Integrated Marketing Communication

1) INTRODUCTION

According to the American Marketing Association (AMA), marketing is defined as “the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives”.

For many years, the promotional function in most companies was dominated by the mass media advertising such as television, radio, and newspaper or magazines. However, due to the rapidly changing media environment respect to the consumers, technology, and media, more and more companies nowadays are recognizing the importance of integrated marketing communications, coordinating the various marketing and promotional elements to achieve more efficient and effective communications programs.

Integrated Marketing Communication is now recognized as a business process that helps companies identify the most appropriate and effective methods for communicating and building relationships with customers and stakeholders. According to Don Schultz of Northwestern University “Integrated Marketing Communication is a strategic business process used to plan, develop, execute, and evaluate coordinate, measureable, persuasive brand communications programs over time with consumers, customers, prospects, employees, associates and other targeted relevant external and internal audiences. The goal is to generate both short-term financial returns and build long term brand and shareholder value”.

On the other hand, social networking such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, and YouTube has become pervasive on the Internet and make it possible for people to share content, opinions, insights, and experiences as well as educate one another about companies, brands, and various issues. Besides, consumers are no longer passive recipients who will sit back and swallow the infiltrated advertising messages dictate by the marketers. Instead, they want to be more control of the content they receive from...