Integrated marketing communications has five essential components, which must be undertaken in sequence to promote products and services successfully. Which of the following is the correct order of the first four?
A. Identify customer; Build relationships; Speak with single voice; Use contact point
B. Build relationships; Speak with single voice; Identify customer; Use contact point
C. Identify customer; Use contact point; Speak with single voice; Build relationships
D. Speak with single voice; Identify customer; Use contact point; Identify customer
E. Use contact point; Build relationships; Speak with single voice; Identify customer
Answer: C - Integrated marketing communications has five essential components, which must be undertaken in sequence to promote products and services successfully. The correct order of the first four is: identify customer; use contact point; speak with single voice; and build relationships. An integrated marketing communications plan must begin with the identification of the customer and understanding his or her needs. Following this identification, the communications plan must use a relevant contact point to gain information. Once information on the target customer is gathered, the plan must speak with a single voice and then build relationships with the customer. The final step is to affect customer behavior so that they purchase goods and services.