MARKETING COMMUNICATION AND CSR

Marketing Communication and CSR

Marketing Communication and CSR

Introduction

The term integrated marketing communication (IMC) has been described in multiple ways to include consideration as an overall philosophy of communication, to a more specific communication strategic focus, to a set of specified practices. Regardless of how it is positioned, IMC ultimately reflects the notion of integrating message, media, and audience. Perhaps IMC can best be understood by taking into account four basic principles of an IMC strategy. First and foremost, an effective IMC strategy must adopt an audience perspective. It must consider the communicated message as interpreted by the receiver, not the sender.

A strong IMC strategy seeks to facilitate relationships with various relevant audiences to gain knowledge and respect for audience needs, desires, preferences, and response patterns. In doing so, IMC strategy must consider multiple consumer groups with differing levels of involvement with the category or brand, as well as non-consumer audiences (employees, retailers, government, and community). IMC relies heavily on accurate audience research. For example, several years ago the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) conducted significant research to determine how rural populations would best receive a communicated message meant to encourage and reinforce condom usage as an important AIDS preventive.

Second, an IMC strategy must identify all potential opportunities to reach the varied audiences at numerous points in the influence or purchasing process. These are termed points of contact. Every possible point of contact with the audience should be considered: where they live, what they read, listen to, and view, where they go during a typical day, their work and leisure activities, group memberships, and so forth. For example, in targeting a teenage audience for a campaign to reinforce the designated driver initiative, points of contact could include schools, youth clubs, after-school activities, books and magazines, television programs, computer Web sites, and shopping malls.

Third, these points of contact must be considered in terms of integrating message and media.

Finally, IMC strategy depends on an evaluation of outcomes. Advances in technology, such as scanners and databases, make it possible to measure, monitor, and evaluate outcomes of integrated marketing communication strategy and tactics. By keeping records of audience activity, promoters can better target future promotion. For example, subscribers of Prevention Magazine are automatically sent general direct mail flyers for a series of newly published books on health-related topics. Once a person actually buys a promoted book, that individual is bombarded with fliers on other books or tapes on the topic as well as materials on related topics. This is similar to the database strategy Amazon.com employs that keeps a record of every person's order and provides periodic updates on new books or tapes on the same topic.

Discussion

IMC should be viewed as continuous rather than an either/or selection. In other words, strategies may differ to the extent to which they adopt the audience perspective, include all potential points of contact, integrate message and media, and link communication objectives to outcomes. It is therefore important to consider IMC in terms of degrees rather than ...