MARKETING

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Portfolio Activity Unit 6: Integrated Marketing Communications

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Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is an important concept for a marketing manager to understand. Integrated marketing communications (IMC) plans is an approach to planning communications that provides a business with the potential to obtain results from campaigns and decrease marketing costs (Juska, 2017). It does not depend on individual marketing efforts such as print ad campaign but uses multiple channels available to modern business. Integrated marketing communications plans are crucial to marketers because they assist in the coordination and integration of all marketing avenues. It also plays an integral part in communicating brand messages to a large audience and in integrating all important components of marketing to communicate the same message to potential and existing end-users. Integrated marketing communications plans make a business look reputable.

Receive better results is a benefit of integrated marketing communication (Ang, 2014). A traditional approach to marketing communications and businesses separate campaigns press relations, advertising, sales promotion, and direct marketing. Integrated campaigns use the same communication to reinforce each and improve marketing effectiveness. Advertisements can be used to raise awareness of a product through an integrated campaign. Creative consistency throughout the channels is a benefit of integrated marketing communication. Creative consistency throughout the channels saves money for the business. It assists in reinforcing the campaign themes by increasing the number of times prospects see or hear the message. The better building of a business name, brand, offers, or message emphasized can be achieved by using various channels. 

Integrated marketing communications have a benefit overall cost savings (Ang, 2014). By using the same images and adaptation the same copy for various media businesses can decrease copy-writing, photocopy, and design costs. Also, it helps in creating brand awareness among customers at low costs. Integrated marketing communications is important in business marketing and direct interaction with customers. It also builds trust among customers hence becoming loyal. A shift in the market place power from manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer/ shift in channel power is a challenge of implementing integrated marketing communications. Integrated marketing communication has a challenge of moving away from advertising focused approach. Also, the rapid growth of database marketing and the rapid growth of internet marketing are challenges of integrated marketing communication. The primary benefit of advertising online is that they assist to remind, inform persuade, and educate the target customers about the products or brands and creating awareness before launching a campaign (Izmeth, 2017). It also assists in understanding customers, the objectives, and which the channels to be utilized. 

Some of the major advertising decisions which this company can come up with to promote Akamu the new product are; Decisions concerning the packaging of the new product, this includes deciding on how they will package the product when in the market. Decisions on the prices of the product, the company decides on the price that they will sell the product that is, the cost of the product. Deciding on the promotion of the goods or products in the market, the company can decide on the mode they will use to promote the product. Also, the company can decide on the place that the product will be offered. Moreover, the company can come up with a suitable place to put the product. 

References

Ang, L. (2014). Integrated marketing communications: A focus on new technologies

and advanced theories. Cambridge University Press.

Juska, J. M. (2017). Integrated marketing communication: Advertising and promotion in the

digital world.

Izmeth, R. (2017). Identifying Superforecasters in online market research via advertisement

testing surveys. GRIN Verlag.