• MKTG 304: INTEGRATED MARKETING

COMMUNICATIONS

• Lecturer: Dr. Prince Kodua

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon Slide 1

 Session Overview
 This session provides an overview of integrated marketing
communications.
 The marketplace today is a highly competitive, and firms are looking
for ways to be outstanding.
 Brands are looking for means to become a part of customers’
evoked sets.

 Companies have a wide variety of media from which to choose, both

traditional and nontraditional.

 Because customers are bombarded with so many marketing

messages, it is vital for a company to stand out with a clear,
consistent, and integrated message. Hence the need for this course.

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon Slide 2

 Session Objectives

At the end of this session, the student should be able to:

 Explain how communication takes place?

 Discuss what integrated marketing communications

program is.

 Identify new trends affecting marketing communications.

 Examine the components of an integrated marketing

communications program.

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon Slide 3

 Session Outline
The key topics to be covered in the session are as
follows:
 Topic One: The nature of communication

 Topic two: An IMC plan

 Topic three: Emerging trends in marketing communications

 Topic four: IMC components

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon Slide 4

 Reading List

 Students should read the introductory

chapter of the text listed at the end of the
slides.

 Other relevant text/chapter or reading

materials will be made available on Sakai.

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon Slide 5

 Introduction
 Marketing communication is a critical aspect of a
company’s overall marketing mission and a major
determinant of its success.

 Advances in digital technology and proliferation of media

options means that ….
 Marketing communications in recent years provide both
opportunities and challenges to marketers as the market
becomes increasingly fragmented.

Question: What is your take on these statements?

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 What organizations use Marketing
Communications?
Marketing communications is used by all types of
organizations to elicit favourable responses from their
target audiences.
Fundamentally, organizations rely on marketing
communication to promote their offerings
-An offering could be a product, service,
idea, event, persons etc.)

Question: What types of organizations use marketing

communications?
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Marketing Communications is Used by
all types of Organizations
i. Profit businesses like MTN, Nestle, Kingdom Books
ii. Non-profits like the Churches and NGOs
iii. Government Ministries, Agencies and Departments
like Ministry of Trade and Industries, Education,
Sports, Customs Excise
iv. Political Parties like NDC, NPP, PPP, PNC
v. Hospitals and Clinics, Social Clubs etc.

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 Understanding Marketing
Communications
• Marketing communications or promotions is an
integral part of Marketing.

• To understanding Marketing Communications

therefore
We must first understand or define:
(i) Marketing
and
(ii)Communications

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The Meaning of the term Marketing
Marketing: It is a social and managerial process by
which individuals and groups obtain what they need
and want through creating, offering and exchanging
product of value with others.
 Marketing is a managerial process whereby
the organization aims at satisfying its target
customers with the expectation that the
organization will also benefit from this
exchange relationship

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 The Meaning of the term
Communication
• Communication is the passing of information,
exchange of ideas, or process of establishing shared
meaning between a sender and a receiver.

• Communication is also the process whereby

thoughts are conveyed and meaning is shared
between individuals or between organizations and
individuals.

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 The Meaning of Marketing
Communications

Marketing Communications: refers to all the

promotional elements of the marketing mix which
involves the communications between an organization
and its target audiences on all matters that affect
marketing performance.

 Definition: “marketing communication is the process by which the marketer

develops and presents an appropriate set of communication stimulus to a
defined target audience with the intention of eliciting a decisive set of
responses.” (Yeshin 1999)

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 Marketing is thus Broader in Scope than
Marketing Communications
Marketing is broader in scope than marketing
communication.
However, much of marketing involves
communication activities.
In essence all the elements in the company’s
marketing programme that explicitly or implicitly
facilitates exchanges with target audience through
shared meaning can be considered as marketing
communications

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 The Nature of Communication

 Communication is the transmission,

receiving, and processing of information
between two parties (Sender & receiver)

 Communication is achieved when the

receiver comprehends the information.

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 14

 Communication Process Model

Communication Process

Transmission
Sender Encoding Decoding Receiver
Device

Feedback

=Noise

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 15

 The Communication Process

 Communication begins with the sender

(individual or company) that wants to send
a marketing message to consumers or to
other businesses.

 The message to be sent is then encoded.

Encoding is the process of taking the
message and putting it into an ad,
brochure, or sales presentation.
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 The Communication Process

The process, known as encoding, refers to

putting thoughts, ideas, or information into
symbolic form.
The sender’s goal is to encode the message in
such a way that it will be understood by the
receiver.
This means using words, signs, or symbols
that are familiar to the target audience

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 17

 The Communication Process

Note: Many symbols have universal meaning,

such as the familiar circle with a line through it
to denote no parking, no smoking, and so
forth.
Many companies also have highly
recognizable symbols – such as Coca-Cola trademark
– that are known to consumers around the world
 The encoding process leads to development of a message that contains
the information or meaning the source hopes to convey.
 The message may be verbal or nonverbal, oral or written, or symbolic.

