MG 2048 Pact Coffee's IMC Strategy Assignment Sample

Introduction Of Pact Coffee's IMC Strategy & Digital Marketing Effectiveness Analysis

Pact Coffee is a UK-based business that focuses on providing excellent, newly roasted bean coffee along with associated products (Pact Cofee, 2023). Consumers who join their service can have their favourite blends of coffee delivered regularly. By purchasing the beans it uses from the growers, the firm ensures moral behaviour. To successfully reach its target demographic, Pact Coffee's IMC (Integrated Marketing Communications) mix approach includes an array of marketing the media. Digital marketing, internet interaction, email marketing, marketing through content, and influencer partnerships are all part of their IMC mix. They use these channels to market their goods, interact with consumers, and create an integrated brand image.

The efficacy of their digital advertising campaigns, including traffic to their websites, rates of conversion, and the results of online ads, will be examined in this report. It could also examine the success of their pay-per-click (PPC) and search engine optimization (SEO) operations. The efficacy of Pact Coffee's interactions with its audience across multiple social media channels will be evaluated in this study. To evaluate the success of its social media marketing approach, it would look at indicators like following growth, posting reach, and user interactions. This analysis of the email advertising campaigns' performance would concentrate on data including open rates, rates of clicks, and rate of conversion. To determine client engagement, it would also evaluate the relevancy and categorization of the email content.

Literature Review

According to Krizanova, et. al. (2019) the strategic importance of integrated marketing communications (IMC) for creating a unified and consistent brand message throughout a range of advertising platforms is emphasised. The capacity of digital marketing to reach a broad demographic and its capacity to affect brand recognition and consumer engagement have been emphasised by academics. It has been thoroughly investigated how social media involvement, an important IMC tool, contributes to the development of strong company-consumer connections, brand loyalty, and the spread of good referral communications However, Munsch (2021) argued that. Email campaigns have been acknowledged for their personalised communication, capacity to increase client retention and rates of conversion, and inclusion in IMC activities. The research literature emphasizes the significance of eliminating organisational barriers between different advertising tasks to achieve an extensive and coherent communication strategy. Companies could boost brand awareness, boost customer loyalty, and increase return on investment by incorporating these campaigns.

For the purpose of delivering consistent brand communication, integrated marketing communications, or IMC, entails seamless integration as well as coordination of multiple technologies for communication.

Idrysheva, et. al. (2019) examined a major concept in the theory of communication is the linear model of communication, commonly referred to as the communication model. It depicts communications as a one-way transaction in which data travels along a particular channel between the senders to a recipient. This model offers important insights into the transmission and reception of messages by the audience in the framework of digital marketing. In the case of the linear approach, the sender which, in the setting of digital marketing, might be a brand, business, or marketer is the message's creator. However, Rehman, Gulzar and Aslam (2022) argued that the communication must be encrypted by the sender to be transformed into a format that can be delivered through the selected online advertising channel. It could entail producing written content, visuals, moving pictures, or other multimedia that adheres to the marketing goals.

Muhammedrisaevna, Bayazovna and Kakhramonovna (2020) defined the AIDA model is a conventional structure for marketing communication which is still very useful in the age of technology. In digital marketing, grabbing the audience's attention among the sea of online content is essential. To grab the interest of consumers, advertisers utilize eye-catching images, catchy headlines, and precise marketing. The emphasis then shifts to creating interest through useful and pertinent material after notice has been attracted. Marketers highlight the benefits and distinctive selling factors of their products and services in order to generate demand. Last but not least, marketers encourage the audience to do the intended action, such as completing an order, signing up to receive a newsletter, or engaging on a link, by integrating strong and convincing call-to-action components.

The authors identified in their study that since social media offers immediate input and two-way conversation, the interactional model of communication is extremely pertinent in this situation. On a contradictory note, Gordon-Isasi, Narvaiza and Gibaja (2021) defined that to fortify the bonds between a business and its customers, marketers might engage with them as well as answer their questions. In the world of social media, where users discuss their impressions and views, referral marketing has a big influence on perceptions of brands and the way others choose to buy things.

Kushwaha, et. al. (2020) stated that the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) of persuading has applications in email marketing since they entail direct engagement with clients. Customers can either process email information directly (high participation) or outside (low involvement), according to their level of engagement. For maximum success, marketers must modify the emails they send to correspond with their intended audience's processing preferences. In addition, the AIDA model is employed since messages sent via email is intended to grab users in, pique their interest, arouse desire, and inspire actions.

Jiang, Chiu, and Chan (2023) described IMC puts a strong emphasis on branding with the goal of building brand equity and an integrated brand identity. By delivering the company's idea consistently, all three of these actions help to build awareness of the company. The IMC tools support the upkeep of brand values and identity across multiple platforms, enhancing recognition and recall.

