Integrated Communication

1	The Concept, Process, and Evolution of Integrated Marketing Communication

Tom DuncanUniversity of ColoradoClarke CaywoodNorthwestern University

Recognizing that the marketplace was changing and that advertising was fast losing its golden halo, ad agencies went on a merger and acquisition binge in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s in an attempt to offer their clients more than just advertising. Unfortunately, most of these marriages with public relations, sales promotion, and direct response agencies were based on a physical (i.e., financial) attraction, not on love and respect for their new partners’ communication skills. The acquisitions were driven by the attempt to not lose the money that clients were transferring out of advertising ...