The Integrated Marketing Communication—The Consumer Behaviour Impact: A Romanian Perspective

Abstract

The concept of integrated marketing communication (IMC) was born in mid-1990s and has been generating many controversies in the literature. The concept has constantly evolved from the simple coordination of promotional tools to a complex strategic process. Due to the modern marketing development, IMC has become an important and complex tool for achieving the goals of a company. Therefore, it is useful to investigate the opportunities to increase IMC impact on consumer behaviour. The purpose of this chapter is twofold: (1) to approach IMC as a complex system which has as communication drivers the four elements of the classical marketing mix (product, price, distribution and marketing communication) and (2) to develop a conceptual model that describes the impact on consumer behaviour. Such model can be used to research the IMC influence on consumer behaviour and, in the same time, could identify the ways to create an effective IMC strategy based on the consumer reactions and requirements.