Integrated marketing communications as a unified organizational strategy

Integrated Marketing Communications: Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts?

The concept of Integrated Marketing Communications is a relatively new one, which arose from the need to constantly adapt to the changes affecting both the micro and macro environments. In addition, the emergence of the IMC is a direct consequence of the increased attention placed on marketing activities and strategies, as well as the recognition of the vital role played by the communication system in achieving organizational goals.

Only until recently, the basic change was that of an increased focus on customers' needs and the immense desire to satisfy them. Companies became more customer-oriented and began to develop and implement numerous strategies, aimed at increasing customers' satisfaction in regard to the company's products and services.

Today however, the variety of strategies seems overwhelmed by the rapid mutations affecting both the business community as well the consumers. In marketing "the paradigm change is coming from an offspring called Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC). and, nowhere is that more evident than in the non-English-speaking countries where the primary focus on mass advertising and mass communication is giving way to more integrated forms of communication, including such areas as sales, promotion, direct marketing, public relations, events, and the like" (Kim, Han and Schultz, p.1).

In order to best respond to these changes, organizations are beginning to think of new ways of developing their strategies. The Integrated Marketing Communication comes to their benefit as it provides insight on how to best integrate and unify all marketing strategies into an organizational activity to retrieve the most favourable results. And the beneficial outcome of Integrated Marketing Communications offers a positive answer to the question Is the whole grater than the sum of its parts?

2. Integrated Marketing Communication

The specialized literature of our days has presented the reader with a multitude of definitions of IMC. As such, the American Marketing Association defines the Integrated Marketing Communication as being "a planning process designed to assure that all brand contacts received by a customer or prospect for a product, service, or organization are relevant to that person and consistent over time" (American Marketing Association, 2008).

Laura Lake, a marketing specialist at Marketing About has defined the IMC as: "a management concept that is designed to make all aspects of marketing communication such as advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and direct marketing work together as a unified force, rather than permitting each to work in isolation" (Lake, 2008).

Another relevant definition of IMC comes from the Centre for Integrated Marketing, which states that "Integrated Marketing is a creative, human and business discipline that reduces or eliminates these divisions to ensure the brand is appropriately present and effectively communicating at all the important times in a customer's life in a way that provides value, creates sustainable profits and benefits shareholders and employees" (Centre for Integrated Marketing, 2006).

The list of IMC definitions could go on for numerous pages, but the conclusion would be the same: Integrated Marketing Communication represents the process of unifying all marketing activities of an organization, such as sales, promotions or advertising, in order to develop the best marketing campaign that would retrieve the best results. But in order to develop a successful marketing campaign with the aid of the IMC, companies must consider a wide variety of factors of influences, such as the company clients (both current and potential), public relations, brand, media, advertising or promotions.

Factors that influence a marketing campaign

Source: Vargas, 2005

IMC is a common-sense idea. Instead of dividing communications into several overlapping departments, organizations use one strategy for everything, making every communication consistent with one message and one strategy. For example, once a company decides how it is uniquely able to meet a particular consumer need, every message is based on those conclusions" (Paquet).

2.1 Benefits of IMC

The major beneficial features of implementing integrated marketing communications within an organization revolve around the following capabilities offered by a good IMC system:

The IMC aids companies to effectively manage the corporate image by highlighting the core competencies and how to connect these capabilities with the other corporative features

The IMC supports a strong marketing campaign, centred around organizational values and strengths and which will not only make a statement, but will also positively influence sales and increase the company's return on investment

The IMC improves the quality of the promotional and advertising strategies presented through media channels

The IMC has better chances of success than traditional implementation of marketing strategies as it encompasses more modern strategies, generally the online marketing (Wisconsin School of Business, 2006) properly implemented Integrated Marketing Communications system sustains the company in cutting down their costs

The IMC offers the company a core competency and a sustainable advantage in comparison to the large numbers of companies which have yet to implement the IMC

The Integrated Marketing Communications set the basis for coordinated company and brand developed well implemented marketing campaign, developed with regard to the IMC considerations is prone to attract increased attention from customers, for after all, the IMC is based on customer orientation (Slide Share, 2007).

Other benefits of the usage of the Integrated Marketing Communications system arise form the differences revealed by basic comparison of the traditional and the integrated marketing approaches. These differences are presented in the table below:

Table 1: Differences between the Traditional and Integrated Approach to Marketing

Traditional Approach

Focus on:

Integrated Approach

Focus on:

1. Making transactions

1. Building and nourishing relationships

2. Customers

2. All stakeholders in the organization

3. Independent brand message

3. Strategic consistency on brand messages

4. Mass-media - monologue with the customers

4. Interactivity - dialogue with the customers

5. Products claims

5. Corporate mission marketing

6. Adjusting prior year's plan

6. Zero-based campaign planning

7. Functional department planning and monitoring

7. Cross-functional planning and monitoring

8. Communication specialists

8. Creating core competencies

9. Mass marketing and customer acquisition

9. Building and managing databases to retain customers

10. Stable of agencies

10. One communication management agency

Source: Peter and Donnelly, p.121

Today, when most companies have yet to adopt the IMC, its usage represents a core competency and a sustainable advantage. However in the future, this advantage could turn against the company in the form of a shortage. To better explain, in the following years, when all companies will have adopted the IMC, it will no longer represent a benefit as it will imply that all companies implement similar marketing strategies and fail to stand out. If this situation was to occur, the probability is that corporations will begin to "disintegrate" their marketing procedures as to make them more unique and more adaptable to the particular needs of the clients and the particular features of the products.

