Integrating Communications
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Key Words
Stakeholders
Relationships
Reputation/Image
Competitive Advantage
Cause or Mission Marketing
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Marketplace Trends
Proliferation of brands and products
4 P’s no longer provide USP
Too many messages
Increasing distrust of business
Deparmentalization/specialization
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Marketplace Trends
Decreasing message impact and credibility
Decreasing cost of using databases
Increasing client expertise
Increasing mergers and acquisitions of MC
agencies
Increasing cost of mass media
Increasing media fragmentation
Traditional MC and IC
Traditional New
Transactions Relationships
Functional organization Cross-functional org.
Specializations Core Competencies
Mass marketing Data-driven marketing
Stable of agencies CMO agency
Customers Stakeholders
Mass Media Purposeful interactivity
Ads & Promotions Strategic consistency
Cause Marketing Mission marketing
Adjust prior plan Zero-based planning
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IC
Cross-functional approach for managing
profitabale, long-term relationships
Bringing people and corporate learning together
In order to maintain strategic consistency in all
communications
Encourage and facilitate purposeful dialogues
with customers and other key stakeholders
Create awareness and commitment to the
corporate mission.
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Relationship Building
Key element of IC
Not just with customers
Knowing Responsive
Trusting Affinity
Consistent Likeable
Accessible Committed
Constructs determining strength of relationships
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Communication
Relationships
Stakeholder Support
Brand Equity
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Planned
Messages
Say
Product,
Unplanned Service
Messages Messages
Confirm Do
The Integration Triangle -
Does behavior confirm what organization is saying?
Duncan, T. and Moriarity, S., Driving Brand Value
Drivers of IC
Focus on stakeholders
Focus on relationships more than
transactions
Strategic consistency process
Interactive process
Mission Marketing process
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Drivers of IC
Zero-based planning process
Cross-functional team infrastructure
Core competency infrastructure
Database infrastructure
IC agency infrastructure
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IC
Really about integrating all
communications functions
Marketing
Organization
Management
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Strategy
Identity Image
Common Starting Points
Management Organizational Marketing
Communication Communication Communication
van Riel, C., Principles of Corporate Communications
Evolutionary Integrated
Communications
Stage 1 Integration: Awareness
Proposition: the greater the degree of
change on the existence of specific market
pressures, the grater the likelihood that
integrated marketing communication will
emerge
Stage 2 Integration: Image Integration
Need for consistency message, look and
feel.
Duncan and Caywood
Stage 3 Integration: Functional
Integration
Greater degree of involvement among still
traditionally separated areas.
Stage 4 Integration: Coordinated
Integration
Barriers starting to disappear, each function
becoming more equal.
Stage 5 Integration: Consumer-Based
Integration
The value of a refined customer and prospect
database. Elements begin to work together.
Stage 6 Integration: Stakeholder-Based
Integration
IMC becomes more broadly defined to
become integrated communications.
Stage 7 Integration: Relationship
Management Integration
A fully integrated communication strategy
reaching all stakeholders brings
communications professionals into contact
with all management functions.
CORPORATE
COMMUNICATIONS
Management Communication
senior managers to internal and external
groups
Marketing Communication
advertising, direct mail, personal selling,
etc..
Organizational Communication
PR, public affairs, investor relations,
corporate advertising, etc...
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MANAGEMENT
COMMUNICATION
Develop a shared vision of the
company/organization
Establish and maintain trust in
leadership
Initiate and manage change process
Empower and motivate employees
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ORGANIZATIONAL
COMMUNICATION
All forms of communication used by
organization other than marketing
communications
Most commonly Public Relations
Directly primarily at ‘target groups’
(stakeholders) other than customers
Less obvious in attempts to influence behavior
Spend about 1/5 the amount spent on
marketing communications
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MARKETING
COMMUNICATION
Communication efforts supporting sales
of goods/services
Advertising usually recognized as
dominant element
Largest share of communications
budget used here
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Marketing Communications
Tools
Planned Communication Directed
Toward Consumers Primarily
Advertising
Sales Promotion
Product Public Relations
Direct Mail
Sponsorship
Personal Selling
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Public Relations Communication
Often Unplanned Communication Due to Stakeholders
Raising Issues, not Organization
Media Relations
Employee and Member Relations
Community Relations
Public Affairs and Government
Relations
Consumers, Environmentalists
Investor Relations
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INTEGRATING
COMMUNICATION
So that management can harmonize all
consciously used forms of internal and
external communication as effectively
and efficiently as possible in order to
create a favorable basis for
relationships with groups upon which
the company is dependent.
Cees B. M. van Riel
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Barriers to Integration
Ego and turf battles
Uneven compensation and reward systems
Lack of corporate discipline to put customer first
Absence of databases and accompanying
technology
Lack of an internal communication system to help
with cross-functional planning
Lack of a core competency in marketing
communication
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Barriers to Integration
Lack of understanding of importance of
stakeholders
Lack of agreement on marketing and marketing
communication objectives
Overdependence on mass media
Lack of understanding of how to use one-to-one
media
Functional areas not used optimally for overall good
of organization in building and sustaining customer
relationships
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Organizational Differences
Marketing Public Relations - Integrating
PR with Advertising
Public Relations Under Marketing
Integrate all Communications Functions
Using Marketing Theories for Planning
and Managing
Integrating all Communications Functions
Through Public Relations Function
Obstacles to Integration and
Potential Solutions
Obstacle Solution
• Turf battles between Re-engineering
functional areas
• Managers’ Hire generalists rather than
background/expertise specialists
• Organizing and planning an Clear goals; unified approach
integrated marketing effort
• Information sharing Strong information culture
• Leadership and Infringement Zero based communication planning
- budgets
- public relations Recognizing stakeholder base
• Ethical issues Clear mission and policy directions
Benefits of Integration
Gives a better process for acquiring, retaining
and growing customers
Adds value through facilitating customer
recourse, feedback, recognition
Enables brands to be more knowledgeable of
customers and therefore more responsive
Gives a process for making brand
communications and company more human,
personal
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Ensuring internal understanding and
external acceptance
Openness Attention
Clarity Internal External
Environment
Company Environment Trust
Understanding
Strength Acceptance
Schultz, M., Ervolder, L., Hulten, J., ‘The Integration Between Corporate Culture, Identity and
Image: The Emergence of a New Industry?, Working Paper, Copenhagen Business School
(1997).
