Integrated Marketing Communications Paradigm in Digital Environment: The Five Pillars of Integration

Vol. 11, No 1, 2014: 187-204
Beba Rakić* UDC 004.738.5:658.8 ; 004.7:339
Mira Rakić** Scientific review paper
INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
PARADIGM IN DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT:
THE FIVE PILLARS OF INTEGRATION
This paper is focused on the paradigm of integrated marketing communi-
cations (IMC) in digital environment. The integration is analysed through five
aspects. First, integration in terms of media; it means that IMC are performed
through the mix of traditional media (print – newspapers, magazines; radio;
television; direct-response media - telephone, direct mail, catalogue marke-
ting; billboards; other “specific media”: product - especially brand, packaging;
price; place; people; process; physical evidence; traditional/offline consumers
- WOM communications) and digital media ( the Internet; mobile phones and
other mobile devices; digital newspapers and magazines through the Internet
and mobile devices; digital radio; digital TV; digital consumers - digital WOM
communications). Second, integration in terms of communication methods, it
means that IMC are a mix of traditional promotion (advertising, personal selling,
public relations & publicity, direct marketing, sales promotion), digital commu-
nications/interactions (Internet communications, mobile communications,
communications via digital radio and TV) and WOM communications/interac-
tions (offline and online). Third, integration in terms of time of communicati-
ons and possibilities for interaction, it means that IMC are a mix of traditional-
static communications (“monologue” towards the target audience) and dynamic
communications (“dialogue”) in real time. Fourth, integration in terms of actors,
it means that IMC are a mix of communications initiated both by consumers
(WOM communications – offline and online/e/digital) and organizations. Fifth,
integration in terms of content creation, it means that IMC are a mix of commu-
nications based on consumer generated content and marketing content (created
by organisations).
Key words: integrated marketing communications, paradigm, traditional
communication, digital communication, WOM communications
* Prof. Beba Rakić, PhD, Faculty of Business Studies, Megatrend University, Belgrade,
e-mail: [e-mail]
** Prof. Mira Rakić, PhD, Faculty of Business Studies, Megatrend University, Belgrade

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1. Introduction
Redirection from the organization monologue towards consumers to the
dialogue and interactions with consumers in real time is enabled by the develop-
ment of Web-a 2.0. As Brennan1 states, Web 2.0 is used to describe the similar
concept of the Internet’s evolution from a static environment focused on the one-
way provision or receipt of information (Web 1.0), to an interactive community
where users can communicate, share, post, blog and create content in real time.
“The information technology and information sector within the modern global
economy have become a hard core of successful functioning and development
of strategies of all entities in economic and social life”. 2 Cory emphasizes the
changes in communications towards social media marketing communications. 3
The author advises – online reputation is critical. Therefore, one should not talk
at people; instead, one should talk with them and to do so in a manner that makes
it clear organisation would like them to join the conversation. Jackson4 explains
that new media technologies – the Internet, mobile broadband, e-commerce,
internet-enabled entertainment, social networking, and others – are fundamen-
tally changing the way people interact with each other and the world. Manolica 5
states that social media represent a paradigm shift in the way that we as people
communicate and interact with one another.
Hanna, Rohm and Crittenden 6 bring up an important difference between
traditional and social media. Traditional media is all about reach. But, while reach
can be achieved in large numbers, it often does not translate into a true mar-
keting exchange. Consumers become innocent, and often unwilling, bystand-
ers in the actions of marketers. Digital technology allows the transformation of
bystanders into active participants. Besides, consumers now also expect to be
active participants in the media process. This requires new approaches to media
strategy, involving media that do not simply replace traditional media, but rather
expand media choices so as to capture reach, intimacy, and engagement.
1 Brennan Valerie (2010): “Navigating Social Media in the Business World”, The Licensing
Journal, vol. 30, issue 1, 8-12.
2 Kotlica Slobodan (2013): “The potential impact of information technology on the restruc-
turing of the Serbian economy”, Megatrend Review, Vol. 10, no 1, 205.
3 Cory Jesse (2010): “Social Media Comes of Age”, QR – Qualified Remodeler, vol 36, issue 5,
79-87.
4 Jackson Stuart (2010): “New media: debunking the myths”, Journal of Business Strategy,
vol. 31, issue 1, 56-58.
5 Manolica Adriana (2011): Mixing Social Into Social Media: On-line Networking Is
Transforming The Way Of Business All Over The Globe, CES Working Papers, III, (3), 405.
6 Hanna Richard, Rohm Andrew and Crittenden Victoria (2011): “We’re all connected: The
power of the social media Ecosystem”, Business Horizons, vol. 54, issue 3, 265-273.

