The Role of IMC in Branding

Last Updated on Mon, 20 Nov 2023 | Marketing Communications

One of the major reasons for the growing importance of integrated marketing communications over the past decade is that it plays a major role in the process of developing and sustaining brand identity and equity. As branding expert Kevin Keller notes, "Building and properly managing brand equity has become a priority for companies of all sizes, in all types of industries, in all types of markets."23 With more and more products and services competing for consideration by customers who have less and less time to make choices, well-known brands have a major competitive advantage in today's marketplace. Building and maintaining brand identity and equity require the creation of well-known brands that have favorable, strong, and unique associations in the mind of the consumer.24 IMC Perspective 1-2 discusses the important role that branding now plays in the marketing process.

Brand identity is a combination of many factors, including the name, logo, symbols, design, packaging, and performance of a product or service as well as the image or type of associations that comes to mind when consumers think about a brand. It encompasses the entire spectrum of consumers' awareness, knowledge, and image of the brand as well as the company behind it. It is the sum of all points of encounter or contact that consumers have with the brand, and it extends beyond the experience or outcome of using it. These contacts can also result from various forms of integrated marketing communications activities used by a company, including mass-media advertising, sales promotion offers, sponsorship activities at sporting or entertainment events, websites on the Internet, and direct-mail pieces such as letters, brochures, catalogs, or videos. Consumers can also have contact with or receive information about a brand in stores at the point of sale; through articles or stories they see, hear, or read in the media; or through interactions with a company representative, such as a salesperson.

Marketers recognize that in the modern world of marketing there are many different opportunities and methods for contacting current and prospective customers to provide them with information about a company and/or brands. The challenge is to understand how to use the various IMC tools to make such contacts and deliver the branding message effectively and efficiently. A successful IMC program requires that marketers find the right combination of communication tools and techniques, define their role and the extent to which they can or should be used, and coordinate their use. To accomplish this, the persons responsible for the company's communication efforts must have an understanding of the IMC tools that are available and the ways they can be used.

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Readers' Questions

  • tesfalem
    How does branding infulence imc?
    2 months ago
    • Branding plays a crucial role in influencing integrated marketing communication (IMC). Here are a few ways in which branding influences IMC:
    1. Consistent Messaging: A strong brand helps establish a clear and consistent messaging framework for all IMC efforts. It ensures that all communication channels convey a unified message, which strengthens the brand identity and resonates with the target audience.
    2. Brand Loyalty: A well-established and recognizable brand creates a sense of trust and loyalty among consumers. This can enhance the effectiveness of IMC efforts as loyal customers are more likely to engage with and respond positively to brand communication.
    3. Brand Differentiation: Effective branding helps differentiate a company or product from its competitors. Unique brand attributes, values, and positioning provide a distinct identity in the marketplace and allow IMC efforts to stand out and capture the attention of consumers.
    4. Emotional Connection: Brands that successfully evoke emotions or connect with consumers on a deeper level tend to have a more impactful IMC strategy. By leveraging emotional associations, brands can create a stronger bond with customers, leading to increased engagement and response to communication efforts.
    5. Brand Equity: Strong branding increases brand equity, which is the value and perception associated with a brand. Brands with high equity have better success in their IMC initiatives as consumers often perceive them as more credible, reliable, and trustworthy.
    6. Brand Extensions: An established brand can leverage its equity and reputation to introduce new products or services. The credibility and recognition gained through branding can positively impact the acceptance and response to IMC campaigns for these brand extensions.
      7. Overall, branding plays a pivotal role in shaping the effectiveness and success of integrated marketing communication by providing a cohesive message, building loyalty, differentiating from competitors, creating emotional connections, enhancing brand equity, and supporting brand extensions.
    • sara
      How has their branding been working as a unifying force directing imc plans?
      1 year ago
      • Branding has been an effective unifying force for IMC plans by ensuring that all of the communications from a company are cohesive, recognizable, and consistent. By having a strong brand identity, a company is better able to communicate its message and build trust with its customers and potential clients. Additionally, having a strong brand identity allows all of the materials used in an IMC plan - such as advertising, social media, direct mail, and email - to be connected and unified, so that customers and potential clients are able to recognize and remember a company. This helps ensure that all IMC plans are driving the same message and working together to reach the desired target audience.
      • Sanna
        How is trade imvolved im brand's integrated marketing communication?
        1 year ago
        • Trade marketing or B2B marketing is involved in a brand's integrated marketing communication (IMC) by helping to build relationships with buyers and resellers, while increasing product availability and visibility in the marketplace. It helps to drive consumer demand by creating promotional campaigns that target potential buyers and resellers, and by providing incentives such as discounts, coupons, rebates, and other sales support services. Trade marketing also helps to increase brand awareness and loyalty by creating merchandising displays and materials, as well as creating loyalty programs for resellers and their customers. Finally, trade marketing helps to increase sales and profits by facilitating distribution, managing pricing, and ensuring product quality and availability.