Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) is the conscious effort to deliver a unified message
through all facets of marketing communication about a brand or company across all media. IMC
includes all activities of marketing communication including advertising, direct marketing, social
media, sales promotion and public relations – all working in sync to ensure consistency across all
channels.
An IMC poses a challenge for a multinational due to the differences across the globe in
language, culture, religion, politics, economics, local competition – all of which must be
considered in the marketing message. A brand can have a consistent message regarding the core
value of the product, quality and ethics but may still need to adjust other aspects of the business
(promotions or social media presence) to accommodate for local cultural nuances and
communication variances. For example, Starbucks had to change their logo for the Middle East
countries from the mermaid to a crown as the former was deemed culturally insensitive.
Implementing an IMC globally challenging and the degree of difficulty depends on the product.
MNC’s must expend considerable resources to appropriately communicate the universal
brand/company value while tailoring a communication mix that fits a particular market.