South African marketing and communication agencies’ understanding of integrated communication (IC) : a true reflection of the concept?

Abstract

After almost 20 years of existence an agreement on the definition and scope of integrated communication (IC) has not been reached, and furthermore, the concept of IC is still seen as difficult to implement. The authors argue that in the stakeholder-centric twenty-first century, integrated communication (IC) is the evolved offspring of integrated marketing communication (IMC), the no longer valid customer focus of the twentieth century. For this reason, definitions and assumptions of integrated communication were subjected to critical scrutiny and divided into four eras of evolution to arrive at a clear understanding of integrated communication (IC) as a concept. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with the top 10 marketing and communication agencies in South Africa to determine their understanding of the concept of IC; to assess if IC principles are implemented in the South African marketplace; and if not, what the barriers preventing them from doing so are.