Integrated Marketing Communications | Positioning Strategies

Running head: INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
Integrated Marketing Communications
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Executive Summary
The main purpose of the report was to elaborate on the various kinds of the positioning
strategies that are taken recourse to by companies in present age. The report have stated how
the benefit segmentation can help in targeting the market segments. The report have
elucidated on the successful along with the unsuccessful repositioning of the companies
within the framework of marketplace. The report have discussed the differences in between
the communication and that of the sales objectives. The report have talked about the various
kinds of strategies in relation to the media scheduling and the messaging strategies that are
used by the companies.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Positioning strategies of brands.................................................................................................3
Benefit segmentation..................................................................................................................5
Market Repositioning.................................................................................................................6
Change in the lifestyles..............................................................................................................6
Communication objectives and the sales objectives..................................................................7
Media scheduling.......................................................................................................................8
Relationship between the elements of marketing.......................................................................9
Rational thinking......................................................................................................................10
Messaging strategy in IMC......................................................................................................10
Innovations in the measurement...............................................................................................11
Conclusion................................................................................................................................12
References................................................................................................................................13

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Introduction
Integrated Marketing Communications refers to the approach which helps in
achieving aims in relation to the marketing campaign of a company. It takes recourse to co-
ordinated use of the various kinds of the promotional methods which helps in reinforcing the
effects of each other. It helps in recognizing value of the comprehensive plan which helps in
the evaluation of strategic roles of various kinds of the communication disciplines like
advertising, personal selling, sales promotions along with the personal selling (Finne &
Grönroos, 2017). It helps a company in the integration and in the co-ordination of the
marketing channels that helps in the process of delivering the consistent message to the
people. It helps in integrating various kinds of approaches along with the resources that helps
in maximising the effect on the minds of the customer. This report discusses about the
various kinds of the positioning strategies that are employed by the brands in the market. This
report elucidates on why benefit segmentation can help in targeting the market segments. The
report also talks about the factors that have helped the companies in repositioning themselves
in the marketplace. The report elaborates on how the changing lifestyles of the people can
pave the path for the creation of the opportunities along with the threats for the market. The
report talks about the differences that lies in between the communication objectives and that
of the sales objectives. The report elaborates on the methods in relation to the media
scheduling and the products or the services which employs the methods. The report talks
about the relationship which lies in between the reach, continuity, media budget and the
frequency. It talks about the various kinds of the messaging strategies that are made use of in
the case of integrated marketing communications.

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Positioning strategies of brands
There are various kinds of positioning strategies that are made use of by the brands
that helps them in cementing their position in the market. The characteristics of the products
can help in providing benefits to the customers and it is made use of by the companies for the
purpose of marketing of the products (Moriarty et al., 2012). Toyota Australia is involved in
manufacturing the vehicles which helps in suiting the preferences of the people
(Toyota.com.au., 2019). The cars of the popular brand are popular for the remarkable
longevity which helps in drawing the people towards the popular brand. The company
prioritizes on the area of the first-class safety and the unique safety features which are offered
by the cars caters to the demands of the customer. The cars possess the monitoring system,
parking sensors along with the air bags that suits the needs of the people (Luxton, Reid &
Mavondo, 2015).
The pricing is also used as a positioning strategy and the price-quality approach is
made use of by the companies for drawing the people towards the brand. The company Rylan
Studio in Australia offers the handbags which are made of the finest European leather along
with the materials. Soft leather which is used for making the bags of the company helps in
attracting a large number of the people who buy the products owing to the value that is
associated with the brand. The positioning approach can also be on the basis of the product
process that can serve the needs of the people. Amazon Australia is instrumental in selling
apparel and the clothing of various kinds of clothing labels that helps in serving the needs of
the people. The designer labels have been introduced that helps in the development of the
fashion image. The positioning strategy can also be carried out with the help of the various
kinds of the cultural symbols that helps in improving the appeal of a brand. It helps the
people in the arena of identification which helps in attracting the people. The airlines of
Australia have taken recourse to the positioning strategy that have helped in building the

