University of the People

Master in Business Administration

Marketing Management

Integrated Marketing Communication

Written by Randy C. Ambog

American Marketing Association defined marketing in 2013 as the activity, set of

institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings
that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large (American Marketing
Association, n.d.). Marketing is the heart of all successful businesses. A company may offer the
best product or services, but without marketing, potential customers may not know that the best
company exists at all (Cope, 2018).

"Marketing is education. It is the process of teaching consumers first that your services or
products exist, second that they need them, and third that they should choose yours over your
competitors" (Cope, E., 2018, para. 5). It is an ever-evolving educative process that over time,
marketers learned to integrate marketing efforts and strategies. Thus, the birth of the integrated
marketing communications or IMC. Integrated marketing is designed to create a unified and
seamless experience for consumers to interact with the brand/enterprise. IMC aims to meld
channels, methods, tactics of advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and all marketing
activities in a unified and consistent manner that centered on customers (Pinegar, 2018).

Integrated marketing communication plans are so important to marketers and companies

because planning provides direction for where the company is going. Maintaining a strong
market position needs a well-planned marketing campaign. It also provides more natural delivery
of messages to create added value for the customers ensuring delivery and monitoring of
messages to and from the customers. Within the IMC plan, the company carefully integrates and
coordinates its many communication channels to deliver precise and consistent messages about
the organization and product or service.

An integrated Marketing plan provides direction for creating and delivering brand
messages. It offers new opportunities for advertising agencies and companies to create added
value for their customers. Ensures that the messages are delivered to consumers and clients can
be monitored in every step of the way (Cocoonmediafx). A well planned, integrated marketing
communication is beneficial to the company. IMC builds trust, eliminate confusion, builds
morale cost-effective. With IMC, cohesion, and communication within the company foster
positive company culture. Happy employees work well and serve the customers better. A
satisfied customer will likely recommend the product to their peers and communities. However,
what if customers are not happy?

In today's technology-driven world, word of mouth marketing works both ways. Online
advertisements of social media influencers, testimonial videos, or articles written and published
in social media are some of the best ways to make a brand or enterprise known. A brand with a
steady presence on social media is a winner. For example, if company A has come up with the
new beverage product known as Akamu for satisfying human thirst, the marketer should
maintain a presence in social media showing that Akamu is not just an ordinary drink. It must
show that the product is a result of scientific study that when the feeling of thirst sets in, humans
may be already dehydrated. A tagline like ''Don't wait 'til you're thirsty, grab an Akamu on the
way!!!" can do.

Social media is a great marketing tool for Akamu and all companies. However, there also
lies the challenges. Customers or competitors are watching, and a small mistake can quickly go
viral in a negative way. Maintaining someone to watch over how consumers react to an ad in
social media is costly. Aside from the financial challenge, staffing, in my opinion, is a big thing
to hurdle too. Companies have their own IT department, which is separate from the marketing
department. It is always a question of who will be monitoring inflows of information over the
web. Is it the marketing department or the IT department? The dynamism of target markets poses
a challenge for marketers to integrate and implement marketing plans fully. Marketers and
students of marketing will always be looking for the most efficient way to integrate and
implement marketing plans.

In conclusion, integrated marketing communication is a result of the ever-evolving study

of marketing. The challenges are always there, and marketers will continuously study and make
marketing better.

References:

Cope, E. (2018, January 10). what marketing really is, and why every company needs it. cope
SALES AND MARKETING. Retrieved
from https://www.cope-salesandmarketing.com/marketing-really-every-company-needs/

Definitions of Marketing (n.d). American https://www.ama.org/the-definition-of-marketing/

Pinegar, G. (2018, July 23). What is IMC? A Beginner's Guide to Integrated Marketing
Communications. G2. https://learn.g2.com/integrated-marketing-communications

Harvey, S. (2017, June 20). Integrated marketing communications: What it is and why it matters.
Fabrik Brand.
Retrieved from https://fabrikbrands.com/what-is-integrated-marketing-communications/

The IMC planning process (Integrated Marketing Communications (n.d.). Cocoonfxmedia.

Retrieved fromhttps://www.cocoonfxmedia.co.uk/articles/the-intergrated-marketing-
communications-planning-process-imc/#.XUMVg28zbIU