Integrated Marketing Communications
INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS (IMC)
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) .The concept under which a company carefully integrates coordinates its many communications channels to deliver a clear, consistent, and compelling message about the organization and its products.
IMC starts with the identification of consumer needs. IMC builds a strong brand identity in the market-place by tying together and reinforcing all your images and messages. IMC means that all your corporate messages, positioning and images, and identity are coordinated across all [marketing communications] venues. It means that your PR materials say the same thing as your direct-mail campaign, and your advertising has
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Traditional media advertising has become too expensive and is not cost-effective. Also, escalating price competition in many markets has resulted in marketers pouring more of their promotional budgets into price promotions rather than media advertising.
A movement away from relying on advertising-focused approaches, which emphasize mass media such as network television and national magazines, to solve communication problems. Many companies are turning to lower-cost, more targeted communication tools such as event marketing and sponsorships, direct mail, sales promotion, and the Internet as they develop their marketing communication strategies.
A shift in marketplace power from manufacturers to retailers. Due to consolidation in the retail industry, small local retailers are being replaced by regional, national, and international chains. These large retailers are using their clout to demand larger promotional fees and allowances from manufacturers, a practice that often siphons money away from advertising. Moreover, new technologies such as checkout scanners give retailers information on the effectiveness of manufacturers?promotional programs. This is leading many marketers to shift their focus to promotional tools than can produce short-term results, such as sale promotion.
The rapid growth and development of database marketing. Demands for greater accountability from advertising agencies and
Secondly, in the integrated marketing communication, many marketing communication materials including advertisement should establish or develop an image and it could reflect customers’ behaviors directly. In the term of integrated marketing communication, the brand/image advertising, consumer sales promotion, direct response advertising and public relation may maximize their special strength and minimize their weakness. Lastly Nowak, and Phelps (1994), mentioned that coordinated marketing communication could build up better coordination between advertising, sales promotion, direct response and public relation. According to Phelps and Johnson (1996), Caywood stated that marketing communication planning could be recognized by added value of a comprehensive plan with variety of communications disciplines such as general advertising, direct response, sales promotion and public relation and these could provide clarity, consistency and maximum communication impact.
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
Marketing is an integrated communications-based process through which individuals and communities are informed or persuaded that existing and newly-identified needs and wants may be satisfied by the products and services of others....
Discuss what is meant by the term “customer orientation”. Illustrate with examples how companies demonstrate their customer orientation by reference to at least two elements of the marketing mix.
Top managers develop long-range plans, called strategic plans that define the company's overall mission and goals. Strategic planning focuses more on issues that affect the company's future survival and growth. To develop strategic plan, top managers also need information from outside the company, such as economic forecasts, technology trends, competitive threats, governmental issues and shareholder concerns.
* Though integrated marketing communications is further than just an advertising movement, the bulk of marketing dollars is used up on the creation and division of advertisements. Therefore, the greater proportion of the research budget is also exhausted on these elements of the campaign. The researched elements can be applied once the marketing pieces have been tested: letterhead, logistics, customer service training etc. to complete the IMC cycle
Marketing is an important area in any company. Integrated marketing is an area of the marketing world. This type of marketing can increase brand value and this allows for a high turnover on the company’s investments. We will review a company and describe the purpose and value of integrated marketing, as well as showing what value the plan adds to the company.
Initial discussions on IMC were based on definitions and theoretical understanding, and this discussion is still taking place. IMC or Integrated Marketing Communications according to Schultz (1993) combine and evaluate strategic role of diverse communications to produce a greater impact. It is a process that produces and applies different communication programs starting with the customer and work back to outline right approaches and procedures to progress throughout these influential programs. Another source sees it as a business process that aims to plan, implement and assess influential marketing communications over time. There isn’t a clear definition for it, each source rely on a different definition however according to all found IMC is identified as a strategic process. It’s composed of three main basics: consumer, channels and evaluation of performances. Consumer gives an idea of how an exchange of information affects message’s form and content. Communication channels analyze each channel in apart to
On the other hand, an important part of a firm’s market program is developing, building and conveying a brand image in marketing communications to influence consumers’ perceptions and create loyal customers. According to Kitchen et al. (2004), “IMC is to enable various messages from different communication channels coming together to create a coherent corporate and brand image”. Furthermore, IMC has been a business strategic process that could contribute to build brand value and affect the consumers’ perception of the brand (Schultz, 2004; Madhavaram et al., 2005), this can change consumers’ awareness and loyalty. Similarly, Reid (2005) provides support that IMC plays an important role that makes company more efficient in building and maintaining brand image and customer relationship. That is, effective communication can facilitate the formation of brand awareness and a positive brand image in the consumer’s mind. In other word, brand image
2》 Other beer brands have occupied large market capacity, market share of Carlsberg and Budweiser far exceeds that of Tsingtao beer
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.
Marketing communications are intended to both inform and persuade a target audience, with a view to influence the behaviour of that group. The behaviour of interest to organizations can range from encouraging owners to adopt improved practices or to produce a particular product or service. As has been said on other occasions, each element of the marketing mix must be designed so as to further the overall marketing strategy, and this includes marketing communications.
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.
IMC (Integrated Marketing Communication) is the most effective methods of reaching the minds of customers and build up long term customer relationships. This report will evaluate the IMC campaigns of McDonalds and the effectiveness of them under the LMC model. Since McDonald is a well recognized brand, the effectiveness of IMC methods they use could make a strong impact on customers minds. There is no definite IMC model and the strategies are defined through various viewpoints. The success of different models need to be evaluated separately so that the pros and cons can be provided for the developments. This report will finally provide some recommendations for the developments of LMC of McDonalds which would be beneficial for them.