Integrated Marketing

Communications
COURSE OBJECTIVES
 To build a comprehensive framework for integrated
marketing communications.
 To the study the advertising, publicity, personal selling,
direct marketing and sales promotion.
 To enhance knowledge of emerging trends in integrated
marketing communications.
 To acquaint the students with the latest internet and e-
marketing techniques, ethically way of handling business.
COURSE OUTCOMES
 The students will be able to define and apply knowledge
of various aspects of managerial decision making related
to marketing communications strategy and tactics.(CO1)
 The students will be getting an idea to explain the role of
IMC in the overall marketing &Use effectiveness
measures to evaluate IMC strategies.(CO2)
 The students will get the ability to create an integrated
marketing communications plan which includes
promotional strategies. (CO3)
 The students will get trained in the art of drafting, prepare
advertising copy and design other basic IMC tools
ethically Situations. (CO4)
Integrated Marketing
Communication
Module 1
Marketing communications are the means by which marketers

 Create awareness about new products

 Persuade customers to make a choice of a particular product
 Remind customers to stay with the product, directly or
indirectly
 Engage with customers to influence them for a sale
 Change the attitude of customers
 Justify prices with benefits
 Answer customer questions
 Provide after sale reinforcement
 Reassure customer judgment
 IMC is an approach to achieve marketing communications
objectives through a well-coordinated use of different
promotional methods which are intended to reinforce each
other.
 Marketers have to explore innovative methods to leverage
on marketing communications mix such as advertising,
direct marketing, sales promotion, digital marketing etc. to
create a unified and integrated whole for synergy and
consistency
Benefits of IMC
 1. Consistency:
One of the key benefits of IMC is the ability to maintain
consistency across all communication channels. Consistent
messaging helps reinforce brand identity and build trust with
consumers, leading to stronger brand recognition and loyalty.

 2. Increased Effectiveness:
By integrating various marketing channels, brands can create a
more cohesive and impactful marketing campaign. Consistent
messaging across multiple touch points increases the likelihood
of reaching and resonating with the target audience, driving
higher engagement and conversion rates.
 3. Cost Efficiency:
While implementing an IMC strategy may require initial
investment in infrastructure and technology, the long-term
benefits often outweigh the costs. By streamlining
communication efforts and eliminating duplication, brands can
optimize their marketing budgets and achieve greater ROI.

 4. Enhanced Customer Experience:

IMC allows brands to deliver a seamless and cohesive brand
experience across all touch points, from initial awareness to post-
purchase support. By providing consistent messaging.
ROLE OF IMC/IMPORTANCE
 AWARENESS
 INFORMATION
 INCREASE SALES
 INFORM THE INTERMEDIARIES
 EXPANSION OF MARKET
 MORE SPECIALIZED MEDIA
IMC TOOLS
 1. Advertising:
Traditional advertising mediums like television, radio, print,
and outdoor advertising play a crucial role in IMC. However,
in the digital age, online advertising channels such as display
ads, search engine marketing, and social media advertising
have become equally important in reaching target audiences.
 2. Public Relations (PR):

PR activities, including media relations, press releases,

events, and influencer partnerships, help shape public
perception and build brand credibility. Integrating PR into the
IMC strategy ensures that brand messaging remains
consistent across earned media channels.
 3. Direct Marketing:
Direct marketing tactics such as email marketing, direct
mail, and SMS campaigns allow brands to communicate
directly with their target audience. By personalizing
messages and offers, brands can enhance customer
engagement and drive conversions.
 4. Social Media:

With the proliferation of social media platforms, brands

have unprecedented opportunities to engage with consumers
on a personal level. Social media marketing efforts,
including organic content creation, paid advertising, and
community management, are integral to IMC strategies
aimed at building brand awareness and fostering customer
 5. Sales Promotion:
Sales promotions, such as discounts, coupons, contests, and
loyalty programs, incentivize purchase behavior and drive
short-term sales. When integrated into the broader IMC
strategy, sales promotions complement other marketing
efforts and reinforce brand messaging
MARKETING-PROMOTION MODEL
Opportunity Analysis

 A careful analysis of the marketplace should lead to

alternative market opportunities for existing product lines
in current or new markets, new products for current
markets, or new products for new markets
 Market opportunities are areas where there are favorable
demand trends, where the company believes customer
needs and opportunities are not being satisfied, and where
it can compete effectively
 Athletic-shoe companies such as Nike, Reebok, and others
see the shoe market as an opportunity to broaden their
customer base both domestically and internationally
Competitive Analysis
 In developing the firm’s marketing strategies and plans for its
products and services, the manager must carefully analyse the
competition to be faced in the marketplace.
 For example, recently the U.S. market has seen significant growth
in the high-end luxury market, with more consumers spending more
of their money on luxury goods than ever before. High-end
products from Coach, Tiffany’s, and Ralph Lauren are all benefiting
from this change in consumer spending habits.
 This may range from direct brand competition (which can also
include its own brands) to more indirect forms of competition, such
as product substitutes
 An important aspect of marketing strategy development is the
search for a competitive advantage, something special a firm does
or has that gives it an edge over competitors.
Target Marketing


