{"id":141162,"date":"2022-04-25T03:11:39","date_gmt":"2022-04-25T08:11:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=141162"},"modified":"2024-03-07T11:29:58","modified_gmt":"2024-03-07T16:29:58","slug":"imc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/imc\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is IMC? Integrated Marketing Communications Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro-txt\">Integrated marketing communications is a&nbsp;requirement&nbsp;for long-term marketing success. The effectiveness of all your marketing campaigns largely depends on&nbsp;it.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>One can easily get lost in what it entails, though. Some universities even offer degrees in marketing communications. On top of that, there are now more media and marketing channels than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But don\u2019t worry, we\u2019ll only focus on the most important aspects of integrated marketing communications. In this article, we\u2019ll go through the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#1-integrated-marketing-communications\">What IMC&nbsp;is<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#2-why-is-imc-important\">Why IMC is important<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#3-three-examples-of-good-imc\">Three examples of good&nbsp;IMC<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s start with a proper definition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"What is integrated marketing communications?\" data-section=\"1-integrated-marketing-communications\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.i0iuozwjpul8\">What is integrated marketing communications?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is the process of unifying a brand\u2019s messaging to make it consistent across all media that the brand uses to reach its target audience. It\u2019s a strategic approach that guides communication and tactics used across all marketing channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Why is integrated marketing communications important?\" data-section=\"2-why-is-imc-important\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.1gm4qdupysze\">Why is integrated marketing communications important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Every organization uses multiple channels to communicate with its audiences. We\u2019ve come a long way from having a relatively small number of \u201ctraditional\u201d channels like TV, radio, newspapers, out-of-home advertising, and mailboxes.&nbsp;In today\u2019s digital world, it can get difficult to keep track of all the media you can reach your potential customers with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Focusing on <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/marketing-channels\/\">multiple marketing channels<\/a>&nbsp;at once is a necessity for many companies. This omnichannel marketing&nbsp;requires a strategic approach to make it all work together toward achieving <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/marketing-objectives\/\">marketing objectives<\/a>. This is when IMC comes into&nbsp;play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are four main reasons why IMC is important:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Need for consistency throughout the whole customer journey<\/li>\n<li>IMC helps with brand-building<\/li>\n<li>Properly using right mix of marketing channels helps boost campaign effectiveness<\/li>\n<li>IMC contributes to marketing channels reinforcing each&nbsp;other<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s expand on each point a bit more. Some of the research findings included may even change the way you look at marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.drren05s4se7\">1. Need for consistency throughout the whole customer journey<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The next time you buy something, think about when you first heard of the brand of the product, the product itself, and how you arrived at the decision to make the purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides commodities, chances are that you\u2019ll not buy a product the first time you see it. You usually go through a whole buying journey that may be done from start to finish on the same day (clothes) but can also span several years (cars):<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/1-buyers-journey.jpg\" alt=\"Infographic of three stages of buyer's journey: awareness, consideration, and decision\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This is related to the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/marketing-funnels\/\">marketing funnel<\/a>. It\u2019s a model that depicts how people become customers\u2014from first learning about the brand to making the purchase:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2-marketing-funnel.jpg\" alt=\"Funnel with four sections. From top to bottom (Awareness, Interest, Consideration, Conversion)\n\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>In principle, increasing your customer base is straightforward: get as many people to the top of the funnel as possible and minimize the leaks between stages of the funnel. The way you achieve that is, of course, much more complicated (otherwise we marketers wouldn\u2019t have&nbsp;jobs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But one thing is certain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Communicating in a consistent and recognizable way across all your marketing channels creates a smooth customer journey throughout the whole marketing funnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You ideally want to build on the product and brand associations you create in the Awareness stage and guide the potential customers further down the funnel. This is what IMC largely contributes to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take Wise, for example. No matter when and how you encounter its communications, that will always revolve around the company promising the best exchange rates and no hidden fees for its money transfer and exchange