Introduction to IMC
By External Lecturer Henning Knudsen
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Henning Knudsen
Notes
- Master of Business Economics; MSc in economics and business administration (Cand. Merc.)
- Work experience (Marketing Manager, member of the management group) from: Nestlé (FMCG), Rynkeby Foods
(FMCG), Damixa (B2B), JO-EL (B2C), Fyntour (Tourism).
- Teaching International Marketing & Sales, Organization and supply chain, Brand Management
- External associate Proff. at SDU (University of Southern Denmark).
- External examiner at various educations.
- Co-author to the books:
- Lederens Forretningsforståelse – i en turbulent verden. (Published by Hans Reitzel 2018.)
- Forretningsforståelse – i en foranderlig og konkurrencepræget verden (Published by Hans Reitzel 2025 )
- Leader jobs primary within Sales and Marketing.
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JO-EL
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Aims of IMC course
◼To provide a general insight into the role, design and
implementation of international marketing (distribution)
channels
◼To assist students for writing Master´s theses in the
field of international marketing channels
◼ To prepare students for future employment in
management of international marketing channels
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The main areas on the course
• Market selection
• Design of marketing channels
• Implementation of marketing channels
• Partner selection
• Power and conflict resolution
• E-business
• Institutions
• Social norms such as trust, fairness and cooperation
• International channel strategy
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Why study IMC?
◼Marketing channels are:
Generally neglected as they are seen as ‘a necessary evil’
Gatekeepers between producers and end-user
Valuable assets used for overall positioning and branding strategy
◼Moreover,
Customers’ channels experience affects brand image and satisfaction
Building effective marketing channels requires significant resources, which
cannot easily be re-configured
Factors affecting channel design and implementation are changing constantly
Mismanagement leads to long-term disadvantage
The goal is to achieve channel coordination and avoid channel conflict, a
concerted effort among channel members, even though members all have
different individual goals and motives
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Exam
◼ Written exam on premises
◼ Field test
◼ Case-based
◼ 4 hours
◼ English
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COURSE PLAN
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Introduction
To examine ways to design, modify, and maintain effective channel strategies and
structures, in consumer goods markets and business-to-business markets, for both
physical products and services, within nations and across country borders.
Focus on the 4P’s – 7 P’s
Product
Price
Promotion
Channel (Place)
Process
People
Physical evidence
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From 4 P’s over 4 C’s to SAVE….
Billedresultat for new marketing mix save
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SAVE
Instead of Product, Focus on Solution
Define offerings by the needs they meet, not by their features, functions,
or technological superiority.
Instead of Place, Focus on Access
Develop an integrated cross-channel presence that considers customers’
entire purchase journey instead of emphasizing individual purchase
locations and channels.
Instead of Price, Focus on Value
Articulate the benefits relative to price, rather than stressing how price
relates to production costs, profit margins, or competitors’ prices.
Instead of Promotion, Focus on Education
Provide information relevant to customers’ specific needs at each point in
the purchase cycle, rather than relying on advertising, PR, and personal
selling that covers the waterfront.c
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Introduction
Marketers devote attention and energy to decisions on:
Development
Branding
Promotion
Prices
Ability to make products/services
When/where they want products
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What Is a Marketing Channel?
▪A Marketing Channel is defined as:
“The set of interdependent but in many cases independent
organizations involved in the process of taking a product or
services to market and making it available for use or
consumption.”
▪Distributors, wholesalers, brokers, franchisees, and retailers all
comprise a marketing channel system.
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Channels
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Marketing Channel System
▪ Marketing Channel System- Compromised of inter- and
independent organizations that work to go to market with a
product or service, so that it is available for use or consumption.
▪ The end goal of any channel system is to make products and
services available and easy for users to buy, in accordance with
their preferences.
▪ If firms fail to have a successful channel system, attractiveness
to buyers will be limited, with negative effects on firms sales.
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Go-to-Market Strategy
Go-to-Market Strategy- The blueprint used to deliver the firm’s
offerings to end-users in a manner that conforms to their
preferred mode and method of buying.
Must know consumers buying preferences
Information/Education before making purchasing decisions
Services and after support they seek
Expectations
Willingness to pay for extras
Delivery preferences
Financing needs
Mode of ordering they like best
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Go-to-Market Strategy
There are 3 main steps to developing Go-to-Market Strategy
The firm can develop
Firm must perform policies and procedures
Channel managers
analysis of industry to incentivize and alter
should identify
channel practices to channel partners’
areas of
isolate critical behaviors to motivate
improvement in
successful factors their efficient execution
their practices of channel tasks.
Go-to-Market Strategy Example
McDonalds Starbucks
• Chooses to franchise their • Avoids franchising to have
restaurants. control over brand and
customer in-store experience
• 82% of 36,000 outlets are
franchised • Has branched out into
college campuses, and
airports as franchises as a
go-to-market strategy in
European markets.
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EXAMPLE: FULFILLMENT BY AMAZON
Amazon offers a SERVICE for business clients called
fulfillment by amazon (FBA).
Businesses can bulk ship their products to amazon who
will store their product and then fulfill individual orders
as they come in and provide customer support.
Businesses get access to amazon’s huge customer base
and outsources many channel functions to amazon.
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The Changing Channel Landscape
Technology advances significantly affect channel landscapes,
manufacturers and retailers face new issues trying to keep up.
E-commerce, smartphones, and mobile technology has changed
how consumers buy, and traditional retailers like Sears, Macy’s,
and JCPenney have suffered.
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The Changing Channel Landscape
There are several reasons managers are vexed by altered
channel landscapes
Building or modifying a channel system involved costly, hard-
to-reverse investments
Modifying channels means confronting entrenched interests
and the way things have always been done.
To devote the considerable financial investments required and
how to adjust the roles and compensation of different channel
members.
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What Is a Marketing Channel?
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Thanks for today ☺