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reputation of the company. Qantas have made use of the iconic logo of the flying kangaroo
that have helped the company in garnering popularity among the people residing within
Australia (Qantas.com., 2019). The usage of the symbol of the native kangaroo along with
the bold red colour within design have helped in ensuring that the logo acts as an
unforgettable symbol that alludes to the native culture of Australia.
Benefit segmentation
Benefit segmentation refers to segmentation of customers on the basis of the benefits
of the products that can appeal to the people. It can help the companies in identifying the
customers on the basis of the values which can increase the reputation of a brand. Benefit
segmentation can act as the starting point that can help in targeting the market segments. It
can help in the area of targeting the marketing that can prove to be of great use for a
company. Benefit segmentation helps in categorizing the target audience on the basis of the
value which is received from the product or the service (Blakeman, 2018). It can help the
companies in improving the lead acquisition which can ensure the success for the customers
of a company. It helps the companies in converting the leads into the customers that proves to
be of benefit for a company. The marketers and the salespeople make use of the benefit
segmentation which helps in providing the engagement to the customers. It can aid
companies in making the compelling marketing campaigns that helps a company in driving
the sales pitches. It helps in the area of the differentiation of the product or the service so that
the products of a company can be attractive for the target audience (Valos et al., 2016).
Nike is instrumental in offering wide range of the products that helps in serving the
needs of target audiences of different kinds. It makes use of the benefit segmentation so that
it can appeal to particular group of the customers. The advertisements of Nike features Serena
Williams who is a tennis superstar that helps in attracting the people. It helps in targeting the
female audience of the company especially the youthful demographics. The company knows

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that the company values the aspect of athletic confidence that the people experience at the
time of wearing the products of the company (Bruhn & Schnebelen, 2017). The apparel of
Nike can be said to be stylish and it has been designed for the purpose of the elite
performance. The company have taken recourse to the marketing communication so that it
can appeal to the athletic people.
Market Repositioning
There are companies that have been able to reposition themselves in the market and
there are other companies that have failed to reposition themselves properly within the
market. The rebranding helps in increasing the brand equity of a company that has a positive
impact on the market. There existed a perception among the people that the food of
Woolworths was imported from the other places. The company had to create the symbol
which can help in the process of the visual representation of the brand. The company wanted
to create the strong brand value and this has made them lay emphasis on the concept of “The
Fresh Food People” that have proved to be vital for the people (Woolworths.com.au., 2019).
The company have become more transparent and they have highlighted on the fact that the
company was committed to that of the fresh produce. The company have removed the walls
in the stores so that the common people can have a look at the bakers and the butchers who
are carrying on the work. The company was able to gain the confidence of the people with the
help of its repositioning strategy.
The crucial factor that paved the path for the success of the brand was that it helped in
exhibiting the fact that the company was committed to that of the offering of the fresh food
that created a positive image of the company (Saenko et al., 2016). It was found that in the
month of September in the year 2018, the Russian Dominos franchise was instrumental in
launching the Dominos Forever that offered the 100 free pizzas within a year for a long term
of 100 years to that of the customers who would do the tattoo of the logo of the brand on the

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skin. This marketing tactic gave rise to the social media protests that had a bad effect on the
aspect of marketing of the company. The company was unsuccessful in its marketing tactic as
the offer was unrealistic on the part of the company.
Change in the lifestyles
The changing lifestyles of the people can be instrumental for the creation of the
opportunities along with the threats for that of marketer. The influence of the social media
have increased manifold in the present age. The sites pertaining to the social media have
helped in providing the convenient way to the retailers that have helped them in reaching the
target audiences. A change have been brought about in the lifestyle of the people and the
people in the modern age take recourse to the online shopping that proves to be convenient
for the people. It can help in providing the opportunities for the e-commerce companies who
have increased their dominance in the market in the present age. The business have perceived
the threat on account of the fact that the consumer base have diversified in the present age
and they have various kinds of needs in the society (Ots & Nyilasy, 2015).
The deconstruction of the demographic dynamics have helped in revealing that
customers in the present age are created owing to complex interplay of that of the
demographic forces which has helped in defining the consumer behaviour. The unique needs
of the people in the present age have given birth to this aspect that has a negative impact on
the growth of the business in the present era. Big W refers to the Australian chain of the
discount department stores which is a division of that of Woolworths (Bigw.com.au., 2019).
The company sells the garments and the products with the help of the online platform that
helps in catering to the needs of the women, men and the kids. The company have been able
to make a great deal of profits as the company have been able to attract the millennials that
have proved to the benefit of the company. The company have to face the hindrance on
account of the fact that the tastes of the consumers undergo the changes very frequently in

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recent age. The company have to make the changes in the designing of the products that can
suit the demands of the customers.
Communication objectives and the sales objectives
There exist differences in between the communication objectives and that of the sales
objectives that has implications for the success of a company. The business communication
objectives are indicative of the goals which can be achieved with the help of communications
of a company like the public relations, social media along with the advertising. The sales
objectives on the other hand refer to the goals that can help a company in bringing about the
incremental increase in the product line or that of the entire line. The communications plan
can help in achieving the sales of a company and it helps in the arena of communication
within and outside the framework of a company (Vernuccio & Ceccotti, 2015). The
objectives whereas should be capable of meeting the SMART goals of a company. They
should be measurable, realistic and focussed on the aspect of the time. The external
communications helps a company in communicating with the audiences along with the
markets which is outside the scope of the business. It is inclusive of the media, customers,
investors along with the stakeholders of the company. The internal business communications
is inclusive of the employees, sales force along with the distributors. The sales objectives can
be measured in an easier manner when compared to the communications objectives. The
strength of the communication objectives is that it is driven by the goal and it helps in
providing a useful outcome for a company. The weakness pertaining to the communication
objectives lies in the fact that it can deviate the attention of a company from the main
activities that can have a bad effect on a company (Šerić, Gil-Saura & Mollá-Descals, 2020).
The positive aspect of the sales objectives is that it can help in providing the motivation to the
team that can increase the performance of the employees of a company. The weakness in
relation to the sales objectives resides in the fact that it cannot be possible to gauge the

