Chapter 14 – Integrated Marketing Communications Flashcards
Integrated marketing communications (IMC)
represents the promotion dimension of the four P’s; encompasses a variety of communication disciplines – general advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing, and digital media – in combination to provide clarity, consistency, and maximum communicative impact
Three components of IMC
the consumer or target market, the channels or vehicles through which the message is communicated, and the evaluation of the results of the communication
Communicating With Consumers
The sender -
the firm from which an IMC message originates; the sender must be clearly identified to the intended audience
The transmitter
an agent or intermediary with which the sender works to develop the marketing communications; for example, a firm’s creative department or an advertising agency
Encoding
the process of converting the sender’s ideas into a message, which could be verbal, visual, or both
The communication channel
the medium – print, broadcast, the internet – that carries the message
The receiver
the person who reads, hears, or sees and processes the information contained in the message or advertisement
Decoding
the process by which the receiver interprets the senders message
Noise
any interface that stems from competing messages, a lack of clarity in the message, or a flaw in the medium, and it poses a problem for all communication channels
Feedback loop
- allows the receiver to communicate with the sender and thereby informs the sender whether the message was received and decoded properly
How Consumers Perceive Communication
- Receivers decode messages differently -
not always the way the sender intended, different people shown the same message will often take radically different meanings from it
Senders adjust messages according to the medium and receivers traits -
different media communicates in different ways
- Marketers will make adjustments to their message and media depending on who they want to communicate with
Steps in Planning an IMC Campaign
- Identity Target Audience
- Set Objectives
- Determine Budget
- Convey message
- Evaluate and Select Media
- Create Communication
- Assess Impact using marketing metrics
Step 1: Identify Target Audience
Success of the campaign depends on how well the advertiser can identify its target audience - firms conduct research and then use the information they gain to set the tone for advertising program
Step 2: Set Objectives
Derived from the overall objectives of the marketing program and clarify the specific goals that the ads are designed to accomplish - objectives/goals are crucial since they will later serve as the standard against which success of failure is measured
- all firms aim to - inform, persuade, and remind customers
- setting objectives - push strategy
- advertising to consumers - pull strategy
Step 3: Determine Budget
- Objective and task method
determines the cost required to undertake specific tasks to accomplish communication objectives; process entails setting objectives, choosing media, and determining costs
Competitive parity method -
a method of determining a communications budget in which the firm’s share of the communication expense is in line with its market share
Percentage of sales method
a method of determining a communications budget that is based on a fixed percentage of forecasted sales
Affordable method
a method of determining a communications budget based on what is left over after other operating costs have been covered
Step 4: Convey Message
The message - Message provides the target audience with reasons to respond in the desired way
Message should communicate the products problem solving ability clearly and in a compelling fashion
Unique selling proposition
a strategy of differentiating a product by communicating its unique attributes; often becomes the common theme or slogan in the entire advertising campaign
The Appeal
use different appeals to portray their product or service to persuade consumers to purchase then - advertising tends to combine the types of appeals into two broad categories (rational and emotional), moral appeals are sometimes a third category
Rational appeals
helps consumers make purchase decisions by offering factual information and strong arguments built around relevant issues that encourage consumers to evaluate the brand favorably on the basis of the key benefits it provides
Emotional appeal
aims to satisfy consumers emotional desires rather than their utilitarian needs - key to successful emotional appeal is the use of emotion to create a bond between the consumer and the brand
Step 5: Evaluate and Select Media
- media planning
the process of evaluating and selecting the media mix that will deliver a clear, consistent, compelling message to the intended audience
Media mix -
the combination of the media used and the frequency of advertising in each medium - deliver a clear, consistent, compelling message to the intended audience
Media buy -
- the purchase of airtime or print pages - generally the largest expense in the advertising budget, marketers must make their decisions carefully
Mass media
include national newspapers, magazines, radio, and televisions , and are ideal for reaching large numbers of anonymous audience members
Niche media -
channels are more focused and generally used to reach narrower segments, often with unique demographic characteristics or interests - can sometimes personalize their messages
Paid media
Such as TV, print, radio, or display ads to reach mass markets
Owned media -
media controlled by the advertiser, such as its website, Facebook fan page, or YouTube channel