services. This is all accompanied by blue, its brand&nbsp;color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an excerpt from one of its top-of-the-funnel organic search landing pages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/3-wise-landing-page.png\" alt=\"One of Wise's search landing pages showing a currency converter \"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Then we have an example of its PR campaign:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\n<\/p><div data-mode=\"normal\" data-oembed=\"1\" data-provider=\"youtube\" id=\"arve-youtube-mkoazkup6_e\" style=\"max-width:900px;\" class=\"arve\">\n\t<div class=\"arve-inner\">\n\t\t<div style=\"aspect-ratio:500\/281\" class=\"arve-embed arve-embed--has-aspect-ratio\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"arve-ar\" style=\"padding-top:56.200000%\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<iframe allow=\"accelerometer 'none';autoplay 'none';bluetooth 'none';browsing-topics 'none';camera 'none';clipboard-read 'none';clipboard-write;display-capture 'none';encrypted-media 'none';gamepad 'none';geolocation 'none';gyroscope 'none';hid 'none';identity-credentials-get 'none';idle-detection 'none';keyboard-map 'none';local-fonts;magnetometer 'none';microphone 'none';midi 'none';otp-credentials 'none';payment 'none';picture-in-picture;publickey-credentials-create 'none';publickey-credentials-get 'none';screen-wake-lock 'none';serial 'none';summarizer 'none';sync-xhr;usb 'none';web-share;window-management 'none';xr-spatial-tracking 'none';\" allowfullscreen class=\"arve-iframe fitvidsignore\" credentialless data-arve=\"arve-youtube-mkoazkup6_e\" data-lenis-prevent data-src-no-ap=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/mKOAZkuP6_E?feature=oembed&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;autohide=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;autoplay=0\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"505.8\" loading=\"lazy\" name referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-presentation allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/mKOAZkuP6_E?feature=oembed&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;autohide=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;autoplay=0\" title width=\"900\"><\/iframe>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>And lastly, here are a few of its most visited <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/ppc-marketing\/\">PPC<\/a>&nbsp;search ads that people can encounter further down the funnel in the U.K.:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 1610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/4-ahrefs-top-ads-report.jpg\" alt=\"Top Ads report results \" width=\"1600\" height=\"882\"><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Screenshot from <strong>Top Ads<\/strong>&nbsp;report in Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sidenote\"><div class=\"sidenote-title\">Sidenote.<\/div> Consistency is one of the four Cs of IMC introduced by David Pickton and Amanda Broderick in 2001 in their book, \u201cIntegrated Marketing Communications.\u201d The other Cs stand for coherence, complementary, and continuity.\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m covering the four Cs of the IMC model here in this article, but I refuse to refer to them as such. That\u2019s because there\u2019s already a more famous four Cs marketing model that refers to the <a href=\"\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/marketing-mix\/\">marketing mix<\/a>.&nbsp;Just be aware of the ambiguity of the four&nbsp;Cs.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.kck7t08q7edo\">2. IMC helps with brand-building<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me expand on some of the previously mentioned points. Communicating in a consistent and recognizable way is a big part of brand-building. You want people to join the dots between all your campaigns to build and strengthen the set of associations they have with your&nbsp;brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It should now be obvious that you should strive to deliver the right message at the right time. But the key to brand-building lies in accompanying all your communications with brand codes to increase distinctiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A brand code, or distinctive asset, is anything that you consistently use in your communications. See how this intertwines with IMC? Codifying your communications should be part of integrating it. That way, you can better link together all your campaigns, maintain salience, and bolster your brand&nbsp;image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most common brand code is a logo. Every company has one. The logo alone doesn\u2019t cut it, though. Most companies also have certain visual styles, but that\u2019s about it. You should strive to have three to five brand codes in&nbsp;total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/\">Ahrefs<\/a>, besides our logo and the color blue, we also have two more brand codes. The first is our custom font:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/5-ahrefs-homepage.png\" alt=\"Excerpt of Ahrefs' homepage showing text with our custom font  \"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The second is our bearded guy mascot, who\u2019s often accompanied by a corgi. You may have noticed them in the header image of this article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If not, here they are&nbsp;again:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-141155\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/6-header-image-mascots.png\" alt=\"Ahrefs' mascots holding hands\/paws and moving in a circle; notably, our bearded man and corgi make an appearance in the image\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/6-header-image-mascots.png 1200w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/6-header-image-mascots-425x425.png 425w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/6-header-image-mascots-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>One last point is regarding brand codes and IMC. When you start to think that you\u2019re pushing the codes into your communications too much, codify even more.