The internal and external challenges facing clients in implementing IMC

Abstract

The internal and external challenges facing clients in implementing IMC Abstract PurposeAlthough IMC is generally accepted as the way forward by academics and practitioners, there is a shortage of research into the challenges that clients face in implementing the process, particularly in the UK. This study addresses these issues by examining how UK clients perceive the barriers to implementation, with reference to the conflict theory of decision making and the social exchange theory from the change management literature. Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a critical realism approach and collected data through an on-line questionnaire to an expert panel of UK clients, which generated some rich qualitative data.The experts were asked to comment on four statements developed from the literature which captured the main challenges identified in previous research. FindingsThe results indicate that UK clients are facing similar barriers to those evident in other countries more than a decade ago. Three main obstacles are identified. Firstly, some clients still find IMC difficult to understand and therefore may avoid change because of the high level of risk involved. Secondly, marketing departments lack control or influence over other parts of the organisation, due in some cases to lack of representation at board level. Lastly, agencies do not have a clear role in the implementation of IMC. Originality/valueThe paper is of value because it looks specifically at the UK client perspective, which is presently sparse in the literature and updates our knowledge on barriers to implementation. It underpins this discussion with reference to change management theories. The paper also examines the support being provided by industry bodies and questions their effectiveness.

Partner or supplier: An examination of client/agency relationships in an IMC context

“…For agencies the implications are that they need to clearly identify what they have to offer the client. As more work moves in-house agencies have to evolve to become providers of strategic insight, planning and creativity and support clients in implementing IMC (Mortimer and Laurie 2017). The immediacy of real-time activities can lead to a short-term and short-sighted approach to communications.…”

How to achieve true integration: the impact of integrated marketing communication on the client/agency relationship

“…An industry report of note published by the UK Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) and other industry bodies entitled 'Magic and Logic' (Baxter, 2006) concluded that both clients and agencies had joint responsibility to implement an integrated approach. However, Mortimer and Laurie (2017) confirmed that, because IMC needed to be implemented at a strategic level within the organisation, the responsibility sat with the client to take the initiative, although this was hampered by the fact that many clients found the concept difficult to understand.…”

“…This support is crucial because many marketers feel that they are not performing a strategic role within their organisation and do not have the power to influence change (Chartered Institute of Marketing report, 2017). This is backed up by a study by Mortimer and Laurie (2017) which concluded that many marketing departments were suffering from both a low level of control and a low level of trust within their own organisations.…”

The implementation of integrated marketing communication (IMC): evidence from professional football clubs in England

“…Third, a potential vicious circle of integration that leads to an unintentional anchoring in the paradox was identified in the companies where the practitioners' understanding of IMC's potential is limited. Subsequently, five client organisations were trapped in the paradox unintentionally due to their limited appreciation and/or understanding of IMC's potential, something that Mortimer and Laurie (2017) have also argued in their work. The limited research available on clients and their implementation of IMC, combined with the need for additional evaluation of practitioners' true appreciation of IMC, underline the need for further research on the topic.…”