Earned media
comes as a result of word-of-mouth, buzz, or publicity
TV
wide reach, incorporates sound and video - high cost, increased competition
Radio
relatively inexpensive, selectively targeted, wide reach - audio only which limits presentation, declining listener base, exposure periods are short
Magazines
very targeted, subscribers pass along to others - relatively inflexible, long lead times
Newspaper
flexible, timely, can localize - expensive in some markets, ads have a short lifespan
Digital social mobile
- can be linked to detailed content, highly flexible and interactive, allows for specific targeting - becoming cluttered, ads may be blocked by software, consumers have short attention spans
Out-of-home -
relatively inexpensive, offers opportunities for repeat exposure - not easily targeted, placement problems in some markets, exposure time is very short
Direct marketing
- highly targeted, allows for personalization - cost can vary depending on type of direct marketing used, direct mail is more expensive than newer media
Advertising schedule
which specifies the timing and duration of advertising, three types of schedules
Continuous advertising schedule -
runs steadily throughout the year and therefore is suited to products and services that are consumed continually at relatively steady rates and that require a steady level of persuasive or reminder advertising
Flighting advertising schedule
refers to one implemented in spurts, with periods of heavy advertising followed by periods of no advertising - pattern generally functions for products whose demand fluctuates - sunscreen
Pulsing advertising schedule -
combines the continuous and flighting schedules by maintaining a base level of advertising but increasing advertising intensity during certain periods
Step 6: Create Communication
The message and the appeal are translated creatively into words, pictures, colours, or music
The execution must match the medium and objectives
Step 7: Assess Impact using Marketing Metrics
- pretesting
assessments performed before an ad campaign is implemented to ensure that the various elements are working in an integrated fashion and doing what they are intended to do
Tracking
monitoring key indicators, such as daily or weekly sales volume, while the advertisement is running to shed light on any problems with the message of the medium
Post-testing
the evaluation of the campaigns impact after it has been implemented
Traditional media
- Frequency
measure of how often the target audience is exposed to a communication within a specified period of time
Reach
the percentage of the target population exposed to a specific marketing communication, such as an advertisement
Gross rating points (GRP)
represents reach multiplied by frequency (GRP = reach * frequency)
Digital Media
- click through tracking
measures how many times users click on banner advertising on websites
Integrated Marketing Communication Tools
- advertising
- personal selling
- direct marketing
Advertising
- a paid form of communication from an identifiable source, delivered through a communication channel, and designed to persuade the receiver to take action, now or in the future - extremely effective for creating awareness
Personal selling
the 2 way flow of communication between a buyer and a seller that is designed to influence the buyers purchase decision - sales people help to simplify the buying process that save consumers time and effort
Direct marketing
marketing that communicates directly with target customers to generate a response or transaction - allows for personal connection and helping the consumer buy. There to offer benefits to both buyers and sellers.
Direct marketing tactics
- Direct mail/email - a targeted form of communication distributed to a prospective customers mailbox or inbox
- Catalogues - ex - ikea catalog
- Direct response TV (DRTV) - refers to TV commercials or infomercials with a strong call to action, usually via a toll-free number, return mail address, or website
- Kiosk - use them at trade shows, facilitate services
Public Relations
The organizational function that manages the firms communications to achieve a variety of objectives, including building and maintaining a positive image, handling or heading off unfavorable stories or events, and maintaining positive relationships with the media
Cause-related marketing
refers to a commercial activity in which business and charities form a partnership to market an image, product, or service for their mutual benefit
Event sponsorship -
occurs when corporations support various activities (financially or otherwise), usually in the cultural or sports and entertainment sectors
Digital media -
tools range from simple website content to far more interactive features such as corporate blogs, online games, text messaging, social media, and mobile apps
Blogs
ontains periodic posts on a common webpage - can communicate trends, promote special events, create a positive word-of-mouth, connect customers by forming a community, increase sales, improve customer satisfaction because the company can respond directly to customer comments, and develop long term-relationship with the company
Social media -
is media content distributed through social interactions - influencer marketing, using opinion leaders and people who are popular on social media
Social network sites
marketers can create excitement - interact with friends, acquaintances
Media-sharing sites
sharing content people have created - videos on youtube
Thought-sharing sites
consist of different types of blogs: corporate, professional, personal, and micro
