Marketing communication & consumers
Exam: 80% (individual grade)
• Exam material: all literature (see literature) and lecture slides.
• 40 multiple-choice questions (in English).
Assignment: 20% (Group grade)
Each of the four work group assignments will be graded
Note the following important rules:
• The individual exam and final grades need to be 5.5 or higher.
• In principle, partial grades are not transferrable to next year.
,Les 1: Introduction and course overview
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) evolutions:
For many years mass media like TV, radio and newspapers dominant the world of marketing communication.
Marketing was during 1960-1970 mass communication.
During the eighties the way of communication changed by arrival of new communication forms such as public
affairs, PR and direct marketing. Since that time marketing communication integrate tools like: sales promotion,
PR, direct marketing and also still traditional mass media advertising.
Door het snelle veranderende medialandschap, wordt het voor marketeers lastig om hun doelgroep te bereiken en
op een effectieve manier te communiceren. Zij verliezen hun klanten aan highly fragmented and narrowing
targeted digital media, waarbij de consument zelf meer engaged is in het communicatie proces. Mensen zijn
actief op zoek naar entertainment en informatie.
Integrated Marketing Communication wordt nu gebruikt om de doelgroep te bereiken.
Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is a strategic business process to plan, develop, execute and
evaluate brand communication programs. IMC, integrating a variety of communication tools into an
organization’s marketing programs. They play an important role for companies and their efforts to communicate
with and sell their products/services to consumers.
It’s a flexible model that enables marketers to integrate and adapt it in de marketing landscape.
The perspective of IMC is:
• Evaluates different communication disciplines like PR, advertising and sales. And combines different
communication means in order to obtain the greatest effect possible.
• Coordinate various promotional elements that communicate with a firm’s customers
• Ensures all marketing and promotional activities project a consistent and unified image
Redenen voor inzetten van IMC:
- ze begrijpen de waarde van het strategisch integreren van diverse communicatie functies, boven het los
van elkaar opereren
- Makkelijkste manier om ROI in marketing en promotie te krijgen
- Het laat zien dat ze flexibel zijn en zich aan de tijd kunnen aanpassen richting de klant
- Er is een verschuiving van traditioneel naar Internet en marketeers kunnen gerichter inzetten op de klant
met Internet.
- Consumenten reageren minder op de traditionele media, dus marketeers moeten wel
- Fundamentele veranderingen in de manier waarop bedrijven hun producten en services op de markt
brengen, waarbij een blijvende ontwikkeling in de marketing ervoor zorgt dat zij hierbij mee moetne
- Het speelt een grote rol in het ontwikkelingsproces en het behouden van de brand identity en equity.
The average time spend on media has changed during the years. In the period 2010 till 2017 traditional media
like newspapers, magazines, television, radio got in a decline of consumption while in the same period the use of
digital media has inclined. People are moving from traditional media too digital media and the advertisement are
moving with them. The sales on digital ads is now 16,9% more than last year while the sales on offline ads
remained almost the same (growth of 0,3%).
,Micromarketing is a marketing strategy in which advertising efforts are focused on a small group of highly-
targeted consumers. Micromarketing requires a company to narrowly define a particular audience by a particular
characteristic, such as ZIP code or job title, and tailor campaigns for that particular segment. It can be a more
expensive technique due to customization and lack of an economy of scale.
Micromarketing grew to prominence in the 1990s, as personal computers allowed easier segmentation and
dissemination of information to customers. E-commerce websites are able to track the type of products that a
consumer views or purchases, which allows the website to suggest related products.
How does micro marketing works? Micro Marketing is targeted towards individual people; You, Me & the
person sitting next to you on the plane from London to New York. The Micro Manager for a Hotel in New York
have followed your individual path from the time you left your home this morning until you’re sitting on the plan
that was delayed for two hours from Heathrow.
How does the Micro Marketer know all this? It is a combination of public knowledge; the airline’s
information systems, and how you have updated your Trip-It application where you tell all your friends about
your travelling. You have also allowed Trip-it to share your information with its partners like Hotels, Travel
agencies etc.
The Micro Marketer don’t know for sure if you have booked a hotel or not. But because you’re late, the Micro
Marketer will offer you the following through your Smartphone:
• A free taxi voucher from the John F. Kennedy airport to the hotel the Micro Marketer works for
• A Queen Sized bedroom for the price of a single bedroom
• Breakfast included
A form of Micro marketing is arrival micro marketing, this kind of micro marketing is all about location based
advertisement. For example by connecting with a mall Wi-Fi you only get advertisements of stores that are in the
mall and with the Facebook information on your phone the ads can be personalised to your lifestyle and taste.
