AHA Moments

Want to take your social storytelling to a new level? Integrated Marketing Communication, known in the marketing world as IMC, is a great way to generate audience involvement with your product or brand. If you’ve seen Coca-Cola’s current “Share a Coke” campaign, this is a good example of a strong IMC campaign. In the case of the “Share a Coke” campaign, ideally the sequence of integrative marketing steps works like this: A person sees the “Share a Coke” commercial on television, the next day that same person may be in a store and on the Coke display see their name (or a friend’s name) printed on a bottle. That same person then purchases the Coke, posts a photo of their bottle of Coke to their social media account, and now the consumer instantly becomes an active member of the campaign’s integrated community.



Though you may not work with campaigns of this caliber on a consistent basis, it shows us that people truly appreciate personalization in branding. So before you get started on your next campaign, have a peek at a few examples of dos and don’ts of IMC.

1.	Marketing is public… Remember, even if you are targeting a certain audience, anyone can see your message.
2.	With that being said, practice consistency: Keep your theme cohesive throughout your campaign. If you are using print ads, be sure it delivers the same message as your social media campaigns. Have a diverse team and a multitude of eyes on board to review your message to assure that no matter the perspective of the consumer, the message is the same.
3.	You don’t necessarily need to use all facets of marketing in your IMC campaign. Know whom you are targeting and choose your media channels accordingly.
4.	Be sure to have fun! Be creative!

Incorporating social media into your IMC campaign allows the consumer to become personally involved with a brand or product which makes them feel a part of the conversation. You’ve probably heard us say, “Make your customers your best marketers.” Well, that’s exactly what Coke has done with their “Share a Coke” IMC campaign.

Integrated Marketing Communications is a way of looking at the whole marketing process from the view point of the customer. ” ~ Philip Kotler