Integrated Marketing Communications

This assignment delves into the crucial concept of integrated marketing communication (IMC). It examines various communication channels, their impact on brand equity, and the role of customer relationship management in shaping successful IMC strategies. Students are expected to analyze scholarly articles and apply theoretical frameworks to understand the complexities and effectiveness of IMC in today's dynamic market landscape.

RUNNING HEAD: Integrated Marketing Communications
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Integrated Marketing Communications

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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Examination of various kinds of marketing channels for Tesco...................................................................3
Customer Relationship Management......................................................................................................3
Indirect Channel......................................................................................................................................4
Direct marketing:.....................................................................................................................................5
Online marketing.....................................................................................................................................5
Outline communication objectives for Tesco..............................................................................................6
Enhanced brand awareness.....................................................................................................................6
Customer Retention................................................................................................................................6
Increased Sales........................................................................................................................................6
New product development......................................................................................................................7
Integrated marketing communication channels..........................................................................................7
Advertising...............................................................................................................................................7
Public relations........................................................................................................................................8
Social media............................................................................................................................................8
Marketing communication plan for Tesco...................................................................................................9
Determine target audience.....................................................................................................................9
Set communication goals.........................................................................................................................9
Budgeting..............................................................................................................................................10
Marketing techniques and methods......................................................................................................10
Assessment and measurement..............................................................................................................10
Evaluation of marketing communication plan...........................................................................................10
Communication strategy.......................................................................................................................10
Channel options.....................................................................................................................................11
Creative content....................................................................................................................................11
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................11
References.................................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
Integrated marketing communications refer to the combining all the techniques of brand
marketing in order to promote a specific product or service in the target consumers. This report
explains the integrated marketing communications of Tesco which marketing department of the
organization used to promote the product or service among the customers. Tesco is a British
multinational company and the third biggest retailer in terms of grocery and general stock in the
United Kingdom. This report examines the various kinds of marketing channels used by Tesco
and how these channels serve communication goals inside organizational aspects. The report
outlines communication goals for a Tesco organizational situation and gives an explanation for
the chosen and incorporation of communication means selected. The report also makes
communication arrangement that viably caters communication goals for the given organizational
condition and assesses a promoting plan regarding the communication method, means selection,
and innovative content. The main purpose of this report is to integrate various marketing
communication channels of Tesco in order to concentrate on organization's promoting and
communication endeavors reliable and coordinated.
Examination of various kinds of marketing channels for Tesco
According to Kitchen and Bergmann (2010), a marketing channel may be defined as a source of
targeting the consumers with items and services. The marketing channel includes both the
procedure of selling to consumers and delivering the product or service to the customer. The
main aim of Tesco is to receive a consumer’s long-term loyalty. In order to accomplish this goal,
the organization should make several marketing strategies and can use integrated communication
means which basically comes from merchandising and cost-effective technique. The evaluation
of different types of marketing communication channels for Tesco in order to enhance their
products or services among the target customer and how these marketing channels serve
communication goals of Tesco is explained as follows (Danaher et al., 2011):
Customer Relationship Management: According to Kumar (2010), customer relationship
management may be described as methods, techniques, practices, and advancement that

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organization utilizes to handle and assess consumer interactions and information throughout the
consumer lifecycle, with the objective of enhancing business connections with consumers,
support in consumer maintenance and driving sales development. Customer relationship
management tool is outlined to gather data on customers over various channels. When an
organization decides to invest in customer relationship management software, it must engage key
personnel from senior management, such as sales and marketing section, which could basically
utilize this tool and enable the company to understand its value. Customer relationship
management advancement can give various advantages to an organization in a large number of
ways. According to Ernst et al. (2011), Tesco can treat its more important consumers in a
different way as compared to other companies. In 1995, Tesco started a customer relationship
management program by presenting Clubcard. The Clubcard could provide customers points on
buy and small discounts. Tesco can catch important data by swiping the card and establish a
strong consumer database. On the basis of this database, the organization can ensure the products
which customer want to purchase so it will give them those points for products customer
particularly liked to purchase and these vouchers only give for the consumers who have a
Clubcard. All those cardholders will get the straighter response on products, cost, quality,
service, and organizations inside the group. The company can also provide various lifestyle
magazines for carious customers (Reinold and Tropp, 2012). Thus, Customer relationship
management is an effective marketing channel for Tesco to serve the communication objective
of organization which is to focus on customer loyalty in order to promote their product or service
among the target customers.
Indirect Channel: According to Belch et al. (2014), indirect channel refers to a marketing
channel where intermediaries, for example, wholesalers and retailers are using to create the
product accessible to the consumer in various ways. The common basic indirect channel
organization can use is producer to consumer, producer to retailer to the customer in order to
promote the product among the customers. Tesco has continuously focused on creating and
establishing a long-term connection with retailers and distributors across the world. In producer-
to-customer marketing channel, the producer can create the goods and sells them to the customer
directly with the interference of intermediary, for example, wholesaler or retailer. The customer
can directly purchase the product from the Tesco store. Tesco can also sell the household items
and other grocery products directly to the customers. On the other side, in the marketing

