Integrated communications are the integration of formerly specialised communications
functions into one organisational system that conveys a consistent set of messages to all target
audiences. Integrated marketing and corporate communications manage each point of
contact between the consumer or other target groups and the product or the organisation.
Several key drivers of IMC can be identified, such as loss of faith in mass media advertising,
the need for enhanced cost-effectiveness, media and target audience fragmentation and overlap, more complex decision-making units, the need to build customer loyalty, relationship
marketing and, last but not least, the evolution of technology. Integrating the marketing effort
is not an easy process. Companies evolve only gradually to a truly integrated communications
system. Th is slow evolution is caused by a number of important barriers to integration,
such as the functional specialisation in companies, existing structures, the lack of internal
communications and the perceived complexity of planning and co-ordination. In integrated
communications many instruments are used. Th ey are embedded in a communications plan
that has to be integrated in the strategic marketing plan