Integrated marketing communication: strategy and implementation

Integrated Marketing Communication

Considering that XYZ Inc. has conducted sufficient analyses of the Indian market, they should now move on to developing a marketing communications campaign. In achieving this desiderate, it is pivotal for the organization to implement the modern principles of integrated marketing communications, which strive to integrate all aspects of a marketing communication, while simultaneously addressing numerous categories of stakeholders through more media channels, such as television, printed media, radio or the internet. Given this scenario, the program of integrated marketing communications for the XYZ company should be based on at least the following elements:

(1) Focus on the product -- this is essential in order to familiarize the prospective customers with the offer of the organization and to generate demand for the product. This component virtually represents the core foundation of any marketing endeavor as it convinces customers to purchase the item advertised and as such generates organizational revenues. The most adequate means to familiarize the audience with the product is through advertisements. At this stage of the marketing process, it is assumed that the previous research conducted has already identified the target market; the advertising campaigns will as such be tailored to the unique features of the target market -- the advertisements will for instance be aired during their favorite television shows.

(2) Focus on the customer -- considering that the product strategies have been covered, it is now necessary to focus on the customers. Otherwise put, it is compulsory to show the customers how the advertised product will satisfy their long lasting needs. A good advertisement, even for a product that the customer is unfamiliar with, will create the sense that the viewer had in fact been needing that respective items for years (Twitchell, 1996).

(3) Strengthen the brand -- the product is generally an integrant part of a larger brand. This creates the larger necessity for the marketing communications program to not only promote a single product, but the entire brand. This methodology would be extremely useful for XYZ in their efforts to penetrate a new market, with products unfamiliar to the customer base. The focus on the brand would increase the sense of reliability as they would communicate to the prospective shoppers that the company possesses expertise in its field, and that they have used the experience of other products to create a new item, which is part of a strong brand.

(4) Promote the organization -- just as the product is part of the brand, the brand is part of the company. This translates into the necessity for the marketing communications plan to promote not just the product and the brand, but the entire economic entity. This has the overall benefit of enhancing the sense of trust customers share relative to the organization. Additionally, it could help improve the nature of the relations established between the entity and other categories of stakeholders. An improved reputation will for instance raise the interest of more business partners and the communities. Means in which this could be accomplished include interviews within the local media or the featuring of organizational leaders within television shows for the local press.

(5) Online communications -- in order to appeal to the younger audience, it is compulsory to also address it within the virtual community. This method is once again useful as it allows the company to promote itself and to familiarize the virtual consumer with the XYZ products even before the company actually launches its operations and its products within the Indian market.

Despite the high levels of professionalism with which the marketing campaign is being constructed and implemented, fact remains that the uniqueness of the Indian market could raise some impediments to customers' acceptance. The lines below present examples of elements from the political, social and cultural field that could impact the marketing communications mix.

(1) Political: the Indian authorities, like any other national representatives across the globe, have strived to protect their national sectors by imposing taxes on exports. In more recent times however, the political field in India is working on ensuring higher levels of market liberalization. This virtually means that both tariff and non-tariff barriers are being gradually lifted. Otherwise put, XYZ Inc. will be able to freely air its campaign, without being forced to subject to restrictions. Nevertheless, fact remains that the legislation in India is fairly different from the one in the United States, meaning as such that the company should hire consultants specialized in the issues of expansion within the Indian market.