Achieving Better Results Through Integrated Marketing Communications

Editor's Notes

1. And hello to the four Cs Customer – the customer has a voice now and they’re talking. Shift of power to the customer/consumer Cost Convenience – how easy is it to obtain? The internet has changed all of this. Communication - are you listening or are you selling? The four C’s are how we really review things in IMC. All of these lead up to how a consumer chooses a brand, it’s really a five step process: Problem or opportunity recognition Information search Choice Evaluation Behavior and Action Decision and Repeat Buy The premise behind IMC is that it is able to exert much greater influence on all of these steps, not just the decision to buy or choice evaluation. By really learning the buying behavior of a customer, you can tailor the IMC mix to maximize your brand’s premise at each of these stages. And if the message is consistent and persistent, you will eventually lead them to the right decision.
2. Creative brief Let’s talk about when public relations and sales promotion. To me, public relations is the boost. Sales promotion is the caboose that drives the train. Both should be at the table when determining a marketing strategy.
3. Creative brief Let’s talk about when public relations and sales promotion. To me, public relations is the boost. Sales promotion is the caboose that drives the train. Both should be at the table when determining a marketing strategy.
4. Advertising as part of an IMC campaign often has to have not only a call to action, but be part of the content marketing mix as well. Perhaps the best example of this is the Old Spice Smell like a Man campaign. This highly integrated campaign was a genius mixture of social media engagement, viral video, traditional advertising and public relations. The Campaign generated more than 1.2 billion media impressions, over 100 million YouTube views and exponential increases in the brand’s social media networks. The Old Spice campaign revived a tired old brand . According to ad week, sales for Old Spice jumped 55% in the first three months of the campaign. In the fourth month, however, sales jumped 107 PERCENT. What a remarkable case study for IMC. Isaiah Mustafa  
5.  what .
6.   . How do we measure linked tactics? What would that look like?
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8. Objectives are aligned under milestones, tactics are aligned under objectives Reporting strategy All members of the project team identified including partners, influencers, buyers 360 degree reporting strategy means the you are reporting to everyone AROUND you on a regular basis / Determine the correct level of reporting: whether it’s a team sponsor or what High level Detail level (budgeting)
9. Functional silos and separate departments are perhaps the biggest barriers to IMC. We all know how hard it is to communicate cross-functionally. Trying to manage a plan that executes in a synchronized fashion cross-functionally is extremely challenging. Many departments feel they must have exposure for their successes compared to others. Many departments have different metrics by which their success is measured. These things and others, make it difficult to create a common set of measurements under a common set of aligned goals. Team dynamics must be strong in order for IMC to be successful.   Also, IMC does not have a strong, repeatable framework that can be taken from company to company and implemented as is. IMC requires that you find your own recipe in terms of the components used and the timing of those components. There are common elements to every IMC plan, as we’ve seen. But really, each organization or brand has to reach his or her specific audience. In today’s fractured messaging landscape, it’s tough to have common processes that can translate.   Management doesn’t know how to implement IMC and that’s why there’s such a huge proliferation of IMC programs in marketing and journalism college departments across the country. We’re really training people in school and on the job at the same time. It reminds me of my days in the technology industry. There was a huge shift from linear project management to modular project management, where the software components were often developed at the same time, and implemented in a synchronized fashion. Many old school IT people could not convert their thinking. I see the same thing in marketing today.