Discuss the concept of integrated marketing communications. Integrated marketing communications is the careful coordination of all promotional messages for a product or service to ensure the consistency of messages at every contact point where a company meets the consumer-advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, public relations, as well as direct marketing, packaging, and other forms of communication.

Marketing managers carefully coordinate all promotional activities to ensure that consumers see and hear one message. Integrated marketing communications has received more attention in recent years due to the proliferation of media choices, the fragmentation of mass markets into more segmented niches, and the decrease in advertising spending in favor of promotional techniques that generate an immediate sales response.

1. Discuss the importance of integrated marketing communications. Give some current examples of companies that are and are not practicing IMC.

2. What do you think is the role of Hallmark's Web site (www.hallmark. com) in the company's integrated marketing communications plan? What seems to be the marketing function of the site? Do you think the site is effective?