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channels of the producer to retailer to consumer, buys are considered by the retailer from the
producer and then the retailer sells the goods to the customer (Rosenbloom, 2012). This
marketing channel is considered an effective channel for Tesco which helps the organization to
promote their product and services among the consumers. Tesco can sell their products to the
retailer for the easy convenience of customer and then the retailer can sell directly to the
consumers.
Direct marketing: According to Schweidel and Knox (2013),direct marketing refers means a
form of promoting where company communicates directly to consumers by several means of
communication sources such as text, online marketing, email, and sites. In other words, direct
marketing is an advertising technique that includes introducing the organization, product, or
service among the target consumer without the utilization of a promotion. It is targeted form of
promoting that represents data of capable customers that have been identified to be a reasonable
purchaser. Tesco is the third biggest retailer in the UK, with the important strategic preference of
adapting to customer requirements. By enhancing the company website, Tesco can provide
enhanced usefulness and usability for its customers. It is also outlined and arranged for cell
phones so that that consumer can search and buy their items in the place of their best comfort
(Pan et al., 2010). There are presently 200 products directly accessible on the company website.
This marketing channel also enables Tesco to offer various characteristics that are available for
the comfort of consumers, such as, mobile framework, favorites, and customized offers. Tesco
also introduced Click and Collect characteristic as an important element of the multi-channel
advertising. It permits the customers the opportunity to choose the products whenever it suits
them from any Tesco store.
Online marketing: Online marketing refers to the web-based advertising which utilizes the
internet to convey the marketing messages to customers. According to Chaffey et al. (2013),
Tesco began its online services to its consumers from the local Tesco stores using web-based
service. Tesco has more online customers than another supermarket chain in the United
Kingdom. The web-based method of Tesco is very easy to use and more helpful for the
consumers who are interested in purchasing the product online (Horn, 2011). This marketing
channel helps Tesco to gives sufficient time of delivery to its consumers which guarantee that
somebody is home to gather their products inside the given time span. A large number of

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consumers is kin to purchase web-based grocery items daily. Tesoco.com also concentrates a
healthy online requirement for different products such as CDs, books, and many electronic
things. It has influenced more difficult software to handle the accumulation point and give
conveyance of the products to its consumers. Thus, this marketing channel can be adopted by the
marketing department of the organization to enhance their products and services.
Outline communication objectives for Tesco
According to Leeuwis and Aarts (2011), for the enhancement of business activities of Tesco, the
marketing manager of a company should design various communication objectives in order to
promote their product and services among the target consumers (Watzlawick et al., 2011). The
different types of communication objectives outlined for Tesco are explained as follows:
Enhanced brand awareness: According to Dahlen et al. (2010), every communication goal
that organization share and convey to the customers should increase the brand image in the
customer mind. This communication objective can be achieved through steady information and
an ordinary-used color scheme, logo and visual depiction on all promoting materials. Customers
will connect the message and picture with the company product, make a powerful brand identity.
By keeping in mind this communication objective, Tesco promotes their product and services
among the customers. The marketing manager of Tesco should use to display the product
prominently in stores for the ease and convenience of customers (Keller, 2010). The organization
also advertise their products by using traditional approach by which company can create
attention and grabbing promotion that prominently represents Tesco product and service.
Customer Retention: According to Adjei et al. (2010), the main goal of effective marketing
communication of an organization is to hold the existing customers and enhanced their
investment in the business. Building consumer reward programs that are displayed through
advertising means can enable the business to accomplish this objective. The organization should
provide the customers with opportunities in order to save their money, and also value the
business activities. Tesco can accomplish customer retention communication objective by
holding its existing customers by offering high-quality products and set customer expectations in
order to identify the actual requirements of consumers.

