CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO
MARKETING
COMMUNICATIONS
 Defining Integrated Marketing
Communications (IMC)
Defining Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)

The term IMC can be defined as the coordination of various

promotional elements (advertising, direct response, sales
promotion and public relations) along with other marketing
activities that communicate with a firm's customers to
provide clarity, consistency, and maximum communication
impact.
Communication/ Promotion Tools

Promotional Tools

Publicity &
Sales Direct Personal
Advertising Public
Promotion Marketing Selling
Relations
 Advertising
An advertisement is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of
ideas, goods, or services by an identified sponsor. Examples include print
and broadcast ads, posters, leaflets, billboards, display signs, point of
purchase display signs, audiovisual material, symbols and logos.

Sales Promotion

These are short-term incentives to encourage trial or purchase of a product or

service. Examples include contests, lotteries, sweepstakes, sampling, fair,
trade shows, exhibitions, coupons, rebates etc.

Personal Selling

This is the face-to-face interaction with one or more prospects with the hope to
make a sale. Broadly speaking, this is a form of person-to-person communication
in which a seller attempts to assist or persuade perspective buyers to purchase the
company's product or service or to favorably act on an idea developed by the
company. Examples include sales presentation, sales meeting, incentive programs,
trade channel relationship campaign, samples, fairs, trade shows etc.
Direct Marketing

This is the use of mail, telephone, other similar devices or contact tools to
communicate with or solicit a response from specific customers and
prospects. Catalogues, brochures, mailings, tele-marketing, electronic
shopping, satellite promotion etc are the examples of direct
marketing.

Publicity & Public Relations

A variety of programs designed to promote and enhance a company’s

image and its brands as well is called publicity and public relations.
Examples of this tool include news story, editorial, press release,
seminars, charitable donation, sponsorships, publications, events, and
social ethics campaigns.
 Types of Advertising Objectives
The advertising objectives are as follows:

1. Informative

2. Persuasive

3. Comparison, and

4. Reminder
Major Decisions in Advertising Management
Objective determination

Communication and sales

objective

Budget alternatives

Bottom-up and top-down

approaches

Message decision Media decision

Reach, frequency, coverage,

Message generation, evaluation, media vehicle, media timing,
selection, and execution evaluation, and selection

Advertising evaluation

Communication and sales

impact
 Advertising Appeals
• Rational
• Emotional

Advertising Execution Styles

• Slice of life
• Lifestyle
• Fantasy
• Mood or image
• Musical
• Personality symbol
• Technical expertise
• Scientific evidence
• Testimonial evidence