The emphasis in this course will be on the role of advertising and other promotional mix elements in the integrated marketing communications program (IMC) of an organisation. The development of an integrated marketing communications programs requires an understanding of the overall marketing process, how companies organise for advertising and other promotional functions, customer behavior, communications theory, and how to set goals, objectives and budgets. attention will be given to the various IMC tools used in contemporary marketing including advertising, direct marketing, Internet and interactive marketing, sales promotion, publicity and public relations, and personal selling. All of these communications tools work better if they work together in harmony rather than in isolation. Their sum is greater than their parts - providing they speak consistently with one voice all the time, every time. we will examine the process by which integrated marketing communications programs are planned, developed and executed as well as the various factors and considerations that influence this process. This course also discuss the environment in which advertising and promotion takes place and the various regulatory, social and economic factors that affect an organisations IMC program.