,Many people are moving from traditional marketing to digital marketing, so the attitudes of consumers are
changing. Some brands changed with them by using a digital first strategy. For example Burberry with Snapchat.
The new generation also named Generation Y (born 1979-1994) are sceptical about traditional advertisements.
They expect different messages at a variety of non-traditional media. ComScore research reveals that 71% of
Snapchat users in the US are aged between 18-34.
Luxury goods firm Burberry used Snapchat (digital first) launched 2016 spring summer collection: allowing a
unique, real-time view of the creation of the show which included a collection premier hours before the show.
Burberry is online very active they got more than 17 million Facebook-fans that is far more than the direct
competitors like Gucci, Louis Vutton and Prada. The content that Burberry post is not remarkable but there is a
real online strategy. Also the physical stores got online tools to make a better Burberry experience.
• RFID-chips in the clothes and accessories, so a person gets product information by passing a specific
mirror. In-store content marketing.
• Store personal use IPad with access to buying history of customers and also they can direct order
products in other stores and check the stock.
• The customers can pay by portable checkout systems, so they don’t have to wait in line.
Average viewing time Dutch TV
It illustrates that the basic argumentation of marketers which are saying that it is impossible to reach
millennials/generation Y by TV is not true, we are watching 116 min per day.
Marketing is now all about making relationships:
Different reasons for changing relationship. The internet changed the traditional word-of-mouth into viral word-
of-mouth. This is really damaging the image and position of companies in the market. And the last economic
crisis made all younger target groups cynical. So, marketers are trying to reframe their marketing and building
relationships to create more brand loyalty and engagement.
,The promotional mix: the tools for IMC
Promotion = the coordination of all seller-initiated efforts to set up channels of information and persuasion in
order to sell goods and services or promote an idea.
Promotion mix = the basic tools used to accomplish an organization’s communication objectives. The
promotional mix has five elements, each element is viewed as an integrated marketing communications tool that
plays a distinctive role in an IMC-program.
1. Advertising
2. Direct marketing and digital/internet active
3. Sales promotion
4. Publicity/public relations
5. Personal selling
IMC & Touchpoints
Touchpoints refers to all the opportunities people have to get in contact with the brand, there are four basic touch
points:
1. Company created touch points: all about made advertising, these are controlled by the company self.
2. Intrinsic touch points: those are interactions during the buying and using of the products
3. The unexpected touch points: all interaction and content which are beyond the control of marketers
(User Generated Content).
4. Consumer-initiated touch points: about people contacting organizations.
,IMC: Review and Analysis program
IMC: Budget and Development
IMC: Integrate, Implement & Monitor, Evaluate and Control
,IMC Audience contact tools in MCC
Conclusion of today’s lecture:
• The need for a IMC
o There is a need because combining the most effective media will also create the strongest
effects on awareness, attitude etc.
• IMC is a strategic process to plan, develop, execute and evaluate brand communication programs
o The IMC helps companies identify the most effective ways for communication and coordinate
various promotional elements enabling to create a consistent and unified image to the outside
world.
• Many marketers are taking touch point perspective to develop IMC program
• Marketing is entering relationship are where it is all about trust, transparency and engagement
,Belch, G.E., & Belch, M.A. (2015, Chapter 1). An introduction to integrated marketing
communications. In G.E. Belch, & M.A. Belch (Eds.), Advertising and promotion: An
integrated marketing communications perspective (10th ed., pp. 3-39). New York: McGraw-
Hill Education.
Consumers are no longer passive massage receivers. They want to be in control and they got more choice of
media they use.
IMC also named integrated marketing communications is a strategy in which a brand got different options to
reach his target audience (radio, tv, social media, sponsoring, movie ads etc.).
De American Marketing Association (AMA) defines marketing as: The process of planning and executing the
distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational
objectives. In 2007 the AMA made a new definition: Marketing is the activity, set of institutions and processes
for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients,
partners and society at large. In this definition value is an important part. Value is the perception of the benefits
of a brand/service in the mind of a customer and these weigh against the disadvantages of the brand/service.
