MANAGING MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Managing Marketing Communications

Managing Marketing Communications

Introduction

Changes in the business environment, along with technological innovation, increasing consumer sophistication and changes in marketing communications practices, have led organisations to seek to improve relationships with their consumers, and consistent messages to all stakeholders across a wide range of marketing communications channels, in order to effectively reinforce their core proposition. Although Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is an emerging field with a seemingly underdeveloped theoretical base, it appears to be an unavoidable trend which will continue into the future (Park, 2007, 222-36).

Integrated Marketing Communications

Overview

Marketing is the way companies strategically develop, price, promote, and distribute their products to increase customer interest and attain organisational goals. Marketing communications refer to the messages and related media used to communicate with a market. The idea of integrating marketing and communications dates back to initial marketing literature, but the term 'Integrated Marketing Communications' (IMC) only became popular in the 1980s. Even so, it was not until 1991 that a task force of academics and professionals began looking into issues such as appropriate terminology and definitions (Cornelissen, 2003, 217-34).

IMC can be defined as "the concept and process of strategically managing audience-focused, channel-cantered, and results-driven brand communication programs over time" (Kliatchko, 2005, p.23). By drawing from the fields of psychology, marketing and mass communications, IMC reveals the subtle ways in which consumers respond to marketing communications, thus helping marketers to better manage their marketing communications choices and maximize their effectiveness.

In addition, IMC helps organisations maximize their resources and link their communications activities together. IMC integrates elements of the promotional mix as well as the creative elements, organisational factors and the promotional mix with other marketing mix factors. IMC also integrates information and database systems, communications to internal and external audiences, corporate communication and promotes geographical integration (Reid, 2005, 41-54).

A major feature of IMC today is the shift from traditional one-way marketing communications and advertising channels like advertising, public relations, sales promotion, specialty items, merchandising, packaging and licensing; to two-way channels such as a direct response marketing, events and sponsorships, trade shows and exhibitions, e-commerce, customer loyalty programs, plant tours and other customer service activities (McGrath, 2005b).

In recent years, scholars and practitioners have recognized a growing need to integrate marketing communications. Many factors have contributed to this need, including:

Communications agency mergers and acquisitions.

An increasing sophistication of clients and retailers, causing marketers to develop more elaborate and quicker response systems.

The desire of firms for interaction and synergy with their stakeholders.

The need for firms to save costs, causing companies to pursue alternative methods to increase productivity and value from marketing and media expenses.

The increasing cost and decreasing effectiveness of traditional marketing and advertising, due to the rapid development and increasing effectiveness of integrative and interactive information technology.

The decreasing cost of database development and usage.

Increasing global competition.

Increasing global and regional coordination.

The rise of corporate brands which companies can use to communicate core values to different stakeholders, as against individual brands which are costly to manage and promote.

Organisations that are well integrated will maximize the impact on ...