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Integrated marketing communications paradigm in digital environment... 189
Corcoran7 classifies all media into three groups:
 owned media (controlled by the marketer; e.g. company website, mobile
site, blog, Twitter account);
 paid media (bought by the marketer; e.g., display ads, paid search, spon-
sorships);
 and earned media (not controlled or bought by the marketer; e.g., WOM).
The rest of the paper is organized as follows: Section 2 focuses on an integra-
ted approach to traditional and new digital media. Section 3 presents an integrated
approach to traditional and digital marketing communications. Section 4 exami-
nes an integrated approach to actors in the process of communications. Section 5
presents integrated marketing communications paradigm, which is based on five
pillars. Section 6 briefly summarises the paper and its contributions.
2. An integrated approach to traditional and new digital media
Authors underline the changes in IMC as a result of social media impact,
but they also say that social media present only a part of IMC strategy and of an
integrated marketing strategy. Murray 8 states that social media requires integra-
tion with traditional marketing.
“Social media’s marketing potential is lost if it is not woven into the overall
marketing strategy.” The tools and strategies for communicating with custom-
ers have changed significantly with the emergence of the social media.9 Hanna,
Rohm and Crittenden suggest the creation of ecosystem of related elements
involving both digital and traditional media, strategic integration of social media
into a firm’s marketing communications strategy, and social media marketing
as a mandatory element of their marketing strategy.10 They conclude that it is no
longer enough to merely incorporate social media as standalone elements of a
marketing plan. Companies need to consider both social and traditional media as
part of an ecosystem whereby all elements work together toward a common objec-
tive. Marketing managers are seeking ways to incorporate social media into their
7 Corcoran Sean (2009): Defining owned, earned, and paid media, [Online], Available:
http://blogs.forrester.com/interactive_marketing/2009/12/defining-earned-owned-and-
paid-media.html [7 Aug 2013].
8 Murray David (2010): “Boosting Social Media Traffic: Who Goes There?”, Franchising
World, vol. 42, issue 10, 17.
9 Hanna Richard, Rohm Andrew and Crittenden Victoria (2011), 270.
10 Hanna Richard, Rohm Andrew and Crittenden Victoria (2011): “We’re all connected: The
power of the social media Ecosystem”, Business Horizons, vol. 54, issue 3, 269.

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IMC strategies.11 Mangold and Faulds12 propose that social media be considered
a hybrid component of the promotional mix and therefore be incorporated as an
integral part of the organisation’s IMC strategy. They compare and contrast the
traditional communications paradigm that relied on the established promotional
mix, elements which were developed and refined over the past 100 years, with the
new communications paradigm which incorporates social media. First, in a tra-
ditional sense social media enable companies to talk to their customers, and this
role of social media is consistent with the use of traditional IMC tools. Second,
in a non-traditional sense social media enable customers to talk directly to one
another – it is an extension of traditional word-of-mouth communication. Third,
social media also enable customers to talk to companies, which is important for
marketing research. “The content, timing, and frequency of the social media-
based conversations occurring between consumers are outside managers’ direct
control. This stands in contrast to the traditional integrated marketing commu-
nications paradigm whereby a high degree of control is present.” So, according to
the new communications paradigm, presented by Mangold and Faulds13 , com-
munications are performed integrally - by combining traditional promotion mix
(advertising, personal selling, public relations and publicity, direct marketing and
sales promotion) and social media (blogs – company sponsored and user spon-
sored, social networking sites, video sharing sites, etc.).
With the development of digital media, consumers change their behaviour,
so that they redirect from traditional (classic) to digital media. However, con-
sumers use different media, i.e. the mix of media, so that organisations also need
to create messages for different media, i.e. a different acceptance of media by the
consumers. Figure 1 shows an integrated approach to the media - both tradi-
tional and new digital.
11 Li Charlene and Bernoff Josh (2008): Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by
social technologies, Boston: Harvard Business Press.
12 Mangold Glynn and Faulds David (2009): “Social media: The new hybrid element of the
promotion mix”, Business Horizons, vol. 52, issue 4, 357.
13 Ibid, 357.