Integrated Marketing Communication: Concepts and Strategies

Integrated Marketing Communication Approach

Capítulo 1 Approach First of all we have to give a definition about what is Integrated Marketing Communication (since now IMC). Some of the more relevant are:

• According to the American Marketing Association IMC is "a planning process designed to assure that all brand contacts received by a customer or prospect for a product, service, or organization are relevant to that person and consistent over time."
• American Association of Advertising Agencies "AAAA" (1989): A concept of marketing communication planning that recognizes the added value in a program that integrates a variety of strategic disciplines - general advertising, direct response, sales promotion and public relations - and combines these disciples to provide clarity, consistency and maximum communications impact."
• Kotler (1999) "is the concept under which a company carefully integrates and coordinates its many communications channels to deliver, consistent and compelling message about the organization and its products."

IMC is a strategic planning process designed to ensure that all brand contacts received by a client or future client are relevant to that person and consistent over time. The IMC represents holistic thinking that must consider all aspects of marketing and the actions and communications derived from it and it is a consequence of the phenomenon of digitization and arises from the need that the company has to:

• Have a complete vision of marketing.
• Realign your communications.
• See things as the consumer sees them, as a constant stream of information from indistinguishable sources.

A strategy to send a single, consistent message across all communication channels to your brand users or receivers. To be sure about the consistency in the message the brand/company has to develop the IMC Rabostic Planning Model and it will be implemented and controlled. The output of the planning process is the IMC mix. And the last step is to create the IMC wheel model where doesn't matter which communication the consumer choose because all the channel will be sending the same objectives and messages.

Rabostic Planning Model

The Rabostic Planning Model includes: Research, Audience, Budget, Objetive, Strategy, Tactics, Implementation, Control.Without integrated marketing, a brand runs the risk of sending mixed messages, which can make the image projected to customers inconsistent.

IMC Practice

The IMC practice involves:

• Avoid duplicate messages.
• Take advantage of synergies between commercial communication tools.
• Create more effective marketing plans.
• Maximize ROI.

Integration is not easy to achieve but when it is achieved, the 4Es, 4Cs, 4Ss of IMC create the synergistic benefits of integration.

4Es of Integrated Marketing Communications

The 4Es of integrated marketing communications are:

1. Enhancing - improve; augment; intensify.
2. Economical - least cost in the use of financial and other resources.
3. Efficient - doing things right; competent.
4. Effective - doing the right things; producing the outcome required;

The 4Cs of IMC

The 4Cs:

1. Coherence - logically connected; firmly stuck together.
2. Consistency - not self-contradictory; in agreement, harmony, accord.
3. Continuity - connected and consistent over time.
4. Complementary communications - producing a balanced whole; supportive communications.

The 4Ss of IMC

The 4Ss:

1. Synergistic -the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
2. Synchronistic - timed and in appropriate sequence.
3. Symbiotic - mutually dependent but benefiting from uniqueness and independence of individual elements.
4. Systemic - part of a unified system.

IMC Profits

1.1 IMC Profits In market you can find a huge number of advertisements flooding both online and offline communication channels. Marketing messages run the risk of being overlooked and ignored if they are not relevant to consumers' needs and wants.One of the major benefits of integrated marketing communications is that marketers can clearly and effectively communicate their brand's story and messaging across several communication channels to create brand awareness. IMC is also more cost-effective than mass media since consumers are likely to interact with brands across various forums and digital interfaces. As consumers spend more time on computers and mobile devices, marketers seek to weave together multiple exposures to their brands using different touch points. Companies can then view the performance of their communication tactics as a whole instead of as fragmented pieces. The other benefit of integrated marketing communications is that it creates a competitive advantage for companies looking to boost their sales and profits. This is especially useful for small- or mid-sized firms with limited staff and marketing budgets. IMC immerses customers in communications and helps them move through the various stages of the buying process. The organization simultaneously consolidates its image, develops a dialogue, and nurtures its relationship with customers throughout the exchange. IMC can be instrumental in creating a seamless purchasing experience that spurs customers to become loyal, lifelong customers.

• Bulds relationships: Customers are validated in their feelings, and it creates a reputation in the consumer's mind, resulting in better brand positioning.
• Effective and cost-effective: is an effective strategy with a large success rate that reduces cost by creating and implementing multi-use materials for a campaign. Creates a trust for your brand and improves brand recognition.
• Ubiquitous: By being ever present, creates a familiarity with consumers. The repetition of a campaign floods the market and embeds itself in the mind of consumers. As exposure to a brand becomes more consistent.

