PRINCIPLES
OF ADVERTISING
Assignment 1: What is integrated marketing communication (IMC?). Discuss the six forms
of IMC.
Integrated
Marketing Communication (IMC)began
in the 1980s when organizations started taking a broader perspective of
marketing and the need to make more strategic integration of their promotional
tools.
IMC
is therefore defined as the coordination of the various promotional elements
and other marketing activities that communicate with a firm’s customer.
IMC
simply is one of the many elements that make up the marketing mix which is
promotion. Promotion and its six elements that is; Advertising, sales
promotion, publicity/public relation, sponsorship marketing, personal selling
and point of sale or point of purchase are the components of IMC. Consequently,
the use of the internet and online activities has influenced IMC in modern
marketing. I will however, discuss the traditional elements of IMC in this
chapter.
In discussing
the six forms or components of IMC, let’s take a look at what promotion is.
Promotion
is the effective communication between an organization and its audiences or
would be audiences. This effective communication is done by considering all the
above mentioned components in order to provide good value as well as a good
relationship to the benefit of the organization and its targeted audiences
DETAILED DISCUSSIONS ON THE SIX FORMS OF IMC.
The
first and foremost important component of IMC is advertising. Advertising is defined as any paid form of non-personal
presentation and promotion of goods and services through the mass media with an
identifiable sponsor. The paid component of this definition means that the
space and time for an advertising message has to be bought by the organization.
The
non-personal means advertising is done through the media.
The
mass media is both the electronic and print media. Examples are the television
and radio and newspaper and magazine respectively. Non-personal form of
advertising does not enhance direct response or feedback from consumers; hence,
the advertiser has to consider the structuring of the advert so as to make
interpretation and effect easy for the audiences.
Advertising
is the most effective tool of IMC in the sense that if done properly, has the
capacity of reaching a large targeted audience. It is also seen as one of the
best ways to build a brand because it provides customers with information and
as well influence their perceptions.
Sponsorship marketing as another form of IMC is when an organization attaches
itself to an event or program by offering it sponsorship in order to gain the
recognition and image that is accorded that particular event. For example, if an
organization sponsors a TV program that has a targeted audience of 2000,
through constant commercial breaks where the particular organization’s ad is
placed through, the organization is likely to reach the 2000 audiences that view
the TV program.
The
third form of IMC to be discussed is sales
promotion.
It can be defined as a marketing activity that
provides extra value or incentives to the sales force, the distributors or the
ultimate consumer and can stimulate immediate sales.
Sales
promotion is in two parts; consumer-oriented and trade-oriented activities.
Consumer-oriented sales promotion is targeted to the ultimate user of a product or service and includes couponing, sampling, premiums,
contests and various point-of-purchase materials
These
promotional tools encourage consumers to make an
immediate purchase and thus can stimulate short-term sales.
Trade-oriented
sales promotion is targeted toward marketing intermediaries such
as wholesalers, distributors, and retailers. Promotional allowances, price
deals and sales contest are examples of the promotional tools used to encourage
the trade to stock and promote a company’s products.
Another important tool of IMC is publicity/Public Relation.
Publicity refers
to non-personal communications regarding an organization,product, service, or
idea not directly paid for or run under identified sponsorship. It involves
non-personal communication to the mass audiences. This is normally done through
the media by way of press releases, press conferences, features among others.
It is to be noted that public
relations as a management function that involves strategic communication
uses publicity to enhance an organization’s image.
.
The fifth form of IMC is personal
selling. It is a form of one on one communication in which a
seller attempts to assist and persuade prospective buyers to purchase the
company’s product or service. Personal selling involves direct contact between
buyer and seller, either face-to-face or through some form of telecommunications
such as telephone sales. This interaction gives the marketer communication
flexibility. Personal selling also involves more immediate and precise feedback
because the impact of the sales presentation can generally be assessed from the
customer’s reactions.
If
the feedback is unfavorable, the salesperson can modify the message. Personal selling
efforts can also be targeted to specific markets and customer types that are
the best prospects for the company’s product or service.A common example of
personal selling in Ghana is when most of the telecommunications companies send
their agents round to speak to customers on any new product or service they
have introduced to their brand.
The last form of IMC to be discussed is the point of sale (POS)/ point of purchase (POP). The point of sale or
point of purchase is the vending or distribution points of products, goods and
services.
Integrated
Marketing Communication is a necessary tool that needs to be done effectively
by marketers in order for them to reach their target audiences and enhance a good
relationship to the benefit of the two parties.
References:
Advertising Principles, text Copyright © Yaw O. Gyau, 2012.
Google
search Pdf, An Introduction to Integrated Marketing Communication
BERNICE ALORGBE.
