Integrated Marketing Communication - Assignment Example

? Integrated Marketing Communication Integrated marketing communication is a term that implies the application of constant brand messaging across a variety of marketing channels. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact that internet marketing would have in facilitating internet marketing communication in the case of Virgin Trains. It will discuss the way in which the use of the internet had been treated as an effective way of undertaking marketing, and it has also been treated as a commercial medium. Additionally, it will portray the way in which companies use this tool to serve as a means of communication to allow them reach a large number of people, and enable them to remain cost effective in the operations that they undertake. In order to portray the influence in integrated marketing communication, the paper will undertake a literature review, and providing an analysis of the findings based on the way in which IMC helps companies to boost their marketing potential over the internet. Integrated Marketing Communication Introduction Integrated marketing communication (IMC) refers to a term that became prevalent in the 20th century and it encompasses the application of constant brand messaging across a variety of marketing channels (Chandon et al 2006). IMC makes use of various tools that allow marketers to make sure that their audience receive the message and ensure that they can be able to leverage these tools in an effective manner. IMC derives its influence from the traditional means of advertising as well as the efforts that are fostered by the public relations field (Chaston 2001). It also makes use of the online means of communication such as social media in order to ensure that the audience receives the desired message (Chandon et al 2006). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact that internet marketing would have in facilitating internet marketing communication in the case of Virgin Trains. Problem Statement Since the mid-1990s, the use of the internet had been treated as an effective way of undertaking marketing, and it has also been treated as a commercial medium. For instance, the web is treated as a hypermedia environment that has the ability to incorporate interactivity both in the case of computers and people (Boundless 2013). Therefore, the Web should not be treated as a simulation of the real world, but it should be treated as an alternative to the real world environment whereby consumers can be able to experience tele-presence (Ashok & Lace 2008). As a result, users of the internet are able to gain access to hypermedia content that allows them to communicate in an efficient manner (Duncan & Sandra 2007). The unique interaction between people and machines has provided room for rapid adoption of the internet as a medium that can be used to undertake commercial activities (Cornier 2009). After realizing the tremendous growth and the power of the internet, marketers have been challenges to adopt mechanisms that can allow them to integrate their marketing communication mix with the internet. With the use of the internet, consumers can be able to interact with machine as well as with each other (Abrahamson & Lundgren 2004). Firms can be able to offer content to the medium as well as communicate with each other. Consumers and firms are provided with an opportunity to interact with each other, and consumers can be able to provide commercial content to the internet (Wen et al 2006). The internet serves as a mechanism that provides exceptional opportunities for organizations to sell or market their products and services in an innovative manner (Czinkota & Ronkainen 2002). When a website associated with a particular company is planned in a careful manner, it can allow that business to reap significant rewards as well as provide the organization with a chance to succeed in the operations that it undertakes (Ashok & Lace 2008). Therefore, it is important to set clear objectives, especially in the case of a corporate website, and those objectives should be evaluated in a clear manner (Coyle & Thorson 2010). The global acceptance and the exponential growth of the internet as a tool for business communication and as a source of information has provided marketers with a powerful tool to market their company (Ainscough & Luckett 1999). Purpose The use of IMC on the internet is becoming more common. Most companies are using this tool to serve as a means of communication. This is because it has the ability to reach a large number of people and it is also cost effective (Czinkota & Ronkainen 2002). When a company uses the internet to serve as its marketing tool, it is able to increase the awareness of the company to a larger customer base (Brassington & Pettitt 2000). Promotion and communication is vital in terms of making it easy to manage companies in today’s business world. The message that is sent through the internet should therefore be in line with other promotion activities that an organization undertakes inside its premises, and it should be measured in a careful manner in order to be sure that the effects will be positive (Wen et al 2006). This way, a company can succeed in terms of marketing itself over the internet. The purpose of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the ways in which Virgin Trains can make use of the internet in order to boost its marketing potential. The areas that will be investigated include the objectives of using the internet in the case of Virgin Trains and how it can conduct it. The paper will also analyze the ways in which Virgin Trains can be able to serve its audience over the internet, and whether the design of the website is connected to the company and the target audience. The amount of interactivity is also essential to consider in the case of Virgin Trains. Additionally, the paper will be to evaluate whether the company has managed to reach its communication goals as a result adopting IMC and the internet. In order to answer the questions research questions that are related to the purpose of the research are formulated as follows: How can the objectives of IMC on the internet be described in the case of Virgin Trains How can the internet’s target audience in the case of Virgin Trains be described How can the IMC tools that Virgin Trains uses on the internet be described How can Virgin trains evaluate the effectiveness of the internet as a tool for facilitating marketing communication Literature Review Describing the objective of IMC on the internet One of the vital issues in the case of internet marketing communication is the objectives it seeks to address. This is because objectives serve as benchmarking tools, especially when companies wish to evaluate the effects of the internet. The need to set clear objectives is crucial to the planning process of websites, which companies anticipate to use to market their products (Wen et al 2006). The objectives that a company sets in the website should be able to determine the features that it can offer. There are a number of objectives with respect to adopting marketing communication over the internet (Strauss et al 2000). With the use of the