The Evolution of Marketing Communication and Advertising

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.