Fundamentals of

Integrated Marketing
Communications and
its Elements
Definition of IMC
• IMC is “a strategic business process
used to plan, develop, execute, and
evaluate a series of coordinated,
measurable, persuasive brand
communication programs over a
period of time with consumers,
customers, prospects, as well as other
targeted and relevant external or
internal audiences”
IMC Categories
IMC has different categories,
the categories are :
• Advertising
• Sales Promotion
• Brand Visibility
• Public Relations
Advertising
• Advertising is a means of communication
with the users of a product or service.
Advertisements are messages paid for by
those who send them and are intended to
inform or influence people who receive them
• The primary purpose is creating and delivering
“persuasive messages” that influence perception
and behaviour. These message are all about
brands, or companies, but can also include
services, locations, causes, or important topics.
The Purpose of Advertising
Advertising has three primary objectives: to inform, to persuade, and
to remind.
• Informative Advertising creates awareness of brands, products,
services, and ideas. It announces new products and programs and
can educate people about the attributes and benefits of new or
established products.
• Persuasive Advertising tries to convince customers that a company’s
services or products are the best, and it works to alter perceptions
and enhance the image of a company or product. Its goal is to
influence consumers to take action and switch brands, try a new
product, or remain loyal to a current brand.
• Reminder Advertising reminds people about the need for a product
or service, or the features and benefits it will provide when they
purchase promptly.
Sales Promotion
• Sales promotion is a marketing strategy where
the product is promoted using short-term
attractive initiatives to stimulate its demand and
increase its sales
This strategy is usually brought to use in the
following cases –
● to introduce new products,
● sell out existing inventories,
● attract more customers
● to lift sales temporarily.
Objectives Of Sales Promotion
• To Create Market For New Products
• To Remain Competitive
• To Gain Dealers Trust
• To Take Products To New Markets
• Increase Brand Awareness
Sales Promotion Examples
• Black Friday Sale
• Buy One Get One
• Referral Bonuses
• Coupons
• Flash-sales
Brand Visibility
Brand Visibility can be defined as
the frequency at which people see your
brand in search results, on social media, or
other various platforms
Brand Visibility Strategies
• Define Your Brand’s Functionality
• Interact More Online
• Build a Strong Digital Presence
• Use SEO to the Fullest
Public Relations
• Variety of activities conducted by a company
to promote and protect the image of the
company, its products and policies in the eyes
of the public
• The function of public relations is to develop,
maintain, protect, and improve the perception
of a brand, company, organization, or
individual among a diverse group of separate
audiences.
Public Relations Functions
• Inform and Communicate
• Shape and Enhance Image
• Recruit and Develop Business
• Launch New Products or Innovations
• Generate and collect feedback
• Cope with crisis
Industry Structure
• The IMC Industry can be divided into major
parts. Each performs a different function, but
all are needed. No one can do it alone, That is
why the entire process of planning,
implementing and measuring IMC activities
requires teamwork and cooperation.
Industry Structure :
Advertisers
• Advertisers are at the center of the process
and the people that control the money, but the
industry structure also includes agencies,
suppliers and the media. The advertisers
always selects the agency, suppliers, and
media that will be part of the development of
approved programs, activities, materials and
plans for IMC.
Industry Structure :
Advertisers
• Who is an advertiser ? In reality, anyone who
has the money to spend on national, regional,
or local media. Certainly, large corporations
automatically qualify. And, many smaller
businesses, organizations, and even
individuals are brand advertisers. Here are the
five primary ones: consumer, business-to-
business (or B2B), government, non-profit,
and advocacy.
Industry Structure :
Advertisers
• Consumer Advertisers – Persuasive messages
targeted at selected groups of people who can
purchase products or services at retail
locations, or online, are approved, controlled,
and managed by advertisers. While there are
thousands of different industries and market
segments involved, the advertising is focused
on brand image and user benefits for
individual buyers.
Industry Structure :
Advertisers
• B2B Advertisers – Concentrate on selling to
companies, not consumers. This is also called
industrial advertising because it involved the
advertising of components, raw materials, and
equipment to businesses that are
manufacturing other products and services.
Another part of it is trade advertising. This
specifically targets wholesalers and retailers
that are potential buyers for the B2B
advertiser’s products and services.
Industry Structure :
Advertisers
• Government Advertisers – This is based on
reaching an exclusive audience: government.
While it is similar to B2B advertising and
consumer advertising, government advertisers
design their messages to convey confidence in
their departments, services, and image.
Industry Structure :
Advertisers
• Non-Profit Advertisers – This include:
charities, educational institutions, religious
institutions, hospitals, and cultural
organizations. Charities have the largest
budgets. And finally, other important non-
profit advertisers include the thousands of
local cultural and arts organizations.
Industry Structure :
Advertisers
• Advocacy Advertisers – The purpose is to
influence or modify existing attitudes and
beliefs of individuals and groups by either
stimulating an immediate action or
precipitating a long-term change in behavior.
Industry Structure : Agencies
• The word agency is frequently associated with
advertising, but it can be used for any
company that provides IMC services. It
include the following: full-service, creative
focus, media buying, promotional, public
relations, digital marketing, branding,
industry specialist
Industry Structure : Agencies
• Full-service Agencies – are capable of
offering a complete spectrum of IMC
services. Their clients are usually large
corporations with millions of dollars to spend
on advertising. They are very sophisticated
and knowledgeable, but usually charge high
prices to justify their reputation for success.
Industry Structure : Agencies
• Creative focus Agencies – specializes only in
the graphics, illustrations, and copywriting for
advertising and other IMC materials. As the
name implies, these agencies are hired for
what they do best. No research. No media. No
planning. But, they have plenty of
imagination and come up with amazing ideas
instantaneously. A creative focus agency
could be one person, a group of talented
people with creative skills, or an organized
company with management.
Industry Structure : Agencies
• Media buying services – uses its analytical
abilities to recommend the most cost-efficient
combination of programs, publications and
content channels for clients. It does not create
any advertisements, or promotions, like the
previous category. This type of agency
focuses on the demographic profiles of brands
and potential buyers.
Industry Structure : Agencies
• Promotional agency – develops IMC
programs that motivate consumers and
businesses to respond to incentives and
special offers. The agency searches among
hundreds of promotional products and
recommends the right priced item for the
client. They also produces creative materials
for sales promotion programs in both printed
and digital forms.
Industry Structure : Agencies
• Public Relations agency – Their primary
purpose is distributing press releases,
interacting with representatives of mass media
and managing a client’s image, these agencies
can provide other valuable services that
complement and support advertising and sales
promotion programs.
Industry Structure : Agencies
• Digital Marketing agency – emerged as the
most recent category of agency. They are
composed of a mixture of tech-oriented
individuals and creative advertising
professionals. They do everything from
building websites and improving SEO ranking
to organizing and managing social media
campaigns, as well as creating mobile apps,
bidding for keywords, or using Google
Analytics.
Industry Structure : Agencies
• Branding agency – hired to assist a
corporation, organization or individual
develop a name, logo, visual appearance and
psychological image for a new product or
service. The agency has completed its
assignment after participating in a successful
launch.
Industry Structure : Agencies
• Industry Specialists – concentrate on a single
area of business or market expertise. These
agencies always enjoy a very strong
advantage against competitors because of in-
depth knowledge of a particular industry.
There is no need for clients to educate them
and no time or energy is wasted in preparing
the most relevant and appropriate IMC
programs.
Industry Structure : Agencies
• Demographic Agency – is one that concentrates
on a particular lifestyle, age, group or gender.

