Integrated Marketing Communication
Tomáš Jelínek
Olomouc,  2025/2026

Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)
§Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is a strategic approach that coordinates and integrates a
brand’s marketing channels and messages to deliver a consistent, unified experience to the target
audience. It ensures that advertising, public relations, digital marketing, social media, sales
promotion, direct marketing, in‑store/point‑of‑sale activities and any other touchpoints work
together around a single core message and objectives.
§Key goals: consistent brand positioning, clearer customer journey, higher impact and efficiency,
improved measurement and stronger relationships with customers.
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Create consistent Integrated Marketing Communication
§Define a single clear brand proposition
-One core value/benefit and tone that all messages support.
-Create a short brand positioning statement for reference.
§Develop unified messaging and creative guidelines
-Key messages, taglines, value pillars, proof points.
-Visual identity rules: logo usage, colors, typography, imagery style.
-Tone of voice dos/don’ts and example copy snippets.
§Produce a central brand/communications playbook
-Combine positioning, messaging, visual and editorial guidelines, campaign templates, approved
media and partner lists.
-Make it accessible (cloud drive, intranet) and required for all agencies and teams.
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-Appoint a single IMC owner or steering team
lCentral coordinator (brand manager/CMO) with authority to approve creative and channels.
lRegular cross‑functional meetings (marketing, PR, sales, digital, trade) to align plans.
-Use templates and modular creative assets
lPreapproved layouts for ads, social, PR releases, POS, email.
lModular assets (copy blocks, image variants) for quick channel adaptation while keeping
consistency.
-Establish channel playbooks with clear adaptation rules
lExplain how core messages map to paid, owned, earned channels; list examples of acceptable edits.
lProvide social media scripts, influencer brief templates, and crisis messaging blocks.
-Vet and onboard partners/agencies tightly
lShare the playbook at kickoff, require sign‑off on concepts, and include brand compliance
checkpoints in briefs and contracts.
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lImplement an approval workflow and brand governance
-Defined review stages, approvers, and timelines (creative > legal > brand).
-Use a DAM (Digital Asset Management) system to control approved assets and versions.
lTrain internal teams and partners
-Workshops, quick reference cards, monthly check‑ins, and onboarding sessions for new
hires/agencies.
lMonitor, measure and iterate
-Track brand metrics, message recall, channel KPIs and compliance.
-Run regular audits of live materials; correct deviations quickly and log learnings.
lMaintain a single source of truth for customer data
-Unified CRM and audience segments to ensure targeting and personalization remain consistent across
channels.
lPlan for contingencies and message continuity
-Prewritten crisis lines, campaign extensions and evergreen content to preserve consistency during
disruptions.
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Motivation to use IMC
•Four E  benefits:
leconomical
lefficient
leffective
lenhancing
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•Four C  benefits:
lcoherence
lconsistency
lcontinuity
lcomplementary communications
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The phase of implementing IMC into the organization
1.Phase: Tactical coordination of all tools in the communication mix within the company
2.Phase: Redefinition of content, scope, and coordination of marketing communications within the
company
3.Phase: Application of IT, utilization of new media and platforms
4.Phase: Financial and strategic integration