This article aims at presenting a bird's eye view on the needs, approaches and issues related to Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) with a research perspective. This can help the researchers to carry out the literature survey. This account traces the history of IMC and the different needs and models evolved, leading to the use of IMC as a prevalent marketing communication form. Some problems of integration are also discussed in the article.Independent
marketing communication tools do not have the same or
equal effects at every stage of the consumer purchase
process (Aaker and Biel, 1993, pp. 1- 3; Wells et
al., 2000, p. 75). For example, broadcast media
such as television or radio are typically considered
the best for creating brand awareness and interest,
while personal selling as interactive but expensive.
Medium
(Shimp, 2000, p. 629) is often reserved for use when
the client is close to making the purchase decision
itself. Therefore, in order to influence the consumer
at every stage in the consumer decision process effectively
(Shimp, 2000, p. 19; Wells et al., 2000, pp.
112 - 113), the marketer must use several communication
tools in some complementary manner (Shimp, 2000, p.
21).
Such
a combination is called an IMC mix. The creation of
an appropriate Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)
mix requires that a decisionmaker has an understanding
of the nature and relative strengths of every promotional
tool at her or his disposal. Although the formulation
of an efficient and appropriate IMC mix can be difficult
in today's fragmented markets, it was not that long
ago when it was much simpler. |
