IMC Notes 1

[sagar sankhe]

Q. What is Integrated Marketing Communication? 

Ans:

A comprehensive plan to achieve marketing campaign objectives, through different promotional tactics which reinforce each other (Integrated), It makes sure that all types of marketing communications are linked together (Integrated)

Other way of saying same is that: 

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

Companies shifted from standard advertising approach to the IMC approach because of:

> Decreasing message impact and credibility (numerous inconsistent message bombardment causing lack of interest)

> Decreasing costs of databases (so IMC cost wont be high)

> Increasing client expertise 

> Increasing global marketing 

> Increasing media and audience fragmentation (some accessing one media others accessing some different media)

> Increasing number of overall products 

Importance:

Media are fragmented, making it more difficult to communicate a message clearly, according to the scientific journal "Facta Universitatis." Consumers are bombarded by thousands of pieces of information every day. Not having a consistent message makes communicating with the consumer even more difficult

Q. Explain Marketing Communication Tetrahedron diagram from Kevin Keller's Marketing Communication Mix?

Ans:

Talks about marketing communication effectiveness along four broad dimensions (consumer, communication, response, situation)

> Analyse effects 

of integrated marketing communication programs

Consumers:

Age, gender, race, attitudes 

towards self, others, possessions, brand choices, usage, 

loyalty often serve as the basis of market segmentation and 

development of distinct marketing programs, these 

characteristics may impact consumers’ response to marketing co

mmunications 

Communication: 

Sight, sound, motion, spoken or written words, 

static, dynamic, interactive, customized. Its 

extremely important how we interact with consumer and 

surrounding It gives different responses

Response: 

Reflects the state changes that a consumer experiences either temporally or permanent basis

Situation: 

All the factors external to the communication itself that may affect consumers and impact communication effectiveness (exposure location, communication exposure etc)

Q. Explain media planning wrt Reach, Frequency, Media category, Coverage?

Ans: 

Has details of "How the ad will work" and "why this strategy and implementation was chosen"

Includes:

> Target audience selection

> Target audience analysis (media habits)

> Media objectives

> Media and vehicle selection, timing with its reasons

> Media strategy

> Budget, spending

> Reach and frequency

For the specific cases, a media plan might need to contain the followings:

> CPM analysis

> Seasonality

> Details of broadcasting costs

> Not recommended actions with reasons (media selection, spending)

> Alternative plans in for scheduling and/or budget

> All what can be an issue based on previous discussions with the client

Reach: How many individuals (different) people saw your ad e.g. unique ip address hist on website

Frequency: How many times people saw an ad in a timeframe e.g. (Average) number of hits per person (Frequency = total duplicated audience/Reach)

Coverage(%):  Percentage of the target audience is reached by a media, (Achieved/Targeted) X 100 = %

Target audience: Selected segment of everyone (potential costumers) Done by: age, sex, occupation, income, media consumption habits or educational levels 

Media objectives: Determine target audience, needed reach and frequency (what needs to be done)

Media strategy: Set of best actions (which media to use, which vehicles to use, timing of ads)  (how it needs to be done)

Q. 5 Scale of responses posted by Stephan King?

Ans: Not found

Q. Explain Thompson T-Plan (a.k.a Planning Cycle) (Complex Qn)

Ans:

Thompson T-Plan (a.k.a. Planning Cycle) was formed in an agency (J Walter Thompson (JWT) London Office) in 1960 in attempt of restructuring. They created new under the name ‘account planning department’), In an internal JWT document, Stephen King wrote in 1968:

Why we set up this dept:

(1) integrate campaign and media objectives, 

(2) develop specialist skills in advertising research and planning and 

(3) link technical planning and its information sources. 

Responsibilities of the account planners were to: 

(1) set objectives for creative work, media scheduling and buying, merchandising and to help develop the objectives into action, 

(2) plan, commission and evaluate advertising research, 

(3) plan advertising experiments, 

(4) evaluate advertising and experiments and 

(5) present work to account groups and clients.’ (King, 1968)

JWT version of account planning:

The three people mentioned were: 

> The account director, providing the perspective of the client and the client’s marketing strategy, also responsible for executing decisions.

> The creative group head, responsible for the development and implementation of creative ideas.

> The account planner, principally representing the consumer or the group the client wishes to reach, with added responsibilities for advertising research, strategy development and the direction of media planning.

The T-Plan was created in 1964 and account planning began in 1968. 

Q. What are BDI-CDI Indexes?

Ans:

Media planners assess geographic concentration. either by Brand Development Index (BDI) of a geographic region, (concentration of sales of a company's brand in that region) or by Category Development Index (CDI) (concentration of sales of the product category (across all brands) in that region)

Compare BDI with its average BDI (all markets BDI), BDI ratio= Brand's sales in a given geographic market / Average of its sales in all markets

                 Market X's Share of Total Brand Sales

BDI = -------------------------------------------------------------

----

 X 100

                   Market X's Share of U.S. Population

BDI doesn't reflect the concentration of potential sales as measured by sales of the entire product category

CDI gives product category's performance in a given market in comparison to its average performance in all markets in same country. Sales of a product category include the sales of all the brands (the company's and competitors' brands) or at least all major brands that fall in the category

Market X's Share of Total Category Sales

CDI = ---------------------------------------

-

-------------

--------------- X 100

                      Market X's Share of U.S. Population

 

Thanks & Regards,
Sagar Sankhe

Sagar Ramkrishna Sankhe

Ex-Employee: TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES. (2009-2012)

MMS 2012-14

Consultancy & Entrepreneurship Committees Member at
Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research & Entrepreneurship Education (SIMSREE), Mumbai.
Contact No: 9773682257