Core Concepts of Marketing

194 CHAPTER 8 COMMUNICATI~IGTOMASSMARKETS

Targetaudiences Targetaudiences

Customers

Resellers

Companies

• Past


• Present


• Future


• Competing


• Noncompeting

Employees

Stockholders

Functions

Publics

• Government


• Agencies


• Groups
  FIGURE8.2 Theflowofmarketingcommunication

M arketingCommunications

WhileallcommunicationincludesthesamebasiccomponentsdepictedinFigure8.1,mar-

ketingcommunicationdifferssomewhatintworespects.First,theintentofmarketingcom-

municationsistopresenta persuasivemessage,whichreinforcesthetotaloffermadeby

themarketer.Essentially,allmarketingcommunicationattemptstocreateuniquenessinthe

mindofthetargetaudience.

Second,marketingcommunicationcanbedividedintotwoflows(i.e.,internaland

external),whicharedirectedatdifferenttargetaudiences.Thisnecessitatesdifferentcom-

municationstrategies,which,nevertheless,mustbecompatible. A companycannotbetelling

a customeronestoryandstockholdersanother. Theflowofmarketingcommunicationis

depictedinFigure8.2.

DESIGNINGANIMeST RATEGY

ThedesignofaneffectiveIMCstrategyis a verydifficultandtime-consumingprocessthat

requirestheeffortsofmanymembersofthemarketingstaff.Althoughtherehasbeena great

dealofvarietyindesigningthisprocess,thestepsdepictedinFigure8.3aremostcommon.

Asisthecasewithmostmarketingactivities,IMCisguidedbya setofobjectives.

TherearenumerousresponsesthatthemanagermaydesirefromhisIMCeffort.Although

theultimatebuyerbehaviordesiredisproductpurchase,severalintermediateresponsesmay

proveimportantaswell.Examplesoftheseintermediateresponsesareshownin Figure8.4.

Ifthereisa marketingopportunity,theremustalsobeacommunicationopportunity.

AlthoughtheroleofIMCis de-emphasizedincertainmarketingprograms,therewillalso

besomecommunicative,motivational,orcompetitivetaskstobeperformed.Whetheror