Contemporary Issues in Integrated Marketing Communication - Literature review Example

Contemporary issues in integrated marketing communication

Introduction

If one takes a close look at the contemporary business world, one will be able to see that it is drastically different from its counterpart from the past. Indeed, the operations that are performed by the organisation have changed greatly due to the influence of numerous factors. A good example is marketing: with the development of computers and further advancements of technology this activity was largely reinvented. One would make no mistake suggesting that marketing should be regarded as one of the cornerstones of promotion of a product. That is why it is logical to suggest that as the world witnesses the development of technology and the way in which it reshapes the patterns of obtaining information, marketing communication is also being affected. This paper will explore contemporary issues in integrated marketing communication, arguing that the current situation may be described as extremely important for the future of it.

Is marketing at an existential crossroads?

There are scholars who describe the contemporary state of affairs as the one which might be compared to being at an existential crossroads: whichever road marking chooses, it will never be the same. In order to provide an objective examination o this idea, one should consider several aspects. Thus, Kazmi and Batra (2008) suggest that for a considerable period of time marketing as such could have been described as a one-sided process. Indeed, people were encouraged to buy certain products, but they could also turn a deaf ear. Urban (2005) insists that it was the responsibility of a company make the potential consumers aware of the brand and encourage them to buy it. Moreover, Kardes, Herr andNantel (2005) notes that for a considerable amount of time the channels that were used by the companies for communication were not different from those used centuries ago.

Nevertheless, today there are numerous novel platforms that allow organisations to promote their products and give the consumers a voice and sometimes a real power in this process. So, the two broad options that companies face while being at the above-mentioned existential crossroads are the following. First of all, it is quite possible that organisations should give up their initiative in marketing, Smith, Wollan and Zhou (2011) state. This might be perceived as the new incarnation of the word of mouth approach but at a completely different scale. Kotler, Hessekiel and Lee (2012) assume that marketing is proclaimed as a less important activity than manufacturing a high-quality product. In other words, Scott (2012) says that in future products will talk for themselves and marketing as we know it today may become obsolete.

There is a second, much more optimistic option as well. According to Pearson (2011), it is possible to reinvent marketing in a way that would allow it to integrate the new advancements of technology and the changes in communication that were brought by it. Cecil (2012) suggests that there is a great opportunity to enhance marketing and bring it to a completely different level. In other words, one of the turns at that crossroad may be the right one and it is essential that marketing takes it. Thus, Deckers and Lacy (2011) show that the rise of power of the consumers which is sometimes perceived as a threat should be regarded as an opportunity to make an important strategic alliance with the consumers and turn their voice into the driving force that benefits the brand. It is obvious that this option seems to be extremely lucrative.

How real is the shift of power?

In order to determine the scope of the shift of power, one may be willing to engage statistics as well as observations of the contemporary business environment. A mobile marketing company called Tune recently issued a report which describes the changes in the behaviour of smartphone owners. One of the most unexpected results was the desire to install ad-blocking applications – it has risen significantly and almost a quarter of the respondents claimed to have done so ("Mobile Ad Blocking 2016" 2016). Lakhtaria (2012) concludes that the old approach which implied that the screen of a smartphone may be perceived as a platform for advertising should be re-evaluated, concludes. Miller (2012) believe that people pay more and more attention to the experience that they obtain using their technology and they do not want to turn their smartphone into a dump of various advertisements.

The second evidence of the shift of power is the prevalence of novel channels of information over the conventional ones. Velayudhan (2007) points out that once radio and television used to be the most desirable platforms for the companies as they attracted a tremendously big audience. However, Chakraborty, Pagolu, and Garla (2013) show that the influence of the contemporary radio can hardly be compared to the one it had before. Aaker and Smith (2010) insist that the development of video-on-demand technology make advertisement presented in the course of a film obsolete. Moreover, people no longer watch television as much as they used to: nowadays they can use video hosting and be a complete change of their schedule. All this leads to the understanding that people now have more control over the way in which marketing communication is carried out.

Finally, one should also consider the growing importance of various review services. Falls and Deckers (2012) believe that reviews will become the cornerstone of the success of the brands in the future since they are able to shape the opinion of the public. Schweidel (2014) insists that such platforms as Yelp or Booking.com present themselves as such that do not have any influence over the users which means that the latter are able to leave their comments and express their true opinion. Tonkin, Whitmore and Cutroni (2010) show that reviews are currently perceived as the bridge between the image that is promoted by a brand and its actual manifestation. Indeed, imagine that there are two products that have the same quality and the same price, but one of them has numerous comments (including negative ones) and the other one does not have comments at all. The choice of the public will be obvious.

