The Practice and Challenges of Integrated Marketing Communications; The Case of Ethiopian Air Lines
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Date
2021-10
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Today, integrated marketing communications is becoming a necessary condition for the existence of an organization. Many organizations in the world make out its great value, which is why they have been practicing their marketing communication purposes. The purpose of this research is to explore the IMC practice of Ethiopian Airlines. Mixed research methods were adopted to achieve the stated objectives of the study. Questionnaires, in-depth interview, document analysis and observation were used as the main data collection tools. Purposive sampling was used for in-depth interview and questionnaires respondents. The results of this study show that employees have a positive attitude towards the implementation of Ethiopian Airlines integrated marketing communications; they agree that IMC has many benefits in terms of saving resources, establishing a working relationship relaxed and building integrity with various stakeholders. On the other hand according to marketing communication instruments utilization the research finding shows, Ethiopian Airlines uses these marketing communication instruments depending on the company’s communication contexts like time and other related issues. Some marketing communication tools are used frequently, while others are also used occasionally. The research result shows that digital marketing is the most widespread and used marketing communication tool by Ethiopian Airlines. Customers are in high demand for the use of social media, they are actively using it and have achieved an amazing development in the use of Ethiopian Airlines. Regarding obstacles to the practice of IMC, bluntly mentioned lack of a marketing communication plan and delivery cycle, the existence of technical terminology, and the lack of technical training. Finally, the study suggested that all integrated marketing communication activities should be carried out on the basis of a comprehensive plan and to improve structural defects. Furthermore, the customer's marketing communication activities need to be evaluated frequently. Moreover, the researcher suggest more research on the effectiveness of marketing communication tools and integrated marketing communication for employee Should be conducted.
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Keywords
Communication, Marketing, Integrated, Instruments, Framework