• Mid-size corporations – often form their own

advertising or promotion agency, called “in-
house” or internal company agencies. They are
focusing on the writing, designing and
producing of creative materials, especially
brochures, direct mail pieces, catalogs, and
newspaper advertisements.
IMC Planning Process
• IMC is a complex process that involves a
sequential completion of twelve different
activities. They include : Marketing
Assessment, budget formulation, research
activities, strategic decisions. The amount of
time needed to finalize a plan depends on the
size of a company, the brands involved, and
management approach. The completion of an
IMC Plan is followed by implementation,
adjustments, and reactions to changing
opportunities and challenges.
IMC Planning Process
• Marketing Input - This is the initial meeting
between multiple departments that are
responsible for brand management, sales,
functions and IMC. After the initial meeting,
the agency is invited to participate. The
agency is provided with information about the
company, brand, competitors, market share,
and industry, including confidential reports
and analysis.
IMC Planning Process
• Budget Formulation – The Marketing Dept.
allocates a predetermined amount of money to
IMC. Those budgets are fixed, non-
negotiable, and permanent. The challenge is
predicting the results obtained from a
comprehensive IMC Plan.
IMC Planning Process
• Research Activities – the IMC planning
process always begins with a review of the
available research. Agencies like to manage a
research project that will be used for
advertising or sales promotions. Their expertise
in communication and consumer perceptions is
valuable for guidance and interpretation.
Marketing research more effectively describes
the realities of a dynamic business environment
and consumer purchasing patterns.
IMC Planning Process
• Strategic Decisions – Next part of the IMC
planning process is formulating strategic
directions. Not just a single one, but a series
of strategies. There are always separate
strategies made for each of the IMC
categories, as well as overlapping strategies
for creative and media decisions. It is
important for both the agency and the
advertiser to evaluate proposals and
recommendations based on maintaining the
focus and purpose of strategic decisions.
IMC Planning Process
• Agency Meetings – this begins with basic
concepts and ideas, then progresses into
examples. As the number of details and
questions increases, so will the frequency and
length of the agency meetings. Keeping track
of the decisions is part of the planning
process, but often there are circumstances that
require a quick change in direction, or the
selection of a better alternative.
IMC Planning Process
• Recommendations – The result is a
collaborative effort between an agency and
the advertiser. It consist of a written
document, supported by supplemental
information and files, along with well
organized and concise PowerPoint
presentations.
IMC Planning Process
• Revisions and approvals – After the
presentation of the IMC Plan, revisions begin.
This is a relatively short, but often very
frustrating, activity. The agency can only
make recommendations. In large companies,
approvals can take exceptionally long periods
of time. The IMC Plan might have to be
reviewed by multiple levels of management,
slowly moving up the hierarchy ranks towards
the top executives.