Integrated Direct And Media Marketing Program Strategy

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Integrated marketing:

Integrated marketing is termed as the coordination of many marketing channels to achieve consistent and clear message. Cox (1993) provides that integrated marketing includes a multi media marketing approach employed in a planned and consistent manner to reach a company's target market or to achieve desired results. By utilizing different communication tools a business is able to reach its audience and can balance the tools in an effective manner to ensure maximum results are received. Vel (2011) provides that effective integrated marketing activities should be able to create, communicate and deliver value to customers and that there is need for effective integration such that when one part of the marketing value changes it would have an effect on other parts.

Sales and Marketing (2011) provides that an integrated marketing communication should have coherence, consistency, continuity and should be complementary. Integrated marketing coherence is achieved when all communication tools make sense together portraying a bigger picture. Consistency is achieved when marketing tools communicate similar message. Continuity is achieved when marketing tools used change over time in unison and are complementary when they work well together rather than a single communication tool.

There four levels of integration that can be achieved when carrying out marketing using different marketing tools. This includes horizontal integration, vertical integration, internal integration and external integration. Holm (2006) provides that horizontal integration occurs when marketing communications activities fit with other business functions in other departments. Horizontal integration occurs in a business when different areas or departments work together to ensure that they deliver consistent and favorable message to the customer thus they are able to deliver value and create customers.

Another level of integration is vertical integration occurs when communication objectives are in line with marketing objectives and also with overall company objectives. Communication message delivered to customers is aimed at driving business activities towards achieving overall business goals and mission.

Internal integration aims at ensuring that staff members have information on marketing so as to keep them informed and motivated this is achieved by communicating marketing progress thus they information on things such as new strategic partners and new corporate image. External integration is achieved when a company is able to work closely with partners so as to communicate desired message in a coherent manner (Marketing Communications, 2009).

Holm (2006) provides additional ...