Integrated communications: A look at reality instead of the

Integrated marketing communications and integrated communications - advertising and public relations are some of the new terms being created in the 1990s due to increasing support for the merger of all communication functions under a single organizational unit. The debate regarding such a merger is intensifying, and the debate may be fueled even more by the results of a recent national study that explored the perceived educational needs of advertising and public relations practitioners as well as their overt beliefs about integrated marketing communications. Study results indicate that both advertising and public relations practitioners view their roles as encompassing the broader areas of communication - and not solely advertising or public relations. The reality is that more clients are taking a multidisciplinary approach to corporate communication planning. Integrated marketing communications is essential. Undoubtedly, there is a role for public relations in marketing communications.