Core Concepts of Marketing

196 CHAPTER 8 COMMUNICATINGTOMASSMARKETS

Commitment

FIGURE8 .4 Goalsofintegratedmarketingcommunication

themessage.Whetherit is themessagedeliveredbya salesperson,a newspaper,ora point-

of-purchasedisplay,themessagemustfacilitatereachingthecommunicationobjectives.

Moneyis alwaysanimportantfactor;a typical IMCeffortisextremelyexpensiveand

is becomingmoreexpensiveeveryday.Keepingtrackofthesecostelenentsisa full-time

job.Thebudgetfora particularIMCeffortcanbedeterminedthroughverysophisticated

computerprogramsorthroughin tuitivetechniquessuchasexperience,followingcompe-

tition, orsimplyspendingallyoucanafford.Particularbudgetaryapproachesaresumma-

rizedinTable8.1.

Onceyoudecidehowmuchtospend,theamountstobe spentonpersonalselling,

advertising,publicity,andsalespromotionmustbedecided.Afterdeterminingthemajor

allocations,eachofthesefiguresmustbebrokendownintomuchfinerincrements.Forexam-

ple,theadvertisingbudgetmustbereallocatedbymediacategory,thenbyspecificmedia,

andfinally,byparticulardates,times,issues,etc.

Evaluatingtheeffer:tivenessofanIMC effortis veryimportant.Threetasksmustbe

completedwhenoneattemptstomeasuretheresultsofIMC.First,standardsforIMCeffec-

tiveness,suchasretentionandliking,mustbeestablished.Thismeansthatthemarketplan-

nermusthavea clearunderstandingofexactlywhatthecommunicationisintendedto

accomplish.Formeasurementpurposes,thestandardsshouldbeidentifiedinspecific,quan-

titativeterms.Second,actuallMCperformancemustbemonitored.Todothis,it isusu

allynecessarytoconductexperimentsinwhichtheeffectsofothervariablesareeither

excludedorcontrolled.ThethirdstepinmeasuringIMCefficiencyistocomparetheseper-