Market Environment Analysis

Assessing key competitors, market trends and environmental factors which have an impact on the concerned organization

Pact Coffee is a major player in the UK coffee speciality market. Using a subscription service company approach, it positioned itself as an importer of premium, newly-roasted coffee beans that are delivered directly to consumers' homes (Cai, et. al. 2020). As more consumers look for excellent socially produced coffee products, the UK coffee business has been constantly expanding.

Three key competitors for Pact Coffee are

Hasbean

In the UK, Hasbean is a renowned coffee roasting noted because of its broad range of single-origin beans for coffee. They offer both retail and wholesale clients and have a large selection of beverage alternatives. The excellent bean sourcing and unique coffee experience that Hasbean is known for make it a powerful competitor of Pact Coffee.

Union Hand-Roasted Coffee

A further significant participant in the UK speciality coffee business is Union Hand-Roasted Coffee. They put a lot of focus on sustainable procurement and are close to the coffee manufacturers. Consumers who care for the environment will find Union Hand-Roasted Coffee's emphasis on sustainability and selection of mixes and single-origin coffee fascinating.

Blue Coffee Box

A subscription service called Blue Coffee Box picks speciality coffee from all around the globe and sends them right to the homes of customers. They provide an easy way for customers to learn about several coffee types and flavours, ranging much as Pact Coffee.

Market Trends

Customers are increasingly seeking out speciality and premium coffee experiences in the UK. They have the willingness to spend more for unique, premium coffee beans with amazing flavours and ethical origins. Subscription-based business models are growing more and more well-liked since they give consumers convenience and a customised coffee experience. With frequent coffee delivery that is customized to each customer's preferences, Pact Coffee's subscription service fits in nicely with this development (Bui, et. al. 2021). Customers in the UK are becoming more aware of how their purchases will affect the environment and community. Coffee firms like Pact Coffee can gain a competitive edge in this industry by prioritising ethical and environmentally conscious purchasing methods.

Market Environmental Factors and IMC Decisions

Market trends include a shift in customer preference in increased mobile usage, digital channels and increasing demand for customized communication. Moreover, market environmental factors include competitive landscape, technological advancement, economic conditions and regulatory changes that affect the operations of the company.

• Digital marketing:This is crucial for increasing brand awareness and bringing in prospective clients as the online coffee industry becomes increasingly competitive. To guarantee the their website appears highly in the search results and reach potential consumers who are actively searching for speciality coffee goods, Pact Coffee participates in search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay-per-click, or PPC, advertising. Pact Coffee may inform consumers about their ethical purchasing methods, bean quality, and unique goods using content advertising, including blog entries and social media postings, which strengthen their brand's reputation as a high-end and conscientious option.
• Social media connection: Pact Coffee strongly maintains its presence on websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram due to the rising significance of social networks in consumer interaction and marketing via word-of-mouth (Baccarella, et. al. 2022). They provide aesthetically appealing substance, interact with the fans, and promote content created by users by holding competitions and using hashtags. This creates a feeling of belonging around the business, capitalizing on the trend of referral marketing and using pleased customers as brand ambassadors.
• Email marketing: Pact Coffee's usage of promotional emails has been driven by the UK coffee market's reliance upon subscription-based company models. They can stay in touch with their customers via electronic mail and inform them about new coffee goods, sales, and special discounts. Pact Coffee targets their devoted customer base via email advertising in an effort to arouse need and spur action, promoting buys back and loyalty to the company.

Effective email marketing is essential in the UK coffee industry due the increasing popularity of subscription service coffee offerings, which is necessary to keep customers and promote new goods, offers, and discounts. Pact Coffee can effectively target and engage with their devoted client base thanks to advances in email automation technology, which promotes loyalty to the company and repeat purchases. The success of marketing via email tactics is influenced by consumer tastes and economic situations.

Critical Analysis And Discussion

A) Brief assessment

The digital marketing diligence included a variety of various methods and media, including content marketing, PPC (pay-per-click) advertising, show adverts, and search engine optimisation (SEO). These techniques were used to increase the business's online visibility, draw in new customers via search engine results, and engage them with relevant and educational material. To communicate with clients directly, the use of social media activities focused on sites like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (Kabeyi, 2019). The company used the internet to promote content created by users, strengthen brand-consumer conversations, and promote referral marketing. To interact with current clients, promotional emails were used as an immediate communication route. The company used personalised messages in emails to foster connections, advertise fresh goods or deals, and drive customers back.

B) Relevant theories and models

The AIDA model, which stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action, is useful for digital marketing. The business aimed to create Interest and Need among potential consumers by using visually appealing pictures and captivating headlines (Attention) in PPC then display advertising, ultimately inspiring people to perform an Action by clicking on the advertisement and visiting the landing page.

