Integrated Marketing Communications

LUCíA PORCU, SALVADOR DEL BARRIOGARCíA AND PHILIP J. KITCHEN

luciapor@ugr.es, dbarrio@ugr.es, pkitchen@brocku.ca Lucia Porcu, Assistant Lecturer of Corporate Communications. University of Granada. Faculty of Economics and Business Sciences. 18071 Granada. Salvador del Barrio-García, Associate Professor of Corporate Communications. University of Granada. Faculty of Economics and Business Sciences. 18071 Granada. Philip J. Kitchen, Dean of the School of Business and Professor of Marketing. Brock University. School of Business. L2S 3A1 St. Catharines. And Assistant Professor of Marketing. ESC Rennes Business School. 35000 Rennes.

COMUNICACIÓN Y SOCIEDAD Vol. XXV • Núm. 1 • 2012 • 313-348

How Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) works? A theoretical review and an analysis of its main drivers and effects

¿Cómo funciona la Comunicación Integrada de Marketing (CIM)? Una revisión teórica y un análisis de sus antecedentes y efectos

Recibido: 19 de septiembre de 2011 Aceptado: 9 de enero de 2012

AbstRAct: Since the mid-1990’s, the concept of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) has come to the fore and attracted considerable attention in the literature. The main purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to explore IMC by delimitating its conceptual boundaries and identifying its main dimensions and (2) to develop a whole theoretical model of its antecedents and consequences. To achieve this goal, this study analyzes the conceptual framework around IMC and its dimensions and it presents an extensive literature review. Moreover, a new definition is presented and the main dimensions of the concept are highlighted. A systematic literature review is carried out to identify IMC antecedents and consequences and the research hypotheses are formulated. Following the obtained results, a conceptual

resumen: A partir de la mitad de los años noventa, el concepto de Comunicación Integrada de Marketing (CIM) comenzó a ocupar un lugar destacado y ha atraído una atención...