&nbsp;As marketers, we perceive this differently from the target audience. What\u2019s overwhelming for us may just be the threshold for people consistently noticing the&nbsp;codes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.v4o6j4m143ta\">3. Properly using right mix of marketing channels helps boost campaign effectiveness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>IMC makes you rethink what marketing channels you\u2019re on and how you use them. There are now myriads of ways to reach people online and offline. But let\u2019s face it: Unless you\u2019re selling products to the mass market, you should be rather picky with your choices. You can\u2019t likely do much with an industrial B2B product on TikTok, and it is hard to integrate that with the rest of your communication channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, you should strive to have a great presence on all the relevant channels and media. <a href=\"https:\/\/radioink.com\/2020\/01\/19\/the-top-10-drivers-of-marketing-effectiveness\/\">Research suggests<\/a>&nbsp;the more media channels in the mix, the more effective the campaign is likely to be. I know. It\u2019s easier said than done, given the limited resources in every company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of resources\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally, the most ideal approach to integrating your communications is to spend 60% of your budget on the brand-building part and the remaining 40% on uplifting sales. This is based on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Long-Short-Balancing-Long-Term-Strategies\/dp\/085294134X\">one of the most insightful and valuable marketing researches<\/a> of the past two decades:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/7-long-short-promotion.png\" alt=\"Line graph showing effects of short- and long-term focused promotion. Line for long-term generally goes up over time. Line for short-term goes up and down repeatedly over time\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Your marketing channels mix should reflect the approximate 60:40 ratio. Some are more suitable for brand-building (TV, billboards, YouTube ads), while others are better for sales activation (search ads, remarketing ads). There will be overlaps in the purpose of many channels too, so don\u2019t worry about trying to be accurate here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.6qkr9u7apy1j\">4. IMC contributes to marketing channels reinforcing each&nbsp;other<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you do communication right, marketing channels have the ability to make each other more powerful as your company grows. This concept of \u201cmarketing flywheel\u201d was popularized by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/randfish\">Rand Fishkin<\/a>,&nbsp;and the best way to explain it in detail is to show you one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/blog\/why-marketing-flywheels-work\/\">flywheel diagrams<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/8-marketing-flywheel.png\" alt=\"Flywheel cycle: attract fans, optimize funnel and reward loyal fans, launch media campaigns, build press relationships and get coverage, boost coverage\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>As long as your marketing channels are properly integrated, you can rely on this flywheel effect. Ahrefs is proof of that. The main marketing driver behind our growth is the long-term, compounding effect of <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/word-of-mouth-marketing\/\">word-of-mouth marketing<\/a>&nbsp;combined with <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\">SEO<\/a>&nbsp;and <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-marketing\/\">content marketing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Three examples of good integrated marketing communications\" data-section=\"3-three-examples-of-good-imc\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.dmx3gq771i47\">Three&nbsp;examples of good integrated marketing communications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Enough theory. Let\u2019s take a look at three specific examples of well-integrated&nbsp;marketing communications in practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.p8miy2owbes2\">Patagonia \u2013 Reflecting what it stands for<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are not many companies like Patagonia, a brand that reflects <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patagonia.com\/core-values\/\">core values<\/a>&nbsp;in its communications and actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Patagonia constantly succeeds in making the point that it cares about the planet and sustainability. This was its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patagonia.com\/stories\/dont-buy-this-jacket-black-friday-and-the-new-york-times\/story-18615.html\">Black Friday ad<\/a>, for example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/9-patagonia-black-friday.jpg\" alt=\"Except of ad with these large words in all caps: &quot;Don't buy this jacket.&quot; Below, cropped picture of a gray jacket \"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>It sometimes goes way beyond anyone\u2019s expectations, such as cutting off one of its main marketing channels for&nbsp;good:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Patagonia stopped all paid advertising on Facebook platforms in June 2020 because they spread hate speech and misinformation about climate change and our democracy. We continue to stand by that boycott 16 months later.<\/p>\u2014 Patagonia (@patagonia) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/patagonia\/status\/1453802399684980741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 28,&nbsp;2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>This directly affects its business and goes against the practice of utilizing as many suitable marketing channels as possible. But this may be balanced by the reinforcing of its brand image and it staying true to the company values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If that\u2019s not enough, the company even gets political at times. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patagonia.com\/stories\/hey-hows-that-lawsuit-against-the-president-going\/story-72248.html\">Patagonia sued former President Donald Trump\u2019s administration<\/a>&nbsp;to support its environmental causes with&nbsp;this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/10-patagonia-trump.jpg\" alt=\"Clothing tag that reads, &quot;Vote the assholes out&quot; \"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t know how this activism affected sales, but one thing is clear: Patagonia is consistent and believable in what it stands for. You can\u2019t say that about many other companies promoting a \u201chigher good.\u201d Just recall some controversial Pepsi or Gillette ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.13m3exzg0prd\">Sephora \u2013 Masterclass in codifying communications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember the part about codifying what you put out into the world to the point where it seems exceedingly overwhelming to you? Sephora does a great job at maximizing the exposure of its distinctive assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First of all, it has a carefully selected palette of brand&nbsp;codes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 760px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/11-sephora-brand-codes.png\" alt=\"Sephora's logo in black, white, and some red \" width=\"750\" height=\"270\"><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brandspacehq.com\/distinctive-brand-assets\/\">Brandspace<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Sephora utilizes its name, the curved \u201cS\u201d logo (some people refer to it as \u201cflame\u201d), black and white stripes, and the color red as a contrasting element. These are simple yet effective when you look at the brand\u2019s communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s one of its sales activation FB ads running at the time of me writing this article:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-141154\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/12-sephora-fb-ad.jpg\" alt=\"Sephora's Facebook ad about its sale, the &quot;Spring Savings Event&quot;\" width=\"522.2\" height=\"767\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/12-sephora-fb-ad.jpg 746w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/12-sephora-fb-ad-289x425.jpg 289w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 746px) 100vw, 746px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Basically, when the target audience sees a cosmetic ad that\u2019s black and white with some red elements, Sephora is most likely what comes to mind for most of them\u2014and they may not&nbsp;even need to check the ad\u2019s details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I think Sephora\u2019s real-life presence is even better (from a communications and branding perspective). Its store design is a branding masterpiece:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 1610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/13-sephora-store.png\" alt=\"Sephora's store; notably, the colors of black, white, and red can be seen across the store \" width=\"1600\" height=\"1068\"><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sephoranewsroom.com\/media-kit\">Sephora<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Then you can see its customers walking around with&nbsp;this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/14-sephora-bag.jpg\" alt=\"Sephora's paper bag; notably, the colors of black, white, and red can be seen on it\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\"><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/read\/sephora-christmas-2019\/\">The Smart Local<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, even a simple paper bag can be a tool that you can integrate with your communication strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To wrap this up, here\u2019s a good celebration and summary of its brand codes usage in a rather unusual ad format:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\n<\/p><div data-mode=\"normal\" data-oembed=\"1\" data-provider=\"youtube\" id=\"arve-youtube-j0wuhsasa1s\" style=\"max-width:900px;\" class=\"arve\">\n\t<div class=\"arve-inner\">\n\t\t<div style=\"aspect-ratio:4\/3\" class=\"arve-embed arve-embed--has-aspect-ratio\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"arve-ar\" style=\"padding-top:75.000000%\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<iframe allow=\"accelerometer 'none';autoplay 'none';bluetooth 'none';browsing-topics 'none';camera 'none';clipboard-read 'none';clipboard-write;display-capture 'none';encrypted-media 'none';gamepad 'none';geolocation 'none';gyroscope 'none';hid 'none';identity-credentials-get 'none';idle-detection 'none';keyboard-map 'none';local-fonts;magnetometer 'none';microphone 'none';midi 'none';otp-credentials 'none';payment 'none';picture-in-picture;publickey-credentials-create 'none';publickey-credentials-get 'none';screen-wake-lock 'none';serial 'none';summarizer 'none';sync-xhr;usb 'none';web-share;window-management 'none';xr-spatial-tracking 'none';\" allowfullscreen class=\"arve-iframe fitvidsignore\" credentialless data-arve=\"arve-youtube-j0wuhsasa1s\" data-lenis-prevent data-src-no-ap=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/j0WuHSaSa1s?feature=oembed&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;autohide=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;autoplay=0\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"675\" loading=\"lazy\" name referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-presentation allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/j0WuHSaSa1s?feature=oembed&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;autohide=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;autoplay=0\" title width=\"900\"><\/iframe>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.chhrz6md7rc3\">Ahrefs \u2013 Everything revolves around the