In this article we will discuss about the concept and advantages of integrated marketing functions.

Concept of Integrated Marketing Functions:

The concept of integrated marketing functions refers to the total marketing system with all its sub­systems whereby all the activities related to the effective implementation of the marketing function are combined in a way that would result in a co-ordinated team work to achieve maximum success for the business enter­prise.

The expression is not simply confined to the actions of the sales and marketing personnel but relates to the organisation’s ability to create an environment so as to attract new customers and retain the existing custo­mer by a judicious co-ordination of product, price, place, and promotion aspects.

The activities like sales administration, field sales and sales organisation, customer or consumer behaviour and relations, public rela­tions, advertising and proration, production-sales co-ordination, distribu­tion network, after-sales service and analysis etc. fall within this broad term.

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The integrated marketing functions can be best illustrated by a diagram below:

Integrated Marketing Functions

The above diagram indicates the marketing management tasks both in relation to the product-markets and in relation to the types of plans and functions as the major components of an integrated approach towards marke­ting.

Advantages of Integrated Marketing Functions:

The integrated marketing functions offer the following advantages to a business entity:-

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1. The consumers and their desires and requirements are better under­stood and analysed.

2. The team work among the different levels of executives and differ­ent functions in the production—distribution—sales system is greatly enhan­ced, and a unified action is possible to be pursued.

3. The decisions for improvements in products, markets, profits, etc., are possible to be promptly made instead of adhoc judgements.

4. The business process and approach becomes comprehensive in charac­ter and methodology as it gives due importance to the roles played by each segment or function – selling, advertising, sales promotion, customer ser­vice, etc.

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5. The integrated approach offers a mission or a philosophy which begins with the customers’ needs and ends with their satisfaction in its totality.