IMC: the use of print and TV ads within an IKEA campaign

Abstract: In today’s world of advertising there is increasing competition for
attention from consumers. Therefore the advertiser who can differentiate
himself in a positive way will be able to capture the consumer’s attention
more effectively than his competitors. The war is fought for the consumers’
attention through all the promotion channels. The concept of Integrated
Marketing Communication (IMC) is focused on sending one consistent and
integrated message to the market through the chosen promotion channels. The
purpose of this thesis is to provide a deeper understanding on how print
and TV are used in an IMC campaign. In order to reach this purpose,
research questions focusing on how print ads, as well as TV ads can be
described, were stated. These research questions guided a review of the
relevant literature, resulting in a conceptual framework. This framework
in turn guided the data collection. A qualitative, case study approach was
used in order to collect the necessary data from an IKEA ad campaign that
used both print and television advertising. Through qualitative content
analysis of the print and TV ads, the study found that the different
advertisement elements were combined in different ways to obtain attention,
highlight certain elements of the ads, and to communicate different
appeals. The study found that TV ads primarily use TV advertising elements
such as color, motion, sound and spokesperson to send a message rather than
using text. The study also found out that TV ads make use of advertising
elements in a way that is not in the same traditional way as the theory
describes it, in order to obtain attention. Overall the study showed that
the different advertisement elements of TV and print advertisements were
powerful tools to configure effective and powerful messages. But it also
showed that in an IMC campaign these elements need to be carefully used so
as to not to lose the integration of the different messages sent in these
different communication channels. The thesis ends with implications for
future research, theory and managers.