2007 Oxford Business & Economics Conference ISBN : 978-0-9742114-7-3 Departing from Advertising to Integrated Marketing Communication: A Study of the Current Needs of the Creative Industries in Singapore Dr. Katherine Toland Frith, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Mr. James Chen, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Mr. Malcolm Chung, Institute of Technical Education, Singapore ABSTRACT Due to emergence of integrated marketing communication or IMC, there is a need to reexamine advertising curriculum. Advertisers of the modern day are not expected only to do their jobs well. Instead, the onus is on them to provide seamless communications solutions for their respective clients. Advertising today is not what it was in the past, whereby it was just a standalone component. With the advert of new media and growing market needs, marketing communications now includes the integration of advertising and public relations elements, across a variety of media. As such, advertisers do not just need to contend with competitors from their industry, but they also have to fight with media planning as well as public relations firms for a slice of the revenues. The need to integrate can be seen from the mergers and acquisitions taking place in the industry to form conglomerates such as the WPP group. With the shifts in the industry, it is essential that an examination be done to ensure that the current education curricular is able to keep with the ever-changing needs of the advertising industry. For the purpose of the study, an in-depth analysis was conducted to examine the current education curricular and whether they are relevant to keep up with the current and future industry needs. A questionnaire was conducted involving educationalists as well as practitioners within Singapore. The study served as a springboard to a more exhaustive study in the advertising industry within Singapore as well as in comparison over a cross-section of countries in Asia, providing an insight into trends and the different factors in relation to the advertising industry within the country. INTRODUCTION Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is a strategic business process used to plan, develop, execute and evaluate coordinated measurable, persuasive brand communication programs over time with consumers, customers, prospects, and other targeted, relevant external and internal audiences (Schultz and Kitchen 2000). IMC is no doubt one of the most debated and controversial topics in Business and Mass Communication field, both from an educational perspective and from its practical application. Advertising and Public Relations students also often ask themselves whether they are adequately prepared for employment after they graduate. The two industries are often vocal in asserting that educators are not doing enough to train the future communicators for their jobs. Critics have also point out that there is a growing trend for advertising industries to introduce IMC in their curriculum to bridge the differences between the two industries. In concept, IMC suggests that advertising and PR efforts will be greatest when coupled with other marketing elements such as sales promotions and direct marketing to communicate with the consumers through multiple channels (Griffin and Pasadeos 1998). In practice, IMC rejects mass media strategies used in the past due to the increasing segmented audiences. (Schultz, Tannenbaurn and Lauterborn 1993). Although some critics insist that IMC is the new framework that educationist should use to redraw their course syllabus, other critics however rebutted that an IMC based curriculum will instead undermine the educator’s ability to provide in-depth teachings and this will in turn create the situation where students are not trained adequately for their future career. (Griffin and Pasadeos 1998). June 24-26, 2007 Oxford University, UK 1 2007 Oxford Business & Economics Conference ISBN : 978-0-9742114-7-3 Through a survey of Singapore advertising a professionals, this study explores how higher institution can revamp their curriculum to bridge the needs of the advertising industry due to the emergence of IMC. The Increase in Importance of IMC As the marketplace changes from manufacturer-orientation and distributor orientation to customerorientation, marketing concepts has permeated every aspects of business. (Kitchen 2003a, 2003b). This huge change has also led to a great evolution on the roles and functions of marketing communications. Kitchen and Schultz (1999) state that consumers are gaining control of the four systems namely, “digitization, information technology, intellectual property and communication systems” which are the building blocks driving changes in the market place. This lead to “demassification” of the population or splintering of the mass market into specialized groups according to their demographics, psychographics and other variables (Harris 1993). Businesses need to turn to a new communication system spearheaded by IMC in order to reach and communicate with customers effectively (Kitchen and Schultz 1999). Within the multiple channels used for IMC approach, there is also a