Integrated Marketing Communications: A Case Study of Burberry Limited

This project examines the integrated marketing communications strategy of Burberry Limited, a luxury brand facing challenges related to customer perception and brand image. It evaluates different marketing channels, designs communication objectives, justifies channel selection, and creates a comprehensive marketing communications plan. The project critically analyzes the plan's effectiveness in relation to communication strategy, channel choice, and creative content.

INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
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Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................3
P1. Evaluate different types of marketing channels and how they serve communication
objectives within an organizational context....................................................................................3
P2. Design communication objectives for a given organizational situation....................................5
P3 Provide justifications for the selection and integration of communications channels chosen.. .7
P4. Create a marketing communications plan that effectively meets communication objectives
for a given organizational situation.................................................................................................9
P5. Critically evaluate a marketing communications plan in relation to the communication
strategy, channel choice, creative content.....................................................................................13
Conclusion:....................................................................................................................................15
Reference list:................................................................................................................................16
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Introduction
For any organization there needs to be a proper structure of the marketing plan on which the
company will be functioning. In order to thrive in the market there needs to be a proper
marketing and distribution policy. Marketing channels are the medium by which the products are
dispersed and circulated among the masses and the concerned market.
In this project, we have considered Burberry limited, a luxury brand which specializes in
clothing and accessories. Being a luxury brand, the company needs to address certain set of
marketing channels and communication strategies that is necessary for advertisement and
promotions of their products to a specified group of high-end consumers. Burberry needs to
present a structured communication plan in order to implement the objectives that the company
has presented (Burberryplc.com. 2018a).
P1. Evaluate different types of marketing channels and how they serve communication
objectives within an organizational context
Marketing channels is the process by which the products and services are presented to the
consumers and customers via a chain of distribution wings. Marketing channels determine the
outcome of the distribution of the final product. Every organization needs to present a firm
outline on how the products are to be circulated among the masses. The right medium of
dispersal will reflect a transparent and optimistic approach towards the customer base and will
support the rate of possible customers (Armstrong et al.,2015)
For an organization like Burberry Limited, primarily concerned with apparels and other fashion
related products there needs to be a proper medium of marketing and promotions of the products.
The most prominent medium of marketing is presentation via official websites. In today’s
generation, the masses are more inclined towards digital media and technology. Keeping this in
mind Burberry needs to present more effort on its websites and other company platforms. Since,
the possible and present customer base of Burberry is more liable towards social media and the
internet in general; website marketing is one of most efficient and effective channel of
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marketing. This approach will help the present and possible customers to gain ample knowledge
and idea about the products that the company presents (Turner 2016).
In the last couple of years there has been a startling amplification in usage of social media. The
people are spending a huge quantity of time on social media. This trend has turned out to be a
great opportunity and medium for marketing. Burberry has implemented the idea of social media
marketing for better promotions and advertisement of the products and services the company has
to offer. As of 2017, the social media giants like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube
have attracted users from all round the globe and the figure sums up to be about 4 billion users.
The company needs to address social media marketing as one of the principle investments
because of the gigantic coverage and reach of the media giants. Presentation of the products has
become easier on these platforms and the masses can compare the products. This approach will
present a transparent medium of communication and will reflect a better customer and client
relationship (Lanee' Blunt 2018).
Online advertisement is another medium or channel of marketing. Search engines like Google
and Bing act as a medium of promotions and advertisement. The idea of Search Engine
Optimization (SEO) is necessary in this case because the idea of SEO determines the possible
results that might appear while presenting keywords. If a user is looking for “fashion and
apparels”, then the concerned search engine will present results relatable to the keyword. Here
paid advertising will help the company to present itself more often to the masses are there will be
huge impact on the customers and other clients. Along with this a direct medium of
communication is via electronic mails. Direct mails to the users presenting the idea of the
products and services can construct a better relationship with the consumers. This approach will
reflect an idea of customer relations (Ryan 2016).
