Integrated Marketing Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Integrated Marketing Communications - Essay Example This piece of research paper reviews a brief literature on Integrated Marketing Communication and presents a strategic integrated marketing communication plan for Bodyfit Studio, which is a local gym and health-fitness centre in London. This paper addresses the relevance of IMC in today’s business and analyzes various steps involved in implementing the IMC plan. Integrated Marketing Communication Lamb, hair and McDaniel (2008, P. 413) described that IMC is an effective management program that coordinates and integrates among various promotional tools like advertising, sales promotion, public relation, personal selling, event marketing and interactive selling etc in order to ensure consistency in the messages to be communicated to the customers. As Schultz and Schultz (2004, p. 3) noticed, IMC enables a business accelerate its returns on investment mainly by linking its organizational goals and communication programs. As shown in the diagram, IMC is closely related to the promo tion mix elements of the 4Ps of marketing, they are Product, Price, Promotion and Place. IMC has been found to be an effective marketing strategy that helped firms improve operational efficiency, maintain stronger market share, create brand image, maintain better relationship with customers and thus to achieve sustainable competitive advantages. Planning, designing and developing of brand communication program play vital roles in the success of IMC program. IMC is widely used as a marketing technique that designs and develops systematic and measurable brand communication program with stakeholders of a business including customers, employees, suppliers etc. (Belch and Belch 2007, p. 11). For any business, the brand, mission and vision statements and proposition messages are very critical elements and these are to be communicated to its customers. IMC ensures effective communication, keeping consistency in messages, of the relevant messages to the potential customers. Factors to be co nsidered in setting up an IMC plan Basically, IMC is a marketing program that involves planning, coordination, integration, and implementation of various types of advertising and promotional activities (Shimp, 2008, p. 10). The major factors and features to be considered for planning and designing the IMC for the Bodyfit Studio are: Starting with studying, analyzing and evaluating the requirements and attitudes of targeted customers, Design and develop brand communication program, Identify the appropriate tools that can be used for the task Consider to maintain consistency in messages, Emphasizing on relationship building rather than focusing on engaging in flings’ Maintaining long-term focus on the ultimate objectives (Shimp, 2008, p. 11- 18). IMC plan for Bodyfit Studio Bodyfit Studio, that offers gym, Yoga and body fitness classes and healthcare services, wishes to retain its customers and attract more through an effective communication program. Though there are competitio ns between Bodyfit and quite a few numbers of other gym-centers like Virgin Active, Squash Class in its surroundings. Below is an IMC plan for the Bodyfit company to communicate effectively to its customers with an intention of retaining them and attracting more as well. As Belch and Belch (2007, p. 24) stressed, an effective