Introduction

The portfolio is presented to discuss about the practical skills acquired and also about managing an integrated marketing communication campaign for the promotion of a product or service. By making assessment of the various campaign measures and communication procedures, the digital integrated marketing communications will be facilitated, which can further assist the company named Primark in Ireland in extending the reach to the potential customers and generate higher revenue in business along with competitive advantage too (Andrews and Shimp 2017). 

Campaign title: Management of an integrated marketing communications campaign for promoting the product or service, i.e., the Black Skinny Jeans by Primark.

Campaign objectives

• To implement an effective integrated marketing communications campaign for the promotion of a product or service, i.e., the Black Skinny Jeans by Primark in Ireland
• To evaluate various approaches required to manage the integrated marketing communications effectively
• To assess the probable impacts created by implementing the integrated marketing communications campaign for Primark, Ireland
• To recommend necessary measures for the improvement of integrated marketing communications campaign efficiency and ensure successful promotion of the product or service

Campaign measures of success

• Extended reach to new market segments and the existing market segments too
• Gaining the ability to attract potential clients in large numbers and forming a strong and large customer base
• The company, Primark in Ireland, should be able to experience High sales generation and achieve enhanced level of profit
• The company would attain a competitive edge over its competitors within the clothing industry with enhanced marketing effectiveness and reaching more customers worldwide

Campaign plan

	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Communication 1 Social media   Webpage	Creation of an engaging website       10/5/19	Search engine optimisation to get ranked higher for the search engine results 17/5/19	Content marketing and email marketing     24/5/19	Finally implementing pay per click procedure   30/5/19
Communication 2 Social media Facebook	Posting the content- Introduce the Integrated marketing communications campaign for promoting the Black Skinny Jeans of Primark, Ireland   7/5/19	Posting visual content- The marketing of the product via images and videos could be beneficial for enhanced promotions and easily grab the attention of consumers 12/5/19	Keeping updates and managing price strategies to keep the cost of product reasonable and provide discounts for influencing consumer behaviour     19/5/19	Checking comments and posts by the consumers on Facebook and providing solutions to their queries         24/5/19
Communication 3 Social media   Twitter	Making a Tweet about the new product, i.e., Black Skinny Jeans of Primark   8/5/19	Managing analytics and optimisation of the website properly (Luxton, Reid and Mavondo 2015)   14/5/19	Keep up with the regular updates and managing blogs and fan pages   19/5/19	Removing any negative comments on Twitter and promoting positive approaches undertaken to influence consumer behaviours trough reviews and ratings 24/5/19
Communication 4 Social media   Printed poster	Printing the poster at first with an image about the product and describing about it   8/5/19	Colourful and attractive outlook to present about the product to the customers     12/5/19	Measure the reach to customers           16/5/19	The printed poster should be placed in different locations for making customers encouraged to purchase a product or service (Blakeman 2018).   21/5/19
Communication 5 Social media   Briefing event	Keeping the individuals engaged in the briefing event acknowledged about the topic   7/5/19	Engaging the various stakeholders to deliver their views and opinions regarding the product (Thorson and Moore 2013)   12/5/19	Assessment of demographics, goals and objectives along with the competitors in the industry     16/5/19	Finally, overcoming changes associated to marketing         20/5/19

Communication 1: Social media posts

The social media posts are managed with the research of audience at first before proceeding with the marketing of the product. This could be possible with the sharing of teaser for the specific product, i.e., the skinny jeans, furthermore manage a blog consisting of the features and characteristics of the product or service. The development of hashtags and then producing a final video demonstrating the features of the product could easily influence the customers present in different market segments (Schultz et al. 2013).

Communication 2: Mock up web pages

The mock up webpages could allow for managing a similar kind of website having the same outlook and thus considered as a fully functional prototype based on the mock up. There are different designing tools such as the Adobe XD, Mockplus, also considered as effective prototyping tools required to enable powerful design of the website of Primark with greater fluidity and ease for the users to view the clothing options made available (Barker 2013).

Communication 3: Digital media content (blog articles)

Creating an engaging blog could be effective for promoting the product or service by focusing on the leveraging of content marketing. It should create convenience for both online as well as offline selling, furthermore generate more leads and attract more buyers. A blogging platform could allow for making posts about ways the product has been made along with the inclusion of its availability, pricing and locations where the product or service would be available (Karjaluoto, Mustonen and Ulkuniemi 2015).

Communication 4: Printed poster

The printed poster should develop a good outlook of the product and its attributes, furthermore ensure presentation of the product or service in an attractive manner for easily grabbing the attention of the customers (Tiago and Veríssimo 2014). This could also easily influence the consumer buying behaviours and ensure drawing them towards the brand and its clothing items.

Communication 5: Briefing event

The briefing event could be an effective communication medium that could be considered as an integrated marketing communications campaign required to promote the product or service of Primark in an effective way. Prior to the briefing event, innovation, research and testing of the product should be done though by collecting important data and information about the product and its attributes and also judge whether it could meet the demands and expectations of the clients or not (Killian and McManus 2015). There must be proper answers about how to boost the sales, gain the value as expected, how to manage product distribution and at the same time, spread awareness among the customers to influence extend reach to the clients. The briefing event could be a place where the company owners and other stakeholders should be present to discuss about the products and find out relevant solutions about the integrated marketing communications with ease and effectiveness (Todorova 2015). 

