Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)

Semester and Year Offered:

Course Coordinator and Team: Prof. Kartik Dave

Email of course coordinator: kartik@aud.ac.in

Pre-requisites:

Course Objective: The objective of the course is to help students comprehend the principles and practices of marketing communications. It discusses the tools used by marketers to inform consumers and to present a managerial framework for integrated marketing communications planning.

Course Outcomes:

At the end of the course the students will be able to:

1. Apply the key terms, definitions, and concepts used in integrated marketing communications
2. Recognize the advantages and disadvantages of key marketing communications functions, and explain the importance of integrating a creative approach across them
3. Examine how integrated marketing communications help to build brand identity and brand relationship, and create brand equity through brand synergy
4. Analyze and evaluate the cost effectiveness of various forms of media
5. Identify new trends affecting marketing communications, focusing on word of mouth, buzz marketing, sponsored consumers and the use of the internet and social media in marketing communication

Brief Description of Modules:

Unit 1: Integrated Marketing Communications Functions (6 hours)

Partners and industry organizations; Brands and stakeholder relationships; Strategies for building brands

Unit 2: Integrating the Brand Communication Process (6 hours)

Customer brand decision making; IMC planning, segmenting, targeting, and positioning; Data-driven communication; Creating, sending, and receiving brand messages

Unit 3: IMC Creative Concept (6 hours)

Message strategy, print, broadcast, and out-of-home media, internet, interactivity, and e-commerce media; IMC media planning

Unit 4: Promotional Strategies (8 hours)

Consumer sales promotion, trade sales promotions and co-marketing; Personal selling, public relations and brand publicity direct marketing and customer service, product placements, events, sponsorship, and packaging, social media marketing

Unit 5: Evaluations of Promotional Strategies (3 hours)

Measuring effectiveness of various promotional methods and media

Unit 6: Contemporary Issues (3 hours)

Social, legal, and ethical issues; International marketing communications

Assessment Details with weights:

• Case analysis: 20%
• Mid Term 20 %
• Project: 30%
• End term assessment: 30%

Reading List:

1. Almquist, E. & Wyner, G. (2001), “Boost Your Marketing ROI with experimental Design,” Harvard Business Review, 79 October 2001 79(9), 5-11.
2. Balachandran, I. (2011). Don’t Go Away. We’ll Be Right Back: The Ups and Downs of Advertising, Westland and Tranquebar Press
3. Barry, P. (2008).The Advertising Concept Book: Think Now, Design Later: A Complete Guide to Creative Ideas, Strategies and Campaigns, Thames and Hudson
4. Belch, G. E., Belch, M. A., Kerr, G. F., and Powell, I. (2014). Advertising: an integrated marketing communication perspective. McGraw-Hill Education.
5. Chitty, Luck, Valos, Barker and Shimp (2015 – 4th Edition), Integrated Marketing Communications, Cengage Learning, (ISBN 9780170254304).
6. Dewhirst, T., & Hunter, A. (2002), “Tobacco Sponsorship of Formula One and CART Auto Racing: Tobacco Brand Exposure and Enhanced Symbolic Imagery through Co-sponsors' Third Party Advertising,” Tobacco Control, 11, 146-150
7. Duncan, T., andOuwersloot, H.(2008), Integrated Marketing Communications. European ed. New York: McGraw-Hill,
8. Greenberg, J., & Elliott, C. (2009), “A Cold Cut Crisis: Listeriosis, Maple Leaf Foods, and the Politics of Apology,” Canadian Journal of Communication, 34(2), 189-204.
9. Keller, K. L. (2009), “Building Strong Brands in a Modern Marketing Communications Environment,” Journal of Marketing Communications, 15 (2-3), 139-155
10. McCracken, G. (1989), “Who is the Celebrity Endorser? Cultural Foundations of the Endorsement Process,” Journal of Consumer Research, 16(3), 310-321.
11. Percy, L. (2014). Strategic integrated marketing communications. Routledge.
12. Pricken, M. (2008). Creative Advertising: Ideas and Techniques from The World’s Best Campaigns (2nd Edition), Thames And Hudson