Growth and Adoption of Integrated Marketing Communications Integrated marketing communications or IMC is a development that began in the 1980s as a way to encompass all internal and external communications in one organization. This process has meant that all aspects of marketing communications are now able to work under one umbrella as a unified system where everyone communicates with each other instead of working in isolation. Although IMC has its roots in the 1980s, it was only in the 1990s that the marketing process began to change, new technologies entered the market and integration took place in a deeper way. This essay will describe the changes in the market that necessitated and triggered the adoption of IMC, as well as the issues and varying levels of adoption that led to the growth of IMC in the market. The development of digital technology, the emphasis on branding and the spread of markets beyond traditional geographical boundaries were the main drivers of IMC in the 1980s (Schultz & Schultz; 2003:9). Traditional communication was a way of communicating, but it was IMC that moved the company from “telling and selling” to “listening and learning” (Duncan; 2002; p15). Therefore, more and more organizations considered BMI to be a key marketing competitive advantage (Kitchen and Schultz, 2001; Weilbacher, 2001). IMC was designed to incorporate all aspects of marketing communications such as advertising, sales promotion, public relations and direct marketing. It was a new way of communication in which organizations tried to discover customer needs based on qualitative and quantitative research. There were quite a few changes in the environment leading up to birth and... middle of paper... animals are at different levels of adoption at any given time. One thing is certain; Integrated marketing communications is more widespread and better understood than ever. The market today is more sophisticated and better informed and organizations have realized that to maintain a strong grip on the market, integration is the key to success. Due to the emergence of technologies such as the Internet, there are many options available in the market for the consumer to obtain information about a company or product, therefore it is crucial that the company maintains consistency of information both internally and externally . IMC has provoked intense and diverse discussion and criticism, but every day IMC is becoming more widely accepted and recognized by both practitioners and scholars as a valid and vital movement for many years to come..