Marketing Dèjá Vu: The Discovery of Integrated Marketing Communications

Abstract

Integrated marketing communications (IMC) misrepresents the nature of marketing and systematically ignores at least 60 years of marketing literature. IMC reinvents marketing theory using different terminology for extant concepts. This article examines IMC, its history, and its relationship to the marketing literature. Although IMC has the potential to contribute to the development of theory as it relates to promotion and marketing communication, academicians need to debate its substantive contributions to the marketing and communication literature. This article provides a starting point.