Comparing the Application of IMC in Korean Television Advertising across Product Type

Abstract

This study examined the degree to which integrated marketing communication(IMC) might be manifested in South Korean television advertising. Using a framework by Nowak and Phelps(1994), this study investigated the degree of IMC utilization by service organizations and physical goods manufacturers at the advertisement level. The Result showed that 44.6% of the television ads were classified as integrated marketing communication according to criteria discussed by Nowak and Phelps(1994). More specifically, approximately 90.7% of the integrated ads achieved this status by using two communication tools of different orientations. In addition, the most common form of IMC at this lowest level consisted of an image-oriented(brand advertising) and a behavior-oriented(direct response) communication tool. The second common form of IMC, that is, 9.3%, used three different communication tools; they consisted of an image-oriented tool(brand advertising) and the two behavior-oriented(i.e., direct response and sales promotion) communication tools. Nothing of the magazine ads used all four tools. Thus, South Korean television ads exhibited higher degrees of IMC which tended to include more behavior-oriented communication tools than image-oriented communication tools. These results indicate that much higher chances for advertisers to expand the level of IMC will be existed. Furthermore, the results suggest that significantly higher as well as a wider variety of communication tools are being used by advertisers, considering the limit of samples investigated in this research.