Since social media allows two-way contact between the organisation and its audience, the Interactional Model of Communications works well in this situation (Krizanova, et. al. 2019). The company can more effectively comprehend client demands, respond to enquiries, and forge links with customers by engaging them directly.

Email marketing could employ the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) for persuading. Customers may be urged to take Action such as finishing a purchase if the subject matter of the email fits with their mental processing style, depending on their level of engagement.

C) Integration of marketing communications mix

Through its online marketing, social media communication, and email initiatives, Pact Coffee has shown the way the components of marketing communication can be integrated. Through these actions, the company keeps a constant image and experience (Pratono, et. al. 2019). Their pay-per-click (PPC) adverts, for instance, effortlessly tie in with the posts posted on websites and email newsletters. This unified strategy strengthens Pact Coffee's image and narrative and gives consumers regular, appealing brand identification over all touchpoints. Pact Coffee efficiently connects its target consumers, develops trusting consumer relationships and sets itself out in the cutthroatspecialtycoffee market by using these actions.

D) Effectiveness of the integrated activities

Despite Pact Coffee's well-integrated marketing communication strategy is still lacking real factual data on funds and results; it is bound to be successful. Pact Coffee cultivates a unified brand identity and message by coordinating its digital advertising, social media interaction, and email marketing. The success of their combined activities would be better understood by tracking key performance indicators, or KPIs, such as traffic to the website, rates of clicks, rate of conversion, and consumer loyalty measures (Idrysheva, et. al. 2019). Successful audience engagement would be demonstrated by an increase in traffic to the site and a strong rate of clicks from paid search ads to emails and social media campaigns.

The effect of their consistent marketing messages across different channels may also be seen in an increase in the rate of conversion and positive consumer loyalty metrics. A strategic merger of Pact Coffee is anticipated to improve recognition of the brand, client retention, and general performance in the competitive UK speciality coffee businesses.

E) Contribution to Brand Positioning

Implementing an integrated strategy for communication with consumers has a tremendous impact on Pact Coffee's positioning as a brand. Pact Coffee promotes its key principles of offering high-quality, freshly roasted beans of coffee and a dedication to ethical sourcing by maintaining a consistent message throughout its online advertising, social media channels, and email campaigns. This consistent approach helps Pact Coffee distinguish out in the crowded UK speciality coffee industry by helping customers develop a distinct identity for the company. Pact Coffee efficiently demonstrates its unique selling advantages via digital marketing initiatives like PPC ads as well as content marketing, emphasising the simplicity of its subscription service and the wide range of speciality coffee blends offered. This strategy is complemented by social media participation since it fosters direct connections to consumers, promotes user-generated content, and magnifies advertising through word-of-mouth. The brand's image and trustworthiness are enhanced through positive feedback from customers and testimonials posted on social networking sites, which further strengthens its position in the market.

The application of email advertising also enables Pact Coffee to bolster current client connections, fostering loyalty to the brand and enticing repeat business. The brand's dedication to customer fulfilment is reinforced via personalized email content, which also engages consumers with exclusive deals and information on its products.

Recommendations

The following recommendations towards improvement are made in light of the thorough review of Pact Coffee's IMC strategies:

• Information-driven decision-making: The firm needs to concentrate on collecting and analyzing genuine, verifiable information on expenditure and results for its advertising operations. The effectiveness of their combined efforts may be better understood by using key performance indicators, or KPIs, including traffic to the website, rates of click-through, rate of conversion, and customer engagement measures. This approach based on data will aid in streamlining marketing initiatives, recognizing potential areas for improvement, as well as effectively allocating resources.
• Personalization and segmentation: Pact Coffee might further personalize its marketing communications, especially its emails, in order to increase consumer interaction (Pecánek, 2022). Building closer relationships among consumers, boosting brand loyalty, and encouraging repeat business will all be simplified by using customer data to customise materials and offers according to unique tastes and purchase history.
• Enhanced Social Media Interaction: Pact Coffee already has a large social media following, but they could boost interaction by promptly answering questions, comments and other correspondence from clients. Conducting social media competitions and highlighting content created by users can both boost word-of-mouth marketing and foster an impression connected to others surrounding the business.
• Influencer Partnerships: To promote Pact Coffee, think about working with celebrities or experts in the speciality coffee sector. Influencer alliances may increase the credibility of a company's reach of and ability to draw in prospective customers.
• Narrative and Brand Story: Create a captivating brand narrative that emphasizes the process of finding and roasting beans for coffee while highlighting the company's commitment to environmentally friendly and ethical business practices (Hughes, 2016). By using narrative in marketing interactions, Pact Coffee can further distinguish itself apart from rivals by forging a personal connection with its customers.