Word-of-mouth is one of the most primitive and effective channels of marketing and
communication. Burberry has minimum control over this type of marketing because in this case
the overall scenario depends on the quality of the products and services presented by the
company. If the customers are satisfied by the products they will convey their experience and
feedback to their peers and this will help the company to maximize their sales. This will help the
company to reflect an optimistic and just approach towards the current and possible customers
(Lanee' Blunt 2018).
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In today’s world the most well-organized and resourceful medium of marketing and other
business processes is the E-Commerce. E-Commerce platforms like Amazon and eBay are online
shopping platforms where products from a wide spectrum of companies are presented and the
users are able to evaluate all kinds of products. Marketing via E-Commerce is effective for
Burberry because both promotions and sales of the products and services can be met under one
platform. Marketing via E-Commerce will promote the company and its products across all
platforms and this will assist in expanding the customer base (Lanee' Blunt 2018).
Another marketing channel that Burberry can address is organizing events. Luxury brands like
Burberry can present their products in various fashion events, international exhibitions and
shows. This approach will help the company to increase their customer base by presenting their
new and famous products and the high-end- customers will be able to witness the position and
global reach of the company (Catherine Capozzi 2018).
P2. Design communication objectives for a given organizational situation
For every organization there needs to be a transparent medium of communication between the
management and the clients. The primary idea of implementation of objectives is to meet the
customer needs and presenting possible solutions to the issues an organization face. There are
certain set of objectives that a company needs to follow in order to present the products, services
and policies to the masses. In the recent past, the consumers and clients have claimed that the
company compromises on the quality of the products because of its low price structure.
Burberry Limited needs to implement certain business objectives in context to the issue the
company is facing:
The primary objective that the company should address is satisfying the stores and outlets with
the latest trends and high-end attires. For a luxury brand organization like Burberry the price tags
along with the quality and eminence of the products needs to be better than a general retail store
for the company to be distinct and superior. The specific group of consumers concerned with the
luxury brand industries needs to be elucidated that the products that Burberry is offering are
distinct and unique from the regular brands and the price is comparatively higher (Trisha Bartle
2018).
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Another objective that Burberry needs to attend to is promotion and advertisement to the right
sector and marketplace, in order to attract the possible clients. The specific classes of the society
inclined towards the luxury brands like Burberry are also inclined towards high-end magazines
and expensive journals. Presenting the names and portfolio of famous designers who have
worked for the company can also attract new customers.
Burberry should avoid using inexpensive and cheap methods of advertisements like pamphlets
and fliers, this kind of approach might have a negative impact on the marketing scenario. It is
unexpected from the luxury brand industries to incorporate a much sophisticated approach
towards promotion and advertising of the products and services.
Burberry needs to introduce new and fresh ideas and designs in order to stay at par with the other
worthy competitors. In a high-end apparel brand the principle idea needs to be better quality and
unique designs. There are many other luxury brands offering new ideas and products and it can
be assumed that the company presenting fresh designs will catch the attention of the concerned
high-end customers and this might affect the business and reputation of the company (Trisha
Bartle 2018).
Even for luxury brands, the high-end customers are attracted to discounts and offers. Keeping
this in mind Burberry needs to introduce frequent rebates and flashy offers in order to encourage
the consumers to visit the stores for redeeming the offers. This kind of approach will help the
company to craft better relationship with the customers.
Luxury brands deals with a specific category of consumers and in order to magnetize the masses
Burberry needs to reflect a high-end illustration. The outlets and stores of the company need to
exhibit a wealthy approach. The furnishing and decorations needs to have a rich and wealthy
outline. Installation of wealthy items like chandeliers and the interior decoration by a famous
designer will reflect a rich and high-end status of the company. Along with this the location of
the stores will also represent the luxurious approach of the company.
Burberry should adopt strategies and ideas by which the brand value of the company is intact and
undamaged. The idea of an optimistic and positive approach towards the consumers is necessary
for a transparent and loyal relationship with the customers. Flawless reception and a calm and
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composed approach of the staff and the workers is one of the principle steps that the company
needs to adopt for better customer relations (Rosenbaum-Elliott et al .,2015).
