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Introduction
Integrated marketing communication (IMC) is a promising communication concept that is more than simply the integration, coordination and unification of communication instruments: It is about strategic positioning; managerial, organizational and personnel issues; and relationships (Finne and Grönroos, 2009; Kliatchko, 2008). The impetus for the IMC discussion in research and practice is provided by the great potential that IMC has to influence business performance, to confer competitive advantages on companies, to increase brand equity and to ensure communication effectiveness and consistency by facilitating the achievement of communication and marketing goals (Luxton et al., 2015; Madhavaram et al., 2005; Reid, 2003, 2005).
Current work on IMC reflects more than 20 years of research and practice. The body of IMC literature devotes attention to issues concerning the concept of IMC (e.g. definition, conceptual developments, conceptualization, determinants and consequences) and the implementation of IMC (e.g. management process, organizational structure, personnel aspects) (Kitchen and Schultz, 1999; Kitchen et al., 2004; Kliatchko, 2005; Caywood et al., 1991; Duncan and Caywood, 1996; Reid, 2005). However, IMC discussions reached a zenith several years ago, and subsequently abated. It is not surprising therefore that little has been done on the IMC concept in the context of new media (Kliatchko, 2008; Peltier et al., 2003).
The emergence of the internet provided the stimulus for substantial changes in the communication landscape. In its early stages, the internet was regarded and handled as a publishing platform that enabled companies to disseminate information to a broad public. At this time, consumers could only search for information and read it, such that content contributions were reserved for companies and interactions were limited (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010; O’Reilly, 2007). The emergence of social media adds a new and unique communication dimension to this hitherto one-way communication: multi-way communication. As a consequence, the focus shifts “from companies to consumers, individuals to communities, nodes to networks, publishing to participation, and intrusion to invitation” (Berthon et al., 2012, p. 262). Social media can be used by companies to interact with their customers (communication flows from the company to customers), and it can be used by customers to interact with the company (communication flows from customers to the company) and with other customers (communication flows from customers...