need for marketers to “speak with one voice not only to consumers but also to those who influence their purchase decision” (Harris 1993). It is agreed across the board that IMC is a “strategic joining of communication functions” used by marketers. The major marketing communication functions when used in concerted effort yield a greater result then using separate marketing mediums with its own targets, message strategy and media schedule and timing (Duncan and Everett 1993). This dynamism through message integration is usually referred as synergy (Griffin and Pasadeos 1998). Four main factors contribute to the emergence of IMC. Firstly, agency mergers combined with the emphasis on niche marketing have reduced the need for clients to turn to multiple specialty (Kallish, 1990). Next, there is also an increased emphasis on bottom-line profits has spurred agencies to add functions. Rose and Miller (1993) highlight that in smaller markets, where few agencies must meet all the demands of a client communication needs, advertising and public relations professionals are already engaging in multiple tasks that blur the lines between the two fields. This proliferation of small multipurpose agencies in smaller markets also increased the emergence of IMC (Schultz, 1991) Lastly, there is also a perceived need on the part of clients to integrate communications to achieve better results. (Kirk, 1991). Criticisms on IMC There are many criticisms since the emergence of IMC. Wrightman (1999) suggests that “IMC is only an excuse for advertising agencies to engulf public relations in order to deal with reduction in client budget for mass communication.” However, Miller and Rose (1994) research showed that public relations professionals must support integrated marketing communications as it has became a reality and necessity. There also academics who do feel that IMC is basically “old wine in a new wine bottle”. Spotts et al (1998) claimed that “the bulk of the IMC literature is a development parallel to marketing which misrepresents marketing, and reinvents and renames existing concepts”. Novelli (1989-90) however states that "IMC is clearly in the best interests of the client... the synergy that results from genuine integration can help clients" both in "cost savings" and "a gain in effectiveness from the concentration of power that results". Another criticism on IMC is that IMC programme lacks measurement. Schultz & Kitchen (2000) argues that many marketing activities also cannot be measured; therefore measurement is not only the problem of IMC but all marketing and marketing communication activities. IMC: Its Effects on Advertising Education Brody (1991) states that employers want corresponding changes in the way students are prepared for work environment. Many see the problems with advertising and public relations education but are able to relate what changes are needed. Brody (1985) also states that "dissatisfaction on the part of practicing professionals with the product of contemporary curricula is well-established and does not appear to be letting up" (p.9). These remarks although highlight the perceived "misalignment" between education and professional expectations, seem to leave room for educators to evaluate and address the problem. Some educators also express concern that the merging of advertising and public relations with business/marketing coursework will ultimately impair students' ability to become fluent in any single discipline (Acheson 1993). The greatest difficulty in the advertising education is that there are so many changes in the industry with it been constantly redefined, re-mediated, and reassessed by the market and culture at large. Educators need to June 24-26, 2007 Oxford University, UK 2 2007 Oxford Business & Economics Conference ISBN : 978-0-9742114-7-3 constantly redefine and assess their expertise and approach to the field due to the fundamental shifts. In the best scenario, this element may encourage phenomenal innovation and growth of knowledge. However in the worst case, such changes may also lead to confusion, mediocrity in teaching and research, and a professorial cohort losing their common vision of the field (Department of Advertising Faculty, the University of Texas by Austin, 2000). Business and mass communication departments also have the problems of housing either advertising or public relations discipline in their schools, "The truth of the situation is that public relations and advertising really fall halfway between mass communications and business/marketing but are fully neither" (Falb, 1992, p.100) and "advertising and public relations curriculums have ended up either in mass communications/journalism or business by default" (p.98). Many departments devoted to the teaching and research of these two disciplines have already, or are currently being, combined to represent the interrelationship between the fields and/or to more effectively utilize the talents and services of the respective faculty. Industry professionals are usually receptive, recommending that "these two major areas must work closer together for the student's sake" (Ross, 1973, p.21). Rose & Miller (1993) also state that there