Along with this, the company needs to present certain subtle approaches which will help the
company to win the trust of the customers. A simple step towards this is offering a glass of wine
or coffee to the customers visiting the stores. This approach will reflect a distinct approach
because the normal apparel brands and the local retail shops are unlikely to present such
strategies.
As, the customers have presented questions regarding the quality of the products because of the
lower price tags, Burberry has adopted the idea of better representation of the products that they
offer. The company needs to keep in mind that they should be able to explain the customers and
clients that the products are of the quality that they guarantee. This aim can be satisfied by
releasing survey reports in the social media and the official sites which states the general opinion
of the consumers about the quality of the products (John 2018).
P3 Provide justifications for the selection and integration of communications channels
chosen.
For promoting Burberry’s existing products in an effective way, selecting some marketing
channels is very important. The marketing channels are chosen based on the customer line of
Burberry. Their customer line includes youth as well as customers who have multi-cultural
choices. That is why it is very important for the Burberry to select and integrate marketing
channels, which will reach out to every segment of customers and influence those (Armstrong et
al., 2016). In today’s world, one of the useful marketing channels used by an organization for
promoting their products is the online platforms like emails, advertisements and many more.
This is because it is evident that online platform is an integral part of everyone’s life. With the
help of this marketing channel, the company will be able to get in touch with the customers who
are dependent on online platforms (Karjaluoto et al., 2015). To help more customers reach out to
the online advertisements, Burberry needs to build up web traffic and develop the keywords,
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searching for which the customers will get more information about Burberry. The development
of the keywords can be done by optimizing the search engines like Google. However, the
company needs to be very careful about choosing the keywords because only those words can
make the customers reach out to the company. For making their search optimization a unique
one, Burberry can go for PPC or pay per click online advertising, which will eventually make the
customers reach them in a better way.
The next chosen marketing channel for promoting the products is through their own company
website. A company website is the most effective and informative marketing channel that not
only provides information about the company but also influences the customers to choose their
products above others. Hence, it is very important for Burberry to design their website in a
descriptive way so that it highlights the recent changes and developments of the company.
Burberry needs to redesign their website in such a manner that it will convey the uniqueness of
the company to the customers. By selecting and integrating this marketing channel, Burberry will
be able to provide the customers a genuine idea about the company because often the customers
requires authenticity of the products that they are willing to buy. This is because if the company
website is unable to resolve their doubt then the marketing and sales of the company will be
highly affected (Batra and Keller,2016).
The next marketing channel is social media platforms, which is chosen because almost 97% of
the world’s populations are active users of social media (Tuten and Solomon, 2017). Selection
and integration of this marketing channel will help the company to bring more sustainability in
the company. The famous social media platforms are face book, twitter, Instagram, YouTube,
snap chat, Tumblr and the list goes on. Having a team who will look after the marketing through
social media will help the company to connect with vast customers and display their products to
everyone. Social media itself is a platform that helps every business promote their products and
influence the customers to use those products.
The next chosen marketing channel that will help Burberry to engage more in promoting their
products is E-commerce. The selection and integration of the chosen marketing channel will
help the company increase their profit in a propelling manner. In the present scenario, customers
hugely prefer online shopping rather than visiting stores because the customers are provided with
more choices in online shopping and stores have less area and limited choices (Turban et al.,
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2015). Hence, it is necessary for Burberry to provide reliability to the customers who buy
products online and deliver genuine products, which will eventually make the customer come
back next time.
Lastly, the chosen marketing channel is word of mouth. This has eventually become an effective
marketing channel, which benefits the company with better customer base. If the customers are
satisfied with the services and products of the company then they are seen to be conveying about
the good feedback of those products to their relatives, friends and colleagues. This eventually
influences some of them to try out their products (Levy and Gvili, 2015). However, this is not a
fast process and it will not be helpful until the customers are satisfied with the services.
Furthermore, satisfying the customers to fulfill the word of mouth strategy must be a prime
concern for Burberry.
