Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is the

application of consistent brand messaging across both traditional and non-traditional marketing channels and using different promotional methods to reinforce each other.

IMC was developed mainly to address the need for businesses to offer clients more than just standard advertising.

Business Dictionary Online, 2014

Components of IMC

• IMC weaves diverse aspects of business and marketing together. These include:

• Organizational culture

The organization's vision and mission, Attitudes and behaviorsof employees & partners Communication within the company

• Four C's

Consumer, Cost, Convenience, Communication

• Advertising

- Broadcasting/mass advertising: broadcasts, print, internet advertising, radio, television commercials

- Outdoor advertising: billboards, street furniture, stadiums, rest areas, subway advertising, taxis, transit

The American Marketing Association,2014.

- Online advertising: mobile advertising, email ads, banner ads, search engine result pages, blogs, newsletters, online classified ads, media ads

• 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.

The American Marketing Association,2014.

Contests, coupons, product samples (freebies), premiums, prizes, rebates, special events

• Trade shows

Booths, product demonstrations

• Corporate philanthropy

Donations, volunteering, charitable actions

• Direct marketing: direct mail, telemarketing, catalogues, shopping channels, internet sales, emails, text messaging, websites, online display ads, fliers, catalogue distribution, promotional letters, outdoor advertising, telemarketing, coupons, direct mail, direct selling, grassroots/community marketing, mobile

The American Marketing Association,2014.

The Importance of Integrated

Marketing Communications.

• Results

- In the traditional approach to marketing communications, businesses and their agencies plan separate campaigns for advertising, press relations, direct marketing and sales promotions.

- Integrated campaigns use the same communication tools to reinforce each other and improve marketing effectiveness. In an integrated campaign, you can use advertising to raise awareness of a product and generate leads for the sales force.

- By communicating the same information in press releases and feature articles, the messages in the advertising are enforced. Then direct mail or email can be used to follow up inquiries from the advertising or press campaigns and to provide prospects with more information.

- To help convert those prospects to customers, telemarketing is used to sell directly or make appointments for the sales team.

The American Marketing Association,2014.

• Creative Consistency

- In an integrated campaign, the different tools feature the same creative treatment.

- By repeating the headlines, key phrases and images in each communication, you ensure that prospects and customers receive consistent messages each time they see one of the elements of the campaign.

- Creative consistency helps reinforce the basic campaign themes by increasing the number of times prospects see or hear the same message.

The American Marketing Association,2014.

• Cost Savings

- Creative consistency in integrated campaigns can save money.

- By using the same images and adapting the same copy for different media, copy-writing, design and photography costs can be reduced.

- While working with external communications suppliers, agency fees expense can be reduced by working with a single firm that offers integrated communications services, rather than separate specialist agencies.

The American Marketing Association,2014.

McDonald’s Campaign Failure

McDonald’s IMC campaign failure• In January, 2012 McDonald's launched a Twitter campaign

using the hashtags #McDStories and #MeetTheFarmers; it was hoping that the former hashtag would inspire heart-warming stories about Happy Meals.

• The tweets went live on Jan. 18, reading:

- 'When u make something w/pride, people can taste it.’

- ‘McD potato supplier and some of the hard-working people dedicated to providing McDs with quality food every day with intentions to shed light on the farmers who curate the fresh produce used in the fast food chain.’

Forbes, 2012

• Both tweets included the sponsored Twitter hash tag, #McDStories, as an outlet for those to share their tales. The plan, however, backfired.

• It attracted snarky tweets and McDonald’s detractors who turned it into a #bashtag to share their #McDHorrorStories.

• “Within an hour, we saw that it wasn't going as planned”, McDonald's social media director Rick Wion told PaidContent.org. “It was negative enough that we set about a change of course.”

Forbes, 2012

• Almost immediately after, Twitter users took the opportunity to slam the brand, with outbursts that McDonald's uses pig meat from gestation crates, makes the person vomit and detailing contaminants found in the food.

• While Wion said he expected an array of responses from both fans and detractors, the social media fail proved hard for the company to control.

