Integrated Marketing Communication in Digital Environment

6/4/20182018
Integrated Marketing Communication
Digital Environment

Introduction
The aim of the paper is to explain the concept of integrated marketing communication in
digitally challenged surroundings. The integration is examined by 5 features. First,
integration in relation to media; it states that IMC is accomplished by the traditional media
mix (print- magazines, television, newspaper, radio; media of direct-response includes- direct
mail, billboards, marketing through catalogue, telephone; other “precise media”: product-
packaging price, people, specifically brand, physical evidence, place, people; classic
customers- Word Of Mouth communications) and digital media (smart phones, digital
newspaper, magazines on internet, internet, and other mobile devices, digital T.V. and radio).
Second, integration in regards to the methods of communication, IMC is also the mix of
classic promotion (personal selling, sales promotion, advertising, public relation, and direct
marketing) digital communications (mobile communication, digital TV, and radio, internet
communications) and WOM communications (online and offline) (Rakić and Rakić, 2014).
Redirection from the business addresses towards customers through the discussion and
communications with them in actual time is allowed by the growth of Web-a 2.0. According
to Brennan (2010), Web 2.0 is utilized to explain the same notion of advancement of the
Internet from a stagnant environment concentrated towards one-way receipt or provision of
data (Web 1.0), to communicating civic where operators can interconnect, blog, and develop
data in actual time. "The sector of information in the global modern economy has now
become a central part of fruitful working and growth of the policies of all firms in social and
economic life". Cory (2010), highlights the variations in the communications in social media
marketing communications. He said that online reputation for a company is very important.
As per Jackson (2010), new media technologies i.e. e-commerce, internet-enabled
entertainment, mobile broadband and social networking, are primarily shifting the method of

interaction among people and the whole world. Manolica (2011), said that social media
shows a paradigm modification in the method that is utilized to interact and communicate
with one another.
Integrated approach to new and traditional digital media
Authors highlight the variations in the IMC as an outcome of the influence of social media;
however, they have also discussed that social media reflects only a division of Integrated
Marketing Communication strategy. According to Murray (2010), social media need to be
integrated with the traditional or classic marketing. “The Social media’s potential of
marketing will be misplaced if it is not knitted into the general strategy of marketing.” The
strategies and tools for communicating with the consumers now have altered majorly with the
development of the important aspect i.e. social media. Rohm and Crittenden (2011), propose
the formation of the network of connected features containing both traditional and digital
media, planned incorporation of the social media into the company’s strategy of marketing
communication and social media marketing as an obligatory feature of the marketing strategy
(Huang, Su, Zhou and Liu, 2013). To conclude they said that social media is a marketing
plan's standalone element. Businesses have to think of both traditional and social media as the
division of a network where all the elements operate collectively in the direction of a
common objective. The managers of marketing are looking towards the incorporation of
social media into their strategy of IMC.
Mangold and Faulds (2011), suggest that social media is said to be a promotional mix’s
hybrid component and consequently be combined as the integral portion of the IMC strategy
of the company. They contrast and compare the paradigm of traditional or classic
communication that responded on the recognized promotional mix, basics which were
established and advanced over last 100 years, along with the paradigm of new
communication which includes social media. First, in the matter of traditional or classic

aspect, social media allow businesses to interact with the consumers, and this part of social
media is reliable with the utilization of traditional or classic tools of IMC. Second, in the
matter of non-traditional aspect social media allow consumers to discuss straight with each
other, it is said to be an addition of traditional or classic word-of-mouth communication.
Third, it allows consumers to interact with the organizations, which is very essential for the
marketing study. "The content, frequency, and timing, of the conversation based on social
media stirring between customers are out of the direct control of the managers. This stands in
distinction to the traditional IMC paradigm where there is the presence of high degree of
control." Therefore, as per the new paradigm of communications, stated by Mangold and
Faulds (2011), communications is done inherently by integrating traditional promotion mix
(direct marketing, public relations, personal selling, sales promotion and advertising) and
social media (social networking sites, blogs user sponsored and company sponsored, sites for
sharing videos, etc.).
When the progress of digital media took place, customers altered their behavior, such that
they convey from traditional or classic media to digital media. Though, customers make use
of diverse media that is a mix of media, such that companies have to form messages for
diverse media, due to different media acceptance by the customers. The below diagram
reflects an integrated approach to both new digital media and traditional media.