Marketing Communications

REVIEW QUESTIONS 29

Summary

Integrated communications are the integration of formerly specialised communications

functions into one organisational system that conveys a consistent set of messages to all target

audiences. Integrated marketing and corporate communications manage each point of

contact between the consumer or other target groups and the product or the organisation.

Several key drivers of IMC can be identifi ed, such as loss of faith in mass media advertising,

the need for enhanced cost-eff ectiveness, media and target audience fragmentation and over-

lap, more complex decision-making units, the need to build customer loyalty, relationship

marketing and, last but not least, the evolution of technology. Integrating the marketing eff ort

is not an easy process. Companies evolve only gradually to a truly integrated communications

system. Th is slow evolution is caused by a number of important barriers to integration,

such as the functional specialisation in companies, existing structures, the lack of internal

communications and the perceived complexity of planning and co-ordination. In integrated

communications many instruments are used. Th ey are embedded in a communications plan

that has to be integrated in the strategic marketing plan.

Table 1.6 The communications plan

z Situation analysis and marketing objectives: Why?

z Target groups: Who?

z Communications objectives: What?

z Tools, techniques, channels and media: How and where?

z Budgets: How much?

z Timing: When?

z Measurement of results: How effective?

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Give a brief overview of the instruments of the communications mix.


2. What are the main concerns in a cross-cultural communications context?


3. What are integrated communications and in what way do they differ from ‘classic’
   communications?


4. How do corporate strategy, culture and personality influence corporate identity?


5. How does corporate identity influence corporate communication?


6. What factors have to be taken into account in corporate image management, and what is
   the role of communications?


7. What are the factors that reinforce the need for integrated communications, and how can
   the latter provide an answer to contemporary marketing communications problems?


8. What are the levels of integration a company can go through?


9. What are the barriers to integrated marketing communications?

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