Managing and coordinating the entire communications process calls for integrated marketing communications (IMC). By definition, IMC is a concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a comprehensive plan. Such plan evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of communications disciplines and combines these disciplines to provide clarity, consistency, and maximum impact through the seamless integration of discrete messages. Considering that the mass market can be fragmented into a multitude of minimarkets, each requiring its own approach; there is a continuous proliferation of new types of media; and there is growing sophistication of consumers, there is clearly a need for marketers to utilize a wide range of communication tools to efficiently deliver messages to specific audiences. Marketers should combine personal and nonpersonal communication channels to achieve maximum impact (multiple-vehicle, multiple-stage campaigns). Therefore, it is clearly imperative for companies to move toward IMC, the absence of which results in uncoordinated communications and image diffusion. A comprehensive integrated marketing communications plan can produce stronger message consistency and help to build brand equity and create greater sales impact. It can also unify the company’s brand images and messages as they come through multiple company activities. It therefore improves the company’s ability to reach the right customers with the right messages at the right time in the right place.
Integrated Marketing Communications
