Know-How Exchange : Student Questions

I am a graduate student in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC). I am currently in a class focused on IMC measures.

More specifically, we are considering a system of measures that moves marketing communications from attitudinal-based measures to behavioral measures, with a strong focus on short- and long-term returns on marcom investments targeting customers and prospects. Unlike the "traditional" approach of "averaging" the value of customers and prospects, this approach aggregates customers and prospects based on historical and projected marketplace behavior on which marketing investments are developed and are subsequently measured.

An example, in my mind, would be cell phone companies measuring average return per user (APU) and churn rates (attrition). Clearly, the more strategic and useable measures would be found among an aggregation of customers who exhibit like purchase behaviors, which can be sliced and diced numerous ways (e.g., loyal, core, borderline, passive, business, consumer, government, etc.) with appropriate corresponding market communications investments (depending on the financial goals of the firm or organization).

With all that said, here is what I need.

I need an agency account executive (manager, etc.) who works with a client that espouses IMC or evidences the use of IMC practices to answer the following two questions:

What measurement(s) is the IMC client using to assess the performance of marketing communications and/or related activities?

What measurement(s) is the IMC client using to assess the performance of the agency?

I will be using the responses to these questions as part of an assignment to interview an account executive (manager) and to evaluate and reflect on my findings.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. While my primary focus for the class assignment is on agency account executives, I would welcome and value any thoughts and perspectives on these questions.

Again, I appreciate your consideration of my inquiry.

Jim