is also evidence that IMC finds stronger opposition among PR practioners and faculty than among their advertising counterparts. Many in public relations feel that their discipline “does not belong to the marketing function but of a broader entity” that cannot be summarized by IMC. Research Questions To investigate the attitudes and perceptions of advertising practitioners in Singapore, the following research questions were generated: RQ1: What are the current education needs of advertising curricular in Singapore? RQ2: What are the future education needs of advertising curricular in Singapore? METHODOLOGY The methodology used in this study was a quantitative survey. The survey was designed and conducted with Singapore advertising industry people in both the creative and non-creative fields. Those in the creative departments included copywriters, designers, art directors, producers and creative directors. Practitioners classified as “noncreative”, were comprised of professionals in client servicing, media planning and research. Questionnaire development The questionnaire was based on a study done by (Chang 2000) on the Communication Education and Media Needs in Singapore. Within the survey included sections on advertising and public relations education. These two sections were integrated, as according to the review of literature, scholars such as Falb (1992) have stated the need for advertising and public relations to merge, in order to remain relevant with the changes in the industry landscape. The areas that were overlapping were then merged to prevent repetitions. The survey was then pre-tested through a pilot study. Based on the findings of the pre-test, the questionnaire edited and was subsequently distributed to 69 respondents. In the first part of the questionnaire, we asked the respondents about their professional and educational demographics. The second part of the questionnaire included a 5-point Likert scale that was used to measure their attitudes towards the current and future education requirements needed by aspiring entrants into the advertising industry. Current education requirements were defined as within a 1-year time frame, whereas future education requirements were operationalized as within a 3-year time horizion. Sampling of respondents The respondents included Singaporeans and foreigners who worked in the Singapore advertising industry. A snowball sampling approach was utilized based to gain access to practitioners within the advertising industry. According to Wimmer & Dominick (2000), the snowball sampling method is useful in gaining access to respondents of specific demographic representations. In this instance, the sampling approach was utilized in order to gain access to practitioners within the advertising industry. Demographics of Respondents Of the 69 practitioners who completed the survey, 43.5% (N=30) of them were male, while the other 56.5% (N=39) were female. 40.6% were within the 21 to 30 years old range (N=28). The other 36.2% (N=25) were within the 31 to 40 age range, and the final 23.2% (N=16) were aged over 40 years old. June 24-26, 2007 Oxford University, UK 3 2007 Oxford Business & Economics Conference ISBN : 978-0-9742114-7-3 Education profile of respondents About 2.9% (N=2) of the respondents had achieved secondary school level or lower. About 39.1% (N=27) had either a diploma or junior college education, and 53.6% (N=37) held undergraduate degrees. The other 4.3% (N=3) possessed graduate degrees. About 88.4% (N=61) had received their formal education in Singapore, while 11.6% (N=8) were educated elsewhere. Work profile of respondents About 30.4% of the respondents (N=21) were currently engaged in creative work, while the other 69.6% (N=48) of the respondents were non-creatives. Nearly 44.9% (N=31) of the respondents held management positions and higher, while the other 55.1% (N=38) were either creative professionals or were executives in their respective organizations. FINDINGS & ANALYSIS Evaluations of key advertising skill areas Based on the feedback of the respondents, it was found that the current skills areas that are currently in most demand are (Please refer to Table A (Summarized)): Table A (Summarized): Present IMC skill requisites from practitioners’ perspectives Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Mean Skill Areas for Present Emphasis (Correct to 1 decimal place) Conceptual skills to transform the strategic statement into an idea 5.0 Creativity in design and art 4.9 Events management 4.8 Effective client management 4.7 Campaign design 4.6 Product branding 4.6 Headline and cutline writing 4.6 Strategic thinking about the product and the consumer 4.5 Oral communication (interpersonal, small group and public) 4.5 Copywriting 4.4 Conceptual skills are important based on the ability of the advertising professional to translate a creative brief into meaningful, viable conceptual terms to be presented to the client. The ability of executing the creative idea is also important as evident from the responses garnered from the quantitative study. The advertising practitioners interviewed also felt that the need for client management, based on the need to retain