Integrated Marketing Communications Group Project

7/23/2019 Integrated Marketing Communications Group Project

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Thomas Aschnewitz, Sarah Laemmli, Kaitlyn Williams

Dr. Walker

Promotions

16 April 2015

Whole Foods using IMC and Instagram

Introduction

For this assignment, our team explored integrated marketing communications (IMC) and how

the growing use of social media affects its practice. First, our team conducted secondary research on

Integrated Marketing Communications to outline and explain IMC. Our group also conducted secondary

research on Instagram, a prominent social media platform. Then, our group also looked at Whole Foods,

as well as how they use IMC and Instagram. Next, is a look into how Whole Foods integrates the content

they post on Instagram into their other online platforms. Finally, a conclusion is offered with a section

offering insights as to what the future holds for the growing use of social media in a firm’s IMC plans.

IMC Research

What is the number one problem that businesses face in marketing today? Fragmented

communication to consumers. What is the solution? IMC. (Integrated Marketing: If you Knew it You’d Do

It) IMC is better known as integrated marketing communications. IMC is approach to achieving

marketing objectives by using promotional methods that support each other. A company that uses IMC

is one that combines advertising, public relations, personal selling, and sales promotion to provide a

clear and consistent message. IMC revolves around the customer. (What is Integrated Marketing

Communications?) Our group then found this explanation of IMC that made it clear, “the IMC planning

process has been compared to composing a musical score. In a piece of music, while every instrument

has a specific task, the goal is to have them come together in a way that produces beautiful music. It’s

the same in IMC, where advertising might be your violin, social media your piano, public relations your

trumpet and so on.” (What is Integrated Marketing Communications?) IMC carefully links all messages

and forms of communication are together. Communication tools work better when used together than

in isolation. Successfully maintaining an IMC strategy requires a lot of effort and attention to detail, but

the results are very beneficial. IMC creates a competitive advantage compared to other companies not

implementing IMC. IMC is also important because it helps to create a unified message. As we all would

agree, a unified message is much easier to understand than one that is mixed. A unified, consistent

message has a much better chance of having an impact on potential consumers and is more likely to cut

through the clutter. Having a consistent message makes the information more credible and helps to

move consumers through the buying process. IMC strategies help to nurture relationships with



customers, which in turn creates strong brand loyalty. Messages that are not integrated are more likely

to confuse and frustrate consumers. (Marketing Communications-Multimedia Marketing) The number of

outlets for marketing messages continues to increase every day. Every time a company advertises their

products, they expose their customers to more fragmentation, and it becomes less likely that the

message will effectively reach the audience. If the solution to fragmentation is integration, why doesn’t

every company implement IMC (Integrated Marketing: If You Knew it You’d Do it)?

Unfortunately, as mentioned above, IMC is not easy to achieve. It can be seen as something that

stifles creativity, and it takes time to implement. IMC can be seen as limiting creativity in the way that a

wild idea still has to fit into the IMC plan and has to contribute to the consistent message. A search

revealed some tips on how to defy the barriers and successfully implement IMC. The first step involves

getting senior management to sign off. This should make sense because they will have to approve the

initiative. Companies should fight fragmentation through everything you do related to the consumer.The companies should integrate their brand into not only marketing but also human resources, training,

employee evaluation and every department of the company(Integrated Marketing: If You Knew it You’d

do it). The second tip involves integrating at all levels of management. Integrate management in all

departments, not just the marketing department. The third tip involves using a guide, like a brand book

or design manual, so everyone in the company knows what the IMC message is. A guide ensures that

there is a common visual by outlining the colors, images, and typefaces that are used. Another tip

involves linking the company’s core values to every method of communication. Make sure every

communication point you are putting out adds to the value of the organization and supports the

message. These tips will help in developing a new business plan that revolves around IMC. (Marketing

Communications- Multimedia Marketing) An integrated campaign involves combining advertising, direct

mail, social media, and sales promotion to send a consistent message. When combined, these

communication tools support each other and improve the overall effectiveness of the message. (The

Importance of Integrated Marketing Communications) IMC is so important because it helps provide

customers with what they want. Research found that 65% of marketers are failing to do this. Very few

companies implement IMC, despite the fact that it is what all consumers what to see. A high percentage

of companies intend to integrate or have a planned strategy, but it just has not been implemented

(Integrated Marketing Remains the Holy Grail for Marketers and Consumers). An integrated

communication strategy helps provide consumers with information that they actually want (The

Importance of Integrated Marketing Communications).



