The public relations contribution to IMC: Deriving opportunities from threats and solidifying public relations’ future
Section snippets
IMC a marketing dominant concept
The basis for the limited discussion of IMC in the public relations domain may be that IMC is a marketing concept. The concept of IMC as we know it today developed in the 1990s when marketing values transitioned from a product focus to a customer relationship focus (Luck and Moffatt, 2009, Mihart, 2012). Marketers in the 1990s began to focus on maximizing profit with customers through loyalty programs, leading to investment in direct response marketing mix elements (i.e. promotion, sales, and
The IMC process
As a process, IMC comprises the integration of marketing content across media channels around stakeholder needs for measurable results. Through IMC, messages are strategically developed to create “linkages in a receiver's mind as a result of messages that connect” (Moriarty, 1996, p. 333). These messages include: (a) planned messages about a product or service, (b) messages that emanate from the performance of a product or service, and (c) unplanned messages from an audience about the company,
The integrated mindset
Up until this point, IMC has been defined as a process. However, integration may be more than a process, but a mindset or orientation. Schultz (2007) said the primary difference between IMC and other marketing paradigms is the emphasis on the stakeholder-first outside-in orientation to marketing. IMC is a product of an organization's culture, as integration develops through the internal interactions between marketers, public relations practitioners, and other communicators. The spirit or
Public relations concerns: IMC and the “marketing takeover”
Because of marketing themes in the concept and process of IMC, public relations scholar concerns about marketing domination and hesitation to validate IMC as a paradigm in public relations research may be natural. For example, concerns that IMC may heighten territorial disputes between marketing and public relations have been well-documented (Hallahan, 2007, Hutton, 2010). However, the argument that IMC is a marketing takeover of the public relations domain may be unfounded, particularly
The case for public relations’ contributions to IMC
Ironically, by ignoring IMC, we as public relations scholars have left the door open for marketing to dominate the conversation—up until this point, public relations has been featured as media relations, promotion, and publicity in IMC research (Kerr et al., 2008, Kitchen et al., 2004Lawler and Tourelle, 2002, Stammerjohan et al., 2005). The unique public relations approach to communication management has been overlooked and unrecognized. This relegation of public relations to promotion in IMC
Solidifying public relations’ future in IMC: where we go from here
Up until this point, we as public relations scholars have left the door open to marketing to define and direct the development of IMC, limiting discussion of public relations to promotional roles. In doing so, we have left unfulfilled fruitful research discussions on stakeholder relationships in an integrated structure. It is time to enter the IMC discussion. We can best contribute to the development of IMC in the areas of IMC advisory, stakeholder needs, and the unique public relations
Conclusion
It is time for public relations scholars to enter the IMC debate, and not as opponents to its existence, but as partners in its development. In detailing the landscape of IMC and public relations, this article has sought to provide context for discussion, and initiate public relations-based scholarship in the field of IMC.
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