Strategic Evaluation of Integrated Marketing Communications

MKT201 Integrated Marketing Communications Assessment 2: Brand and Communications AuditAssessment Overview

In this second phase of your marketing journey, you will step into the role of a strategic consultant. Following your initial business selection and persona development in Assessment 1, you are now tasked with conducting a formal Brand and Communications Audit. This report requires a deep dive into the practical application of the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) mix. You will evaluate how effectively your chosen brand communicates its value proposition compared to its primary competitors, ensuring that the messaging remains consistent across all touchpoints to resonate with your established target personas.

Assessment Task

Individually, you must prepare a 1,500-word professional business report (+/- 10% allowable range) that audits the IMC strategies of your chosen business or non-profit. Your analysis must be evidence-based, using screenshots and visual data to support your observations. The report should be written in a formal third-person perspective, maintaining a professional tone suitable for a corporate or board-level audience.

Report Structure and Requirements1. Introduction

• Provide a concise overview of the chosen business and the specific brand under investigation.
• State the purpose of the report, outlining the scope of the audit and the specific IMC elements being evaluated.

2. Positioning

• Identify at least four direct or indirect competitors within the relevant market.
• Develop and include a Brand Positioning Map. This visual must plot your brand against the four competitors based on two relevant criteria (e.g., Price vs. Quality, Innovation vs. Tradition).
• Justify the selection of your axes and provide a rationale for the placement of each brand on the map, supported by market evidence.

3. Integrated Marketing Communications Mix

• Identify the specific elements of the IMC mix currently employed by the brand (e.g., Advertising, Social Media, Public Relations, Sales Promotion).
• Detailed Audit: Use sub-headings for at least three specific IMC tools. For each tool, analyze the brand’s messaging, imagery, tone, and style.
• Effectiveness and Consistency: Evaluate whether these communications are consistent with the brand’s positioning and suitable for the personas created in Assessment 1. You must justify your stance with critical analysis.

4. Recommendations

• Propose at least two strategic refinements the brand should implement based on your audit findings.
• Present these in bullet points with detailed supporting explanations on how these changes will improve brand equity or persona engagement.

5. Conclusion

• Summarize the core findings of the audit and reiterate the alignment (or lack thereof) between the brand’s intended positioning and its actual communications.

6. Appendix

• Include dated screenshots, photos, or links to the IMC materials (social media posts, websites, ads) for both your brand and the competitors analyzed. Note: Reports without an appendix may face academic integrity reviews.

Notes: Strategic Audit

A successful brand audit requires a granular look at how visual identity and messaging architecture function across digital and physical platforms. For instance, if a brand positions itself as a premium, eco-conscious provider, yet utilizes aggressive, discount-oriented sales promotions, a cognitive dissonance occurs within the target persona’s perception. Research indicates that “integrated marketing communication is a strategic business process used to plan, develop, execute and evaluate coordinated, measurable, persuasive brand communication programs over time with consumers, customers, prospects, and other targeted, relevant external and internal audiences” (Schultz & Schultz 2005). Consequently, the audit must look beyond mere aesthetics to determine if the brand’s voice remains unified. If the social media tone is irreverent while the official website remains clinical, the IMC mix fails the consistency test. Marketing professionals must ensure that every touchpoint reinforces the central brand promise to build long-term equity.

Marking Rubric Summary

Recommended References

• Belch, G.E. & Belch, M.A. (2021) Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective. 12th edn. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.

• Fill, C. & Turnbull, S. (2019) Marketing Communications: Discovery, Creation and Conversations. 8th edn. Harlow: Pearson Education. Link to resource

• Kitchen, P.J. & Uzunoglu, E. (2023) Integrated Marketing Communications: A Global Brand-Driven Approach. 2nd edn. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003204435

• Percy, L. (2018) Strategic Integrated Marketing Communications. 3rd edn. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315170916

• Schultz, D.E. & Schultz, H. (2005) ‘The evolution of integrated marketing communications’, Journal of Advertising Research, 45(1). https://doi.org/10.1017/S002184990505004X