product<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It would be hypocritical to sell you the idea of implementing IMC if we didn\u2019t adhere to its principles ourselves. So here\u2019s an example based on our own approach to marketing and communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ahrefs is a product-led B2B SaaS company. We didn\u2019t have a single dedicated marketing team member in the first four years of our existence. We still don\u2019t have a sales team despite being a $100M+ ARR company. The value of our SEO product is the main driver behind our growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We now have solid&nbsp;marketing operations in place, but the focus is still on the product. We don\u2019t shy away from communicating this focus on our product even in somewhat unusual ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/15-ahrefs-conference-banner.jpg\" alt=\"Photo of Ahrefs team and banner with rough sketches on it\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Nevertheless, the most important part of our communications is product-led content. Browse through our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/\">blog<\/a>, watch our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/AhrefsCom\/featured\">YouTube videos<\/a>, and check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ahrefs\">social media posts<\/a>. You\u2019ll encounter countless ways of our product naturally being part of the conversation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 1374px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/16-ahrefs-pitch-cac.jpg\" alt=\"Excerpt of Ahrefs' article about CAC \" width=\"1364\" height=\"1584\"><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Talking about SEO and showing Ahrefs\u2019 interface as a natural part of discussing multiple ways to reduce <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/customer-acquisition-cost\/\">customer acquisition cost<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This YouTube comment on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=l45QlTFNWaQ\">one of our videos<\/a>&nbsp;perfectly sums up what we\u2019re going&nbsp;for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/17-youtube-comment.png\" alt=\"YouTube comment praising Ahrefs for our valuable and free content \" width=\"1600\" height=\"275\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>We even have our own private community (made up of our customers) that gets to learn about all the news&nbsp;first:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-141144\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/18-ahrefs-community-news.jpg\" alt=\"Tim's post in Ahrefs Insider about Overview 2.0\" width=\"518.5\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/18-ahrefs-community-news.jpg 1037w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/18-ahrefs-community-news-275x425.jpg 275w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/18-ahrefs-community-news-768x1185.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/18-ahrefs-community-news-996x1536.jpg 996w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1037px) 100vw, 1037px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>But rest assured. This information then gets shared on all the other distribution channels mentioned earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.f9bzyu3ntl1h\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If I have to summarize the essence of IMC and its best practices, I\u2019ll do so with these four points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Be consistent with the message you send out to the&nbsp;world<\/li>\n<li>Make all your marketing channels work together in the long&nbsp;term<\/li>\n<li>The more channels you use, the better\u2014as long as you can find your audience there<\/li>\n<li>Split your marketing budget into approximately 60% brand-building and 40% short-term sales-boosting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Basically, if you have a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/marketing-strategy\/\">good marketing strategy<\/a>&nbsp;based on <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/market-research\/\">solid market research<\/a>, you\u2019ll be great at IMC without even knowing you do&nbsp;IMC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Got any questions? Ping me <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/michalpecanek\">on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One can easily get lost in what it entails, though. Some universities even offer degrees in marketing communications. On top of that, there are now more media and marketing channels than ever before. But don\u2019t worry, we\u2019ll only focus on<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":141120,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[390],"tags":[],"coauthors":[375],"class_list":["post-141162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Is IMC? 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Integrated Marketing Communications Explained\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Achieve long-term marketing success.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/imc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-04-25T08:11:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-03-07T16:29:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/fb_integrated_marketing_communications.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michal Pec\u00e1nek\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Achieve long-term marketing success.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@michalpecanek\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ahrefs\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/imc\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/imc\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michal Pec\u00e1nek\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ahrefs.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b66ba944c48e71d0abac1af2f11265ec\"},\"headline\":\"What Is IMC? 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