Marketing In ProgressEssay Preview: Marketing In ProgressReport this essayHow integrated marketing communications provides synergy within an organisationThe purpose of this essay is to discuss the notion that integrated marketing communications provides synergy within an organisation. In order to do that it is imperative to define IMC first. Marketing communications are communications with target audiences, having the purpose of influencing costumer behaviour. It involves managing the marketing communications mix. The marketing communication mix also known as the promotional mix consists of 4 elements; public relations, advertising, sales promotions and personal selling (Pickton and Broderick,1995:3-8). IMC tries to align and to integrate those efforts. Shimp(1986:12) gives the following definition: IMC is the process of developing and implementing various forms of persuasive communications programs with costumers and prospects over timeIMC considers all sources of brand or company contacts which a costumer or prospect has with the product or service as potential delivery channels for future messages. Further, IMC makes use of all forms of communication which are relevant to customer and prospects, and to which they might be receptive. In sum, the IMC process starts with the customer or prospect and then works back to determine and define forms and methods through which persuasive programs should be developed. Although this definition is quite comprehensive it should be noted that IMC is not only directed at costumers and prospects, it is directed at all people that have an influence on the actual purchase. That group of people, the decision making unit (DMU) comprises amongst others: costumers, consumers, employees etc. (Pickton and Broderick,1995:10). IMC is a very broad concept and it works a lot of angles or it can be implemented using many different dimensions as Pickton(1995:90)calls them. However, IMC is mostly seen in the context of the promotional mix, so the main stress will be on that in this essay.
The main advantage of implementing IMC is that it creates synergy because the various facets of marketing communications are brought together in a mutually supportive and enhancing way(Pickton, 1995:68). In the context of IMC, synergy means that aligning and integrating all marketing communication efforts, and achieving harmony amongst those efforts results in more than keeping those efforts separated(pickton:90). Achieving harmony between the different marketing communications elements is an advantage for many reasons, first of all, many communication activities can impossibly be categorised under one of the marketing communication mix elements. For instance, an exhibitions stand promoting sausages or crisps in a supermarket can be considered both sales promotions and personal selling. If the company selling those sausages does not have an integrated marketing approach, chances are that both the sales
and the sales promotional (i.e. sales) areas of its product or service will fail to integrate as closely as possible in the eyes of those in the sales marketing areas.
Implementing IMC in a unified and cohesive way. The basic aim of IMC, is for marketers to use information and data together to help them achieve a common goal. This is achieved because this information and data gives marketers the chance to better understand and inform each other about new opportunities, and help them determine the optimal marketing strategy for the individual company. However, the concept does not mean that a unified and cohesive marketing marketing strategy is the only way to achieve true harmonious relations between marketing elements for your product and service. Instead, there is another goal which is a key feature: ensuring that your products and services can be taken to their next evolutionary level by others. This is important, because it allows marketers to see who gets what and how it is the only way to grow their businesses across a variety of industries. A few examples can be seen in the above diagram. You may be given a large variety of products and services that will fit your needs and expectations. In addition to your customers, you are expected to be able to use your services and materials fairly and reasonably. This is important particularly because there are significant differences between marketers who are expected to be efficient and those who are told that they cannot.
With your business, you should not worry about your products and services being “sold outside of the reachiest possible channels” and that these products and services are generally cheaper and therefore more likely to be successful.
I will explain this concept in more detail in the next section.
In order for IMC to be effective in your sales and marketing environments, you will need to have the good fortune to have different marketing communication channels. For this reason, you will want to understand both how their marketing communications are structured and how they work together in a way to make IMC effective. It is important not to assume as a result, that all communication mechanisms are perfectly matched, even when they aren’t. Instead, some communication channels must have basic coordination with others across the message/content to achieve their purpose. In this case, you will also need to know how the marketing communications of different marketing elements work. And more generally, it is important not to try to identify which communication channels are best coordinated.
Implementing multiple mediums in a single approach.
Now you should have a clear and concise overview of the marketing communication components we are talking about and where their differences (between different mediums) lie. This description of the marketing communication aspects of IMC is usually very straightforward and includes the following general principles:-
The marketing communication elements that define the marketing communications of your product should be very clear (and concise) together with the marketing communications elements that apply to that product and services.
The marketing communications elements that define the marketing communications of your product should be very clear and concise together with the marketing communications elements that apply to that product and services. You should focus on the two components that define and communicate each marketing communication:
marketplace: this describes communicating content and events, for example, an individual’s name
e-mail: this denotes a specific message and service which people can see and hear (e.g., e-mail) within the context of IMC or that communicates the information that they have been receiving.
this denotes a specific message and service which people can see and hear (e.g., e-mail) within the context of IMC or that communicates the information that they have been receiving. customer: this describes who people will actually be talking to