Identifying Markets

 Target market identification isolates consumers with

similar lifestyles, needs, and the like, and increases our
knowledge of their specific requirements
 The more marketers can establish this common ground
with consumers, the more effective they will be in
addressing these requirements in their communications
programs and informing and/or persuading potential
consumers that the product or service offering will meet
their needs
Market Segmentation

 Dividing up a market into distinct groups that have

common needs and will respond similarly to a marketing
process. The Process involves the following steps:
 Finding ways to group consumers according to their needs
 Finding ways to group the marketing actions—usually the
products offered available to the organization
 Developing a market-product grid to relate the market
segments to the firm’s products or actions
 Selecting the target segments toward which the firm
directs its marketing actions
 Taking marketing actions to reach target segments
Bases for Segmentation

 Geographic Segmentation
 Demographic Segmentation
 Psychographic Segmentation
 Behaviouristic Segmentation
 Benefit Segmentation
Selecting a target market

1. Determining how many segments to enter:

 Undifferentiated marketing involves ignoring segment differences
and offering just one product or service to the entire market
 Differentiated marketing involves marketing in a number of
segments, developing separate marketing strategies for each
 Concentrated marketing is used when the firm selects one
segment and attempts to capture a large share of this market
2. Determining which segments offer potential:
 The second step in selecting a market involves determining the
most attractive segment. The firm must examine the sales potential
of the segment, the opportunities for growth, the competition, and
its own ability to compete. Then it must decide whether it can
market to this group.
Market Positioning

 Positioning -“the art and science of fitting the product or service to one
or more segments of the broad market in such a way as to set it
meaningfully apart from competition.” Positioning strategies generally
focus on either the consumer or the competition.
 Developing a Positioning Strategy: To create a position for a product or
service, managers must ask themselves six basic questions:
 What position, if any, do we already have in the prospect’s mind?
 What position do we want to own?
 What companies must be outgunned if we are to establish that position?
 Do we have enough marketing money to occupy and hold the position?
 Do we have the guts to stick with one consistent positioning strategy?
 Does our creative approach match our positioning strategy?

Determining the positioning strategy

 Identifying competitors
 Assessing consumers’ perceptions of competitors
 Determining competitors’ positions
 Analyzing the consumers’ preferences
 Making the positioning decision
 Monitoring the position
Developing the Marketing Planning
Program
 Product Decisions
 Product planning involves decisions not only about the item itself,
such as design and quality, but also about aspects such as service and
warranties as well as brand name and package design.
Consumers look beyond the reality of the product and its ingredients.
The product’s quality, branding, packaging, and even the company
standing behind it all contribute to consumers’ perceptions.
 Branding
 One important role of advertising in respect to branding strategies is
creating and maintaining brand equity, which can be thought of as an
intangible asset of added value or goodwill that results from the
favourable image, impressions of differentiation and/or the strength of
consumer attachment to a company name, brand name, or trademark.
 Packaging
 Packaging is another aspect of product strategy that has become
increasingly important. The package is often the consumer’s first exposure
to the product, so it must make a favourable first impression.
 Pricing
 The price variable refers to what the consumer must give up to purchase a
product or service. While price is discussed in terms of the dollar amount
exchanged for an item,the cost of a product to the consumer includes time,
mental activity, and behavioural effort. A firm must consider a number of
factors in determining the price it charges for its product or service,
including costs, demand factors, competition, and perceived value.
 Distribution Channel
 Marketing channels, the place element of the marketing mix, are “sets of
interdependent organizations involved in the process of making a product
or service available for use or consumption.
IMC PLANNING
IMC Planning
 Step 1: Know your target audience
 As a general rule, there is no “general audience”. You always want to
communicate with a specific audience to make the most effective use
of your resources.
 Segmenting specific audiences into groups based on characteristics
will help you identify who are most likely to purchase or utilize your
products and services.
 Step 2: Develop a situation analysis
Commonly referred to as a SWOT Analysis, this is basically a
structured method of evaluating the internal strengths and weaknesses,
and external opportunities and threats that can impact your brand.
 A situation analysis can provide much insight into both internal and
external conditions that can lead to a more effective marketing
communications strategy.
 Step 3: Determining marketing communication
objectives
In this step, you basically want to document what you
want to accomplish with your IMC strategy. Objectives
should be measurable if you truly want to map your
campaign’s effectiveness at the end of your plan’s term.
 Step 4: Determining your budget
Having a realistic idea on what you have to work with is
important as it will shape the tactics you develop in the
next step. Once you determine your overall budget, you
will want to come back to this after completing step five
to further refine your budget allocations.
 Step 5: Strategies and tactics
Looking back at the objectives you created in step three,
you will want to develop strategies which are ideas on
how you will accomplish those objectives. Tactics are
specific actions on how you plan to execute a strategy.
 Step 6: Evaluation and measurement
Almost as important as the plan as a whole, you want to
outline a method of how you will evaluate the
effectiveness of your IMC strategy. Sometimes elements
of your plan will not work. It’s important to know what
did or didn’t, try to understand why, and make note for
future planning.
IMC Development PROCESS
 1. Tactical co-ordination (content)
 2. Redefining the scope of marketing communications
(channels)
 3. Application of information technology
(stakeholders)
 4. Strategic and financial integration (results)
Measurement of IMC Performance
 Company KPIs
One clear way to measure how successful your marketing
communications have been is through KPIs (Key
Performance Indicators). KPIs provide a clear measurement
of performance, allowing an evaluation of the effectiveness
of the strategy. For example, measuring market share, profit
and revenue or percentage growth. It is essentially using
benchmarking and targeting to evaluate success. A strong
marketing communication strategy will increase almost all
sectors of growth.
 Campaign Success
You can measure your campaign success in different ways. Using
coupons or discount codes can provide a good measure of success for
more traditional campaigns e.g. print advertising. These strategies are
useful as they show the ROI of the campaign.
For digital campaigns; open rates, click through and online sessions can
track success.
 Brand Recognition

