Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) & Marketing: To Compare and Contrast

Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) and Marketing: Compare and Contrast

Comparison

Fundamentally, both IMC and marketing require clear and precise communication. They both command focus on consumers and merge consumer behavior elements through research with an organization’s objective in order to satisfy the consumer and the organization’s needs and wants, profitably. Properly integrating all marketing components to use a standardized communication strategy of meeting objectives, can assist to determine if consumers will require more or less persuasion to consume the product or service; thus providing the ability to deploy a consistent and uniform message or strategy to the consumer.

In addition, IMC and marketing involve an understanding of budgeting time and money (costs). Devoid of both, marketing would not be achievable or effective. Throughout the IMC and Marketing processes, time and money are mutually interrelated, hence the phrase “time is money” or time is cost. Considering that marketing is not free and involves numerous costly resources, prior to making costly marketing decisions, it is basic to consider potentially negative and positive impacts, which may lead to control the types of strategic marketing approaches, different phases/sequences of the marketing scheme, and defined marketing budgets.

Contrast

Marketing encompasses a diverse number of functions and objectives. These functions may be categorized based on distinct responsibilities/departments that require a dedicated focus on specific details of an overall strategic objective. For example, marketing functions may include marketing research teams, advertising teams, public relations teams, and/or sales teams. In contrast, although these teams address different activities and independent departmental goals, IMC harmonizes their different activities to effectively evaluate and synchronize a message’s tune.

Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Process: Steps

1) “Identifying target audiences” - Targeting markets through continuous marketing research and surveys.

2) “SWOT Analysis” (Example Below)

• Researching the strengths and weaknesses of a market’s environment.
• Continuously exploring opportunities to maintain competitive advantage and profitability.
• Investigating threats of competition and economic conditions.

3) “Determining Marketing Communications (MC)” objectives from marketing research to deploy communication materials to consumers via television, radio, print media, and the internet.

4) “Develop strategies and tactics” based on how consumers are targeted best, whether it is from accessing the internet through websites or television programming.

5) “Determine the budgets” to calculate all overhead and relevant costs in order to satisfy marketing goals, sales goals, and stake/shareholders.

6. “Evaluate effectiveness” of the company and product delivery through constant feedback forums, critiques of employees and consumers, and surveys. (Duncan, 2004)

Marketing and Integrated Marketing Communications are vital to an organization in order to maintain a message’s consistency while satisfying or meeting the objectives of consumers and the organization as a whole.

Reference:

Duncan, T. (2004). Chapter1: IMC planning: Principles of Advertising and IMC. (2nd Edition). [Electronic Version].