Strategic Integration of Integrated Marketing Communications, Case of Croatia

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the development of integrated marketing communications, corporate communication strategy and its alignment with overall corporate strategy in Croatian companies. In addition, in Croatian business environment, particularly in the period of economic crisis, companies try to reduce their costs which results in neglecting the communication function. There is also the eternal scientific question regarding the effects of investment in the marketing and communication functions. Therefore, this question will be discussed in this paper by observing the correlation between integrated marketing communications and organizational performances reached by observed companies.

It is presumed that there is a positive relationship between higher levels of developed integrated marketing communications and organizational performance which the observed companies achieved. This survey was conducted on 500 companies with the highest value added rank in the Republic of Croatia in the year 2009 (according to the Institute for Business Intelligence).