What marketers are currently doing?

The change in the patterns of marketing communication has already been acknowledged. Now, it may be advantageous to turn to the examination of the way n which marketers are trying to make the most out of it. Moran and Hunt (2014) believe that today many companies are aiming for the creation of a viral content. That is why advertisements are not shorter and incorporate more humour which makes it more suitable to spreading among people. Hastings, Angus and Bryant (2011) believe that this uncontrolled sharing may be the key to success. Mena (2012) shows that this allows marketers to benefits from the interest of the consumers and entertain them, simultaneously promoting the brand. Therefore, one should point out that creation of content that is intended to become viral and make the consumers promote the product independently is one of the strategies that are widely in use.

The second direction in which marketers are developing their activities focuses on the growing importance of social networks. Bishop (2011) believes that it can be compared to the infamous Dot-com bubble: today it is virtually impossible to image a prosperous company that would refrain from creating an account in a social network. Feinleib (2012) shows that this presents a wonderful opportunity for companies. Chaffey and Smith (2008) point out that communication with the consumers has always been something that organisations relied on; so, the change of the platform will not change the content of this practice. That is why many companies, for example, Sainsbury's has active accounts on five social networks that are not only constantly updated, but they are also used to communicate with the consumers directly.

This leads to the third strategy that is used by the contemporary marketers, namely the focus on interaction and feedback. Zeiser (2015) shows that it used to be that communication between a company and a consumer took a lot of time and the latter was reluctant to be engaged in it; however, everything changed when it became possible to write to a company via social networks. Openshaw (2014) believes that this should be perceived as the beginning of the new chapter of marketing communication since brands now could interact with the people directly. Treadaway and Smith (2010) shows that the level of interactions is often perceived as the measure of the success of a company. In other words, large organisations are able to afford 24/7 call centres and the consumers know that they are able to contact the company anytime.

Is it an irreversible process?

Finally, one should consider whether the shift of power in terms of marketing communication is an irreversible process. To begin with, it is essential to insist that the activity in question is not static and that marketing communication is subject to changes and trends. Dragon (2012) shows that the contemporary state of affairs is significantly different even from what was witnessed in the beginning of the century; however, this all became real due to small changes that happened in the course of the first decade and a half. Therefore, the question regarding irreversibility may be called an incorrect one since it is virtually impossible to go back in time and make the situation as it used to be. Even if social networks and review services became extinct people would still find a way to express their opinion.

Secondly, there is something that is certain about the current situation: the reliance of businesses on technology is surely irreversible. Hallam (2013) suggests that the influence of social networks and various review services has penetrated the business world so much that now it is virtually impossible to draw a strict line and tell where one ends and the other begins. All this leads to the understanding that the shift in power was largely brought up by the fact that people were given a peculiar opportunity to express their voice and make it count. Indeed, it used to be that consumers had to protest against products, but today they simply have to spread their negative reviews. However, this may sometimes be used deliberately to damage the reputation: consider the scandal that Primark was involved regarded clothes that contain noted allegedly written by the Chinese prisoners.

Finally, it must be noted that if the contemporary change in marketing communication patterns is called "an irreversible process" than companies reject the wonderful opportunities that it holds for them. Woessner (2011) shows that it may be important to lead this change and make sure that the shift of power does not deprive companies of the power itself. In other words, social media or Yelp can be seen as a scourge of the contemporary business if the mechanism that guides it is not understood. However, if a company sells a product that will most certainly generate positive reviews, this shift of power may see as advantages. Indeed, it is obvious that companies will have to make changes in order to adapt to the new conditions, however, it is important to keep in mind that organisation still can have a significant impact on marketing process.

Conclusion

Having examined all the points which were mentioned in the paragraphs above, one is able to come to the following conclusion: there are various issues that might be identified in the contemporary integrated marketing communication and they should be regarded as the threshold of the new period. In other words, the shift of power from the marketers to the consumers should not be perceived as a disaster since it is conditioned by the objective factors that can be easily explained. As a result, it is the duty of the marketers to make sure that they are able to lead this change and use it to their advantage. Therefore, this process must be not be discussed as irreversible or reversible: it should be acknowledged as a great opportunity for the organisation to promote their products and win the hearts of the consumers.