Selecting and implementing an IMC campaign, will focus all of an organizations advertising and promotional efforts towards delivering the same united message and reaching the specific objective. All of the marketing tools utilized by a company can be focused and synergized with each other and their effectiveness will increase significantly. The marketing message relayed by a company is clear and consistent and is able to reach the target audience without confusion while ensuring that all of the segments of the campaign have been reached. The Integrated Marketing Communications of a company can differ from profit to not-for-profit organizations. As IMC will be defined, the definition will be shown in the differences of profit to not-for-profit types of organizations as well as providing a current real world example for review.
IMC Defined
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is defined as: "A management concept that is designed to make all aspects of marketing communication such as advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and direct marketing work together as a unified force, rather than permitting each to work in isolation" (About Inc, 2006).
McDonalds
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English: Robert (Rob) Mitchell CEO of Philanthroma...IMC is the managing of the promotional mix, blending it with the communications efforts of other departments such as public relations and corporate communications. This allows the company to speak with one voice making all messages consistent. Managing the promotional mix used to be fairly easy, using mass communications options of direct mail, advertising, and public relations. Technology changed all of that, the Internet, wireless telephones, and Bluetooth technologies that changed the way we communicate with everyone, employees and customers (Duncan 2005). Managing the four P's of Marketing are important for both profit and not-for-profit companies; however, each approach the IMC process in different ways (Clow, Baack 2004).
Profit and Not-for Profit
Not-for profit organizations are distinctive and characterize a different customer.