CIM Level 4 Certificate in ProfessionalMarketingIntegrated Communications (2101)December 2015AssignmentThe assignment comprises THREE compulsory tasksTask 1 is worth 20 marksTask 2 is worth 30 marksTask 3 is worth 40 marks10 marks are available for format and communication of informationTotal marks available – 100Candidate guidance:Answer all tasksThe available marks are shown alongside each part of the task10 marks are available for overall format and communication of informationRead all tasks carefully before attempting them© The Chartered Institute of Marketing 2015Integrated Communications (2101) – December 2015Scenario:You work within the marketing function of an organisation of your choice. You have beentasked with carrying out a review of the organisation’s current approach to integratedcommunications.You are required to produce a report which considers the impact of the organisation’sculture on its internal marketing and how it allocates its resources for internal andexternal marketing purposes. You are also required to present the process to develop acreative brief and to consider aspects relating to the organisation’s brand and newproduct (or service) process. You are required to propose marketing communicationsobjectives and an integrated marketing communications plan which will improve theorganisation’s image and reputation.Guidance notes:This assignment is made up of three tasks and your report should flow as a singledocument. There are TEN marks available for the entire report where you will berewarded for continuity of tasks, appropriate language and format used. This is awardedunder ‘Format and communication of information’.Whilst it is helpful to include an introduction and summary in the report, these should bebrief, with the main focus being on the content outlined in the assignment provided. FIVEmarks will be awarded for the organisation summary, using the headings supplied asguidance. You should write this summary in report format rather than bullet format. Thisis included in the marks allocated to the report in Task 1.You should acknowledge all sources/methodologies/applications, using the Harvardreferencing system.This assignment is formulated to have relevance to any type of organisation. If the chosenorganisation does not have customers, it is acceptable to refer to its users instead.Maximum page count: 13 pages (including 1 page for the organisationsummary)Page 2 of 8Integrated Communications (2101) – December 2015TASK 1Assessment criteria covered in Task 1:AC1.1, AC1.2, AC1.3, AC2.1, AC2.2, AC2.3Please refer to the module specification for assessment criteria details.Internal communications play a key role in facilitating highly effective cross-functionalrelationships and in ensuring that the organisation can leverage its resources in the bestway to engage with customers and other stakeholders.In this first section of your report, you are required to consider the chosen organisation’sculture and its impact on how internal communications are applied. You will also considerthe issue of resourcing and how internal communications might be measured.Required:(a)Using the organisation summary guidelines, provide a background toyour chosen organisation. Include within this a brief explanation of theorganisation’s culture.(5 marks)Describe how the organisation’s culture has influenced the role ofinternal communications within your chosen organisation. Within youranswer you are required to make reference to ONE method of internalcommunication used by your chosen organisation.(5 marks)(c)Describe how your chosen organisation has allocated its availableresources for both internal and external marketing.(5 marks)(d)Outline how your chosen organisation might assess the effectiveness ofits internal communications.(5 marks)(b)(Total – 20 marks)(Organisation summary maximum page count – 1 page)(Tasks 1 (b) to (d) maximum page count – 2 pages)(Total page count – 3 pages)Page 3 of 8Integrated Communications (2101) – December 2015TASK 2Assessment criteria covered in Task 2:AC3.1, AC3.2, AC3.3, AC4.1, AC4.2, AC4.3, AC4.4Please refer to the module specification for assessment criteria details.For organisations to be successful over the longer term, it is vital that they understandand remain focused on delivering an appropriate and competitive value proposition tocustomers. Key to this is the development and maintenance of a relevant product (orservice) portfolio and a strong brand.In the second section of your report, you are required to consider the chosenorganisation’s brand, customer value and its products (or services).Required:(a)Describe the key characteristics of your chosen organisation’s brandand explain how these contribute towards delivering customer value.(8 marks)(b)Explain the process of developing a creative brief, with the emphasison delivering relevant messages to reinforce customer value.(8 marks)(c)Briefly explain the process adopted by the chosen organisation todevelop new products (or services).