The development of new media technologies that have weakened the power of traditional mass media as an advertising channel. This has led to a diversified media sector and the development of consumer databases, widely varying consumers' needs and tastes, and clients' desires to develop cost-efficient and effective marketing strategies that quickly respond to the changing marketing environment (Kim, Han, and Schultz, 2003). Duncan (2005) declares that it's hard to find an agency or client marketing executive who doesn't believe in the IMC concept. In the view of Kim, Han, and Schultz (2003), IMC is acceptable and practicable if the market circumstances are suitable. As a result, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is one of the most widely used concepts in the marketing communications field. Many scholars have identified and assessed the factors that influence the emergence of IMC in several ways. This study assesses the IMC level of television and magazine advertisements in Korea and China, compares and contrasts these two environments, and tests the market immaturity effect and product involvement effect on the level of IMC across these contexts. By utilizing 120 pairs of ad samples (60 television ads and 60 corresponding print advertisements) collected in both China and Korea between May 2007 and May 2009, a comparative study has been conducted. The findings suggest that the IMC level in Korea is significantly higher than that in China in terms of intensity and/or variety, the IMC level of ads for high-involvement products is higher than that for low-involvement products in terms of intensity and/or variety, the IMC level for high-involvement products is more positive than that for low-involvement in Korea, and the interaction for high-involvement shows no difference from that of for low-involvement in three of the given dimensions in China in terms of intensity and/or variety. Finally, the results partially show there is an interaction effect between country and product involvement. The results should prove helpful in providing marketers with strategic direction on implementing IMC in international markets as follows. This research shows the methods of IMC operation and deployment, as well as the developmental paths, differ based on socio-cultural and economic factors of certain societies. Specifically, due to differing levels of market maturity, economic development, and its capitalist society, Korea has a higher level of IMC currently deployed. Conversely, since China is a more socialist society, a different development level of IMC exists. Moreover, as China is a much larger and more diverse country - within its border are different languages, cultures, and geographic dispersions – than Korea, IMC may be less appropriate. To learn more about this issue, it will likely be necessary to conduct research including both cultural and institutional differences in each society, the corporate cultures of the client and the agency, as well as the target consumer cultures, to be able to accurately categorize those factors that affect the development level of IMC. The current study also has theoretical implications. First, the empirical results suggest that Korea has successfully passed the second stage of IMC development and is currently in the third stage for application of information technology. In contrast, China is still in stage 1 for tactical coordination of market communications and stage 2 for redefining the scope of marketing communications. A manager working in the largest advertising agency in China, China-Guangdong Advertising Agency, states several factors are influencing the development of IMC in China. The three more important factors are the implementation of IMC by Chinese advertising agencies without considering the special cultural values of China, the special characteristics of Chinese media, and the immature consumer market (Xin, 2004). Second, the IMC level for low-involvement products van very depending on the dimension of IMC examined. The“Unified Communications for Consistent Message and Image” dimension is higher than that for high-involvement products. While on the “Relationship Fostering Communications with Existing Customers,” “Differentiated Communications to Multiple Customer Groups,” “Database-centered Communicat- ions for Tangible Results” dimensions, the IMC level for low-involvement products is lower than that for high-involvement products. Thus, a blanket statement regarding the relationship between level of involvement and development of IMC should not be made. Third, the host country’s market development level and product involvement has an interactive effect on the development of IMC level. This can largely be explained by the market immaturity effect. In China, the IMC level for low-involvement products does not different from that for high-involvement products. In Korea, the IMC level for high-involvement products tends to be more positive than that for low-involvement products. Only on the “Unified Communications for Consistent Message and Image” dimension is the result contrary. From a practical perspective, three managerial implications can be offered. First, the empirical results provide clues about the degree of development of IMC for each dimension in both Korea and China. In Korea, the three dimensions “relationship fostering communications with existing customers,” “differentiated communications to multiple customer groups,” and “database-centered communications for tangible results” showed higher development levels for high-involvement products than that for low-involvement products. It appears that advertising companies in Korea spend more effort to segment consumers based on their needs and wants for high-involvement products as in computers, cameras, automobiles, home appliances, real-estate or insurance marketing than low-involvement products. In China, the three dimensions “unified communications for consistent message and image,” “relationship fostering communications with existing customers,” and “differentiated communications to multiple customer groups” show higher development levels for low-involvement products than that for high-involvement products. This may be due to stronger competition for daily-use low-involvement products. Second, marketing researchers need to pay more attention to how to practically implement IMC across the conditions of high- or low- involvement products. In the case of South Korea, all types of agencies, advertising, public relations, sales promotion, and the like must find the most practical manner to reduce the various agency turf battles and find ways in which they can coordinate the various marketing and communication disciplines for high- and low-involvement products. Third, marketing organizations themselves must first be integrated in order to implement IMC. Only then specific tasks can be handed over to agencies. Thus, all the agency-generated terminology such as “media-neutral,” “integrated services,” “multi-media platforms,” and the like can be ignored. In practice, clients must employ or promote a high-level marketing executive with an understanding of the strategic planning process and the ability to provide direction to a variety of communications resources. And, the marketing communications executive must be given the support he or she needs and effective IMC will start to happen. The ones who get to IMC first will get a driving force for the advancing of marketing communication strategy.