P4. Create a marketing communications plan that effectively meets communication
objectives for a given organizational situation
Burberry has identified few objectives that they are planning to achieve within a scheduled time.
The objectives are enlisted below:
 To manufacture more in leather goods
 To move away from seasonal clothing range and presenting only two clothing ranges
every year.
 To present high end product and establishing a better brand image
 To target the correct market to gather more profit
 To clear the misunderstanding of the customers having bad influence about the products
quality in Burberry
 To establish a better marketing strategy, because the current marketing strategy is
bringing negative publicity to the company
 To build a better relationship with customers
In order to achieve the communication objectives, a marketing communications plan is required
which will focus on the target audience, the key messages, the methods that will be used to
communicate about the objectives with the audience, who is going to convey about the
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information and when will the objectives be conveyed (Batra and Keller, 2016). The marketing
plan is discussed below:
Target
audience
Objectives Methods used to
convey the
objectives
Who will convey
about the
objectives to the
customers
When will be
the objectives
achieved
Middle aged
audience as well
as influence the
To manufacture
more in leather
goods
(Burberryplc.com,
2018a)
Advertising about
the new product
line as well as
creating
hoardings and
banners to
influence
customers about
the new product
line
(Burberryplc.com,
2018a)
The marketing
team along with
the PR team will
work on creation
of banners and
advertisements
through which the
messages will be
conveyed.
The objective is
planned to be
achieved within
a short time as
the company
wants to start
promoting their
new product
line before to
get customer
feedback in
advance
The target
audience for
this objective is
the youths as
well as office
goers as earlier
this two range
of customers
did not prefer
the clothing
range much
To move away
from seasonal
clothing range and
presenting only two
clothing ranges
every year
(Burberryplc.com,
2018a).
Press conferences
will be held to
convey to the
audience about
this change and
newspapers and
television will be
helpful (Andrews
and Shimp, 2017)
The marketing
and sales team
will contact with
the PR team to
arrange press
conferences and
contact with the
media channels
(Burberryplc.com
, 2018a)
The press
conference
about this
certain
objective will
be arranged in
the next month
For this certain
objective the
To present high end
product and
In order to develop
a better brand
The marketing
department of the
This certain
objective is
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chosen range of
target audience is
not specific, the
whole customer
base is targeted
as the company
wants to provide
high end products
to every customer
establishing a better
brand image (Burns
et al., 2016)
image the company
requires preparing a
marketing plan.
The marketing plan
needs to focus on
influencing the
audience about the
good quality of
products that they
are providing
(Burberryplc.com,
2018a)
organization will be
developing the
marketing plan and
plan activities to
increase customer
base with a proper
brand image
planned to be
achieved in the
next few months
before Christmas
so that the
company can be
able to enhance
their profit during
the festive season
High end
customers
To target the
correct market to
gather more profit
Advertisements
need to be
presented in fashion
magazines in order
to attract the high
end customers who
are willing to buy
luxury products
(Burberryplc.com,
2018a)
The marketing head
and the PR head
will be in charge of
convey this
objective and take
care of the
endorsements
The company is
willing to achieve
this objective
within the next
six months
To clear the
misunderstanding
of the customers
having bad
influence about the
quality of products
in Burberry
(Burberryplc.com,
2018a)
The company needs
to plan online
campaigns for the
customers, who
will help in getting
customer feedback,
resolve those, and
provide the
customers with an
overview of
Burberry products
The management
will be responsible
to set up the online
campaigns and
convey about the
objective to the
customers
This objective is
planned to be
achieved in the
coming one year
so that the
company can be
able to generate
better profit
within next year-
end.
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(Burberryplc.com,
2018a).