internet, a company gains a chance to establish brand identity and its corporate image (Shimp 2013). A website serves as a reflection of a company. A website has the ability to attract as well as maintain customers or it can turn them off instantly. Since competitors are usually a click away, it is vital for a company to design its website in a careful and complete manner (Wells et al 2004). While using the internet as a marketing tool, a company can be able to replace the expensive and manual procedures with informative and interactive alternative on the website (Duncan & Sandra 2007). For instance, a company can include the frequently asked questions (FAQs) section to allow it to minimize the number of telephone calls that are incoming (Karayanni 2008). When they are designed in a proper manner to allow them to accommodate the needs of the customers, a website can lead to the decline in the number of letters, phone calls and faxes for customer support (Chandon et al 2006). The website serves as an advertising medium for a company. The advertising that is carried out on the internet is similar to the one that is adopted in other mediums (Hackley 2010). This is because the intent of the advertisement is to communicate message to the customers in a clear manner, and allow the viewer to engage in further action (Janal 2004). For instance, banner advertising on the internet is the most common, because the click on the image takes the customer to the page that contains the main information or a page where a customer can order a particular product (Huizingh 2011). Describing the website’s target audience The internet provide many audience measures that any other form of advertising. This is because there are a variety of things to measure, and the fact that the internet is still trying to figure out the various ways in which it can measure them (Shen 2009). The prevalence of good audience is a critical measure that makes the internet to be successful as a medium of advertising (Hackley & Kitchen 2004). Since marketing is an expensive undertaking, it is crucial for marketers to identify who their audiences are (Saylor n.d). However, while using the internet, it is not possible to identify who the real audience are owing to a variety of factors. This is because there are a number of factors that are attributed to targeting the audience such as geographic, psychographic and demographic factors (Hackley 2010). Therefore, while choosing the target market, marketers should first focus on the marketing objectives (Shen 2009). The marketers within a company are required to consider the fact that it is crucial to make a selection of the appropriate audience to target. The marketers can be able to decide this by analyzing the products that the company offers (Hoey 2012). How integrated marketing communication tools that are used on the internet can be described The two major models that are used in advertising on the internet comprise of text-based and multimedia-based advertising. Text-based advertising operates via bulletin boards and email. On the other hand, multimedia-based advertising makes use of buttons, banners, sponsorships and interstitials. The use of the text-based advertising such as the email is equated to sending a direct mail offline (Schultz et al 1994). The email has various advantages over direct mail. For instance there are no post charges while sending an email and it offers an opportunity for direct response. Advertisements on emails also contain links to click on the website pertaining to a particular company (Schultz et al 1994). Here, the user can be able to gather additional information or complete the entire transaction. The multimedia-based advertising the primary mode of marketing that is used over the internet. For instance, banners and buttons occupy a space that is designated on the website. This is similar to the kind of advertising carried out by the print media (Hoffman & Novak 2006). However, over the internet, there is a possibility to use both video and audio behind the banner or the clickable button (Hoey 2012). Buttons and banners are also used to help transfer one to the merchant’s website where a transaction can be carried out (Kitchen & Proctor 2006). How to evaluate the effectiveness of the internet as a mode of marketing communication There are a number of quantitative measurements that can be used to determine the success of a website. These provide the marketers with an idea on the various ways in which they can be able to attract traffic to a particular website (Lindstrom & Andersen 2007). The number of repeat visits portrays the extent to which a site was able to meet the expectations of the user. In case the needs of the user with respect to communication and entertainment were met, then the user is likely to visit the site on a repeat basis (McWilliam 2007). The number of minutes that a user spends on the website also serves as a measure of the website’s success. For instance, in case a user spends more time on the website, then this is a reflection that the website satisfied the expectations of the customer. This is a reflection that there is a greater possibility of deeper relationships developing between the user and the brand (Lindstrom & Andersen 2007). The number of individual visitors to a website is essential in that it gives an indication on success of external communication with respect to promoting traffic onto a website. For instance, an address that is easier for the visitors to remember is essential in that it tends to increase the number of visitors to the website (Meyers 2003). In addition the behavior of the users on the website is also an essential tool in determining whether the use of the internet as a marketing tool is effective (Sanders & Thornhill 2008). In this case, the marketers can measure the activities on the website, and in what order they were undertaken, and whether they are in line with the values and the messages that were originally intended by the owner of the website (McWilliam 2007). Analysis from findings From the literature review, it is evident that integrated marketing communication plays a vital role in boosting marketing though the internet. The common forms of advertising that are carried out over the internet are carried out though banners, buttons, social media, and others are text-based such as the email. Therefore, in the case of Virgin Trains, it should first set the objectives for which it intends the integrated marketing communication though the internet to portray to the customers. Since Virgin Trains deals with clients who are in need of travel, the marketing strategies that the company should adopt should be geared towards train travel in order to attract the attention of those consumers who wish to travel by train. Conclusion From the paper, it is evident that the tremendous growth of the internet as a marketing tool has played a vital role in terms of boosting the potential for businesses to increase their customer base though integrated marketing communication. This is because it provides companies with an opportunity to reach w wide range of customers from different parts around the world. 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