• As Twitter continues to evolve its platform and engagement opportunities, we're learning from our experiences, he said, noting the company rid of the #McDStories hash tag altogether. The #MeetTheFarmers hash tag is still in place and has received a balanced mix of criticism and favorablecomments.

The Huffington Post, 2012

• @Muzzafuzza: I haven't been to McDonalds in years, because I'd rather eat my own diarrhea.

• @None_0ther: Dude said he found a roach on his sandwich

• @SkipSullivan: One time I walked into McDonalds and I could smell Type 2 diabetes floating in the air and I threw up.

• @Cate_Storm: I just read that McDonalds chicken nuggets have a foaming agent in them, similar to products used for building materials.

• @vegan: My memories of walking into a McDonald's: the sensory experience of inhaling deeply from a freshly-opened can of dog food.

• @Undateable_Girl: Paid for my food but almost left cause I was high and convinced that the workers called the cops and were using my food as bait

• @DigitalStokes: I used to like McDonalds. I stopped eating McDonalds years ago because every time I ate it I felt like I was dying inside. The Huffington Post, 2012

Old Spice Campaign Success

Old Spice’s 2010 campaign featuring the handsome, witty and chisel-chested Old Spice Guy (former NFL wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa) launched just prior to the 2010 Superbowl and

quickly became a viral video sensation.

Despite not airing during Superbowl, the ad was one

of the most talked about commercials and helped to ignite Old Spice sales during a period of intense competitive activity.

To further build buzz, Old Spice invited consumers to submit

questions via Twitter and Facebook to be answered personally by the Old Spice Guy.

Forbes, 2010

• More than 2,000 people sent questions and in a 48-hour period.

• Nearly 200 personalized video responses were created and posted to YouTube, including those to Digg co-founder Kevin Rose, Ashton Kutcher, Alyssa Milano and ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos, setting new benchmarks for consumer engagement and sparking another viral hit.

• The “response” videos have been viewed more than 46 million times. In fact, in the first 24 hours they were viewed in the U.S. more times on YouTube than President Obama’s 2008 election-night acceptance speech.

Forbes, 2010

• Nearly 105 million YouTube views of the campaign.

• 1.2 billion earned media impressions, including features on national broadcast networks and international media outlets.

• 2700% increase in Twitter followers.

• 800% increase in Facebook fan interaction.

• 300% increase in traffic to http://oldspice.com.

• Old Spice has become the #1 Most Viewed.

• Sponsored YouTube ChannelForbes, 2010

The campaign later received the industry’s highest honor, the Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix, where judges noted it “overnight wove its way into popular culture” and was nominated for an Emmy award.

The campaign had a significant impact on Old Spice sales, both for body wash and the overall franchise. Old Spice, month over month strengthened its market position, and became the number one brand of body wash and deodorant in both sales and volume with growth in the high single/double digits.

Forbes, 2010

Bottom Line

Referencing• #McDStories: When A Hashtag Becomes A Bashtag - Forbes. 2014.#McDStories:

When A Hashtag Becomes A Bashtag - Forbes. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/01/24/mcdstories-when-a-hashtag-becomes-a-bashtag/. [Accessed 26 November 2014].

• McDonald’s #McDStories Twitter Campaign is an Epic Fail, Best (and Worst) Tweets. 2014. McDonald’s #McDStories Twitter Campaign is an Epic Fail, Best (and Worst) Tweets. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.ibtimes.com/mcdonalds-mcdstories-twitter-campaign-epic-fail-best-worst-tweets-399910. [Accessed 26 November 2014].

• McDonald's #McDStories Twitter Campaign Fails. 2014. McDonald's #McDStories Twitter Campaign Fails. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/01/24/mcdonalds-mcdstories-twitter-campaign-fails-_n_1226811.html. [Accessed 26 November 2014].

• Old Spice[ONLINE] Available at: https://www.pg.com/en_US/downloads/innovation/factsheet_OldSpice.pdf. [Accessed 26 November 2014].