Will agencies ever “get” (or understand) IMC?

The concept of integrated marketing communication (IMC) has now become an apparently integral part of the marketing and corporate communication strategies of many companies. Here, we seek to capture and evaluate perceptions of IMC derived from advertising and public relations executives who are developing integrated approaches and campaigns – as required and mandated by clients. Over and above this mandate, of course, they also have their own views as to what IMC is, and how it can best be operationalised. We commence the paper by reviewing the now extensive literature in this subject area, before tackling four research questions via an exploratory study within UK advertising and public relations agencies. The findings indicate that while IMC is here to stay – at least for the foreseeable future. Yet, there is still a significant developmental process that many businesses have to undertake. We conclude by suggesting that IMC development now needs to be researched in the domain of business practice. Certainly, more evidence needs to be provided concerning IMC and integrated marketing from within businesses.