IMC Strategy Analysis: Australian Medical Association Campaign Report

This report provides an integrated marketing communications (IMC) situational analysis of the Australian Medical Association (AMA). The AMA initiated campaigns to ban junk food advertising and introduce a sugar tax. The report analyzes the main issues, including potential consumer resistance and the need for clear communication, along with the economic and social factors influencing the IMC strategy. It examines the target market, primarily parents, and stakeholders like sugar and junk food manufacturers. The report details the AMA's IMC plan, including advertising strategies using television, radio, and print media, public relations through events, and direct marketing via emails and brochures. The conclusion highlights the effectiveness of IMC in reaching the target audience and the importance of a blend of promotional strategies to achieve the desired outcomes. The report references relevant academic sources to support its findings.

Running head: INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS FOR AMA
Integrated marketing communications for AMA
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1INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS FOR AMA
Executive summary
The aim of this paper is to carry out an integrated marketing communications situational
analysis of the Australian Medical Association (AMA). The AMA has started an awareness
campaign about the harmful effects of advertising of junk food on young children; it has also
introduced campaigns to preach about the adverse consequences of sugar consumption and
has consequently started a movement to introduce a tax on sugar. In order to successfully
implement these strategies, it would be imperative to carry out a situational analysis of the
environment AMA is catering to, the target market and the way it would be communicating
with the target audience. The paper attempts to study the grave situation and also provide a
solution so that the AMA can effectively communicate its perspective to the Australian
audience.

2INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS FOR AMA
Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................3
Discussion:.......................................................................................................................................3
Situational analysis of the integrated marketing communications..............................................3
The main issue as faced by the organization...........................................................................3
Factors that have contributed to the issue................................................................................4
Concerns of the stakeholders that need to be taken into account for IMC..............................4
Integrated marketing communications plan followed by AMA..................................................5
Advertising strategies..............................................................................................................5
Public relations........................................................................................................................5
Direct marketing......................................................................................................................6
Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................6
References:......................................................................................................................................7

3INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS FOR AMA
Introduction:
The Australian Medical Association or AMA, headed by Dr. Tony Bartone is the
only official organization for doctors and other medical professionals in Australia (Australian
Medical Association, 2018). Recently, the AMA launched a campaign to ban advertising of
junk foods and to impose a tax on sugar to regulate consumption. The members of the
association are of the opinion that food and lifestyle habits develop in the early phases of
childhood; thus, advertising of junk food, aimed at luring in more consumers, could have an
adverse effect on these young impressionable minds ("Ban marketing of junk food to
children", 2018).
Discussion:
Situational analysis of the integrated marketing communications
The main issue as faced by the organization
It must be remembered that what the AMA is proposing is quite revolutionary in
nature; for instance, children who have grown accustomed to the idea of junk food as part of
their staple diet would not be receptive to a ban on advertising of the same (Elliott, 2017).
Similarly, sugar too is an integral component of the diet of majority of the Australian
population. Imposing a tax may be perceived as an unnecessary hassle. That is why it is
important to communicate the motive of the campaigns in a proper fashion so as to avoid
scope of miscommunication. Also, promotional and marketing strategies would have to be
devised in such a way that the message is expressed with clarity to the target audience.

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Factors that have contributed to the issue
A situational analysis would reveal a few economical and social factors that would
affect IMC (integrated marketing communications). For instance, the sugar tax faced severe
opposition on account of the fact that consumers already paid a high tax at the supermarkets.
However, there is a growing consciousness as to the impact of excessive consumption of
sugar and junk food among Australian children and the rise of obesity and related diseases
(Lobstein et al., 2015). This would be the highlight of the IMC strategy. It must be
remembered that marketing has a widespread reach – there are various platforms through
which fast food companies could reach out to children and youngsters. As a matter of fact,
advertisements during major events are also a threat in this aspect (Huang & Yang, 2013).
The AMA is appalled at the shameless marketing campaigns carried out by junk food
companies and calls for a ban on them. Instead, children should be encouraged to opt for
healthier options which do not pose a threat to their overall well being and are rich in
essential nutrients. Also, the AMA believes that imposing a heavy tax on sugar would
automatically reduce consumption, thus helping people take a step towards a healthy lifestyle.
Concerns of the stakeholders that need to be taken into account for IMC
The target market for the integrated marketing communications would naturally be
the parents of young children; while it is inevitable that children would resist the imposition
of such bans and taxes, it is expected that with adequate marketing and advertising strategies
spreading awareness, Australian parents would rise to the occasion. The decision is set to
impact the major stakeholders of the organization as well; the impact on customers has
already been discussed. However, it would also be affecting the suppliers, which includes
manufacturers of sugar and junk food; imposing a tax on sugar or prohibiting advertising of
junk food would adversely affect the sales and revenue of raw materials concerned.

