Research Insight 9.3

Throughout the textbook reference is made to seminal academic papers (as part of the Research Insights features) that can assist you in the further development of your understanding of a particular concept or theory that has been introduced. Organized by chapter, this resource provides links to these seminal papers.

Please note that your institution will require a subscription to the relevant journal for you to access the full text of the articles. If you are unsure how to do this, please contact your university librarian. Often professional bodies, such as the Chartered Institute of Marketing, also offer access to journals via their library services. Alternatively, you can purchase the articles directly from the source website.

Source: Ots, M. and Nyilasy, G. (2015), ‘Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC): Why Does It Fail?’, Journal of Advertising Research, 55(2), 132-45.

Abstract: Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is accepted widely as a multi-stakeholder strategic business process for brand communications. Yet, much less is known about the failures of its practical implementation. The current research provides a novel explanation for such failures. A two-year ethnographic study was conducted with a large Swedish retailer and its IMC partners. The objectives were to reveal potentially divergent managerial mental models and to understand the consequences of such divergence on IMC implementation. The authors' findings uncovered four basic mental models, which, in turn, revealed four aspects of IMC implementation dysfunction: miscommunication, compartmentalization, loss of trust, and decontextualization.

Insight: This paper provides an interesting view of IMC implementation as a reason for its failure. The researchers find four aspects of IMC implementation dysfunction: miscommunication, compartmentalization, loss of trust, and decontextualization.

URL: http://www.journalofadvertisingresearch.com/content/55/2/132.abstract