Communications at a crossroads: what place for integrated marketing communications in a post-Covid-19 landscape?

Integrated marketing communications (IMC) are a core part of business success in the 21st century, but are facing exceptional challenges, some of which predate the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The various stages of IMC offer rich potential to enhance marketing techniques, harness the power of data analytics and build brand success. However, while most firms would claim to be deploying IMC, many are offering little more than sales-orientated mass marketing, having failed to move beyond the most basic form of its operation (Stage 1). Amid shrinking economies and slashed marketing budgets, even the minority of firms that has moved into Stage 2 (targeted marketing exchanges), Stage 3 (the application of information technology), Stage 4 (information-led communication planning), or even the putative Stage 5 (fully integrated marketing) now risk reverting to Stage 1. It is therefore critically important to develop an advanced understanding of IMC and its potential. Equally significant is the need to address the global trend towards focusing on attracting customers while neglecting post-purchase experience. A twin approach of successfully harnessing all the stages of IMC while also paying full attention to customer retention will maximise the chances of building brand success in the current challenging climate.