Instagram

Instagram has reached over 300 million users worldwide since in launch in 2010. It is one of the

largest mobile platforms in brand advertising (Instagram Business). There are over 70 million photos on

Instagram. Instagram photos receive over 2.5 billion “likes” per day (Instagram Business). Instagram

grew so fast that by the time that the company was purchased by Facebook in 2012, it was estimated

that “58 photographs were being uploaded and a new user was being gained each second” (Source) It

was the number one application in the app store only 24 hours after it was launched. So why are so

many people using this app? Instagram is easy to use. Create an account, select a username, and start

uploading pictures. (What is Instagram and Why is it so Popular) Instagram is an engaged community,

users are passionate about the companies they follow and share a common love for good visual

imagery. Instagram has a simple design, it is easy to navigate and take in information- one picture at a

time (Instagram Business).Instagram is a social media platform that allows a user to upload a 640x640-pixel picture or

video, caption it, and share it amongst their followers and app users throughout the world. Countless

numbers of individuals and celebrities share tidbits of day-to-day life uses this popular photo sharing

service. Instagram allows a user to make various Photoshop-like alterations to their photos, such as a

variety of color filters, as well as adjustments for various settings including exposure, brightness, and

contrast. The next step in the process includes providing a description of the image for others to read,

which also allows the poster to mention other users, as well as hashtags, which are searchable words or

phrases, which upon clicking, sends the viewer to other images that contain the same hashtag. In the

final step before posting, the poster can select other social media that they want the picture posted to,

such as Facebook or Twitter. Users can follow other users, as well as companies, and then they a

summation of the latest posts made by each of the accounts that they follow will appear on their home

page.

Instagram is necessary for companies to use because it is a free tool that allows companies to

share their products and services. It is an avenue for companies to share an integrated message,

consistent with their other online media. It provides companies with an outlet to tell a visual story. It is a

platform to broadcast what is unique about your company and what your company has to offer

(Instagram Business). One way that a company can benefit from using Instagram is that it allows a

company to reach out to consumers with very little waste. This is because consumers have to give

consent to the exposure of the media that the company submits by following a company, and if a user

does not want to see what a company offers, all that they have to do is simply not follow that



company’s account. Instagram users are making an active decision to follow a company in which they

hold an interest. Since the consumer actively chose to seek out the company, they are more receptive to

the information put out. Another reason why Instagram is necessary for companies to use is that it

allows a company a convenient platform to reach a vast variety of users by choosing to post their picture

to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, among many others. This in turn can then reach a variety of users,

who may not have an Instagram account, but rather have one of the others that a company uses. It is

easy to track down user that might fall within your target market. You can identify consumer’s interests,

where they live, where they have visited, who their friends are, and much more. Research has shown

that Instagram users are shoppers. Users share products they see on Instagram with friends by

“mentioning” them in the comments or “sharing” the product on other social networks. According to an

article, 62% of Instagram users followed a company just because they loved the brand. Forty-one

percent of users are following a company to keep up with giveaways and to take advantage of benefits.When a company finds someone that fits into their target market and reaches out to them, a question

should be raised on whether or not that is an intrusion of the user’s privacy. The major of people would

say they do not feel like the brand is being intrusive, 65% of Instagram users said they felt flattered

when a brand liked their picture on Instagram (Instagram Users Like to Shop).

How is Whole Foods using Instagram?

Whole Foods Focus on Instagram

Whole Foods Instagram feed follows core values listed on their home website,

wholefoodsmarket.com. These values consist of striving to serve and support locally and globally

sourced produce, to satisfy, delight, and nourish customers. They support team member happiness by

displaying updates and openings of stores across the world. These updates often include highlighting

suppliers, with which they aim to create win-win relationships. Whole Foods also focuses on healthy

eating education, starting with the selling of natural and organic, high quality products. This

supermarket also promotes wealth through profit and growth. Whole Foods carries out all of these core

values with intentional environmental stewardship. Instagram has been a prime way for Whole Foods to

grow in communication, promotion, and uniformity to and for their customers.

How Whole Foods uses IMC on Instagram

Whole foods Instagram has evolved as Instagram has grown in efficiency and popularity. Early

pictures fall short of consistent look and feel as Instagram editing apps were in the beginning stages,

luckily the lack of eye appeal and consistency that IMC demands did not keep loyal customers from

following this supermarket chain’s f eed. Whole Foods opened their Instagram account on September 6th



2011, six months after the premiere of the social media. Whole foods has evolved their Instagram

account from mediocre 48 likes and 4 comments in their first post in 2011 to an average of 188

comments and 5798 likes from the last 25 posts.

A year into using Instagram, Whole Foods launched an Earth Month (April) photo contest with

the hashtag #wfmearth (Whole Foods Mother Earth) (see Appendix, photo A). This contest

demonstrates the beginning of a use of IMC by promoting the core value of environmental stewardship

by involving their customers by associating Whole Foods with caring about the earth. Now, Whole Foods

is integrating their core values into each of their pictures and captions.

For the sake of explaining Whole Foods use of IMC on Instagram, our group established four

categories in which a picture will fall. The first are recipes. Recipes are generally posted by user

@healthyjulie who, as can be concluded from the comments, followers adore. These Recipes always

center on the core value of satisfying, delighting, and nourishing customers. Lemon Dill Salmon (seeAppendix, photo B), Vegetarian Shepard’s Pie, and Vegan Carrot Cake are among a few of the more

recent postings. Recipes are healthy and usually contain the hashtag #healthyeah (see Appendix, photo

C). Each picture looks as satisfying to the consumer eye as it is natural and organic. Whole Foods draw

consumers in by continually updating and posting recipes not only on Instagram, but also on their home

website.