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preferences along with the attitudes of the customers that can hinder the process of the
achieving of the objectives.
Media scheduling
The three methods of the media scheduling that are made us of in the companies are
the bursting strategy, flight strategy and the steady strategy. The advertising that is carried out
with the help of the bursting strategy takes place during a particular time which helps it in
reaching the target audience. A company in the event of the introduction of the new product
in the market can take recourse to this strategy. The flight strategy is made use of in the
companies when the selling of the products stays uniform across the year and the advertising
schedule are distributed across the year. In the event of the steady strategy, advertiser spends
fixed amount of the money in each month that aids in the process of marketing of company.
The bursting strategy is used by the mobile phone companies when they introduce a new
product in the market (Kitchen & Burgmann, 2015). It helps in introducing the people that of
the new product that helps in increasing the sales of a company. Nestle takes recourse to the
flight strategy that helps the companies in marketing various kinds of products which
includes the milk, coffees along with the instant foods. The products of the company are
purchased throughout the year and the company carries on the process of the marketing
across the course of the entire year (Köhler et al., 2017). The steady strategy on the other
hand is used by George Weston Foods which is a consumer products company of Australia.
The various kinds of products that are sold by the company are the bread, flour along with the
processed meat and the marketing is done in each individual month that helps the company in
achieving the marketing objectives.

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Relationship between the elements of marketing
There exist an integral relationship in between the various aspects like the reach,
continuity, media budget along with the frequency. Reach is indicative of number of the
people who are touched with the help of the marketing messages of a company. It refers to
number of the people who are exposed to the message of a company. Frequency refers to
number of the times that an individual is touched with the help of the messages that are
released owing to the marketing of an organization. The world can be said to be a world of
the unlimited resources and the companies try to maximise the elements of the reach along
with the frequency (Luxton, Reid & Mavondo, 2015). Continuity refers to the method of the
scheduling of the advertising at the regular intervals over a course of a year. There are
various kinds of patterns that are made use of by the companies and the companies can
advertise once in each day of the year to that of once within a month. Media budget is an
important element that helps a company in determining regarding the kind of the marketing
that would be employed by a company. It helps in providing an estimate regarding the
promotional expenditures of company over a passage of time. It is indicative of the money
that the company sets aside for the accomplishing of the marketing objectives. The media
budget is a significant factor that has an influence on the aspects of reach along with the
frequency of a company. It bears a great impact on the element of the reach of marketing that
can help in understanding the popularity of a company in the market.
Rational thinking
There exists a phrase in common parlance that “I think, therefore I am” and that it is
the ability of the human beings to think in a rational manner that separates them from the
other creatures. Du Pleiss have however been right in asserting that the human beings are at
first the emotional creatures and it is the emotions of the individual that helps in dictating the
behaviour of an individual. The emotions help in driving the process of the decision making

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of an individual and it dictates the behaviour of a person (Ots & Nyilasy, 2015). The
behaviour of the human beings can be said to be inconsistent on account of the fact that their
actions are driven by the aspect of the emotions. The emotions which are felt by the
individuals are responsible for setting the stage for the actions that has an impact on the life
of a person. The human beings can be said to be the self-conscious person and they are
concerned regarding their own motives that dictates the behaviour of a person. The emotions
can help a person in the art of the survival and it can hence be stated that the emotions propel
the actions of a person.
Messaging strategy in IMC
There are various kinds of the message strategies that are used in the process of the
integrated marketing communications. The emotional messaging strategy is employed by the
companies that helps them in targeting the audience. It makes the target audience feel that
they are emotionally connected to the product or the service. The unique selling proposition
can be used by a company that can help a company in highlighting the unique features about
a product. The organizations makes use of the generic strategy that helps them in selling a
particular category instead of specific brand. The company can take recourse to messages that
highlights the brand image of the company that can help them in reaching the right people. It
is conveyed with the help of the logo of a company that creates an image in the mind of the
people (Finne & Grönroos, 2017). Wesfarmers introduces the new products which are on the
basis of latest trends in the market that have helped the company in creating an emotional
connection with the people (Wesfarmers.com.au., 2019). The unique selling proposition of
the company rises on account of the fact that the company have improved the product
packaging that have aided in the marketing of the company. The brand image of the company
is highlighted on account of the fact that the company takes recourse to the product bundle