(6 marks)(d)Discuss how your chosen organisation’s method of brand buildingattempts to increase customer loyalty and achieve competitivedifferentiation.(8 marks)(Total – 30 marks)(Maximum page count – 4 pages)Page 4 of 8Integrated Communications (2101) – December 2015TASK 3Assessment criteria covered in Task 3:AC5.2, AC5.3, AC5.4, AC6.1, AC6.2, AC6.3, AC6.4Please refer to the module specification for assessment criteria details.Marketing communications are vital in most organisations. As a result, the developmentand execution of effective and integrated marketing communications plans is crucial to thelong-term success of most businesses.In this final section of your report, you are required to develop marketing communicationsobjectives and an integrated marketing communications plan. You are also required toconsider internal and external stakeholders and their needs.Required:(a)(b)(c)Recommend marketing communications objectives and identifyappropriate communications tools to enhance your chosenorganisation’s image and reputation.(10 marks)Propose an integrated marketing communications plan to achieve theobjectives stated in your answer to Task 3 (a). Briefly explain, withinyour answer, how you would measure the effectiveness of the plan.(20 marks)Explain the relationships between internal and external stakeholdersand how your plan in Task 3 (b) will meet the needs of these differentparties. Within your answer identify potential barriers and issues whichmight arise due to conflicting interests.(10 marks)(Total – 40 marks)(Maximum page count – 6 pages)Page 5 of 8Integrated Communications (2101) – December 2015TASK 1 – REPORT FORMATTASK 1 MAXIMUM page count: 3 pagesCandidates are encouraged to make reference to their organisationsummary throughout all of the tasks, to avoid repetition and providecontext to their answers.Guidancenotes:In answering part (b) there should be a connection between elementsof the organisation’s culture (as highlighted in the answer to part (a))and internal communications. It should be noted that only ONEmethod of internal communications needs to be referred to within thispart.In part (c) the answer should relate to resourcing for both internaland external marketing.In part (d) only an outline is required to assess the effectiveness of itsinternal communications.TASK 2 – REPORT FORMATTASK 2 MAXIMUM page count: 4 pagesTo provide sufficiently detailed responses to these four parts,candidates will need to have a good understanding of their chosenorganisation’s brand and customer value proposition.Guidancenotes:In part (b) the answer should focus on developing a creative briefwith the emphasis on messages which will reinforce customer value,ie more than a generic answer is required. Answers can be basedeither on the chosen organisation or its agency compiling the creativebrief.Similarly, in part (c) the process should be plausible and relevant tothe chosen organisation.The emphasis of the answer to part (d) must be on the organisation’suse of branding to increase loyalty and establish differentiation withinits markets.Page 6 of 8Integrated Communications (2101) – December 2015TASK 3 – REPORT FORMATTASK 3 MAXIMUM page count: 6 pagesA detailed understanding of marketing communications tools andplanning is required to address these three sub-tasks.The recommended marketing communications objectives should beplausible and relevant (to the chosen organisation and its targetmarkets). The chosen objectives must focus on enhancing theorganisation’s image and reputation.Guidancenotes:Simply presenting a generic integrated marketing communicationsplan is not sufficient. The proposed plan must be relevant to thechosen organisation and the stated objectives.The plan must state clearly how its effectiveness, in terms ofperformance against the stated objectives, will be measured.Consideration should be given to how the effectiveness of eachrecommended marketing communications tool will be achieved.In the final part, the key internal and external stakeholders must beidentified and their needs considered, and candidates must addressthe potential barriers and issues which might arise. As with othercontent, it is important that the content presented is contextualisedwithin the chosen organisation and its stakeholders.Page 7 of 8Integrated Communications (2101) – December 2015ORGANISATION SUMMARY GUIDELINESContents will contribute to the FIVE marks available in Part (a) of Task 1.The following headings must be included:Organisation nameType of organisation, for example, profit or not-for-profit, local, national, global,and type of legal entitySize of organisation in terms of turnover and/or number of employeesRange of products and services providedCustomer base, for example, B2B/B2CMain competitorsOrganisation cultureOther information relevant to the assessment brief may be included to assist the examinerin understanding the organisation.Page 8 of 8