulate sales where it becomes a “moment of truth” right before consumers decide on an

Moreover, (Product) RED uses the INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS (IMC)technology for its marketing campaign. The IMC involves the utilization of all the elements of the marketing mix, which specifically includes

In relation to promotions we believe an Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) strategy would be the best way to proceed. Through IMC the brand will be able to maintain a personality and attitude that communicates effectively with the target segment. It will also help to build a desirable ‘brand image’ and relationships with consumers and distributors. The marketing activities will be very specific. It will involve a range of communication mediums including advertising, media, public relations and sales promotion.

Integrated marketing communication is combination of all marketing tools, resources and approaches within a corporation which capitalize on impact on consumer mind and results into maximum profit at low minimum cost. In general marketing starts from "Marketing Mix". Promotion is one part of Marketing Mix. Promotional activities consist of Advertising, sales and trade promotion and personal/ direct selling activities. It also includes sponsorship marketing, internet marketing, direct marketing, public relations and database marketing. And incorporation of all these promotional tools along with the other components of marketing mix to achieve edge over rivals is called Integrated Marketing

“One of the most talked about ideas in marketing during the 1990s was the notion of integrated marketing communications (IMC). And while marketing managers still clearly feel that it is a valuable concept and one that will play an increasingly important role in their companies, there is unfortunately a great deal of evidence to suggest that truly integrated marketing communications is the exception rather than a rule”

“Marketing communication is an ever changing field. New theories, new techniques, cultural changes and technological advances all combine to create a dynamic environment within which marketers try to ensure that their messages get through to their target audiences” (Blythe, 2006, p.2). Fill (2005) argues that marketing communications is the way in which organisations reach their target audiences or it is an “audience-centred activity” (Fill, 2005, p.9).

Several facts are changing in today’s marketing communications. Owing to the growing numbers of alternative communication media and promotion, marketing communication does not just primarily focus on advertising and promotion. Organizations and entrepreneurs begin moving toward the process of integrated marketing communication (IMC), which has emerged as a new concept and the major communication development in marketing in the 21th century. More and more companies adopt IMC to convey a consistent message about their brand and products to derive competitive advantage and brand value. In addition, IMC has developed into a beneficial strategy for companies to reach more customers as well as build good customer relationships. Smith et al.

The overall marketing communications campaign is analogous to a war. The many battles within the campaign are the communications mix elements or geographical areas targeted. For example the advertising campaign is a series of advertisements, and the activities that help produce them, which are designed to acieve interrelated goal.

Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is a simple concept that helps to ensure that the communications between the promotional implementations are interconnected properly so that they all work together harmoniously. This concept is also something that is not new in the world of marketing. “IMC is the coordination of the promotional mix elements (advertising, public relations, sales promotion, personal selling, direct marketing, and online marketing/social media) with each other and with the other elements of the brand’s marketing mix (product, place, price) such that all elements speak with one voice.”(pg. 12).

This integration of marketing tools in association with the organisation’s strategic objective transmitted through a carefully chosen media, results in an effective integrated marketing communication strategy. This amalgamation of strategy, tool, message and media is called the marketing communication mix.

To ensure an effective marketing campaign an Integrated Marketing Strategy must be developed to communicate the brand and work collectively with various tactics to deliver a seamless message to consumers that stand out amongst competition. The objective is to make certain all elements of the marketing communication including, public relations, advertising, online communication, direct marketing, social media, and sales promotions are a collaboration of a unified campaign to effectively promote a product, rather than each tactic working independently, and would not have a maximize effectiveness. Csikósová (2014).

IMC can be defined as an approach to brand communications where the different modes work together to create a seamless experience for the customer and are presented with a similar tone and style that reinforces the brand’s core message (Belch & Belch, 2013). Agencies overcome this challenge by understanding and embracing technology and its effectiveness in solving clients’ problems.

This research is a quantitative, cross-sectional, exploratory and descriptive content analysis of selected advertisements from two different magazines published in August 2012 using the nine different creative concepts as main emphasis.