Factors Discoursing IMC

1.2 Factors discoursing IMC Mind-set: The fear of change and loss of control felt by individuals associated with the industry. Elitism: Not only organizational structures encourage separatism, elitism exhibited by individuals within each promotional mix specialism. Dimensions of Integration: To be implemented, integrated marketing communications requires the involvement of the whole organization and its agents from the chief executive downwards. Manager ability: The skills required are wide with few possessing the ability to master them.Adequacy of budgets: Budgets are often set with the short term in mind rather than the long term and as a cost rather than an investment. Many companies fail to invest in the development and maintenance of a database. Magnitude of task: To be implemented IMC requires the involvement of the whole organization and its agents from the chief executive downwards. Structure of organisations: Subdivided tasks into sub-units (departments). Project teams and cross-functional assignments can help to break down organizational barriers there still remain problems with vertical communications, 'functional silos' (Gonring 1994; Schultz 1993) in which individuals and groups are protective of their own specializations and interests.

Communication Models

1.3 Communication models Fundamental to the understanding of marketing communications is an understanding of the marketing communications process and how marketing communications works from the sender of the communication to the receiver of it. B Before talking about marketing we have to start for the communication process in general. The basic model includes:

• The sender is the originator or source of the message. In practice, agents or consultants may actually do the work on behalf of the sender.
• The message is the actual information and impressions that the sender wishes to communicate.
• The media are the 'vehicles' or 'channels' used to communicate the message without which there can be no communication. Media can take many different forms.
• The receivers are the people who receive the message.

Communication as a Linear Model

Sender Message Media Receivers Communication as a linear model The following communication models begin to be more complete and include new aspects that appear in the communication process. When you are listening to the radio, you are the receiver. The sender is the person who transmits the message, for example, an informative. Theinformation is encoded in words, which are transmitted through the ear canal. You decode the message in order to interpret the message, the information. This example illustrates the linear model, which describes communication as a one-way process, where a sender (the speaker) intentionally transmits a message to a receiver. But in this model the sender doesn't know if his message has been received. If it has been received or it was received correctly. The receiver is considered from a passive perspective where, for example, an instruction would be transmitted disregarding the effect that this instruction causes, its effective or incorrect understanding.

Communication as an Interactive Process

Sender Encode Message Media Decode Receivers Communication as an Interactive Process It is a circular model, where communication is considered as a process that ends when the sender receives feedback on the effect of his message. It is therefore a two-way process that perceives communication with a participatory nature involving the receiver. Sender Encode Message Media Decode Receivers Feedback Here, the participants alternate as senders and receivers. Both produce meaning by transmitting messages and receiving feedback, within the framework of physical and psychological contexts This approach includes feedback as a key factor in the communication cycle. Notice in the figure above the inclusion of feedback. This is the response to your message that tells you what effect it has had on the recipient. And that, in reality, is a message in itself. This component is extremely important as it allows you to know to what degree your message has been properly received and, if necessary, repeat it in another way to facilitate its decoding and understanding by the other person.

Public Relations in IMC

Capítulo 2 Public Relations We are going to start with Public Relations as one of the strategies that below to IMC. PP.RR is the great unknown in the society. Probably if you ask someone what is that they are going to answer with multiple meanings, but no one correct. But Public Relations are one of the most important pillars in the creation of a IMC strategy. According to the Public Relations Society of America "Is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics" A good strategy of PP.RR helps to:

1. Create and protect a company's image and its particular product image. It is used to communicate all the necessary information to grow a good reputation in the minds of the public.
2. To generate publicity and advertise a business. Business covered on TV or radio shows or featured in journals, newspapers, or websites. Nowadays, the lines are blurring between traditional public relations and other types of marketing.

Why a PR Strategy is Necessary

2.1. Why is it necessary a PR Strategy?

• Because this strategy improve the visibility of the companies/brands and builds reputation. It is a long-term activity and in the last step the companies can increase sales with trust between the brand and clients.
• Creating visibility for company. This is key factors for popularizing brands, which is the purpose of PR. Build reputation and credibility, and grow clients' trust in product and company.
• PP.RR works best when one message is permanently communicated across all channels. A public relations media strategy ensures consistency and those public relations efforts are integrated into larger business plans.