Benefits can be performance, (functional), use experience (experiential) and status (psychological), disadvantage
can be costs, knowledge, time, support etc.
This chapter is more about promotion, but the other parts of the marketing mix are also important (product,
place, price).
During the ’80 marketing become less about mass media. Things like sales promotion, direct marketing, PR and
a synergistic approach (collaborative marketing) become more important. Concepts like new advertising,
orchestration and seamless communication were used to describe the concept of integration of advertisements.
The American Association of Advertising Agency (AAAA) defined integrated marketing as: A concept of
marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a comprehensive plan that evaluates the
strategic roles of a variety of communication disciplines –for example, general advertising, direct response sales
promotion and public relations- and combines these disciplines to provide clarity, consistency and maximum
communications impact.
Proponents of IMC had the opinion that the definition was not wide enough. They want a definition as a big-
picture-approach, so not only promotion but the whole marketing mix is important.
The picture of a brand has to be consistent. So an expensive product (price) needs a luxurious appearance
(product) and needs to be sold at exclusive stores (place). They made a new definition: Integrated marketing
communication is a strategic business process used to plan, develop, execute and evaluate coordinated,
measurable, persuasive brand communication programs over time with consumers, prospects, employees,
associates and other targeted relevant external and internal audiences. The goal is to generate both short-term
financial returns and build long-term brand and shareholder value.
This definition looks at marketing as a process and not as an activity. Also these approach mentions different
audiences, extern and intern. IMC is seen as the new generation marketing, which focused on obtain, maintain
and develop relations with customers and stakeholders.
The integrated marketing communications movement is also being driven by fundamental changes in the way
companies market their products and services and an ongoing marketing revolution that is changing the rules of
marketing.
Brand identity is a combination of many factors, including the name, logo, symbols, design, packaging, and
performance of a product or service as well as the image or type of associations that comes to mind when
consumers think about a brand. It compares the entire spectrum of consumers’ awareness, knowledge and image
of the brand as well as the company behind it.
, During the years micromarketing has become more important and also the consistency of different
advertisements has become more important. IMC helps to keep one brand identity and make sure that customers
know these identity. Brand identity is a combination of name, logo, symbols, design, package and performance,
but also associations with the brand. For example Red Bull Extreme sports, tough, bull etc.
Promotion is the effort of a brand to sell their products/services. Promotion can be defined as: the coordination
of all seller-initiated efforts to set up channels of information and persuasion in order to sell goods and services
or promote an idea. The basics tools used to accomplish an organization’s communication objectives are often
referred to as the promotional mix. Traditionally the promotional mix has included four elements: advertising,
sales, promotion, publicity/public relations, and personal selling. However, in this text we view direct marketing
as well as the digital/Internet active media as major promotional-mix elements that modern-marketers use to
communicate with their target markets.
• Advertising is defined as any paid form of nonpersonal communication about an organisation, product,
service, or idea by an identified sponsor.
o Primary-demand advertising is designed to stimulate demand for the general product class or
entire industry.
o Selective-demand advertising focuses on creating demand for a specific company’s brands.
Most advertising for products and services is concerned with stimulating selective demand and
emphasizes reasons for purchasing a particular brand.
o Professional advertising. Advertising targeted to professionals such as doctors, lawyers,
dentists to encourage them to use a company’s product in their business operations. It might
also be used to encourage professionals to recommend or specify the use of a company’s
product by end-users.
o Trade advertising. Advertising targeted to marketing channel members such as wholesalers,
distributors, and retailers. The goal is to encourage channel members to stock promote, and
resell the manufacturer’s branded products to their customers.
• Direct marketing is much more than direct mail and mail-order catalogues. It involves a variety of
activities, including database-management, direct selling, telemarketing, and direct-response ads
through direct mail, the internet and various broadcast and print media. Customer Relationship
Management is all about keeping track on internet databases of customers, with the aim of better
customer service and products.
• Internet marketing has developed because of the growth of internet use and social media use. This
kind of marketing include social media marketing and mobile marketing. These marketing is about
shopping apps, internet ads and information about the company and his customers via Google maps,
analytics etc.
• Sales promotion
This is about marketing activities that give extra power on the sales. There are two kinds of sales
promotion: consumer-orientated promotion (coupon, sampling, premiums, try-out and other point-of-
purchase material) trade-orientated promotion is directed to warehouses, distributors and shoppers
and are all about price deals.