Conclusion

The report summarizes with a comprehensive analysis of Pact Coffee's IMC (Integrated Marketing Communication) approaches taking into consideration the three main communication activities of email campaigns, social networking interaction, and digital marketing. Through an in-depth review, it became clear that Pact Coffee had effectively integrated these initiatives to give its target audience a consistent corporate identity and experiences. The report emphasized how the AIDA framework and linear communications model may be used to digital marketing to help prospective customers become more aware of, engaged in, and motivated to take action. Through the use of social media engagement, Pact Coffee may contact directly with consumers, encourage loyalty to the company, and magnify favourable endorsements for the company. This is made feasible by the interactional method of communication and referral business communications.

The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) of convincing others, used in email advertising, enables personalized communication and successfully retains current consumers, encouraging repeat purchases. By combining these initiatives, managers can guarantee uniform messaging and positioning for the brand, which helps establish an individual brand identity in customers' thoughts. The significance of using tangible, factual data on funds and results for assessing the success of coordinated operations was emphasised in the study. The performance of the tactics will be shown by monitoring KPIs including traffic to the website, rates of click-through, conversion rates, and client engagement measures. Pact Coffee is able to reinforce its brand's positioning, client engagement and loyalty by continuously adapting its strategy in light of information findings and putting the recommendations for enhancement into practice. By doing this, they can further solidify their position as the preferred option for speciality coffee enthusiasts and maintain their success in the fast-moving and ever-growing coffee market.

References

Books and Journals

• Baccarella, C.V., Maier, L., Meinel, M., Wagner, T.F. and Voigt, K.I., 2022. The effect of organizational support for creativity on innovation and market performance: the moderating role of market dynamism.Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management,33(4), pp.827-849.
• Bui, T.D., Tsai, F.M., Tseng, M.L., Tan, R.R., Yu, K.D.S. and Lim, M.K., 2021. Sustainable supply chain management towards disruption and organizational ambidexterity: A data-driven analysis.Sustainable production and consumption,26, pp.373-410.
• Cai, W., Khapova, S., Bossink, B., Lysova, E. and Yuan, J., 2020. Optimizing employee creativity in the digital era: Uncovering the interactional effects of abilities, motivations, and opportunities.International journal of Environmental Research and public health,17(3), p.1038.
• Gordon-Isasi, J., Narvaiza, L. and Gibaja, J.J., 2021. Revisiting integrated marketing communication (IMC): A scale to assess IMC in higher education (HE).Journal of Marketing for Higher Education,31(1), pp.58-90.
• Idrysheva, Z., Tovma, N., Abisheva, K.Z., Murzagulova, M. and Mergenbay, N., 2019. Marketing communications in the digital age. InE3S Web of Conferences(Vol. 135, p. 04044). EDP Sciences.
• Jiang, X., Chiu, D.K. and Chan, C.T., 2023. Application of the AIDA model in social media promotion and community engagement for small cultural organizations: A case study of the Choi Chang Sau Qin Society. InCommunity engagement in the online space(pp. 48-70). IGI Global.
• Kabeyi, M., 2019. Organizational strategic planning, implementation and evaluation with analysis of challenges and benefits.International Journal of Applied Research and Studies,5(6), pp.27-32.
• Krizanova, A., L?z?roiu, G., Gajanova, L., Kliestikova, J., Nadanyiova, M. and Moravcikova, D., 2019. The effectiveness of marketing communication and importance of its evaluation in an online environment.Sustainability,11(24), p.7016.
• Kushwaha, B.P., Singh, R.K., Varghese, N. and Singh, V.N., 2020. Integrating social media and digital media as new elements of integrated marketing communication for creating brand equity.Journal of Content, Community & Communication,11(6), pp.52-64.
• Muhammedrisaevna, T.M.S., Bayazovna, G.N. and Kakhramonovna, D.A., 2020. Goal and objectives of integrated marketing communications.Economics, (2 (45)), pp.5-7.
• Munsch, A., 2021. Millennial and generation Z digital marketing communication and advertising effectiveness: A qualitative exploration.Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science,31(1), pp.10-29.
• Pratono, A.H., Darmasetiawan, N.K., Yudiarso, A. and Jeong, B.G., 2019. Achieving sustainable competitive advantage through green entrepreneurial orientation and market orientation: The role of inter-organizational learning.The Bottom Line,32(1), pp.2-15.
• Rehman, S.U., Gulzar, R. and Aslam, W., 2022. Developing the integrated marketing communication (imc) through social media (sm): the modern marketing communication approach.SAGE Open,12(2), p.21582440221099936.

Online

• Pact Cofee. 2023. Online. Available through. :<https://www.pactcoffee.com/>.
• Pecánek, M., 2022. What Is IMC? Integrated Marketing Communications Explained. Online. Available through. :< https://ahrefs.com/blog/imc/>.
• Hughes, E., 2016. What are Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Strategies?. Online. Available through. :< https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-integrated-marketing-communications-imc-erin-hughes/>.