Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) and the role of Public Relations (PR) therein

Abstract

This study determines the role of public relations as a marketing communication functionin University X’s integrated marketing communication approach. The research topic wasselected for numerous reasons. Firstly, dramatic changes have occurred in the tertiaryeducational domain, which causes universities to adapt their marketing communicationapproaches. Based on these environmental changes, the Public Relations Division atUniversity X commissioned the study on the research topic, which is the secondconsideration for the study. The debate on integrated marketing communication shows,in the third place, that this approach is increasingly important. On closer investigationthere is a definite need for a thorough literature review with an authentic integratedmarketing communication approach, driven by the integrated organizational functioningand processes. From a public relations perspective, on closer investigation, there is aneed for the direct empirical examination of the role of public relations as a contributingfunction of integrated marketing communication in order to narrow the gap betweenliterature and empirical evidence. The study was enhanced by two phases of researchconducted within University X to meet the objectives of the study. The first, quantitativephase determined the extent to which University X’s communication activities areintegrated. The measuring instrument used is the integrated marketing communicationmini-audit scale. In the second, qualitative research phase, the role of public relationsas a marketing communication function within University X’s integrated marketingcommunication approach was determined. The issue that became apparent throughoutthis study was that integrated marketing communication in any organizational contextis of strategic importance for the “unity of effort” of the greater well-being of theorganization. It was found in this research project that there are fundamental concernsfor University X regarding integrated marketing communication, and that public relationsis practised on a technical, traditional level