Whole Foods also frequently posts supplier-centric pictures. Whole Foods follows IMC by using

Instagram to enhance their ongoing win-win partnerships with suppliers. Trilogy Lip Balm (see Appendix,

photo D), Evolution Fresh Smoothies, Allegro Coffee, Giovanni Cosmetics, and Holynut are a few

promoted in the past 5 weeks. Whole Foods portrays products that it sells in their stores and tags the

manufacturer’s Instagram name. This use of IMC on Instagram encourages growth in customer reach

because the people who follow each supplier then can connect with Whole Foods. Arrays of suppliers

are listed on Whole Foods home website along with a paragraph about them. This practice is effective

because it benefits everyone involved, customers, Whole Foods, and suppliers.

Another category Whole Foods continues implementing core values in is in the use of posting

the openings of new stores (see Appendix, photo E. Every time a new store pops up, Houston, Chicago,

Knoxville, Upper East NYC, to name some of the more recent, anyone who follows Whole Foods is

aware. A core value focused on here is the support of team member happiness. In advertising the

opening and events at current stores, workers feel part of a greater Whole Foods team.

A fair amount of their Instagram feed features enjoying the outdoors. Whole Foods carries the

consistency of their environmental stewardship value by posting pictures encouraging people to enjoy



and value the outdoors (see Appendix, photo F). The photo contests mentioned earlier as well as their

Values Matter campaign is a testimony to this stewardship. Consumers can find The Values Matter

campaign video and information on all Whole Foods social media, including their home website. This

video shares the importance of knowing where food comes from and how it got into our hands,

emphasizing the value of treating people, animals, and environment carefully because it is good for

everybody.

Whole Foods carries out IMC by keeping their brand recognizable through the media channel of

Instagram by continuing a look and feel of freshness and brightness that resemble and highlight their

core values. Whole Foods designed their home page with square pictures and text, keeping a uniform

look between Whole Foods website and Instagram. People who visit Whole Foods website immediately

see colorful boxes. The third box invites costumers to “Join the Conversation,” this link takes consumers

to Whole Foods Instagram account (see Appendix, Photo G). The home page of Whole Foods alsodisplays Instagram pictures loyal customers of Whole Foods have posted and encourages others to share

their stories through the hashtag #wholefoodsmarket. When it comes to IMC, Whole Foods is

continually putting out a consistent message for its audiences. As far a social media goes, you can see a

consistent and linked message put out by Whole Foods on websites, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

and find the same pictures, videos, and recipes hosted on Instagram on these sites as well.

Conclusions

It could be concluded that the relationship between social media and IMC will continue to grow

with time. As companies grow to realize that a turn to social media yields a powerful and nearly free

tool to reach out to a vast variety of users, more companies will likely steer away from more traditional

forms of marketing and advertisements, as it can very effectively reach customers in a manner that

engages them. The days of hoping that customers will see a sales flyer taped to a light pole on a busy

street are over, as the flyer has gone digital and is being pushed to the phones, tablets, and laptops of

the consumers who already have an interest in the company. It could also be determined companies

familiarize themselves with the various forms of social media; many great campaigns will come out,

overshadowing any that the world has ever seen. Similar statements can also be said about IMC,

because once entire companies are devoted to conveying the same message, the power of the message

grows to be greater than the sum of its parts individually, creating a synergistic effect throughout the

company.

In conclusion, for this assignment, our team explored integrated marketing communications

(IMC) and how the growing use of social media affects its practice. Our team conducted secondary



research on Integrated Marketing Communications, outlined, and explained IMC. Then, secondary

research was conducted on how Instagram works and can benefit a company, and then Whole Foods

was chosen and described the company and how they use Instagram and the IMC to better market to

their customers. Finally, a conclusion was presented offering insights as to what the future holds for the

growing use of social media in a firm’s IMC plans.



Resources

"Instagram for Business." Instagram for Business. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

"Integrated Marketing Remains The Holy Grail For Marketers And Consumers." Forbes. Forbes

Magazine, 4 Aug. 2014. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

"Integrated Marketing: If You Knew It, You'd Do It." Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 10 May

2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

"Marketing Communications - Multimedia Marketing." Multimedia Marketing. Web. 13 Apr.

2015.

"New Research Reveals Instagram Users Like to Shop |." Social Media Examiner RSS. 8 Mar.

2015. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/instagram-users-like-to-

shop/#more-79522>.

"The Importance of Integrated Marketing Communications." Small Business. Web. 13 Apr.

2015. <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-integrated-marketing-communications-

73248.html>.

"What Is Instagram and Why Is It So Popular?" Information Space What Is Instagram and Why

Is It So Popular Comments. 15 Dec. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

"What Is Integrated Marketing Communications?" Integrated Marketing Communications. Web.

13 Apr. 2015. <http://imc.wvu.edu/about/what_is_imc>.

"What Is Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)? Definition and Meaning."

BusinessDictionary.com. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.

<http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/integrated-marketing-communications-

IMC.html>.



Appendix

Photo A

Photo B



Photo C

Photo D



Photo E

Photo F



Photo G

Integrated Marketing Communications Group Project

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