Marketing communication in Finnish industrial companies

Abstract

Marketing communication has a significant role for profitable businesses in industrial markets, and its role is only expected to rise in the future. Especially, integrated marketing communication (IMC) and customer-oriented approach are universally regarded fundamental developments in the field of marketing. Secondly, Finnish companies’ marketing competences are commonly considered insufficient in general. The purpose of this study was to describe how Finnish industrial companies execute their marketing communication. In addition, the study examines the marketing communication’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and targets for development; how different marketing communication instruments are utilised; and how marketing communication and its instruments are integrated. The study was executed with action-oriented research method and used research strategy was case study. Hence, empirical part of this study focused to examine marketing communication in six Finnish industrial companies. Empirical data of the study was gathered within six individual workshops organised for each case company during the research process. According to the study’s results, Finnish industrial companies brands and images are strong, and they are highly appreciated actors in their own field of business. The most commonly utilised marketing communication instruments are personal selling, trade shows, public relations, e-communication, and direct marketing. Whereas advertising, sales promotion, sponsoring, after sales, references, and word of mouth communication are not equally commonly utilised. Secondly, Finnish industrial companies’ marketing communication is not integrated, they have deficiencies with their internal communication and co-operation, marketing strategies are unclear, marketing resources are rather small, and status of marketing is weak. In addition to these findings, the study offers a research model of development process toward integrated marketing communication as a contribution for academic research.