IMC: the cornerstone of digital marketing

In the digital age, the way content is distributed has changed dramatically. Sometimes a piece of content can spread as quickly as a virus, capturing the attention of millions of people. But this also makes it unpredictable and difficult to control. How should people use this attention to achieve their marketing goals, rather than just letting content go viral? This brings us to the importance of integrated marketing communications (IMC).

What is IMC?

IMC is a marketing strategy and methodology that aims to achieve stronger brand communication and marketing communications by aligning different marketing tools, channels, and media. The main goal of IMC is to ensure that all marketing communications activities for a brand or product are consistent and coordinated to provide a unified, clear brand image and message to the audience. This includes a variety of communication methods such as advertising, public relations, promotions, social media, content marketing, sales promotions and more. For example, you learn about a brand from traditional advertising, then you see the brand’s product information promoted in social media platforms, then you see the brand’s official website on a search engine when you have a need for a similar product, you enter the website and you notice its promotions, and eventually you purchase the product. This is IMC. different channels have different channel characteristics. It is difficult for a customer to receive information in a single channel and make a purchase. By combining these channels to influence customers, the chances of them making a purchase are greatly increased.

IMC Key Features

Consistency——All communication activities should convey the same brand message, values and reputation, and build a consistent brand image to achieve common marketing objectives.

Audience Orientation——Understand the needs, preferences and habits of target audiences across different channels in order to adjust communication strategies based on their behavior and feedback.

Effectiveness evaluation——Quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of marketing communication activities in order to adjust and improve the strategy in a timely manner.

Examples of IMC：Melbourne Metro Trains – “Dumb Ways to Die”

Melbourne Metro Trains wanted to create a public service announcement to draw attention to the need to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities. They created a song about stupid ways to die, which reached the top 10 of the iTunes charts within 24 hours of its release.

To ensure the continued impact of the adverts, the campaign expanded into new promotional channels: character-based merchandise, mobile apps, and even educational books. They also launched a mobile game, which reached #1 in 53 markets as an iPhone app and claimed the #1 iPad app ranking in 81 countries worldwide.

The campaign was a huge success and Metro Trains noted a 21 per cent reduction in accidents and fatalities on its network as a result of the campaign.