Blog Jessica Musalek: Study blog for Session 2

What is integrated Marketing Communication?

Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) are all measures to raise, protect and develop international and global brands. IMC could be used in all kinds of marketing. Brand loyalty, which is of course the goal of all company, is not reachable just with advertising. There are more points who have to be considered i.e. pricing strategy service, packaging, product name, slogan, distribution channels and so on.

In my source IMC is described as a Pyramide:

Figure 1

First step: Tactical Coordination

In this stage firms try to integrate promotional Tools like Advertising, sales Promotion, Marketing PR, direct Marketing and so on. In the most cases they also instruct Advertising agencies, which are responsible to value the brand through different media.

Second step: Redefining the scope of Marketing communications

In the second stage the firm is trying to get an outside-in view. So they look and analizye their costumers expections. They gain Feedback, Information (even through external agencies) about their target Group.

Third step: Application of Information Technology

In the third stage the Company has usually empirical data (primpary data) from their potential target market available inside the coperation. If not they can also get secondary datas from external companies. They identify, value and monitor the data and the Impact of using IMC on customers.

Fourth step: Financial and strategic Integration

In last step every 3 steps are involved. The first and second steps provide corporate and Marketing strategic plans and the third step the data. In this stage the financial Information will be re-evaluated. The firms are able to evaluate Marketing expenditures based on return on investement in customers or in Marketing communication activities.

Source: "Managing Corporate Communication - A cross- cultural Approach" edited by Rosella Gambetti and Stepen Quigley

How can companies use IMC?

Advertising is the most cost effective way to communicate with a large audience and you can also control what you want to say. You can Transfer really easy you brand Image ( what you want) and you symbolics. But it also cost a lot of Money and the effectivness is hard to determine.

"Direct Marketing is a System of Marketing by which organizations communicate directly with target customers to generate a respond." In this case the effectivness is easy to measuere, because you get a direct repsond. You can trade very target and customer specific. On the other Hand a customer do not have to be interested in direct Marketing and thinks that too much Information is annoying. I.e. personal Mails, Catalogues, Telemarketing

"Interactive / Internet Marketing is a form of Marketing communication through interactive media which allow for a two - way whereby users can participate in and modify the Content of the Information they receive in real life. " An adavantag is that the message can be tailored to the specific Person and it is cheap compared to other measures. It is possible to Transfer a high Level of Information to an huge audience. But mass Marketing suffers on a lack of interest (especially mass e mails oder Internet ads). Examples: Sales Promotion, Service and Support,

"Sales Promotion are Marketing activities that provide extra value and incentives to the sales force". For expample Coupons, Discounts, Sampling, SAles contest, trade Show. It is a good way to introduce new products or attract new customers.Furthermore to increase retail inventories.

Publicity is a nonpersonal communication regarding an organization, product, brand etc. On the one Hand Publicity is mostly free (word- of- mouth) and very creditable but on the other Hand it can also be very negative, because it cannot be controlled from the organization and the press can write whatever it want.

Personal selling is a direct one Person - to - one Person communication, which is very effectivly but also Needs a lot of time and high cost ( trained seller).But it allows direct Feedback and it can be tailored easily to every individual.