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 18

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 The Communication Process
 The encoded message is then transmitted to the target
audience through a transmission device (E.g. TV,
brochure, salespersons).
 Decoding is the process of interpreting the marketing
message by the Receiver (consumer or business buyer)
 Decoding is the process of transforming the sender’s message
back into thought.
 This process is heavily influenced by the receiver’s frame of
reference or field of experience, which refers to the
experiences, perceptions, attitudes, and values he or she brings
to the communication situation.
 The receiver is the person(s) with whom the sender shares
Prepared by Dr.thoughts
Prince Kodua, UGBS,or information.
Legon 20
 The Communication Process
 Generally, receivers are the consumers in the target market
or audience who read, hear, and/or see the marketer’s
message and decode it.
 Effective communication takes place when the
decoded message is the same as the encoded.
 Effective communication is more likely when there is some
common ground between the two parties. (This is
represented by the overlapping of the two circles.)

 The more knowledge the sender has about the receivers, the
better it can understand their needs, empathize with them,
and communicate effectively.
Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 21
 The Communication Process

 But, often noise occurs and distorts the

message.
 Noise can be anything and can occur at
any stage. E.g.
Talking on the phone during a
commercial
Driving while listening to radio.
Scrolling past internet ads without
looking at them
Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 22
 The communication process
 Senders can obtain feedback from receivers and
use the information to start the process again.

 Feedback takes the form of the receiver’s

response to the sender.

 In marketing communications, feedback

includes:
 Purchases Enquiries Complaints
 Questions Store visits Blogs and website hits

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 23

Integrated marketing Communications

 Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)

is the coordination and integration of all
marketing communication tools, avenues, and
sources within a company into a seamless
program which maximizes the impact on
consumers and other end-users at a minimal
cost.

 The IMC includes all business-to-business,

channel, customer, external communications,
and internal communications.
Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 24
Integrated marketing Communications
 The traditional marketing mix consists of product, price,
promotion, and distribution.

 Traditionally, the promotion component consisted of

advertising, sales promotions, and personal selling.

 Today, it has expanded to include database marketing,

direct response marketing, sponsorship marketing,
digital marketing, social media, public relations.

 The venues for reaching consumers have increased

beyond advertising.
Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 25
Integrated marketing Communications

 Components of promotion
Advertising
Public Digital
Relations Marketing

Sales
Social Media
Promotions

Personal Alternative
Selling Marketing

Direct Database
Response Marketing

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 26

Integrated marketing Communications

 A complete IMC plan combines every element of

the marketing mix: product, price, place &
promotions (Plus People, process & physical
evidence) - 4P / 7P framework

 Note: Though the concentration of this course is

on promotions, it must be noted that the other
elements of the promotion mix should be
blended into the program in order to present a
unified message.

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 27

 An IMC plan

 A strategic marketing plan forms the basis

for IMC

 An IMC plan coordinates every

component of the marketing mix in order
to achieve harmony in the messages and
promotions relayed to customers and
other stakeholders.

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 28

 Steps in the IMC plan
Steps of a Marketing Plan
 Current situational analysis
 SWOT analysis
 Marketing objectives
 Target market
 Marketing strategies
 Marketing tactics
 Implementation
 Evaluation of performance

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 29

 Steps in the IMC plan

(i) The IMC plan begins with a current Situational Analysis

- process which involves examination of the firm’s
ongoing market situation.

(ii) A SWOT analysis is conducted next

To understand organization’s internal and external
environments.
 SWOT identifies an organization’s internal strengths and weaknesses
along with the marketing opportunities and threats present in the
external environment.

(iii) Marketing objectives are then set.

 E.g. higher sales, increase in market share, a new competitive
position, or desired customer actions.

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 30

 Steps in the IMC plan
(iv) On the basis of the marketing objectives,
marketing strategies are developed.
 These strategies apply to every ingredient in the marketing mix
and include all positioning, differentiation and branding
strategies.

(v) Marketers must then state how the plan will be

implemented .

(vi) They must also specify the methods to

evaluate performance.
Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 31
 Emerging Trends in Marketing
Communications
Trends Affecting Marketing Communications
 Emphasis on accountability & measurable results
 Explosion of the digital arena
 Integration of media platforms
 Shift in channel power
 Increase in global competition
 Increase in brand parity
 Emphasis on customer engagement

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 32

 Discussion
 Discuss the pivotal role of communication in all
marketing and advertising programs.

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon Slide 33

 References
 Clow, K. E. & Baack, D. (2016). Integrated
advertising, promotion, and marketing
communications (7th ed.). Harlow: Pearson
Education Limited.

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 34

End of Session 1

Prepared by Dr. Prince Kodua, UGBS, Legon 35