existing accounts and acquire new ones. Product branding is an important factor in the process of advertising. By being able to provide a positive holistic brand experience, advertisers would be able to present themselves as a solutions provider, rather than just an executor of the creative strategies of its clients. Campaign design was also ranked equally important as product branding, with the need for advertisers to have advertising campaigns that would allow them to break from the clutter of marketing messages from rival organizations. This particular areas was overlapping in both the advertising and public relations section of Chang (2000)’s study. The interesting points of observation would be that within the top 10 present IMC skill requisites, 3 of them are closely related to public relations curriculum. These are events management, headline and cutline writing and oral communication. The skill campaign design is an overlapping with both advertising and public relations areas. Based on the feedback of the respondents, it was found that the future skills areas that are currently in most demand are (Please refer to Table B (Summarized)): Table B (Summarized): Future IMC skill requisites from practitioners’ perspectives June 24-26, 2007 Oxford University, UK 4 2007 Oxford Business & Economics Conference Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ISBN : 978-0-9742114-7-3 Skill Areas for Future Emphasis Strategic thinking about the product and the consumer Conceptual skills to transform the strategic statement into an idea Effective client management Market research On-line marketing communication skill Campaign design Product branding Creativity in design and art Events management Oral communication (interpersonal, small group and public) Mean (Correct to 1 decimal place) 5.0 4.9 4.8 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.4 However, based on the future skill needs in the advertising curricular, one of the most important areas that was identified by respondents was the ability to link to creative message to the end-consumer. Otherwise known as strategic planning, this was identified by the respondents as a key skill area in which would be in high demand in the advertising industry. The importance of conceptual skills and efficient client management were also identified by the advertising practitioners as one of the key areas to focus on in the future. These areas were also previously identified by the respondents of the study as key areas in current-day advertising needs. The advertising practitioners also felt that amongst the other needs of future advertising professionals include marketing research as well as online marketing communication. Online marketing has gained increasing importance with tentacle-like reach of the internet and the emergence of new online marketing techniques such as immersive advertising. Once again, skill aspects which were either traditionally from the public relations field or were overlapping in both advertising and public relations were included within the top 10 fields that were identified by advertising professionals. These include events management and campaign design. From Table E, one can tell that the skills that educationalists should concentrate on should most importantly include conceptual skills to transform strategic statements into ideas, effective client management. One can foresee that certain skills might be deemed relevant in the immediate future, whereas not so in the long-run. These include creativity in design and art and events management. However, others such as strategic thinking about the product and customer, market research and online marketing represent the possible future needs of the advertising industry based on the forecasts of the advertising professionals. As such, education institutions have to seek the strike a balance in finding a right mix between concentrating on current demands, as compared to the courseware development to meet the future demands of the industry. From the observations as seen from Table E, one can observe that there is expected to be a shift towards a more strategic approach towards advertising, based on more scientific methods. Examples of these include market research (from 13th position to 4th position) and strategic thinking about the product and the consumer (from 8th position to 1st position). Table E: IMC skill requisites from practitioners’ perspectives Skill Areas for Emphasis Conceptual skills to transform the strategic statement into an idea Creativity in design and art Events management Effective client management Campaign design Product branding Headline and cutline writing Strategic thinking about the product and the consumer Oral communication (interpersonal, small group and public) Copywriting June 24-26, 2007 Oxford University, UK 5 Present 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Future 2 8 9 3 6 7 14 1 10 12 2007 Oxford Business & Economics Conference ISBN : 978-0-9742114-7-3 Presentation with audio Implementation of research Market research On-line marketing communication skill Evaluation of research Editing: grammar, spelling and punctuation Layout and page design Use of