Imc Reflective Essay

IMC​ ​Reflective​ ​Writing 

Reflecting on past experience can help me reinforce things I have learnt and perform better in the future. Overall, the lectures and tutorials of this subject have expanded my outlook of developing an integrated marketing campaign by using different kinds of media platforms. This essay will mainly focus on reviewing the process of group work and reflecting back some relevant theories. It will also gives my personal judgement on conflicts and challenges in group work, introducing contribution and performance of group members. In addition to the outcome we have achieved, some​ ​my​ ​suggestions​ ​for​ ​improving​ ​this​ ​plan​ ​will​ ​also​ ​be​ ​put​ ​forward.

Ⅰ.​ ​Working​ ​process​ ​review

There are five members in our group, namely Chloe, Dylan, Panda, Phoebe and Lisa. The task for us is to implement an integrated marketing communications (IMC) for our client HP sprocket. Before we started our group work, we individually did a situation analysis for HP sprocket. In this task, we made an analysis towards HP sprocket including its use of media platforms, brand equity, brand personality and compared it with its main competitors, through doing this, everyone of​ ​us​ ​has​ ​grasped​ ​an​ ​understanding​ ​of​ ​the​ ​current​ ​situation​ ​of​ ​our​ ​client.

After we finished our individual task, we began our group work. Basically, we followed the five-step IMC strategic process, as Percy (2014, 245) pointed out,​ an IMC strategy plan involves a series of steps to complete, the initial step needed in IMC strategic planning process is to outline the relevant market issues that are likely affecting the brand marketing communications. After reviewing the marketing plan, we should take five steps to implement an IMC plan. First, we need to select the appropriate target audience. Second, we are supposed to determine how that target audience make product decisions. Third, we should establish brand position within its marketing communications. Fourth, we are going to set communications objectives. Fifth, we should match appropriate media options consistent with the communication objective to optimise message delivery. This five-step process helps us have a clear mind of IMC planning process and improve​ ​our​ ​working​ ​efficiency.

After completing IMC strategic planning process, it comes to finalizing a plan, which needs putting all of them together. Finalizing a plan requires identifying the touch points where the most significant effect is likely to be made. The communication tasks are required at each of these touch points, and appropriate media platforms are needed for accomplishing these tasks

(Percy,​ ​2014, ​ ​273​). 

When executing a brand message, there are two essential decisions to make-the elements to use in telling the brand story and the structure of those elements, how these elements-the flow, the form of message-are combined and how everything comes together to deliver the stor​y (Ouwersloot,

Hans,​ ​and​ ​Tom​ ​Duncan​ ​2008,​ ​175).

Having understood these key theories and concepts helps us get on the right track. At the first group meeting, ​we ​reached an agreement that the main issue HP sprocket faces was lacking brand awareness, so that we need to make strategies which can help improve brand awareness. Social media is necessarily applied in today’s marketing communications campaign as its feature of two-way communications satisfies the public’s need of communication, and social​ media marketing is possibly the most cost-efficient way that can produce a high audience engagement (Barefoot and Szabo 2010, 18), ​based on these reasons, social media engagement becomes one of our​ strategies.​         

During our discussion, we noticed that Schultz, Tenenbaum and Lauterborn (1972) said (cited by Dahlen, Lange and Smith 2010, 102)​, when developing strategies, we should forget products, study consumer wants and needs. We should also forget the promotion, think about communication. Thus, to make strategies for HP sprocket, we should not only know about our client, but also stand on the position of the customers to consider what added value it could provide to them. This thought helped us gain an insight on the intrinsic value of the product rather than simply regard it as a high qualified tool of printing photos. The reason why we need this product is it can create different user experience compared with digital images. Although there emerged advanced technologies which let people easily appreciate photos with mobile phones and laptops, HP sprocket make those pictures solid and tangible. Through the photos instantly printed by HP sprocket, people can share memories and build up emotional connections. Having figured​ ​out​ ​this​ ​point,​ ​we​ ​set​ ​another​ ​strategy​ ​as​ ​creating​ ​experience​ ​in​ ​events.  

At the second group meeting, we further reinforced our strategies and ​everyone put forward his or her ideas about tactics based on the strategies we made, and almost decided the big idea centred on “keep memories” and “time capsule”. In this process, we came up with many kinds of events, some were kept, some were eliminated. I always thought holding some event consisting of free trial was a good idea as it enables people to try the products freely and is likely leaving a good impression of the products to people’s mind, which might lead them to desire and action later on. So, I put forward graduation ceremony event. This ceremony is gathered with large amount of students, which are a big part of its target audience. Collage in graduation ceremony is a good exhibition​ ​to​ ​embody​ ​its​ ​unique​ ​value.

Panda thought of shopping mall showcase as she thought showcase was one of important approaches for consumers to get in touch with products directly. She decided the two places appropriate for her events, Melbourne Center shopping mall and Chadstone shopping mall, as they both are public places with big traffic. Based on their shoppers, Melbourne Center shopping mall​ ​is​ ​targeted​ ​for​ ​young​ ​people​ ​and​ ​Chadstone​ ​shopping​ ​mall​ ​aims​ ​for​ ​family.

Chloe thought of wedding and dinner events, Phoebe camp up with music festival, all of our events are centred on the strategy of creating experiences in events. Actually, we talked about the possibility of inviting some celebrities to endorse our event, but due to the limit of budget, we gave up this idea as organizers need to measure the funding, support and staff feasibility in event management​ ​(Van​ ​der​ ​Wagen​ ​2010,​ ​30).