Advertisements
informing about the
quality can also be
a method to achieve
this objective
The customers as
well as the
media channels
who are
providing
information to
the audience
about the
company and
influencing them
To establish a
better marketing
strategy, because
the current
marketing strategy
is bringing negative
publicity to the
company
(Burberryplc.com,
2018a)
This objective will
be conveyed within
the organization
and that is why the
marketing
department will
convey this
objective in the
form of marketing
objective to the
management
The marketing team
will be responsible
to create the
marketing plan
This certain
objective is
desired to be
fulfilled within
one or two
months after the
marketing plan is
cleared
The existing
customers
To build a better
relationship with
customers
(Burberryplc.com,
2018a)
The management
needs to train the
employees to greet
and generate good
gesture so that the
customers are
satisfied with the
behavioral
approach
(Burberryplc.com,
2018a). Showing
courtesy to the
customers who are
buying Burberry
products from
stores will also be
The marketing head
and the HR
management are
collaboratively
responsible in
fulfilling this
objective
This certain
objective is a
continuous one
and hence there
will be no
specific time span
within which this
will be achieved.
However, the
time to train their
employees can be
within one month
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helpful
Table 1: Marketing communications plan
Source: (Created by the learner)
P5. Critically evaluate a marketing communications plan in relation to the communication
strategy, channel choice, creative content
Marketing communication plan can be defined as the structured medium by which an
organization can communicate and address the intended market, the strategies, product details
and availability of resources. The principle idea of marketing includes advertisement and
promotions of the products and services, the distribution and dispersal of the materials and other
necessary parameters. A template marketing communication plan includes the primary idea and
objective of the company for marketing, the evaluation of the idea and the methods of
implementation. A marketing communication plan can be determined by the methodology and
strategy that the company has incorporated. The certain set of commutation strategies that the
company has implemented can be addressed by the marketing channels (John 2018).
For a luxury brand like Burberry there needs to be a clear outline of the plan that the company
has addressed for marketing and distribution. Burberry has implemented certain set of objectives
and channels on which the overall business process functions. The marketing channels that the
company has adopted have had a serious impact on the business functions and the output.
Promoting and advertising the products and services via a chain of marketing channels is
necessary in order to satisfy the communication objectives. Burberry has adopted the idea of
marketing via official websites and social media. The company has presented their products on
their websites and along with this Burberry has also participated in business via E-Commerce. E-
Commerce has been a huge support for the company for promotions and advertisement of their
products (Levy and Gvili 2015). This approach will provide the company to build better
relationship with the customers; they will be able to understand the needs and requirements of
the masses, the current market scenario and the possible competition from other companies.
Burberry can enhance its business output by improving its customer relations. Simple gestures
and calm attitude of the staffs and workers in the stores will help improve the relationship, the
customers will trust the company and there will be a feeling of loyalty among the organization
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and the customers. Content marketing or adding creative content ideas to the business helps in
enhancing the production of the company. In the existing marketing communication plan of
Burberry, content marketing is an effective parameter that the company has aimed to achieve.
This is because the idea of traditional marketing is thought to be outdated by the company. As
the company deals with fashion, it is very important to enhance creativity, without it, the
company will not be able to establish itself properly. The existing communication plan hence
aims to practice creativity in order to represent something attractive and preferable for the
consumers. The creativity in their content will generate more profit for the company when the
customers like the products. The company has added creative content in their existing marketing
plan in order to avoid pitching of accessories and clothing. The creative content parameter is
added to the communications plan in order to achieve three key benefits, which includes savings
in cost production, increase in sales and enhance customer base. According to Burberry, content
marketing determines the future of their business. The marketing communications plan of
Burberry is not successful without proper content; this is because creative content is very
necessary in advertisements and promotions. Even Burberry will not be able to use or depend on
online websites if they lack content. As creative content will help in achieving the three key
benefits, the efficiency of the marketing communications plan will be clarified. This is because
the existing marketing communications plan will only be successful if the company is able to
achieve parameters like communication strategy, channel choice and creative content ((Levy and
Gvili 2015).
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Conclusion:
From the above it can be concluded that, marketing communications is an integral part of every
business organization. In this assignment, it is seen that Burberry is recently facing issues with
their customers about quality compromise, which is not true because even if with their low
pricing strategy the company provides genuine quality of products. The company has also aimed
few communication objectives that they are willing to achieve within a certain span of time. This
is because achieving these objectives the company will be able to generate more profit and
establish a better position in the market.
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