research Graphics creation: visual (photo and art) editing and sizing Accuracy and fact-checking Story structure and organization of content Presentation with still images (e.g. photo, painting) Data analysis Reporting Presentation with moving images (i.e. video) Typography 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 17 21 4 5 20 16 22 23 15 24 13 18 25 11 19 26 Evaluations of key advertising knowledge areas Based on the feedback of the respondents, it was found that the current knowledge areas that are currently in most demand are (Please refer to Table C (Summarized)): Table C (Summarized): Present IMC knowledge requisites from practitioners’ perspectives Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Knowledge Areas for Present Emphasis Integrated marketing communication Market research Knowledge of important issues among the public Psychology of communication Sociology psychology (i.e. how individuals think, feel and behave among other people) Understanding of various research designs Ethics for advertising Roles of research Different concepts of publics Multilingualism ideas Mean (Correct to 1 decimal place) 5.0 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.3 Advertising professionals identified integrated marketing communication as an important knowledge area due to the converging of the various elements of different forms of marketing communication, namely advertising and public relations. The knowledge of market research was also identified as an important knowledge area for current advertising purposes. Market research is required to cerate a deeper understanding of the customer psyche. This is evident as both the psychology of communication as well as social psychology was also identified as among the important areas for advertisers. The former is operationalized as the impact of visual and audio communication on the recipients of advertising messages. The social psychological process refers to the effects of the social interaction process of current/perspective customers. Ethics in advertising was rated 5 th in the study with possibly the heightened awareness of consumer rights. As already observed from the skills section of the paper, it was also observed that some areas that were deemed as important, either originate from the public relations field, or are overlapping with both the advertising and public relations aspect. These include different concepts of publics, knowledge of important issues among the public, understanding of different research designs, roles of research (public relations areas), integrated marketing communications, psychology of communication and sociology communication (overlapping areas). June 24-26, 2007 Oxford University, UK 6 2007 Oxford Business & Economics Conference ISBN : 978-0-9742114-7-3 Based on the feedback of the respondents, it was found that the future knowledge areas that are currently in most demand are (Please refer to Table D (Detailed)): Table D (Summarized): Future IMC knowledge requisites from practitioners’ Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Knowledge Areas for Future Emphasis Psychology of communication Multilingualism ideas Integrated marketing communication Sociology psychology (i.e. how individuals think, feel and behave among other people) Understanding of various research designs Market research Knowledge of important issues among the public Different concepts of publics Ethics for advertising Roles of research Mean (Correct to 1 decimal place) 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.9 4.8 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.6 Based on the study, there were several overlapping areas based on current and future advertising knowledge areas. These were integrated marketing communications, psychology of communication and sociology psychology and market research. The multilingualism of ideas refers to the ability to translate creative strategies into different lingual settings. Similarly as mentioned in the earlier paragraphs, many of these areas are either advertising areas which overlap with public relations curricular, or are solely from the public relations paradigm. Based on the observations of Table F, the some aspects of communication education are currently deemed more important now than in the future. Examples of these include: Market research and knowledge of important issues among the public. However, as mentioned earlier, in line with a proposed scientific approach towards servicing advertising clients of the future, practitioners propose psychology of communication and sociology psychology as the keys steps, which communication educators should emphasize. In line with increasing globalization and need for multi-nation corporation to advertise in different markets, multilingualism ideas are proposed. These are ideas that can withstand cultural idiosyncrasies, whereby advertising firms can act to provide seamless coordination of advertising services that can be executed across different geographic boarders. Also, despite the mentioned lesser emphasis in market research, research and the scientific-based approach would play an invaluable part in the advertising creative process