IMC IS THE MAJOR COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT

IMC is the major communications development of the last decade of the twentieth century

“IMC is the major communications development of the last decade of the twentieth century

Introduction

Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is defined as a management concept that is designed to make all aspects of marketing communication such as advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and direct marketing work together as a unified force, rather than permitting each to work in isolation. (Jenkinson 2005) When a company selects and implements an IMC campaign, that company can focus all of its advertising and promotional efforts towards delivering the same united message and reaching their specific objective.

Within a short period of just over a decade, IMC has swept around the world and become the accepted norm of businesses and apparently the agencies that service their needs. Here we critically consider IMC in terms of:(1) development, (2) impact on marketing communications, (3) barriers to further progress, and (4) current location identification and likely development in the future. Evidently, (Ries 2006) IMC is here to stay. But there are problems. Not least of these is the apparent reluctance of many businesses to adopt anything more than an inside-out approach to IMC; in other words, bundling promotional mix elements together so they look and sound alike. (Kunde 2002) But, IMC has to move beyond this stage if it is to radically change the face of communications and marketing.

Discussion

IMC proves to more advantageous than just using Advertising alone because Marketers are able to reach large audiences very creatively through this medium. (Jenkinson 2007) It is most often effective to use advertising on the front end of an IMC strategy when image and awareness is needed. In some cases, the medium can be used on the back end of an IMC strategy such as when the marketers brand is already highly recognizable and is in fact the cornerstone of the marketing strategy. There are very few companies in the world however that can use broadcast media effectively as a back end brand building strategy (it's just simply cost prohibitive). (Ghoshal 2005)

In summarizing our discussions about advertising, let's say that it is best used on the front end of an IMC strategy to create image and awareness and is a great creative tool. However, it is very expensive and wasteful on a cost per exposure basis. It is also only a one dimensional monologue message which creates no dialogue opportunities for the consumer. We can't knock on the T.V. set and ask why 4 out of 5 doctors recommend a certain product. When used stand alone, it is completely non measurable. (Ries 2006) With so much noise and clutter and overkill in the marketplace, consumers now practice selective retention only remembering that which is timely and relevant and meets the time and convenience needs of the customer. Advertising must be integrated with other IMC tools to be effective, particularly response motivators. (Jenkinson 2007)

IMC approaches have grown in recognition and importance for effective marketing, particularly as ...