A useful measurement of marketing communication strategy success is

the increase in brand recognition. This is measurable through social
channels and web content analysis. Using tools such as SEMrush to help
understand the chatter online around your brand name. Measurements
can also come through research into customer opinions using surveys or
reviewing comments in response to the campaign.
 Marketing Growth
This focuses around indirect marketing communications.
Put simply, communications that don’t link directly to sales.
For example, branding and the website quality. Ways to
measure effectiveness can be through page views, social
media interaction and online sales. A good looking brand
and website will open the door to more interaction online
and lead to more sales. If sales are increasing post brand
update, or website update, you can start benchmarking for
future strategies.
ADVERTISING
 “Advertising is any paid form of non-personal
presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services
by an identified sponsor.” – American Marketing
Association.
 “Advertising is controlled, identifiable information and
persuasion by means of mass communications media.”
 “Advertising is the non-personal communication of
marketing-related information to a target audience, usually
paid for by the advertiser, and delivered through mass
media in order to reach the specific objectives of the
sponsor.” – John J Burnett.
PURPOSE
 To increase support: advertising increases the morale of
the sales force and of distributors, wholesalers and
retailers.
 To stimulate sales amongst present, former and future
customers. It involves decision regarding the media.
 To retain loyalty: to retain loyalty of present and former
consumers.
 To protect an image: advertising is used to promote an
overall image of respect and trust for an organization.
 To communicate with consumers: this involves regarding
copy.
IMPORTANCE
 1. Promotion of Sales
 2. Introduction of New Product
 3. Creation of Good Public Image
 4. Mass Production
 5. Research
 6. Education of People
 7. Support to Press
I) Classification on The Basis of Area
Coverage
 1. Local Advertising
 2. Regional Advertising
 3. National Advertising
 4. International Advertising
II. Classification on The Basis of
Audience
 1. Consumer Advertising
 2. Industrial Advertising
 3. Trade Advertising
 4. Professional Advertising
III. Classification on The Basis of Media
 1. Print Media Advertising
 2. Electronic or Broadcast Media Advertising
 3) Outdoor Media
 4) Other Media
IV. Classification on The Basis of
Function
 1. Direct Action and Indirect Action Advertising
 2. Primary and Selective Advertising
 3. Product and Institutional Advertising
V. Classification on The Basis of
Advertising Stages
 1. Advertising at Pioneering Stage
 2. Advertising at Competitive Stages
 3. Advertising at Retentive Stage or Reminder Advertising
Advertising Vs. marketing mix
 1. Advertising and Product
 2. Advertising and Price
 3. Advertising and Place
 4. Advertising and Promotion
 5. Advertising and Packaging
 6. Advertising and Positioning
Advertising appeal in various stages of
PLC
 INTRODUCTION STAGE
 GROWTH STAGE
 MATURITY STAGE
 DECLINE STAGE