in the near future. Related aspects such as market research (ranked 6 th under the future column), psychology of communication (ranked 1st), sociology psychology (ranked 4th), understanding of various research designs (ranked 5th) and roles of research (ranked 10th) are all within the top 10 knowledge areas in which would-be practitioners would be expected to be equipped with. Table F: IMC knowledge requisites from practitioners’ perspectives Knowledge Areas for Emphasis Present Integrated marketing communication 1 Market research 2 Knowledge of important issues among the public 3 Psychology of communication 4 Sociology psychology (i.e. how individuals think, feel and behave 5 among other people) Understanding of various research designs 6 Ethics for advertising 7 Roles of research 8 Different concepts of publics 9 Multilingualism ideas 10 Ethics for PR 11 June 24-26, 2007 Oxford University, UK 7 Future 3 6 7 1 4 5 9 10 8 2 13 2007 Oxford Business & Economics Conference ISBN : 978-0-9742114-7-3 Cultural analysis of still images Non-verbal communication Crisis communication Cultural analysis of moving images (e.g. video, film) Communication with moving images (i.e. video) Difference approaches to PR: Rhetorical/humanities; Social science; Critical Health communication Corporate/Organizational communication Communication with still images (e.g. photo, painting) Risk communication Communication with audio 12 13 14 15 16 17 14 16 12 11 22 17 18 19 20 21 22 15 19 20 18 21 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY Although the study has highlighted important issues pertaining curriculum development with regards to media education, the study is not without its limitations. Industry players interviewed were selected only based from those who had replied positively to the invitation to participate in the study. Furthermore, due to the relatively small sample of respondents, we are unable to generalize the findings of the views of the entire advertising industry in Singapore. CONCLUDING THOUGHTS The education requirements for the current and future needs of advertising education are similar, but are not identical. These observations would be able to shape the direction of advertising-related curricular. By being able to link the similarities as well as areas of variation, one would be able to understand and appreciate how the advertiser of today, is expected to evolve into the consummate marketing communications professional of tomorrow. The findings of the study are invaluable especially from the education administrator’s standpoint, as educators would be able to chart a gradual flow of emphasis into the different aspects of advertising education. Based on the rankings of the current and future needs of the advertising industry, educators would be better able to plan their advertising curriculum better to meet the ever-changing needs of the industry. The study has brought forth many interesting observations that can be developed to form a deeper understanding of the relative importance that people have towards the different aspects of advertising for both current and future curricular development. For example, based on the skills Table E, advertising professionals of tomorrow are expected to be strategists instead of just executors of predetermined creative strategies. Examples of these include a greater emphasis of strategic thinking about the product and the consumer (from 8 th position to 1st position), with research functions meant to support this strategic thinking process, for example market research (from 13th position to 4th position). Operations aspects that are expected to decrease in importance would include events management (from 3rd to 9th position) and headline and cutline writing (from 7th to 14th position). Also, as prophesized by scholars as early as 10 years ago (Novelli 1989-90; Kirk, 1991; Rose & Miller 1993), the IMC approach towards is increasingly being supported by practitioners within the industry itself, as it is ranked 1 st and 3rd based on current and future emphasis. It is recommended that the current study serve as a springboard to a more comprehensive study in the advertising industry within as well as in comparison to the Southeast Asian region. This study’s analysis gives an insight into the current and future trends in relation to the advertising industry. Thus, further analysis on the other areas of Singapore’s Creative Economy can be carried out in tandem with other countries so as to assist Singapore develop a unique identity and nurture its creative manpower within a education system that best suits its needs. REFERENCES Acheson, K. (1993, Aug. 16). Integrated marketing must bring two perspectives together. Marketing News, 17. June 24-26, 2007 Oxford University, UK 8 2007 Oxford Business & Economics Conference ISBN : 978-0-9742114-7-3 Brody, E. W. (1985, Spring). What ought to be taught students of public relations? Public Relations Quarterly, 6-9. Brody, E. W. (1991, Summer). How and where should public relations be taught? Public Relations Quarterly, 45-47. Chang, L.A. (2000). Communication Education and Media Needs in Singapore. in A.P. Hwa & S. Ramanathan (eds). Communication Education in ASEAN. Asian Media Information & Communication Centre, pp. 213-261. Duncan, T. & Everett, S. (1993, May/June). 