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pricing and the products of the company are bundled and sold at the lower prices in the
market that helped them in reaching the stakeholders of the company.
Innovations in the measurement
The growth of a company depends on the aspect of the accurate measurement that
helps in facilitating the process of marketing of company. The innovations can be brought
about in the process of the marketing that can help in determining the progress of a company.
The market mix modelling can be used in the future that can help in revealing how the sales
volume outcomes depends on the different kinds of the factors that are used in marketing
process of a company (Saenko et al., 2016). The regression can be taken recourse to that can
help organizations in measuring the aspect of the return on the investment. It can help in
measuring the impact of the programs along with the external factors that can help in
determining the success of company within market. It can help in providing the insight into
that of the program effectiveness along with the efficiency of the marketing of a company. It
can help in delving into the various aspects of the marketing ecosystem that can prove to be
advantageous for a company in the long term.
Conclusion
Characteristics pertaining to the products can provide the benefits to the people that
can aid in marketing of company. Pricing can be employed as positioning strategy that can
help in attracting the people towards a particular company. Benefit segmentation helps in
targeting the people that can help a company in making great deal of the profits. The
strategies in relation to the media scheduling can be used by the companies that can help
them in reaching out to target audience. The budget that the company allocates for the
marketing communication can have a great impact on the number of the people who are
reached by the company. The integrated marketing communication makes use of various

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kinds of the message strategies that can help a company in the area of the survival. The
companies can appeal to the customers in an emotional manner that can compel them to buy
the products of a popular brand. The companies also highlight the attributes of the product or
the service that helps them in getting the attention of people.

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References
Bigw.com.au. (2019). BIG W | Australia's Lowest Prices Everyday. Retrieved 20 December
2019, from https://www.bigw.com.au/
Blakeman, R. (2018). Integrated marketing communication: creative strategy from idea to
implementation. Rowman & Littlefield.
Bruhn, M., & Schnebelen, S. (2017). Integrated marketing communication–from an
instrumental to a customer-centric perspective. European journal of marketing, 51(3),
464-489.
Finne, Å., & Grönroos, C. (2017). Communication-in-use: customer-integrated marketing
communication. European Journal of Marketing, 51(3), 445-463.
Kitchen, P. J., & Burgmann, I. (2015). Integrated marketing communication: Making it work
at a strategic level. Journal of Business Strategy, 36(4), 34-39.
Köhler, C., Mantrala, M. K., Albers, S., & Kanuri, V. K. (2017). A meta-analysis of
marketing communication carryover effects. Journal of Marketing Research, 54(6),
990-1008.
Luxton, S., Reid, M., & Mavondo, F. (2015). Integrated marketing communication capability
and brand performance. Journal of Advertising, 44(1), 37-46.
Moriarty, S. E., Mitchell, N., Wells, W., & Mitchell, N. (2012). Advertising & IMC:
principles & practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Ots, M., & Nyilasy, G. (2015). Integrated marketing communications (IMC): Why does it
fail?: An analysis of practitioner mental models exposes barriers of IMC
implementation. Journal of Advertising Research, 55(2), 132-145.

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Qantas.com. (2019). Fly with Australia’s most popular airline | Qantas AU. Retrieved 20
December 2019, from https://www.qantas.com/au/en.html
Saenko, N. R., Sozinova, A. A., Karabulatova, I. S., Akhmetov, I. V., Mamatelashvili, O. V.,
& Pismennaya, E. E. (2016). Research in action integrated marketing communications
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Šerić, M., Gil-Saura, I., & Mollá-Descals, A. (2020). The Impact of Integrated Marketing
Communications on Hotel Brand Equity: Does National Culture Matter?. In Global
Branding: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice (pp. 63-91). IGI Global.
Toyota.com.au. (2019). New Cars Toyota Australia: Prices, Service Centres, Dealers, Test
Drives. Retrieved 20 December 2019, from https://www.toyota.com.au/
Valos, M. J., Haji Habibi, F., Casidy, R., Driesener, C. B., & Maplestone, V. L. (2016).
Exploring the integration of social media within integrated marketing communication
frameworks: Perspectives of services marketers. Marketing Intelligence &
Planning, 34(1), 19-40.
Vernuccio, M., & Ceccotti, F. (2015). Strategic and organisational challenges in the
integrated marketing communication paradigm shift: A holistic vision. European
Management Journal, 33(6), 438-449.
Wesfarmers.com.au. (2019). Home - Wesfarmers. Retrieved 20 December 2019, from
https://www.wesfarmers.com.au/
Woolworths.com.au. (2019). Woolworths Supermarket - Buy Groceries Online. Retrieved 20
December 2019, from https://www.woolworths.com.au/

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