In 2013, a Hyundai commercial promoting its new car was uploaded on YouTube. Shortly after, it was taken down after facing outrage and backlash from viewers.
The commercial depicts a man about to commit suicide, but failed to do so as the car emission was 100% water. Clearly, the theme of suicide did not sit so well with the public and this was one of the worst marketing campaigns by Hyundai. This is a great example showcasing the importance of IMC (or the lack thereof).
So what is IMC?
Integrated Marketing Communications is a marketing strategy that brings together a number of varied marketing functions and efforts, becoming one that is consistent in terms of the message delivered to the audience.
In the example shown above, Hyundai’s usage of a morbid theme was counter-productive in its efforts to promote its product and brand. It had absolutely no relevance to the brand’s image and was even offending to many viewers.
So, how do we create a successful IMC campaign?
Tip 1: Establish target audience
To come up with a good marketing campaign, we first need to identify who we are marketing to. Here are some factors that can help us create a profile of the target audience:
- Average age of consumers
- Income
- Interests
- Gender
Tip 2: Start with the content, then identify the channels
Many marketers have existing marketing channels, so they simply create content for those channels. The better approach is focus on a story instead of our product, and creating content based around that story. Then, we develop this content to suit different channels, which will be covered below.
Tip 3: Determine marketing channels to be used
There are plenty of channels that marketers can choose to advertise on. These include:
- Television
- Magazines
- YouTube
- Blogs
The key is to identify a small number of channels most appropriate for the target audience, instead of marketing across too many channels, which causes our message to become diluted and thus ineffective. On the other hand, using only a few channels strengthens our message and focuses our efforts more towards them.
Is this all about IMC?
Of course not! These are just a simple guideline to help beginners get started in the world of IMC. There are many more elaborate methods waiting to be explored, what do you think?
Feel free to share with us your own tips in the comments section below!
Digital Marketing Blog 
Hi Zhi Xiang!
Your blogpost was interesting and it definitely made me more curious about which digital platform would be the most relevant to the adults?
Thank you and i look forward to your reply.
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Hello Claris, due to the fact that adults itself is a very broad category, I feel that it really depends on more specific details such as interests, occupations, and lifestyle etc. For example, a typical white collar employee spends most of his day in the office and thus mobile platforms such as Instagram might work better. On the other hand, for a full-time housewife who spends more time at home, television might be the better option!
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Hi zhixiang, good tips on how to have a successful imc campaign, have you come across any succesful IMC campaigns or one that caught your eye? if so why did it catch your attention?
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Hello! While writing this blog post I have looked through several IMC campaigns throughout the years, and there is one that definitely stands out to me, and that is the Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign from 2006. The reason it caught my eye is its method of associating its competitor, Windows PC, and itself with human personas. In my opinion, it allows people to relate better to their messages and because it is a very unusual way of putting their message across, it also leaves a very deep impression in people’s minds!
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