The main weakness that the approach to PR and advertising is the repeated focus on the concepts of innovation and social responsibility without insisting on the dimensions of dynamicity and "coolness." 6. Part C. IMC strategy for organization

The marketing campaigns that the company has created until now and the communication campaigns that have been conceived in order to support the former ones, have helped Microsoft reach its current status in its area of functioning. But being a world leader is not a position that does not need strategic efforts in order to be maintained. Taking this aspect into consideration, one can declare that a new integrated communication campaign is needed for the new fiscal year.

6. 1. Develop 4 objectives, specific, measurable, time framed (SMART)

Any communication campaign needs to have well established objectives if it desires to achieve an efficient coordination of all the actions. Coordination is fundamental for long-term coherence and efficacy. The present communication campaign sets itself four objectives. There are four characteristics that these objectives need to have. They must be specific, easy to be measured, realistic, framed in a certain period of time, and possible to be achieved. Having said all this, the objectives of the future campaign are to increase the awareness of the brand among the target segment represented by young people, to increase the profit by 30% by the end of the fiscal year, to increase the market share by 5% also by the end of the fiscal year and also to improve the attitude of the potential customers towards the brand, diminishing the negative perceptions in the media with 30%.

6.2. IMC mix. Which IMC elements will be used? How will they be integrated in order to achieve a consistent theme?

The future integrated marketing communication campaign will make use of a complex mix of components. Taking into account the size of the company and the fact that it operates at global level, the success of the campaign will depend upon its complexity. Therefore, a broad use of advertising, public relations, publicity and direct marketing will be made. They will be used following the pattern of the campaign that was made in 1998, when the advertising ads promoted and supported not just the brad in itself, but also the PR campaigns that the company had started. The activities will be scheduled beforehand and coordinated. The implementation of the actions will be closely supervised and reports will be made on a weekly basis in order to better monitor the campaigns. The core concepts will be the same for both PR and advertising campaigns.

7. One PR component, one advertising component to promote campaign. Provide rationale for each.

One PR component that is to be used in the future integrated communication campaign is represented by the organization of campaigns for the support of dynamic activities involving young people and teenagers. This campaigns will focus on fun, sports and entertainment, while enhancing the idea of learning (through games or interactive learning, competition, etc.). Three D. projections and special software programs could be used during sports and intellectual competitions involving teenagers and students. Such campaigns would be helpful because they would take the technological dimension of the brand into the area of entertainment, showing how technology makes fun activities even more fun, while allowing young people to learn something at the same time. An advertising component that could be used efficiently within the campaign is represented by TV spots conceived in a highly dynamic manner, always linked to the online resources. The purpose is to render the campaign dynamic and interactive, just like the brand attributes to be transmitted.

7.1.Describe the media to be used.

There are two media to be used for the advertising components. One is represented by the national and cable television. The other one is represented by the internet. One of the targeted segments is represented by teenagers and young people who are known to be big TV consumers. The frequency of the internet use among young people is also very popular.

As far as the PR component of the campaign is concerned, the media which are best suited in order to inform people about it while working for the benefit of the brand image are represented by the printed press (magazines for young people, journals and magazines specialized on technological innovation, but also on social and cultural trends, etc.) and the internet (websites, forums, blogging, mailing).

7.2 the advantages of the...

Popular channels, such as Mtv can be involved in the campaign. The internet on the other hand is advantageous as means of communication because of the intensity with which is used by young people and its interactive dimension. A special section can be conceived in the Microsoft web site where people can log in and state their opinions or be involved in various games and leisure activities linked to the message that the campaign wishes to transmit.
The advantages of the printed press as means for the promotion of the campaigns to be organized are represented by their capacity to reach audiences who make a less frequent use of the internet as means of information and entertainment. Busy adults are the desired target. Specialized media reaches specialized target audiences and the message will get through more easily. The internet would provide additional coverage, making sure that the target audience is reached from a multiplicity of areas.

7.3 the disadvantages and how they apply

There are also disadvantages regarding the media which have been chosen for the future IMC campaign. The main disadvantage of the television is represented by its high costs. As far as the internet is concerned, it presents on the one hand the risk of being too aggressive. On the other hand, trying to avoid being aggressive, it might result into not being present enough. All in all it could be stated that the internet is challenging medium to be managed. The printed press has the disadvantage of reaching highly specialized audiences. Reaching a vast audience implies using a large number of magazines and journals and this too, could rove extremely costly.

7.4 the specific role/purpose of the media within overall IMC

The role of television is to reach a large audience. In addition, taking into consideration the influence of the medium upon the reception and interpretation of the message, television is meant to enhance the awareness of the brand among young people while making it more popular (through the focus to its dynamic, cool side). The printed press is meant to give increased credibility to the campaigns while reaching its specific target. The purpose of the internet is to enhance the newly presented attributes, increasing popularity and awareness. All the media which have been selected are meant to increase sales and thus, market share.

7.5. Describe media strategy. What will it say, how, what it will look like. Discuss how the audience will be measured.

The media strategy that will be used will say that Microsoft, while being an innovator and an investor in technology, is nevertheless a young spirit, dynamic and playful. The campaign will transmit the idea that technology can be used to improve even entertaining activities and that games and leisure activities are nevertheless a means of self development, especially if Microsoft is involved. The ads on TV are to be highly colorful and dynamic, using testimonials from normal people as well as people who have achieved their dreams in various areas (young people) ranging from science to sports and arts. The printed ads are to be conceived in the same manner. The web site of the company will be endowed with a new section dedicated to the new campaign. The section is to be interactive and try to involve the users as much as possible. The audience will be measured with the help of a special software in the case of the internet and with the aid of specific audience measures in the case of the television networks and the printed media.

8. Conclusions and recommendations based on conclusions and summary of recommendations.

Microsoft has done a professional job with its previous marketing and communication campaigns. It has focused on its corporate social responsibility and on the concept of innovation. The former campaigns have used integrated themes and a multiplicity of media which were very well coordinated. The future communication campaign is meant to underline other characteristics of the brand, making it more popular among the target segment represented by young people. The recommendation concerns the coordination and the synchronization of the PR and advertising actions. A further recommendation regards the monitoring of the…