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Increased Sales: Communicating with the customers keeps them apprised of new happenings
in the business and satisfies the goal of promoting the company products and services. This
communication objective should design in order to include new product launches, sales,
extension, or presentation of new offerings (Ang, 2014). The objective of this form of marketing
communication is to motivate consumers to react or to keep them engaged with the business. For
accomplishing this communication objective, Tesco has developed online blast that informs the
customers about the upcoming, restricted time deal and gives a connection to the organization’s
online items catalog where they can instantly take benefit of the savings opportunity.
New product development: The aim of advancing a new product launch through marketing
activities is to enhance an organization's venture into new markets, while by holding its existing
consumer base. The communication objective of new product development will attract a large
number of customers towards company's product. Tesco has introduced a new category of
healthy foods in order to help the consumers lead a healthier life. The new brand which is Tesco
Healthy Living provides healthy food to their customers and also focuses to provide customers a
simple and more creative manner to handle a number of ingredients with comprising on flavor.
The development of the new product by organization includes more than 230 items, from the
bakery and prepared meals and healthy food. This action of Tesco can empower the organization
to accomplish the communication objective of new product development.
Integrated marketing communication channels
Integrated marketing channels may be defined as a method for establishing a unique and
consistent experience for customers to cooperate with the brand. According to Kitchen and
Burgmann (2010), integrated marketing efforts meet all factors of marketing communications
such as promotion, advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and social media. The main
purpose of integrated marketing communication is to focus on the organization’s promoting and
communication endeavors whether they are consistent and coordinated. The integrated marketing
communication channel chosen for Tesco to promote their products and service among
customers is explained as follows:
Advertising: Advertising is a form of marketing communication that delivers message to
promote customer to promote or sell a product, service or plan. Paid advertising is a pillar of

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integrated marketing communication channels. In the present time, new advancements have
offered to a significantly more differing scope of computerized and web-based advertising
channels. The common advertising technique is the traditional approach of marketing which
includes print, television, and radio. The other advertising methods are transit marketing, blogs,
and websites. Tesco began its new marketing campaign to broadcast a re-concentrating of
endeavors on the fundamental and putting the consumers in priority (Thorson and Moore, 2013).
This integrated marketing method should be adopted by Tesco to promote their product on the
various advertising means among the customers.
Public relations: According to Daymon and Holloway (2010), public relations give
marketing members with a successful outlet top rapidly and viably establish good connections
with customers as well as enhance the business overall corporate goodwill and remaining inside
the local and more prominent overall population. The most common public relations techniques
which organization can use are the occasional events which involve society events, press
coverage, and conferences. This method is selected for the promotion of Tesco products because
Tesco has an assessment program for the public relation in order to evaluate the efficiency of the
program. The public relation channel is suitable for the company as this method support the
business objectives of the organization the campaign is connected with.
Social media: According to Castronovo and Huang (2012), the continuous increase of social
platforms is giving marketing members with the special capability to reduce the distance
between the middle-man in order to interact, communicate, and connect with the consumers
directly. As an outcome, marketing members have bigger control on the messages they
communicated to the customers. This channel of integrated marketing communication includes
consumers as a prominent contributor in the transferring, communicating and amplification of
marketing campaign of a specific product of a company. The examples of social media platforms
are Facebook, Twitter, and Google. The social media method is selected for Tesco because
Tesco is fully engaged in the social activities of marketing. As such, Tesco has updated the
company timeline on Facebook with involving visual content. Tesco also quickly boosts
customer remarks by offering Clubcard points as a byproduct of sharing stories on different
subjects. This is a decent technique of driving involvement for promoting their products among
the customers. On Twitter also, Tesco operates more accounts for every business units.

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Marketing communication plan for Tesco
According to Luxton et al. (2015), a marketing communication plan is a method to convey the
promoting messages to the target consumers. Marketing communication plan comprised a one of
the imperative element of the entire marketing plan which involves techniques and competitive
assessment. The marketing communication plan provides the organization the concentration to
know where the organization is going, what they require, and the source's company requires to
confidently connect with the customers. The marketing manager should create a marketing
communication plan in order to effectively cater the communication objectives of a company.
The marketing communication plan for Tesco is explained as follows:
Determine target audience: The initial step of creating a marketing communication plan is
to identify the target customers for the promotion of product and service. The target audience
involves demographic factors such as income, gender, age, race, education level, and location.
Tesco core business activity is offering their products on a large scale. Tesco can target their
customers on the basis of demographic, geographic, and behavioral segmentation.
Geographic: Tesco can target rural and urban areas, all males and females for the promotion of
products and services.
Demographic: Tesco can target low and middle-level income individuals, students, employees,
working class, skilled employees, single individuals, and extended families.
Behavioral: Tesco can target regular customers who purchase their products frequently from both
stores as well as online. The company also targets those customers which are advantage sought
such as cost-benefit and need a variety of goods.
Set communication goals: In relating to the identification of customer by a company, the
next step in developing marketing communication plan for an organization is to comprehend the
goals and objectives which is an important element in the integrated marketing communication
process. Tesco has to set the main communication objectives with the aim to promote the
products and services among the customers. The main goal of the company is to become a

