Integrated Marketing Communication

Abstract

[IMC is 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 disciplinesgeneral advertising, direct response, sales promotion, and public relations -and combines these disciplines to provide clarity, consistency, and maximum communication impact (Caywood, Schultz, and Wang, 1991b: 2-3).However, more recent definitions, such as the one presented by Schultz (2004a), add substantial value to old definitions and to the term IMC more generally. The concept is now viewed as a strategic instrument (Schultz, 2004b: 9).IMC is the concept and process of strategically managing audience-focused, channel-centerd, and result-driven brand communication programs over time (Kliatchko, 2005: 21).The new definition seems more appropriate to the twenty-first century, as Schultz acknowledges IMC's importance as a business process and its value to both external and internal audiences. The definition provided by Schultz integrated marketing communication 3 Author and Year Concepts IntroducedCaywood, Schultz, and Wang (1991) and Caywood, Schultz, and Wang (1991b) • Coordination and consistency of messages and communication channels (one sight, one sound) • Use of a variety of communication disciplines to work in synergy based on a comprehensive plan • IMC as a concept Schultz (1991) • Kliatchko (2005: 21) (2004b) has also been used by the American Marketing Association to define integrated brand communication (American Marketing Association, 2007). However, Kliatchko (2005) does not focus explicitly on individual stakeholder groups but rather refers to them as ''audiences.'' In addition, his definition is not as explanatory in nature as Schultz's (2004b), as he underplays the results-driven characteristic of IMC and does not explicitly mention the importance of the long-term brand value and short-term financial returns. As noted by Kliatchko (2005);Schultz's (2004b) definition supplements other IMC definitions through its employment of the terms ''business process,'' ''evaluation,'' and ''measurability''. Many researchers have noted that it may not be possible to agree upon a universal IMC definition, given the various interpretations of IMC and its different values in the academic and commercial spheres (Kliatchko, 2005;Phelps and Johnson, 1996;Stewart, 1996). A critical review of previous definitions of IMC and an assessment of current IMC literature reveals that researchers were able to reduce any IMC definition to five crucial attributes (Kitchen et al., 2004a;Low, 2000): integrated marketing communication1. The communication effort should be directed at consumers in order to affect behavior. 2. An outside-in approach should be utilized, that is, start with the customer first when developing a communication strategy. 3. A well-established relationship between the company and the customer is necessary. 4. To deliver a message correctly all communication activities should be included with contact points integrate...

‘IMC is dead. Long live IMC’: Academics' versus practitioners' views

“…It has been suggested that few organisations achieve complete integration at the highest level (Kitchen and Burgmann, 2010) which means that not many companies have been able to benefit from all the advantages that IMC can offer. Luck and Moffatt (2009) state that this is because client organisations find the concept difficult to understand.…”

Impact of Integrated Marketing Communication on Consumer Behaviour: Effects on Consumer Decision – Making Process

“…IMC is considered one of the most controversial areas of research, expert's opinions being found in a diverse range, whose amplitude includes very different approaches. There are point of views according with this concept is the most important development of marketing communications in the last decade of the twentieth century (Kitchen and De Pelsmacker, 2004) and views which assume that IMC does not go beyond a collection of specific concepts traditional marketing, presented in a new form (Spotts et al, 1998).…”

Integrating identity, strategy and communications for trust, loyalty and commitment

“…Hence, managers approach, articulate and implement their company's marketing communication strategies using integrated tactics. According to Kitchen and Burgmann (2010) and Kitchen et al (2004), marketing managers should consider integration of different marketing approaches not as part of their marketing-mix, but as a holistic concept. The concept chosen should employ all the elements of marketing-mix to promote and reinforce customer interactions and distribute integrated messages to the appropriate target audience.…”