Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Approach Chris Hackley

1. Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications ApproachChris Hackley Chapter 3 The Brand and Integrated Marketing Communications

3. Indicative content Chapter 3 • Marketing and communication planning • Integrated communication and the brand • Integrated Marketing Communication Planning • Limitations and qualifications to IMC

4. Marketing and communication planning • The rationale for planning in advertising management • Integration and planning • Marketing planning and communication planning • Strategic planning and tactical planning • Aligning communication and marketing objectives

5. Integrated communication and the brand The brand as: • A badge of origin • A promise of performance • A reassurance of quality • A transformation of experience • Differentiation and brand positioning • Brand positioning and communication

7. Advertising and promotion and brands • The world’s leading brands can hardly be conceived without advertising and promotion • Advertising and promotion support the marketing strategy and communicate the brand positioning to relevant audiences • As such they aid segmentation through the creative theme and the media and timing of exposure

8. The UK IPA claims that among other business aims, advertising can: • defend brands against own-label growth • effect change internally as well as externally to the company • increase the efficiency of recruitment • transform entire businesses by generating new markets for a brand • revitalize a declining brand • reinvigorate a market • stop line extensions cannibalizing existing sales • change behaviour • influence the share price • make other communications more cost-effective • generate rapid sales increases • increase the growth of a mature brand in a declining market • address crises in public relations

9. Integrated Marketing Communication Planning • Two dimensions of integration: • One brand themes two media channels • Integration of theme across media channels is designed to leverage recognition, reinforce the message and achieve a deeper audience reach than could be achieved across just one or two media channels

10. The generic elements of an IMC plan • Executive summary • Brand research and competition analysis • Target audience • Communication objectives • Advertising strategy • Creative approach • Media plan • Action plan and tactics • Budget estimates • Effectiveness

11. Limitations and qualifications to IMC • Difficulty of formalizing IMC when different media channels constitute different promotional disciplines e.g. advertising, public relations, direct marketing, e-marketing communication, buzz and viral, sales promotion, outdoor and out-of-home (OOH), etc. • Difficulty of co-ordination across different teams and platforms • There is no reason why IMC would benefit every brief: the media strategy depends on the brief

12. Media convergence • Some professionals argue that the notion if IMC is redundant because integration is a given in the converging media environment • Promotional techniques for major brands are scrutinised and attract coverage in internet, broadcast and print media • Internet support is expected for major brand promotional campaigns in the form of microsites

13. Chapter 3 review questions1 • Collect 10 video, radio or print advertisements and divide them between two groups. Each group should try to ascertain what each of their ads was intended to accomplish. In other words, what was the planning rationale behind the ads? Then the two groups should swap ads and perform the same exercise on the other group of ads. • The two groups combined should discuss their respective analysis of each ad and decide which analysis seems the most likely to be accurate. • The intention behind the ads should be considered in the light of such issues as: (a) the likely target audience for the brand; (b) other possible stakeholders; (c) the apparent brand positioning indicated by the ad’s creative approach; (d) the choice of medium; (e) other marketing issues concerning this brand.

14. 2 • List as many examples as you can of marketing objectives that might be supported with advertising and promotion. Be prepared to justify your choice with examples or reasoning.

15. 3 • Is the role of communication in marketing primarily tactical or strategic? Give the reasons for your answer.

16. 4 • Develop a scenario in which your group has been asked to offer outline creative ideas for the launch of a new brand of chocolate confection called ‘Slick’. Focus on the segmentation, targeting (especially media) and positioning issues.