DEFINITION AND FORMS OF INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION AND ITS FORMS?

Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is a term that emerged in the late 20th century regarding application of consistent brand messaging across myriad marketing channels. The term has varying definitions depending upon the source cited. These definitions continue to form an ongoing discussion in marketing - and therefore are included here for review, as the differences in these discussions can play a part in how IMC is viewed and utilized.

The first definition for integrated marketing communication came from the American Association of Advertising Agencies (also 4A's) in 1989, defining IMC as "an approach to achieving the objectives of a marketing campaign through a well-coordinated use of different promotional methods that are intended to reinforce each other."The 4A's definition of IMC recognizes the strategic roles of various communication disciplines (advertising, public relations, sales promotions, etc.) to provide clarity, consistency, and increased impact when combined within a comprehensive communications plan. Basically, it is the application of consistent brand messaging across both traditional and non-traditional marketing channels.

The journal of integrated marketing communication from the Medill school of journalism at northwestern university refers to IMC as a 'strategic marketing process specifically designed to ensure that all messaging and communication strategies are unified by another mediums strength, with elements synergized to support each other and create greater impact.



FORMS OF IMC

• Organizational culture
  • The organization's vision and mission
  • Attitudes and behaviors of employees & partners
  • Communication within the company
• Four P's
  • Price, pricing plans, bundled offerings
  • Product (product design, accessibility, usability)
  • Promotion
  • Place (point of purchase, in-store/shopper experience)
• Advertising
  • Broadcasting/mass advertising: broadcasts, print, internet advertising, radio, television commercials
  • Outdoor advertising: billboards, street furniture, stadiums, rest areas, subway advertising, taxis, transit
  • Online advertising: mobile advertising, email ads, banner ads, search engine result pages, blogs, newsletters, online classified ads, media ads
  • Direct marketing: direct mail, telemarketing, catalogs, shopping channels, internet sales, emails, text messaging, websites, online display ads, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional letters, outdoor advertising, telemarketing, coupons, direct mail, direct selling, grassroots/community marketing, mobile
• Online/internet marketing
  • E-commerce
  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Search engine marketing (SEM)
  • Mobile Marketing
  • Email marketing
  • Content marketing
  • Social Media ( Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google +, Foursquare, Pinterest, Youtube, Wikipedia, Instagram)
• Sales & customer service
  • Sales materials (sell sheets, brochures, presentations)
  • Installation, customer help, returns & repairs, billing
• Public Relations
  • Special events, interviews, conference speeches, industry awards, press conferences, testimonials, news releases, publicity stunts, community involvement, charity involvement & events
• Promotions
  • Contests, coupons, product samples (freebies), premiums, prizes, rebates, special events
• Trade shows
  • Booths, product demonstrations
• Corporate philanthropy
• Donations, volunteering, charitable actions.

Why should a giant company like coca cola company continue to advertise?

Coca cola company is a giant company that deals in the manufacture and sales of soft drinks.
one may ask why a company as such will continue to advertise their product. the reasons are to;

• PERSUADE
• INFORM
• ANNOUNCE CHANGE
• ANNOUNCE PRICE CHANGE
• ATTRACT NEW BUYERS
• INCREASE AWARENESS
• CREATE AWARENESS
• COMPETE WITH SIMILAR PRODUCING COMPANIES
• INVITE ENQUIRIES
• APPEAL TO  NEW MARKET
• LAUNCH A NEW PRODUCT.

PERSUADE:
Persuasion deals with trying to convince people to believe in your idea or doctrine.
coca cola will continue to advertise to the public to maintain the trust people have about their product. and also to win the hearts of potential customers.

INFORM:
Information is an essential tool in every business. Coca cola will continue to advertise to the pubic so as to ensure a good communication relationship with its customers and consumers at large.

ANNOUNCE CHANGE:
Coca cola needs advertisement to announce to the publics any change in their product or any development relating to their product. this could be disseminated through the mass media.

ANNOUNCE PRICE CHANGE:
In case of price change, the company has to use the advertising channel to tell consumers about price changes.

ATTRACT NEW BUYERS:
Every company will love to have more customers even if its a monopolistic firm. Coca cola has many customers and will like to have more. Through advertisement, such as improving upon the taste, the packaging reduction of price, sponsoring of programs, among others. With advertising, the company might 'win the hearts' of potential customers.


INCREASE AWARENESS:
Coca cola company needs advertising to increase the existing awareness to enable consumers to stick to the purchasing of their product.

CREATE AWARENESS:
With the introduction of a new ingredient in their products, they will need advertisement to help disseminate that information. We all know coca cola has  high sugar levels in their products, in order to minimize the amount of sugar I them, they came out with new brands, which is the 'coke diet' and 'coke light'. through advertisement, they created the awareness that diabetic patients can also the purchase their product.


COMPETITION
A company like coca cola has competitors who will like to achieve  'good will' like coca cola.
Through advertising, the company will lead in the pace their setting. but if it's the other way round, the company will lose its good will.

INVITE ENQUIRIES:
In order to maintain  good customer relationship, The company has to make advertisements of their products to enable customers have access to make enquiries about their products. This is made possible  for customers to have access to the company by leaving help lines among others.


LAUNCH NEW PRODUCTS:
Without advertising, a company like coca cola may go bankrupt. this is because, with the introduction of new products, customers may not get to know the new trends, or innovations about the company's product. with advertising, customers will get to know about the new products and how to purchase them.

No matter how giant a company you are, you may not get to maintain your customers without advertising.
in conclusion, one can say advertising helps a company to maintain its 'good will' among its customers.