Integrated Marketing

Integrated Marketing Communications & Systems

Integrated marketing communications is a holistic approach to marketing communications that aims to ensure consistency of marketing messages and complementary use of media channels. First, a company practicing integrated marketing communication ensures that it is using all the elements of the marketing mix – product, place, price and promotion. Second, it ensures consistency of message and style in offline and online channels. Third, it allocates and integrates the campaigns that are run in offline media such as print (newspapers, magazines), radio, TV, direct mail, public relations, government and industry relations, and in online media such as search engine, affiliate, social media, blogging, e-mail and others.

Growing importance of integrated marketing communications

As mass media is losing importance and a multiplicity of media channels especially online are emerging, marketing communications is now much more than formulating marketing messages and placing them on a limited number of channels.There is a fragmentation of media into specific target audiences. Consumers have a greater control over what they want to watch and engage with. Smart advertisers are adapting to data-driven marketing that avoids reaching irrelevant audience and seeks to build a deeper relationship with its audience. It seeks to engage rather than blast one-way messages.

The way the marketing communications process is handled is now also different. Traditionally, it has been a part of media spend but now increasingly, T&M (time and material) basis or performance based compensation is coming into vogue.

Integrated marketing communications are effective

When marketing strategy, messages and media vehicles are decided in an integrated manner, then campaigns are found to be more effective. Integration between just display advertising and search advertising was found to have led to better results. More integration between multiple channels can make the difference between an average and a successful campaign.

Integrated marketing systems

These systems, which may be likened with enterprise resource planning (ERP) for an enterprise, provide a software infrastructure to manage marketing resources.

Below are some of the resources that would help you to further provide an insight into the topic.