Integrated Marketing Communication
Statement of Rationale

Who Am I

          For the past few quarters, I have been an Organizational Communications major with the intention of entering into the field of public relations. However, this past spring quarter, I took an advertising class which not only sparked my interest, but it opened my eyes to the complex relationships that exist among advertising, public relations and all the other aspects of the marketing communications process. As I learned more about this process, I became increasingly interested in it and decided that I wanted to reevaluate my program of study.

Why BSS

          Because this advertising class helped me realize the importance of learning about all the aspects of the marketing communication process, I was having difficulty choosing only one to be my major. I wanted a program of study that incorporated all of them. It is important to recognize that often times using only one promotional tool can cause problems when marketing an organization or product. For example, advertising can sometimes send unappealing or confusing messages, which may shed negative light on the organization or product. Public relations can be used in these instances to ensure the organization’s message becomes clarified. Therefore, I created a program of study that will combine the two fields and help me become fully prepared for the integration of these two functions. This program will allow me to obtain the skills I need to create mutually effective communication strategies among my future employers and their publics. It will help me learn how to use the feedback that I receive, through using PR tactics, to decide what types of advertising will most effectively reach my audience. Also, I feel that I will learn through this program how to use publicity to efficiently provide the necessary credibility for advertising to a market.

          I plan to continue to study both public relations and advertising as well as to enroll in business and marketing classes to guarantee I learn the business aspect of those processes. I also plan to continue taking interpersonal communication courses to ensure that I continue to improve my communication skills. I feel that combining all of these courses will give me a very strong area of concentration to help me work towards my professional goals.

Where Will I Go

          This fall I plan to become involved in the Ohio University Advertising Association as well as the Public Relations Student Society of America. I hope that these two organizations will help me gain experience in both of these fields and will help me better understand the dynamics of both. I also have decided that applying for an internship for next summer is a definite first priority of mine as well.

          My long-term goal is to work with an advertising and/or public relations firm and assist with creating unique ways to appeal to consumers by using the appropriate PR tactics to create the best communication possible. I hope that my BSS degree will demonstrate to my future employers that I have the motivation and creativity to develop a program specifically dedicated to this type of communication.

Conclusion

          I hope to be able to pursue this program because of my unique interest in integrated marketing communications and the lack of such a program at Ohio University. I feel that coordination of all forms of marketing communication is becoming more and more common in the business world and I hope this program will help me be as prepared as possible for today’s integrated marketplace.