Unit 1: IMC and advertising management
Integrated Marketing Communication and Sales Management notes · PTU syllabus (MBA 923-18)
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Unit summary
Integrated marketing communication makes every message about a brand work together, with advertising at its core. This unit covers the role of IMC in the marketing process, the IMC planning model and its components, the communication process, advertising appeals and design, advertising agencies, budgeting, media planning and creative strategy.
After this unit you can
- Explain the role of IMC in the marketing process
- Apply the IMC planning model and the communication process
- Explain advertising appeals, design, agencies and budgeting
- Explain media planning and creative strategy
PTU syllabus topics
- Role of IMC in the marketing process
- IMC planning model and components
- communication process
- advertising appeals and design
- advertising agencies
- budgeting
- media planning and creative strategy
- 1
Review the marketing plan
- 2
Analyse the promotional situation
- 3
Analyse the communication process
- 4
Set budget
- 5
Develop the IMC programme
Ads, PR, direct, digital
- 6
Monitor, evaluate and control
Topic 1
Role of IMC in the marketing process
Integrated marketing communication (IMC) is a strategic process that coordinates all brand communication — advertising, sales promotion, PR, direct and digital marketing, personal selling — so that customers receive a clear, consistent and compelling message.
- Why IMC: media fragmentation, empowered consumers, need for consistent brand image, accountability for spend, synergy across tools.
- Role: builds awareness and brand equity, supports positioning, drives action, strengthens relationships.
Topic 2
The IMC planning model
- 1
Review of the marketing plan
- 2
Analysis of the promotional programme situation
Internal and external analysis
- 3
Analysis of the communication process
Audience response, message and channel decisions
- 4
Budget determination
- 5
Develop the IMC programme
Advertising, direct, digital, sales promotion, PR, personal selling
- 6
Integrate and implement
- 7
Monitor, evaluate and control
Topic 3
Components of the promotion mix
Advertising
Paid, non-personal, mass reach
Personal selling
Face-to-face persuasion
Sales promotion
Short-term incentives: coupons, discounts, contests
Public relations
Building goodwill and image
Direct and digital marketing
Email, social media, targeted messages
Integrated marketing communications (IMC) coordinates all promotional tools so that they deliver a clear, consistent and compelling message about the company and its brands.
- 1
Identify the target audience
- 2
Set objectives
Awareness, knowledge, liking, preference, conviction, purchase
- 3
Design the message
AIDA: attention, interest, desire, action
- 4
Choose channels
- 5
Set the budget
- 6
Measure results
Topic 4
The communication process
- 1
Source
Company or spokesperson
- 2
Encoding
Idea put into words and images
- 3
Message and channel
Media
- 4
Decoding
Receiver interprets
- 5
Receiver
Target audience
- 6
Response and feedback
- 7
Noise
Clutter, distraction, misunderstanding
- Response hierarchy models: AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action), hierarchy of effects (awareness → knowledge → liking → preference → conviction → purchase), innovation adoption model.
Topic 5
Types of advertising
| Basis | Types |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Product, institutional (corporate image), public service |
| Audience | Consumer, business-to-business, trade |
| Geography | Local, national, international |
| Media | Print, broadcast, outdoor, digital |
| Approach | Informative, persuasive, reminder, comparative |
Topic 6
Advertising appeals, design and creative strategy
- Layout: the arrangement of headline, illustration, body copy, slogan, logo and call to action. Good layouts have balance, contrast, proportion, flow and unity.
- Copy: the words of an ad — headline (attention), sub-headline, body copy (benefits, proof) and call to action.
- Creative strategy: the big idea and how the message is expressed.
- Message appeals: rational (quality, value, performance), emotional (fear, humour, love, pride) and moral.
- Execution styles: slice of life, testimonial, demonstration, lifestyle, humour, celebrity endorsement.
- Creative brief: objective, target audience, key insight, single-minded proposition, support, tone, mandatories.
- Unique selling proposition (Rosser Reeves), brand image (David Ogilvy) and positioning (Ries and Trout) are classic creative approaches.
Topic 7
Advertising agencies
Full-service agency
Planning, creative, media, research — Ogilvy, McCann, Lowe Lintas
Creative boutique
Only creative services
Media buying agency
Media planning and buying — GroupM, Madison
Digital and specialist agencies
Digital, social, PR, rural, healthcare
In-house agency
Owned by the advertiser
- Agency departments: account management (client servicing), account planning, creative, media, production, finance.
- Compensation: commission (traditionally 15% of media billing), fees, retainers, performance-based pay.
- Selecting an agency: capabilities, creative quality, industry experience, chemistry, cost, conflicts of interest.
Topic 8
Advertising budgeting
Affordable
Spend what the firm can afford
Ignores objectives
Percentage of sales
Fixed % of current or forecast sales
Simple; treats sales as cause not effect
Competitive parity
Match competitors' spending
Uses market wisdom; ignores own goals
Objective-and-task
Define objectives, tasks and their cost
Most logical; needs data
Share of voice
Set SOV above market share to grow
Based on SOV–SOM relationship
- Response models: sales response to advertising is usually concave (diminishing returns); optimal budget where marginal contribution equals marginal cost.
Topic 9
Media planning
- Decisions: reach vs frequency, effective frequency (often 3+ exposures), media mix (TV, digital, print, OOH, radio), scheduling (continuous, flighting, pulsing), budget allocation.
- Data sources in India: BARC (TV ratings), IRS (readership), Comscore and platform analytics (digital).
- Tools: media planning software, optimisation of reach curves, marketing mix models.
Key terms
- IMC
- Coordination of all communication tools for one consistent message
- AIDA
- Attention, interest, desire, action
- Creative brief
- Document guiding the creative team
- Full-service agency
- Agency offering all advertising services
- Objective-and-task method
- Budget built from objectives and tasks
Quick revision
- IMC meaning, need and role.
- Belch's IMC planning model; promotion mix.
- Communication process; AIDA and hierarchy of effects.
- Appeals, layout, copy, execution styles; USP, brand image, positioning.
- Agencies: types, departments, compensation; budgeting methods; media planning.
Important exam questions
Practice questions written to the PTU exam pattern for this unit's syllabus: short answers (Section A style) and long answers (Sections B and C style).
Short-answer questions
- Q1.Define IMC.
- Q2.Name the elements of the communication process.
- Q3.What is AIDA?
- Q4.Distinguish rational and emotional appeals.
- Q5.What is a creative boutique?
- Q6.Name four advertising budgeting methods.
Long-answer questions
- Q1.Explain the role of IMC and the IMC planning model.
- Q2.Explain the communication process and response hierarchy models.
- Q3.Discuss advertising appeals and creative strategy.
- Q4.Explain the types and functions of advertising agencies and methods of advertising budgeting.
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