颠覆传统大众传播媒体的新传媒技术的发展渐渐成为广告业的风向标。这导致以下情况的出现：多样化的媒体行业、用户资料库的发展、广泛变化的用户需求与用户体验、客户希望开拓合算的而且有效的营销策略，以便迅速响应日趋变化的市场环境(金姆.翰.舒尔茨, 2003)。邓肯断言很难找到一个不赞同整合营销传播观念的代理或者客户营销主管。在金姆.翰.舒尔茨看来，如果市场环境合适，整合营销传播是可接受并且可行的。结果，在营销传播领域，整合营销传播（IMC）是最被广泛应用的营销策略之一。许多学者用不同方法鉴定并评估了影响整合营销传播观念的因素。本次研究评估了中韩电视广告、杂志广告整合营销传播的水平，主要包括以下两个环境因素：市场未成熟因素，产品投入因素。利用从2007年5月到2009年5月在中韩两国共同收集的120对例子（60对电视广告，60对平面广告），进行一个对比研究。研究结果表明，在集中程度和多样性方面：韩国的整合营销传播水平要显着高于中国，高投入产品的整合营销传播水平要高于低投入产品。在韩国，高投入产品的整合营销传播水平要比低投入产品的更积极；在三个给定的中国用例中，高投入产品的交互作用与低投入产品的没有区别。部分结果表明，国家经济环境和产品投入有着相互的作用与影响。研究结果充分证明，在国际市场贯彻执行整合营销传播这个战略方向有助于市场供应。本次研究显示整合营销传播操作和部署的方法以及发展方向，因各国的社会文化和经济环境不同而不同。特别是由于市场成熟度、经济发展水平以及资本主义社会的优势，在当前韩国具有更高的整合营销传播水平。相反，由于是一个更具社会主义社会性质的国家，中国在整合营销传播的发展水平上不太一样。而且，由于中国是一个在领土面积以及文化种类都远超韩国的国家—中国有多种不同的语言、文化以及地理分布，整合营销传播也许不是那么太适合中国。关于这个问题想要了解更多，很有必要对各个社会在文化的社会制度上的差异、客户和代理的企业文化、目标消费者的文化进行研究，使我们能够对影响整合营销传播发展的因素进行准确分类。本研究同样有理论依据。首先，结果显示韩国已经成功度过整合营销传播发展的第二个阶段，并且现在处于通信技术应用这第三阶段。相比较而言，中国还处在市场沟通战略协调这第一个阶段，以及重新定义营销传播范围这第二阶段。一个在中国最大的广告商（中国广东广告公司）工作的管理人员，表示有诸多因素影响整合营销传播在中国的发展。其中三个比较重要的因素是：中国的广告公司在实施整合营销传播时没有考虑到中国特殊的文化价值、特殊的中国媒体、不成熟的消费者市场（辛，2004）。其次，低投入产品的整合营销传播水平非常依赖大规模的IMC调查。这种“Unified Communications for Consistent Message and Image”规模要比高投入产品的大。然而，在“与现有客户的关系促进产品”、“多种客户群体的差别化产品”、“以数据为中心的产品”方面，低投入产品的IMC水平要低于高投入产品。因此，关于投入多少与IMC发展的关系还不能下定论。再次，东道主的市场发展水平和产品投入状况对IMC的发展有相互推动的作用。这主要是由于市场未成熟造成的。在中国，低投入产品的IMC水平和高投入产品的基本相同。在韩国，高投入产品的IMC水平要高于低投入产品。只有在“Unified Communications for Consistent Message and Image”的情况下才不是这样。从实用性角度看，有三点依据。首先，结果展示了中韩两国的IMC发展程度。在韩国，在“与现有客户的关系促进产品”、“多种客户群体的差别化产品”、“以数据为中心的产品”这三方面，高投入产品要比低投入产品的发展水平要高。从表现来看，韩国的广告公司在对不同的用户对高投入产品（比如电脑、照相机、汽车、家用电器、固定资产或者是保险等方面）的需求进行划分方面花的精力要多于低投入产品。在中国，在“与现有客户的关系促进产品”、“多种客户群体的差别化产品”、“以数据为中心的产品”这三方面，低投入产品的发展水平要高于高投入产品。这或许是因为低投入产品在日常用品方面更具竞争力。其次，市场调研人员需要更多关注如何在高投入产品与低投入产品之间实地交叉实施IMC。在南韩，所有的代理、广告公司、公共关系机构、促销机构等等，它们都力争寻找最实用的减少各种机构竞争的方法，寻找可控的不同的对于高-低投入产品都适用的市场。再次，销售机构自身首先必须相互配合来实施IMC。直到代理机构接到明确的工作。因此，所有的“机构产生”的术语比如“中立媒体”、“集成服务”、“多媒体平台”等等都可以忽略。事实上，顾客必须启用或培养一个高水平的理解策略计划程序、有多种资源导向能力的销售主管。同时，营销传播经理必须给予他需要的支持，这样有效的IMC才会执行好。刚接触到IMC的公司会对营销传播策略的前进有一个推动作用。