Reflection on campaign

From the analysis of the integrated marketing communications campaign, I have managed to understand and gain knowledge about certain aspects related to product marketing, generating awareness among the customers through marketing with the use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, company website, briefing event and also with the help of printed posters. It could be understood from the portfolio that has been prepared that the integrated marketing communications campaign has been developed to promote a new product, i.e., a Black Skinny jeans by Primark in Ireland. I have acquired knowledge and skills about the promotional mix, which can help in promoting the product and at the same time, spread awareness about the product or service among the customer with much ease and efficiency. Based on the analysis of communication channels, I have also found that digital communication channels have created convenience for enhancing extended reach to the customers and even promoted the product or service among the different market segments.

By analysing this report and its various findings, I have gained knowledge and acquired information about the management of integrated marketing communications. This kind of communications strategy has been adopted by the companies by combining the communication processes and messages or information shared with the customer for facilitated the integration of promotional tools and techniques effectively too. The promotion is one of the most important component of the marketing mix, which combines various communication tools and techniques and ensured management of better communication along with sending the right messages and information to the clients. I have also understood that the IMC has not only facilitated sharing or exchange information between the business and its clients about the product and its features, but also has communicated information about the ways the product has been developed and how it could manage to meet the expectations and demands of the clients effectively. It has been understood by me the IMC campaign has integrated the communications strategy into the marketing concepts, which has also helped in relationship marketing. It has only created a strong bond between the organisation and its clients, but also improved the promotional capabilities and reach to the customers. Due to this, I believe that the promotional mix has established a greater opportunity for the businesses to understand the concerns of the customers and make sure to deliver the best quality products and services required to enhance their level of satisfaction largely too.

As it can be seen from the portfolio prepared, there are different approaches to communication included in the IMC campaign plan with the use of social media such as Facebook, printed poster, Twitter, briefing event and management of websites. The use of Facebook as a social media marketing tool has been preferred by me as quite effective, because of its ability to reach the customers much more comprehensively, furthermore post content that could easily grab the attention of customers. The analysis of this portfolio has also helped me to acquire knowledge and information about the search engine optimisation and keeping the product related content updated on the social networks for ensuring that customers can access the products online and gain related information efficiently too. The use of Twitter as a social media tool for improve communication has been managed with the tweets posted and then the analytics and optimisation have been done for increase the fan base. It has also come to my knowledge that the tweets made for the product or service often experience positive as well as negative comments in the reply sections by many people, It is important for the organisation to keep regular check the comments section, furthermore ensure that negative feedbacks do not create negative mind sets among the consumers. Marketing represents exchange and sharing of information and messages about the product or service to the clients and thus I consider it as quite effective for spreading awareness among the people who are mostly engaged with the use of social networks. The webpage or company website managed could also be a viable option for enhancing the digital communications and make sure to deliver the right messages and information about the product to its clients, which can make them feel valued by the organisation and also understand whether their needs and preferences would be met or not. As I have completed by Graduation in the field of marketing, the Integrated Marketing communications have opened u new scopes for learning, which can not only allow me to improve my skills, but will also facilitate my critical thinking and assist me to progress my personal and professional career with much ease and efficiency. The IMC campaign presented in the portfolio has provided me an idea about how the social media platforms could be used as effective marketing tools and techniques for creating better brand exposure, thereby, spread awareness among people about the brand and increase revenue generation capability too. Therefore, all these knowledge and information acqusitions by me could also assist me to become a successful entrepreneur in the future and ensure implementation of marketing strategies successfully and communications’ management via social media to reach customers easily.

Conclusion

The report was prepared in two sections where the first part included a portfolio of the Integrated marketing communications campaign and the second part provided a reflection on what knowledge and information were acquired by me. The portfolio discussed about the objectives of the IMC campaign, i.e., to spread awareness among the clients about a new product launched by Primark and also for the purpose of strengthening the customer base and higher revenue generation too. The campaign plan was prepared to discuss about the various activities managed by using social media techniques and tools including Facebook, Twitter, webpages, etc. to improve communication process efficiency. Lastly, the information and knowledge acquired from the management of this portfolio further strengthened my skills and competences and could be essential for me to make progress in my professional career and in the field of marketing much more comprehensively.

References

Andrews, J.C. and Shimp, T.A., 2017. Advertising, promotion, and other aspects of integrated marketing communications. Nelson Education.

Barker, R., 2013. Strategic integrated communication: An alternative perspective of integrated marketing communication?. Communicatio, 39(1), pp.102-121.

Blakeman, R., 2018. Integrated marketing communication: creative strategy from idea to implementation. Rowman & Littlefield.

Karjaluoto, H., Mustonen, N. and Ulkuniemi, P., 2015. The role of digital channels in industrial marketing communications. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 30(6), pp.703-710.

Killian, G. and McManus, K., 2015. A marketing communications approach for the digital era: Managerial guidelines for social media integration. Business Horizons, 58(5), pp.539-549.

Luxton, S., Reid, M. and Mavondo, F., 2015. Integrated marketing communication capability and brand performance. Journal of Advertising, 44(1), pp.37-46.

Schultz, D., Patti, C.H. and Kitchen, P.J. eds., 2013. The evolution of integrated marketing communications: The customer-driven marketplace. Routledge.

Thorson, E. and Moore, J. eds., 2013. Integrated communication: Synergy of persuasive voices. Psychology Press.

Tiago, M.T.P.M.B. and Veríssimo, J.M.C., 2014. Digital marketing and social media: Why bother?. Business horizons, 57(6), pp.703-708.

Todorova, G., 2015. Marketing communication mix. Trakia Journal of Sciences, 13(1), pp.368-374.