Abstract

This conceptual paper proposes that communication strategies should be aligned to the IMC message typology in its entirety. In order to shed light on the role of IMC in the development of communication strategies a literature review was conducted. The literature review revealed that IMC is a logical structure of developing communication strategies. An organisation should control (planned) or influence messages (unplanned, product, service) to ensure message consistency and maximum communication impact. In simple terms, an organisation should strive to match its brand promise made through planned messages with actual performance as reflected in its product, service, and unplanned messages. The paper provides a communication planning framework to organisations on how to use IMC message typology to ensure message consistency and maximum impact.

Key words: IMC message typology, marketing communication tools, product messages, planned messages, unplanned messages, service messages, communication strategy.