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(2000) Mass Media Research: An Introduction, (7th Edition) Belmont CA. Wadsworth. June 24-26, 2007 Oxford University, UK 9 2007 Oxford Business & Economics Conference ISBN : 978-0-9742114-7-3 TABLE A (DETAILED): PRESENT IMC SKILL REQUISITES FROM PRACTITIONERS’ PERSPECTIVES Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Mean Skill Areas for Present Emphasis (Correct to 1 decimal place) Conceptual skills to transform the strategic statement into an idea 5.0 Creativity in design and art 4.9 Events management 4.8 Effective client management 4.7 Campaign design 4.6 Product branding 4.6 Headline and cutline writing 4.6 Strategic thinking about the product and the consumer 4.5 Oral communication (interpersonal, small group and public) 4.5 Copywriting 4.4 Presentation with audio 4.3 Implementation of research 4.2 Market research 4.1 On-line marketing communication skill 4.1 Evaluation of research 3.9 Editing: grammar, spelling and punctuation 3.9 Layout and page design 3.9 Use of research 3.6 Graphics creation: visual (photo and art) editing and sizing 3.6 Accuracy and fact-checking 3.5 Story structure and organization of content 3.4 Presentation with still images (e.g. photo, painting) 3.3 Data analysis 3.3 Reporting 3.3 Presentation with moving images (i.e. video) 3.1 Typography 2.9 June 24-26, 2007 Oxford University, UK 10 2007 Oxford Business & Economics Conference ISBN : 978-0-9742114-7-3 TABLE B (DETAILED): FUTURE IMC SKILL REQUISITES FROM PRACTITIONERS’ PERSPECTIVES Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Skill Areas for Future Emphasis Strategic thinking about the product and the consumer Conceptual skills to transform the strategic statement into an idea Effective client management Market research On-line marketing communication skill Campaign design Product branding Creativity in design and art Events management Oral communication (interpersonal, small group and public) Reporting Copywriting Story structure and organization of content Headline and cutline writing Graphics creation: visual (photo and art) editing and sizing Editing: grammar, spelling and punctuation Presentation with audio Presentation with still images (e.g. photo, painting) Presentation with moving images (i.e. video) Evaluation of research Implementation of research Layout and page design Use of research Accuracy and fact-checking Data analysis Typography June 24-26, 2007 Oxford University, UK 11 Mean (Correct to 1 decimal place) 5.0 4.9 4.8 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.1 3.8 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.4 3.4 3.2 3 2007 Oxford Business & Economics Conference ISBN : 978-0-9742114-7-3 TABLE C (DETAILED): PRESENT IMC KNOWLEDGE REQUISITES FROM PRACTITIONERS’ PERSPECTIVES Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Knowledge Areas for Present Emphasis Integrated marketing communication Market research Knowledge of important issues among the public Psychology of communication Sociology psychology (i.e. how individuals think, feel and behave among other people) Understanding of various research designs Ethics for advertising Roles of research Different concepts of publics Multilingualism ideas Ethics for PR Cultural analysis of still images Non-verbal communication Crisis communication Cultural analysis of moving images (e.g. video, film) Communication with moving images (i.e. video) Difference approaches to PR: Rhetorical/humanities; Social science; Critical Health communication Corporate/Organizational communication Communication with still images (e.g. photo, painting) Risk communication Communication with audio June 24-26, 2007 Oxford University, UK 1 Mean (Correct to 1 decimal place) 5.0 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.1 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.5 2007 Oxford Business & Economics Conference ISBN : 978-0-9742114-7-3 TABLE D (DETAILED): FUTURE IMC KNOWLEDGE REQUISITES FROM PRACTITIONERS’ PERSPECTIVES Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Knowledge Areas for Future Emphasis Psychology of communication Multilingualism ideas Integrated marketing communication Sociology psychology (i.e. how individuals think, feel and behave among other people) Understanding of various research designs Market research Knowledge of important issues among the public Different concepts of publics Ethics for advertising Roles of research Cultural analysis of moving images (e.g. video, film) Crisis communication Ethics for PR Cultural analysis of still images Health communication Non-verbal communication Difference approaches to PR: Rhetorical/humanities; Social science; Critical Risk communication Corporate/Organizational communication Communication with still images (e.g. photo, painting) Communication with audio Communication with moving images (i.e. video) June 24-26, 2007 Oxford University, UK 2 Mean (Correct to 1 decimal place) 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.9 4.8 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.1 3.8 3.7 3.7