Imc Strategy In Marketing

In the traditional communications paradigm, the elements of the promotional mix are coordinated to develop an IMC strategy, and the content, frequency, timing, and medium of communications are dictated by the organization in collaboration with its paid agents (promotion agencies, marketing research firms, and public relations consultants). The flow of information outside the boundaries of the paradigm has generally been confined to face-to face, word-of-mouth communications among individual consumers, which has had minimal impact on the dynamics of the marketplace due to its limited dissemination (Mayzlin, 2006). This paradigm has served as a framework for developing IMC strategies during the post-World War II era (Muniz & Schau, 2007). Its

The impact of the interactions among consumers in the social media space on the development and execution of IMC strategies is illustrated by the following points:

_ The Internet has become a mass media vehicle for consumer-sponsored communications. It now represents the number one source of media for consumers at work and the number two source of media at home. The Internet reaches more than 60% of all United States consumers for an average weekly usage rate of more than 100 minutes (Rashtchy, Kessler, Bieber, Shindler, & Tzeng, 2007).

_ Consumers are turning away from the traditional sources of promotion: radio, television, magazines, and newspapers. Consumers also consistently demand more control over their media consumption. They require on-demand and immediate access to information at their own convenience (Rashtchy et al., 2007; Vollmer & Precourt, 2008).

_ Consumers are turning more frequently to various types of social media to conduct their information searches and to make their purchasing decisions (Lempert, 2006; Vollmer & Precourt,

S T E L Z N E R

• Social media: The new hybrid element of the promotion mix W. Glynn Mangold a,*, David J. Faulds, a College of Business & Public Affairs, Murray State University, Murray, KY 42071, U.S.A.

• A study on “The Effectiveness of Promotion Matching Purchase Motivation” by Joost Loef Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), February 2001. He recommends that the ad appeal should match the purchase motivation or attitude base. They suggest that for utilitarian brands informational promotion is more effective than transformational promotion. Likewise, for hedonic brands transformational promotion is more effective than informational