MarketingProfs Know-How Exchange : What is Integrated Marketing?

Beth:

Integrated marketing is much and little depending on one's perspective.

There are those who believe it refers to maximizing a marketing-mix (e.g., integrated media) brought to bear on a targeted audience in support of a product or service being offered in the marketplace.

Integrated marketing communications (IMC) extends beyond this in that it assumes the perspective of the customer or prospect in developing marketing communications.

It takes into account controlled and uncontrolled communications, outgoing messages as well as customer- or prospect-initiated communications (e.g., how the telephone is answered in your office is a form of communications).

It is a bit more complicated than this but not much. As to your question regarding how using it would be beneficial to build your staffing client base, I believe it would be very beneficial.

IMC requires you to genuinely understand your customers and prospects, including understanding their needs regarding staffing, understanding how, when, and where they are most receptive to communicated messages, and understanding how to foster mutually beneficial ongoing conversations. The emphasis on marketplace conversations, of course, encourages the use of interactive media, including the Internet.

I hope this brief summation is of some assistance.

Jim

Another simple way to look at integrated marketing is to think about your customer (your target, ideal customer) and analyze all media that you'll need to use in order to reach him/her with your message. Integrated marketing also deals with managing those media so that you coordinate activities that will generate a higher impact when combined.

Different customers will require a combination of different media. In your case, you need to come up with the ideal combination (radio, tv, newspaper, etc.) that your budget allows and draw up a plan to use them in the most effective way possible.

daniel

There is a nice article on this site itself.

http://www.marketingprofs.com/4/syrett2.asp

I have been in the Marketing arena for more than 4 decades and have taught and written on the subject of "Integrated Marketing Strategy" almost as long. When asked to define it I refer to a description of marketing I read in 1969 in a book written by Theodore Levitt, Harvard's Marketing guru at that time.

"Marketing is all the exhilarating big things and all the troublesome little things that have to be done in every nook and cranny of the entire corporate organization in order to achieve the purpose of attracting and holding a customer."

Les

Sanjeev:

I read the article you suggested to Beth some time ago, and some time ago I found myself in disagreement with the author's premise that the "risk with integration lies in its rigidity -- its inability to handle change and dynamic competitive forces."

This is particularly so with integrated marketing communications (IMC) which extends far beyond the mere bundling of media for synergy's sake.

As one of the key premises of IMC is "data-driven, purposeful dialogue with customers, prospects and stakeholders," it would seem positioned to avoid the potential failures of mere "integrated maketing" as identified in the article you recommend, including incorrect strategic assumptions, poor communication, and inferior tactical execution.

If you are having meaningful and mutually beneficial marketplace conversations with customers and prospects, there should be no incorrect assumptions, poor communications, or problems with tactical execution.

The value of the article, in my estimation, would seem to be in its ability to identify the pitfalls in misunderstanding the potential of integrated marketing when the focus continues to be on marketing as something done to customers rather than with customers at a time when consumers are increasingly insisting on being co-creators of value in the marketplace.

Just some thoughts.

Jim

IMC presents the concept of integrated philosophy/way of thinking which governs all the business tactics of communication (advertising, sales promotion, public relations). In other words, all the approaches in order to communicate a message whether this is via advertising, or sales promotion or public relations, must rely on the same axis of communication.
Starting from the needs of the customer, all the different actions of creating and implementing the communication strategy are harmonised under the same concept (with a unified voice, unified message), in this way the final consumer will have a unified perception for the product or service and will be motivated to take action (trial or re-buy of the product)
in simple words, IMC means exploiting all the means to promote a product from formal advertising to arranging interviews and press conferences in order to activate positive publicity! IMC may even include handing out leaflets or exploiting word of mouth!
I hope this helped!

Heres what IMC is:

IMC is customer driven. IMC involves catering to the customer by using an integrated marketing plan to form ONE message. So you have the following: Marketing, PR, Promotions, Advertising. Followed by sub-categories: direct mail and website communication.

All the above tactics should have the same message you want your customer to grasp. You find this message by mining your database. In other words, take your research to form the message, and put it out in all forms of communication. (mentioned above) The marketing mix is integrated into one message.

Start with goals.

jen

Hi Beth,

Good input with some variety so far. As with most marketing concepts there are different ways of looking at IMC. Here’s our firm’s way -- first, let's define integration. According to Webster's, it's "the combining or coordination of separate elements so as to provide a harmonious, integrated whole." Integrated marketing communications, then, is not a singular activity, but one with many components that can be applied to a given marketing challenge. For example, consider business-to-business (B2B) marketing communications. Typical B2B marcom components include advertising, direct marketing, marketing collateral, public relations and web marketing. IMC is about the holistic combining of these components to create higher value and quality while cutting costs.


The best way to illustrate IMC is via a case study:
http://www.schraff.com/adv/helpdesk/imc.php


I hope this helps you,

Steve

IMC is a concept of all aspect of marketing as-advertising, sales promotion, public relation, and dividing communication in several department including internet, TV , newspaper and magazine. the main Gael of IMC is build positive relationship with customer and try to catch customer with best communication .At last we an say IMC is not a singular activity, but one with many components.