The integration of marketing communications 415
2 It adds depth and amplification to a particular
message or set of brand values.
3 It demonstrates professionalism on the part of
the brand owner.
Iddiols identifies three potential mechanics for
providing integration across activities:
The use of some form of mnemonic device,
such as the red telephone used by Direct Line,
or the Tea Folk by Tetley.
A consistent proposition reinforced across all
communications activities, such as Tesco’s
‘Every Little Helps’.
Conveying a consistent set of brand values, as
in the examples of Coca-Cola, Guinness or
Levi’s.
A key contributor to the achievement of
effective and integrated marketing commu-
nications is the appropriate use of market
research – both to gain greater insight and
understanding of consumer behaviour, as well
as to achieve an understanding of the con-
tributions of the individual tools of marketing
communications.
The difficulty, as many writers acknowl-
edge, is changing the focus of market research
from a disintegrated mode into a holistic
practice. Archer and Hubbard (1996) suggest
that the vast bulk of market research carried
out continues to reflect the outdated theories
and structures of disintegrated marketing
communications. They argue that a more hol-
istic approach needs to be adopted to measure
the aggregate outcomes of all marketing activ-
ity whilst, at the same time, monitoring the
specific actions which contribute to that
outcome.
The clear advantages of a more holistic
approach to research are that it is more com-
prehensive, embracing all activities and both
short- and long-term objectives. It provides
greater flexibility and it is more realistic in
that it measures the end result of all activities
on the target audience.
International dimensions of integrated marketing communications
Recent works reflect the increasing growth and
impact of global marketing communications.
Grein and Gould (1996) have suggested that the
concept of IMC should be broadened and
renamed ‘global integrated marketing commu-
nications’. Since, increasingly, manufacturers
seek to implement communications campaigns
across national boundaries, IMC requires inte-
gration beyond that of disciplines to encompass
global management of campaigns. The man-
agement of international brands demands that
strategic marketing decisions are integrated
and co-ordinated across all relevant global
markets.
They offer a new definition to incorporate
the international dimension:A system of active promotional management
which strategically co-ordinates global commu-
nications in all of its component parts both
horizontally in terms of countries and organiza-
tions and vertically in terms of promotion
disciplines.A study conducted by Grein and Ducoffe (1998)
revealed the extent to which advertising agen-
cies in particular are becoming global enter-
prises, reflecting the needs of their increasingly
global clients. They indicated that clients wish to
use more standardized campaigns, which are
easier and cheaper to administer, have proven
track records in some countries, and result in a
unified brand image and position around the
world. For many companies, these benefits were
considered sufficient to outweigh the less than
perfect outcomes in some operating countries.
A direct consequence confirmed by the
study is a reduction in the extent of local
creativity on international accounts. Once cam-
paigns have been developed, usually in one
country, they are implemented with relatively
few variations on a worldwide basis.