3. Integrated Marketing Communications at Nike

Nike is an American-based company, headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, but with subsidies and retail stores all over the globe. Nike manufacturers and sells high quality apparel, shoes and sports equipment. Today, Nike has managed to become more than a supplier of sports equipment; they represent the trend, the fashion statement.

Nike's brand is the most valuable assets of the company's and they base most of the marketing campaigns on the Nike brand. A relevant sign indicating Nike's implementation of the Integrated Marketing Communication is given by their capability of reaching such an extended palette of customers. Most companies are only able to become the main provider for one specific target market, be this formed of teenagers, adults, senior citizens, men or women. But Nike has managed to develop such a strong marketing campaign which captured the attention of both teenagers and adults. And the message is simple: Just Do it! The message is standardized; it's the same for all items sold in the Nike stores, but it can mean a wide array of things: Teenagers, buy these cool clothes and stay on fashion! Just Do it! Or Adults, buy these great sports equipment and start exercising and having a healthier life today! Just Do it!

But the message must be kept alive at all times and the company has the obligation of backing it, for the brand or the message cannot solely sustain a successful campaign. The launching part of a new marketing campaign is a crucial part and it is the results of significant efforts which are once again aligned with the company's overall goal and integrated with the rest of the marketing strategies.

The launch comes to support and promote the brand. "Nike launches its new products through a marketing communication team that develops point-of-purchase and trade show displays, posters, video, and other visuals, all of which reinforce the positioning of, and key messages about, the Nike brand/logo" (Media Campaign, 2002).

Another sign that proves that Nike makes significant efforts to develop and implement a strong integrated marketing campaign is given by their combination of both online and offline marketing strategies. A perfect example of this was Nike's 2000 Whatever campaign. "Online and offline, Nike did Whatever to find perfect synergy [...] Nike's "Whatever" campaign not only was consistent, it was groundbreaking - so groundbreaking that major TV networks almost refused to run it" (Mara, 2000).

The basic characteristic of Nike's Whatever campaign was revealed by the company's ability to perfectly integrate traditional and online marketing. The television advertisement presented the customer racing Marion Jones, the fastest runner on the globe; but the end was not shown, sending the viewer to the campaign's website. "You're racing Marion Jones. The fastest woman in the world. Look out for the glass door. (CRASH!) What do you do? Continued at whatever.nike.com" (Mara, 2000).

The advertisements retrieved the most beneficial results: they proved once again the strong capabilities of the Nike team, managed to integrate traditional and modern marketing strategies, revolutionized the advertising community and most important, increased Nike's sales. Also, this advertisement attracted users to visit the campaign website, www.whatever.nike.com, and also increased the number of www.nike.comvisitors.

A new feature which points out that Nike has managed to successfully implement the Integrated Marketing Communications is given by the company's ability to interact with the consumers. By going to the Whatever website, the customers were able to choose from a variety of endings to the television advertisement. They were given the freedom to choose rather than being imposed the ending. Based on the immense success retrieved from the Whatever campaign, Nike "is looking forward to doing stuff that's more interactive. The Web is the one medium where people are in control. We need to stop pushing content at people and let them be in charge" (Mara, 2000).

Aside from the mixture of traditional and online marketing strategies, Nike's campaigns reveal the implementation of the IMC through an increased focus on customer. "Nike is a great example of a company that has fully embraced the concept of integrated marketing. Their integrated approach includes traditional advertising (billboard, magazine, and television); sponsoring sporting events and players such as the Superbowl and Tiger Woods; and engaging in online marketing initiatives by allowing consumers to customize their Nike shoes. They also spend a great deal of money in search marketing. Nike's approach allows them to communicate their message consistently across all media outlets; and at the same time share that message at every customer touch point; that is, use Nike products and you will increase your performance regardless of what sport you are involved in" (Marketing Tips and Ideas).

4. Conclusions and Recommendations

The Integrated Marketing Communication is a new concept familiar to the business community, but its importance is just beginning to be felt. Until recently, the IMC was considered a simple feature of the marketing science, but starting with the past decade, it has become a subject of its own. The proper implementation of the Integrated Marketing Communications is expected to revolutionize large and small size companies alike. "Based on our findings, we hypothesize that in light of the rapidly changing marketing environment in many countries, IMC will likely become not just a choice but a requirement for many clients and agencies around the world" (Kim, Han and Schultz, p.12).

Before engaging in corporate actions to implement the Integrated Marketing Communications system, companies must adopt a customer oriented philosophy, ensure training programs for the employees and plan to achieve a competitive advantage through the implementation of IMC (Slides Share, 2007). Once these aspects are ensured, the company must take the following steps:

Identify the target audience

Determine the communications objectives

Design the messaging content

Select the means for communication

Define the mix of media, budget and priorities

Measure the effectiveness of the efforts." (Vargas, 2005)

The successful implementation of the Integrated Marketing Communications is expected to support the organization in reaching its overall objectives. It ensures the unifications of all marketing strategies under a single activity with a clearly specified goal and a focus on customers' needs and perception of the company's products and services. The IMC stands as proof that the whole is grater than the sum of all the parts. But then the parts are what make the whole. And the complete standardization of all components of the marketing system might not prove as beneficial on the long-term, moreover since the number of companies adopting the IMC is expected to increase in the following years. As such, the excessive implementation of the Integrated Marketing Communications could lead to an aligning of the corporate features and a flattening of the core competencies and sustainable advantages. Under no circumstances should these possible negative outcomes prevent companies from implementing the IMC, but they are only meant to attract their attention of the importance of remaining alert and vigilant to all the changes occurring in the micro and macro environments.