NAME:BORKETEY REBECCA BORLEY
INDEX NUMBER: BACJ2016124
LEVEL:200A
Integrated Marketing Communication can be defined as the concept and process of strategically managing audience focused,channel-centered and results driven brand communication programs over time.[Kliatcho,2005:21]
To strategically manage audience, one must consider the following ;
- going beyond the demographic to the psycho-graphics of the audience
- understanding who the loyal and targeted audience are.
- understand customer buying attitudes and behaviors
- gaining more loyalty from customers. [Nowak and Phelps 1994]
It could also be defined as the concept under which a company carefully integrates and coordinates its many communication channels to deliver a clear,consistent and compelling message.
Integrating and coordinating involve mainly combining and efficiently managing something, an occasion or program.
Therefore integrated marketing communication is the idea by which a company combines and efficiently manages its many/various communication/information channels to deliver a clear consistent and appealing message.
Integrated marketing communications comes in six different forms as stated below:
- advertising
- sales promoting
- publicity/public relations
- personal selling
- sponsorship marketing
- point of sales and point of purchase.
Firstly, advertising is a paid form of non personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services which uses the media with an identifiable sponsor.advertising is very important the reason been that it reaches large,geographically audience but most importantly people perceive advertised goods and services as legitimate and is socially and psychologically healthy.it is a good way to build a brand name and may stimulate short term sales.
Then,sales promoting makes good use of varieties of formats: premium coupons,contests and many others to attract attention thus stimulating great and quick responses.it may include organizing quizzes about the brand/products.
Also Publicity/Public Relations is the interpretation and communication of information from an organization to its publics and the communications of ideas, opinions and views from the public to the organization.this variale or form of imc is very important and highly credible. It involves news features,events and press conferences and sponsorships informing the publics or targeted audiences about the organization and its products and reaches to many prospects missed out by other form of promotions.
Personal selling is the most effective tool for building buyers preferences and convictions.it allows interactions between organizations and their public.Unlike advertising, person selling is a two way communication and allows for feedback and adjustments and it also represents a long term commitments and builds the loyalty level in customers.
Sponsorship Marketing requires the involvement/association of an organization with an event of interest to societies, countries, an the world as a whole with which there is advertising whereby the organization receives same attention as the event and likely even more attention.examples are ;the Glo premier league and X factor and,MTN hit-maker organized in Ghana.
Point of Sales or Point of Purchase is a branded place or location which is used in advertising and creating awareness about an organization and its products.example is the vending points of the communication networks at the shopping mall in Ghana.
These forms of Integrated Marketing Communication:advertising,sales promotion,public relations/publicity,personal sales,sponsorship marketing and point of sales or point of purchase together help create the perfect consistent, concise, clear and compelling message and can lead to a better overall outcome producing a holistic results.
In conclusion,the usage promotional tools such as magazines,public relations[PR],TV commercials to transmit messages can help achieve healthy brand name. [McGrath 2005b]
REFERENCES
- McGrath 2005b
- Kliatchko 2005 :21
- Nowak and Phelps 1994
