Kousaridas Apostolos

The evolution of marketing

communication and
advertising
Evolution of IMC
Since 1993, when the first book on integrated marketing
communications first appeared (Schultz et al 1993), Medias and
technologies have accelerated, expanded and further fragmented.
Measuring return on investment has become more straightforward
on-line via mobile, yet more complex as many more channels
(Medias) have proliferated. Consumers are more streetwise, savvy,
and sophisticated. Markets have further demassified and
fragmented. Real audiences are more smudged than ever before.
Meanwhile, the world has passed through a major economic crisis,
admittedly not without serious damage, and its aftermath will be felt
and paid for, over many years.
IMC has become one the most influential marketing management
frameworks during the last twenty years. It is the overarching theme
of every marketing communications text, it heads the material for
chapters in marketing management texts, it is the theme of many
professional books and articles, trade and academic conferences,
academic journal special issues and editorials ,the trade literature,
and the ongoing adoption and usage of IMC by companies and
agencies of all.

Reasons for the Growing Importance of

IMC
The IMC approach to marketing communications planning and
strategy is being adopted by both large and small companies and
has become popular among firms marketing consumer products and
services as well as business-to-business marketers. There are a
number of reasons why marketers are adopting the IMC approach. A
fundamental reason is that they understand the value of
strategically integrating the various communications functions
rather than having them operate autonomously. By coordinating

their marketing communications efforts, companies can avoid

duplication, take advantage of synergy among promotional tools,
and develop more efficient and effective marketing communications
programs. A major reason for the growing importance of the IMC
approach is the ongoing revolution that is changing the rules of
marketing and the role of the traditional advertising agency. Major
characteristics of this marketing revolution include:
A shifting of marketing dollars from media advertising to other
forms of promotion, particularly consumer- and trade-oriented sales
promotions.
A movement away from relying on advertising-focused
approaches, which emphasize mass media such as network
television and national magazines, to solve communication
problems.
A shift in marketplace power from manufacturers to retailers.
The rapid growth and development of database marketing.
Demands for greater accountability from advertising agencies and
changes in the way agencies are compensated.
The rapid growth of the Internet, which is changing the very
nature of how companies do business and the ways they
communicate and interact with consumers.