Marketing Plan

Page 1 of 1 Marketing Planning and Strategy

©2012 Argosy University

Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)

Marketing communication typically follows the same process as other communications. That is, for marketing communications there is a message sender, encoding, channel, decoding, response, and feedback. As with other forms of communication, the goal is to capture the receiver’s attention and to stimulate a need that will provoke the desired response. To illustrate the communication process in IMC, consider the following scenario:

A company that owns a chain of fitness centers wants to expand its customer base. The company has devised attractive schemes for its target audience—women between 30–40 years old. One marketing strategy is to use a toll-free number that can track calls. As the number is frequently in use, many callers are put on hold. While on hold, callers hear about the latest schemes being offered by the fitness company.

 Do you think this is effective marketing?

 Have you ever found yourself on the receiving end of coupons, free samples, and newsletters after communicating with a company?

If so, you are the target of an IMC campaign.

Essential Elements of IMC

Marketing, advertising, and branding are tools for promoting products and services to facilitate sales. The ‘four Ps’ of marketing—also known as the marketing mix—are product, price, promotion, and place (distribution). Promotion denotes the strategies (advertising, sales promotions, publicity, and personal selling) used to promote a product, brand, or company. IMC is a type of promotion. Effective IMC campaigns take into account brand management, buyer behavior, and promotional opportunities. Brand management is the application of marketing strategies to increase the perceived value of a product. Buyer behavior is a sub-category of marketing—it describes consumers’ behavioral variables that influence the buying process. Promotional opportunities are non-conventional ways to leverage the image of a product, brand, or company. Some examples of promotional programs are trade promotions, consumer promotions, direct marketing programs, and Internet marketing programs.