Five Forces in IMC Strategies

¶ … IMC Strategy

The existence of an Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is aimed at providing a designed approach that delivers a consistent message to consumers transversely in advertisements including different media types like the Internet, TV, mobile phones, and magazines among others. In reality, any ad must communicate a consistent message to its varied audiences. IMC strategy is essential in today's business world because of the existing communication technology and the instant access to data using such devices such as the Internet. It is only by delivering consistent messages about an organization or brand that has helped many establish their brand in consumers' minds and that of their potential customers. It is from the computers and phones that many business professionals and consumers pursue information and link with other people and even businesses. As such, it is evident that the work and social surroundings are rapidly changing, and more people have computer-generated offices and messaging on their cell phones. Moreover, others are communicating through social media such as Facebook, blogs and their way of communicating has continued to change the way companies like Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and others operate due to the digital upheaval experienced. Therefore, the way these companies are conducting their business and reaching their customers continues to change because they have realized the need to revolutionize their promotional guidelines to reach specific audiences.

In this analysis, the five forces that govern the profit structure of any given industry are considered as acquired by determining how the economic value of a created company is apportioned. Regarding the value mentioned above, it may be drained away through the existing rivalry among competitors, but can also be bargained away through the power of customers or that of suppliers. Nevertheless, it can be constrained by the threat of new entrants or substitutes. In essence, when viewing a strategy, we look at building defenses against the competitive forces or even in finding a position in a given industry where existing forces are weaker. When companies make changes to their promotional strategies, this shows the strength of their forces signal is changing positively about the competitive landscape that becomes critical to the ongoing formulation of strategy. The purpose of these forces in a company is to meet the opportunities and threats of a corporate's external environment. Therefore, they determine the intensity of competition and an industry's profitability and attractiveness be enhanced.

The threat of new and or potential entrants into the industry facilitates competition, and there are certain factors that can limit this threat, which are known as entry barriers. Examples of such barriers include the existing loyalty to major brands and this mostly is associated with companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo among others. Google's barriers to entry include online marketing with governing rules are still evolving, which may affect Google's Strategy. The other is that Yahoo and Microsoft have radically improved their search engines. For other companies, the IMC has changed due to the strategy of having entry protections such as rights and protections, expected retaliation by incumbents, capital requirements, and learning curve advantages. The IMC strategy has continued to change in light of the digital upheaval and with this, companies such as Google have low possibilities of having new entrants, and this shows the attractiveness of the industry. Moreover, the bargaining power of their suppliers is weak whereas the threat of their substitute products is low. On their intensity of rivalry among industry, competitors are low, and their complementary products and or services are unavailable. All the above characteristics show an attractive industry and with profit potential in view.

As we know, Google competes with rivals like Yahoo, technology giant Microsoft, Internet pioneer, and media company AOL, career and business social networking site LinkedIn, Facebook, among others like Gannett Company. Competitive rivalries in companies such as Google have rules or ethics that are not defined. The rivals easily exploit and manipulate its environments in some instances easily. In current times, Google's competitors are Yahoo and Microsoft and since they are few their degree of rivalry is more oriented to an oligarchy. Google's brand identity has language as a noun and verb.