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leading retail supermarket and offers good quality services and items at an affordable price so
that they are cheaper than their competitors. To accomplish this business objective, marketing
manager of Tesco can enhance their sales and profits. Tesco will enhance their sales by
decreasing cost, especially in-store deals, increasing the present stores sell more inventories and
establish new stores to enhance their customers and reduce their prices (Quirke, 2012). Tesco
focuses to create their product reasonable for the middle-class household people. Tesco can
accomplish this goal by offering discounts to customers, and also offer by one get one free offer
in order to attract their customers.
Budgeting: A budget refers to a financial strategy for a particular period of time, normally an
annual year. A budget may also involve asset quantities, sales volume and incomes, price and
expenditure, and cash flows. Tesco creates budget meal plan for their customers for gain the
customer interest towards their product. This meal plan is an online method to help the customers
to find the recipe, planned the weekly meal plans and easily shop online for ingredients all in one
place.
Marketing techniques and methods: The marketing strategy of Tesco is depending on
the customer loyalty. Tesco also uses various marketing techniques in order to market their
product to their customers which include advertisement on newspapers and magazines,
television, and radio marketing at the continuous time period, and alliances partners creating a
press release and expanding their business on their national and regional social media advantages
for Tesco.
Assessment and measurement: After creating the marketing communication plan, the
final step of manager is to assess and measure the outcomes of the plan. The manager can use
key performance indicator to measure the outcomes. This tool is an appropriate measure which
can be used by Tesco to examine the achievements of a company, employee, and the
communication objectives of the organization.
Evaluation of marketing communication plan
The above marketing communication plan for Tesco can be evaluated by manager on the basis of
communication strategy, channel options, and innovative content which are described as follows:

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Communication strategy: The communication plan should do more than just market the
company, products, and services. The marketing communication plan can be evaluated by
examining the communication strategy of the organization. Tesco creates innovative scheme for
their customer in order to promote their products as they introduced Clubcard scheme which is a
largely creative scheme that is depend on the standards of establishing a customer relationship
with the aim to get the customer loyalty.
Channel options: In today’s world, there are various marketing channels available that
promote the company product and services. There are several choices of marketing channels are
available for Tesco, such as advertising, public relations, social media which enhance their brand
awareness and also market their items among the customers.
Creative content: Creative content enables the organization to stand out if their marketing
communication approach to business is correct. The four main components of creative content
for Tesco to make their marketing communication more effective are as follows:
Build brand leadership: Tesco must establish such great product, and perform so well in the
market, that everyone else in the field of retail is a distant second. The company should deliver
good quality products and services to their customers and also initiate new marketing strategies
for the implementation of the plan.
Be innovative: To effectively implement the communication plan in the market, the organization
should be creative and should be able to express their objectives to the customers. The company
should create innovative programs and schemes offer to the audience and also enhance their
market share.
Focus on customers: Customer is the key point of any marketing communication plan. The
organization should focus on customers as they must be able to identify the actual requirements
of customers. The organization should also focus on other factors such as pricing, marketing
channels which also attract the consumers towards the product. Thus, while creating a
communication plan, Tesco should consider all these factors.

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Conclusion
From the above report, it has been concluded that Tesco should maintain the current pricing
strategy of keeping the prices of the products at a little cheaper rate compared to the other
rivals. The integrated marketing communication plan is a tool which enables Tesco to get the
effective outcomes from the marketing strategies and decrease marketing costs. This report
shows various marketing channels which help the organization to serve their business
communication objective that is to enhance their customer loyalty and provide good quality
products to their customers. The designing of communication objective for Tesco enable the
organization to promote their products and services among the customers in a more convenient
way. The creation of marketing communication plan for Tesco also helps the business to retain
their existing customers and increase their profitability rate.
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