2. Review
Summary
The study wasbaseduponthe “construct explication”approach.IMCwas defined,bothconceptually
and operationally,and“real world”measurementswere thendevelopedthroughaseriesof scaled
questions.The conceptual definitionof IMCusedinthisresearchwas:
“IMC isa conceptof marketingcommunicationsplanningthatrecognizesthe addedvalue of a
comprehensive planthatevaluatesthe strategicrolesof avarietyof communicationsdisciplines(for
example,general advertising,directresponse,salespromotion,andpublicrelations)andcombines
these disciplinestoprovide clarity,consistency,andmaximumcommunicationsimpact”
The researchinstrumentwasan89- item, self-administeredquestionnaire (estimatedcompletiontime-
30 minutes).Questionswere organizedintothree majortopicareas,eachrelatedtothe three
objectives:(1) reactiontothe definition;(2) personal andorganizational demographics;(3) agreement
or otherwise withcontingentstatementsusinga10-pointLikertScale (l-stronglydisagree tol-strongly
agree).The remaindersof the questionswere categorical,descriptive,oropen-ended.
Review
From thisstudy,itisclear that compensation,measurement,andIMCdevelopmentintermsof
executionandimplementationof integratedprogramsappeartobe the keyareas forfuture research.
Thisis to be expectedinanyemergingfieldandIMC certainlyappearstobe that inthe UnitedStates.
The measurementissue seemstobe particularlyimportant.Whileagencyexecutivesbelieve IMC has
value,measurement,whichwouldjustifythese “gutfeelings,”appearstobe critical to the development
of the area.If there isno evidencethatanIMC approachis betterthanor more effective thanthe
traditional approachesagencieshave beenusing,itislikelyclientsandagenciesbothwill andshould
challenge the needforsuchIMC programs.Thus,measurementwouldappeartobe a keyelementfor
future research.
The secondmajor areafor additional researchisthatof how clientsandagenciescan or shouldwork
togethertodevelopandimplementanIMC program.Clientsapparentlybelieve,andagenciesagree,
that the clientmustdrive the integrationprocess.Yet,havingone groupdrive the processcreatesmajor
issuesforthe agency.Howdo and howshouldclientsandagenciesworktogetherinthisnew
communicationarena?Thatappearsto be a critical question.
Accordingto the article the researchhas3 mainobjectivesonwhichhe/shehasfocused
To deepenunderstandingof how andinwhat areasthe IMC conceptis developinginthe United
States
3. To examine the extenttowhichagroup of majorU.S. advertisingagencyexecutivesis
developing,practicing,orutilizingIMConbehalf of theirclients
To understandthe importance andvalue of traditional advertisingagenciesinamarketplace
where IMC isapparentlybecomingmore important
Thispaperreviewsthe developmentof the conceptof IntegratedMarketingCommunications(IMC) in
termsof itstheoretical foundationsthroughanexploratorystudyof IMCwithinajudgmentsample of
U.S. advertisingagencies(total estimatedbillings$20.4 billion).The paperconsidersthe arguments
advancedfrombothacademicand practitionersidesinrelationtowhatIMC is andwhetheritoffers
significantvaluetoadvertisingagenciesandtheirclientsinthe rapidlychangingcommunicationsmarket
space leadingtowardthe nextmillennium.
Major Area of Findings:
Who responded?
Amountof time devotedtoclientIMCprograms
How agenciesare compensatedforIMC?
IMC impact onbudgets
Are there barriersto IMC implementation?
Reactionsof IMC Definition
PerceivedBarrierstoIMCPrograms
IMC and Measurement.
Internal BeliefsandConsiderationsaboutIMC
PerceivedInteractionamongDifferentCommunicationAgencies
IMC measurementIssues
MarketingCommunicationCriteria
Criticize:
Operational explorationfocusedonareasrelatedtothisdefinition.The original researchinstrumentwas
developedtoquantifyperceivedconceptual andoperational aspectsof IMC and wasadaptedfromthe
original NorthwesternUniversitystudy(Caywoodetal.,1991). Thus,some comparisonsof the U.S.
adoptionanddevelopmentin1990 and the diffusionof the conceptin1997 are possible.
It isinterestingtonote thatalmost60 percentof small agenciesdevoteover50 percentof theirtime to
IMC programs forclients.Only46 percentof mediumand36 percentof large agenciesresponding
devote over50 percentto clientIMCprograms.Alsoof interestisthe highpercentage of medium-size
agenciesreportingover75percentof theirtime devotedtoIMC and a much lowerpercentage forlarge
agenciesatabout 17 percent.Almost 40 percentof large agenciesreportedspendinglessthan25
percentof theirtime developingclientIMCprograms while small andmediumwere bothabouthalf
4. that. Thisdata appearsto confirmthe industryperceptionthatsmall agenciesspendmore time devoted
to clientIMC programsthan dolarge or largeragencies.
Agencyexecutivesdonotstronglyexpectclientsto workwithlarge numbersof unaffiliatedagenciesto
provide marketingcommunicationsolutions.The broaderrange of servicesmaybe relatedtoa “one
stop” shoppingmentalityforall marketingcommunicationstactical needs,butitalsomaybe more than
that. Clientsmaybe expectingmore involvementinstrategicdevelopment,customerinformation
gathering,ora whole spectrumof servicesalongthe value chain.
ClientsandagenciesdevelopingandexecutingIMCprogramsdo notperceive IMCas avoidingthe issue
of measurement. There is,however,nostrongagreementonwhetherthe measurementscurrentlyused
can be effective inmeasuringIMCprograms.How to measure IMC programsseemstobe an issue that
mostexecutivesare notable toclearlyanswer,thoughitisa criteriawhichisveryimportanttothem.
Each elementneedstobe measuredindividually.
The total programshouldbe evaluatedagainstitsobjectivesandgoals.
The objectivesshouldbe measurable.
Resultsshouldbe measured.
From the responsestothese questionsitisclearthatno satisfactorymethodologyiscurrentlyknownto
agencyexecutivesortheirclientstomeasure marketingcommunicationseffectiveness.Or,if there is
such a methodologyavailable,ithasnotbeensufficientlydisseminatedamongIMCpractitioners,
especiallyagencyexecutives.
From thisstudy,itdoesappearthat IMC has movedfromthe “what isit?” to the “how can we doit?”
stage of developmentinthe UnitedStates.Agencyexecutivesappeartobelieve thatIMCisimportant,
that itis goodfor theirclients,andare readyto “geton withit.”Some naggingconcernsstill appearto
be evident.The compensationissueappearstobe one.Measurement,asmentionedearlier,isanother.
And,the issue of howthe agencycan become skilledandcapable inall areasof communicationis
another.These are not easyissuestoaddressnordoesthere appearto be much agreementamong
agencyleadershowthismightbe done.
JMC doesnot appearto be a fad.It isbeingdrivenintoclientorganizationsdue toreal businessneeds
and isnot the “philosophyof the day.”Agencyexecutivesnote anumberof reasonsforthe adoptionof
IMC by manyclients.Table 13 showsresponsestoquestionsregardingwhereIMCiscomingfromand
whyit ismovingahead.
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