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Integrated marketing communications plan followed by AMA
IMC may be defined as the fulfillment of marketing objectives as listed in a
marketing plan through a combination of several promotional methods, which include
advertising, public relations and direct marketing (Naeem, Bilal & Naz, 2013). Some
characteristics of a good IMC strategy would be efficient project management tactics, well
established target market formulated on the basis of psychographics and buyer behavior,
alignment of marketing objectives and cross channel strategic management (Brunello, 2013).
Advertising strategies
An advertising campaign was launched by the AMA which graphically
demonstrated the ill effects of advertising on young children. Such an advertisement was
drawn up because it was hoped that it would directly strike a chord with the parents; it was
released to the general public in the form of television and radio commercials and also print
media advertising. The advertisement was both informational and educational; it did not
simply impose the facts on the parents, but also explained to them the consequences if such a
ban was not approved.
Public relations
Public relations or PR too is an integral aspect of IMC since it allows direct
communication between the consumers and the company representatives. A public event was
organized, where parents along with their children were invited. A panel of doctors were
present, who not only educated the parents about the harmful effects of sugar and junk food
but also clarified doubts and queries. This allowed the message to be delivered loud and clear
to the parents so that they could understand the gravity of the situation.

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Direct marketing
Direct marketing is most effective when it comes to reaching out to consumers; the
AMA attempted to contact parents and children through emails and brochures were
distributed in different cities of Australia. Such a campaign would maximize impact which
would fetch the desired results.
The purpose behind the campaign was to spread awareness about the negative
consequences of advertising of junk food and the need for tax on sugar, and that is just what
it did. The combination of powerful advertising along with an open interactive session with
the members of the AMA garnered massive support from the general public.
Conclusion:
To conclude, it can be said that integrated marketing communications is one of the
most potent ways of reaching out to the target audience because it entails a fine blend of
promotional strategies including marketing, public relations and advertising. The AMA had
proposed a ban on advertising of junk food and a tax on sugar so as to curb excessive
consumption. However, their initiative was met with opposition because people were not
willing to give up their lifestyle without evidence; consequently, AMA devised a
communications strategy which included television and radio commercials and public events
to reach out to their intended audience.

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References:
Australian Medical Association. (2018). Australian Medical Association. [online] Available
at: https://ama.com.au//
Ban marketing of junk food to children. (2018). Retrieved from
https://ama.com.au/media/ban-junk-food-marketing-children.
Brunello, A. (2013). The relationship between integrated marketing communication and
brand equity. International Journal of Communication Research, 3(1), 9.
Elliott, C. (2017). Knowledge needs and the ‘savvy’child: teenager perspectives on banning
food marketing to children. Critical Public Health, 27(4), 430-442.
Huang, R., & Yang, M. (2013). Buy what is advertised on television? Evidence from bans on
child-directed food advertising. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 32(2), 207-
222.
Lobstein, T., Jackson-Leach, R., Moodie, M. L., Hall, K. D., Gortmaker, S. L., Swinburn, B.
A., ... & McPherson, K. (2015). Child and adolescent obesity: part of a bigger
picture. The Lancet, 385(9986), 2510-2520.
Naeem, B., Bilal, M., & Naz, U. (2013). Integrated marketing communication: a review
paper. Interdisciplinary journal of contemporary research in business, 5(5), 124-133.