Marketing communication: principles and practice

I N T E G R A T E D M A R K E T I N G C O M M U N I C A T I O N
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Table 13.2
Is your marketing communication system integrated?
Level of integration
Concern of the manager
Objectives
Are the communication objectives appropriate for the 
marketing and corporate business objectives?
Functions
Do the marketing communication activities fit with 
production, staffing, training, etc.
Marketing
Are price, quality, specification, and distribution 
decisions consistent with the communication objectives?
Communication
Are all communicators effectively guiding stakeholders 
to productive exchanges?
Design
Are design and creative execution consistent with the 
chosen product positioning?
Organization
Are all agencies working together to a single plan with 
regular progress checks?
Investment
Is the budget being used wisely for long-term 
investment impact and efficiency?
Source
: Adapted from Smith 
et al
., 1997
Brand
strategy
Marketing
mix as
communication
system
Customer
appreciation
a
Brand
activity
Customer
action
Figure 13.1
The brand as integrator
Source
: Based on Smith 
et al
., 1997
Note
: 
a
Denotes the appreciative system that perceives (aspects of the environment),
interprets (makes meaning), judges (values against a standard), and then decides how to act

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WHY HAS IMC BECOME SO PROMINENT IN
RECENT YEARS?
The significance of integration in managing communication for marketing
purposes has been heightened in recent years by a number of changes. We
will briefly consider these here, bearing in mind that they will affect
corporations differently because their circumstances will be different, and
that they are not all discrete and independent .