INTEGRATED MARKET COMMUNICATION

INTEGRATED MARKET COMMUNICATION
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(13 April 2012)
Integrated Market Communication
Integrated marketing communication is the management concept that is aimed at managing customer relations so as to ensure brand value through effective communication. The strategy is developed so as to inform, convince and persuade consumers to buy a product or service (Grewal & Levy, 2009).
It can also be defined as a process which involves integrated comprehensive marketing that drive new value primarily through efforts of communication. Those efforts comprises of cross-functional means that develop as well as nourish profitable relationships with the stakeholders and customers, through strategically influencing both messages delivered to those groups and encouraging information driven, aiming dialog together with them
The components of IMC (Grewal & Levy, 2009)
(1) Advertising,
Advertising is focused on the masses and the payments are paid by the advertiser. It is efficient since it reaches a large number of people. It is has a high absolute cost and is difficult to get feedback from the clients.
(2) Sales Promotion
Is focused on the mass and has a wide range of fees depending on the selected form of promotion. It is effective in behavior change in the short run, and it is very flexible. It can be easily abused and can cause wars in addition to duplication by competitors.
(3) Public Relations
It is focused on the masses and there is no payment that is done directly to the media. It is very credible and focuses on changing the customer`s perception of the product. The media will not be very cooperative in this aspect especially when the media is not involved.
(4) Publicity
Publicity involves presenting the product or service to the public; this will be costly depending on the method used. They may include exhibitions, adverts, reports, polls and surveys, awards or debate. The company normally focuses on managing the perception of the public and they may decide to use a celebrity to publicize the company`s products.
(5) Direct Marketing,
This is a customized integrated marketing communication, the costs include the direct mailing, phone calls, or computer internet adverts. The strength is that the messages are easily and quickly prepared and the relationship with the client is facilitated. It may be a weak method as the customers may have a declining response and the costs involved in database management is high.
(6) Networking,
This involves using the other known parties to businesses; it may also involve use of social networks to pass on the message of marketing. This may be strong since friends will pass on the good message of a product or service fast and efficiently. It may be weak especially when the negative message is passed by competitors.
(7) Personal Selling
This is a customized integrated marketing communication where sales people are involved in the exercise. This is very effective since there is immediate feedback, persuading the clients is easy, can focus on selected audience and can also deliver other information in the market. It may be weak since maintaining the sales people might be expensive and the sales people may misinterpret the message to the customers.
Integrated marketing communication contains the following goals. The goals of integrated marketing communication do interfere with the behaviors of the targeted audience. It therefore focuses on all sources of contact that a customer holds with the brand as potential delivery sources for messages and develo...