IMC and the practitioners’ strategy paradox

Even though Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) has been described as ‘undoubtedly the major communications development of the last decade of the 20th century’ (Kitchen & Schultz, 1999, p.21), attracting both academics’ and practitioners’ attention, a clear and widely accepted definition is yet to be established. This study aims at providing an alternative viewpoint to what IMC entails, using academics’ and practitioners’ views, while examining both the theoretical appreciation of IMC and its practical implementation. Through the latter, the IMC practitioners’ strategy paradox is identified and introduced to the reader.