Integrated Marketing Communications

Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is the ethical process of managing all transparent sources of information about a product or service to which a consumer, prospective consumer, or stakeholder is exposed that truthfully and behaviorally moves the person toward a sustainable sale and/or relationship and maintains consumer or stakeholder loyalty. It combines advertising, direct response, sales promotion, and public relations to provide clarity, consistency, and maximum communication impact. More recent definitions of IMC expand on these topics to make the concept broader, more managerial, and less tactical, including concerns for ethics, transparency, cross-organizational collaboration, and multiple stakeholders.

IMC broadens the fields of marketing, advertising, and public relations regarding the strategic challenge of branding and reputation management. This entry provides a brief history of the evolution of IMC, ...