INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION

Integrated Marketing Communication Plan

Contents

Abstract1

Introduction3

Integrated Marketing Communication3

Cross Cultural Communication and IMC Plan4

Discussion5

Company Back ground5

Business Environment5

Macro Environmental Analysis5

Micro environmental Analysis7

Recommendation9

Developing an Integrated Marketing Communication Plan9

Identifying the target market9

Determining the Objective11

Determining the budget11

Developing a Media Plan12

Creating a Message13

Assessing the Effectiveness of Marketing Communication13

References15

Integrated Marketing Communication

Introduction

Cross Cultural Communication

Communication is a process of coding and decoding messages. However, cross-cultural communication, which can also be termed as intercultural communication, is that field of study, which looks into how people from different cultures communicate among themselves and across cultures (Schumacher, 2004). Cross-cultural communication includes several other fields such as cultural studies, psychology, anthropology, and communication. Language plays an important role in cross-cultural communication. Study of language other than your own language helps to understand what we, as human, have in common (David. N MacArthur, 2004)

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility does not only help organization in fulfilling its mission but also guide them as to what responsibilities they hold up to their customers. It can also be termed as corporate citizenship, social performance, responsible business and corporate conscience. The objective of corporate social responsibility is to accept responsibility for the company's action and to exert a positive impact on employees, consumers, environment, stake holders and other communities (Dortho, 1999). A business must be accountable for its action. Its important elements are social accounting, auditing and reporting.

Integrated Marketing Communication

It is a management concept and intends to unite different avenues of marketing communication such as advertisement, public relations, sales promotion, and direct marketing, instead of allowing them to work in isolation. It is a simple process, which ensures that all types of communications are linked together while formulating a marketing communication strategy (Lowe, 2005). Your public relation material should say the same thing as your direct mail campaign and your advertising has the same 'look and feel' as your website. (McLuhan, 1966)

No matter how good is your marketing strategy is it will eventually fail if you are unable to communicate the right message, at the right place to your potential customer. There will never be a sale, no matter how good your product or service is, if your customer does not know that your product even exists. Integrated marketing communication plan matches your budget and time to the most efficient means of communicating your message (Michel. B. Salwan, 2003). It requires combining all the marketing tools of the organization and making most out of it.

Moreover, it is not just a matter of transmitting uniform marketing communications, it is about blending internal and external messages so that there is a clarity, consistency and reinforcement of the organisation's or brand's 'core position'. All elements of the promotion blend should be coordinated and systematically planned to complement each other. (Gronstedt ,1993).

Discussion

Company Back ground

Hindustan Unilever Ltd. is an Indian consumer good company based in Mumbai, Maharashtra and is owned by British Dutch Company 'Unilever', holding its 52% shares. It was formed as Lever Brothers India Ltd in 1933. The company was renamed to Hindustan Unilever ...