Journal of Advertising, 44(1), 37–46
Copyright Ó 2015, American Academy of Advertising
ISSN: 0091-3367 print / 1557-7805 online
DOI: 10.1080/00913367.2014.934938

Integrated Marketing Communication Capability and Brand
Performance
Sandra Luxton
Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia

Mike Reid
RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia

Felix Mavondo
Monash University, Clayton, Australia

Barney 2003; Wu 2010). Previous studies describe the IMC process as a marketing capability because it combines and converts tangible and intangible inputs into outputs (Ratnatunga and Ewing 2005; O’Cass and Weerawardena 2010). In this sense, IMC is a market-relating deployment mechanism that enables the optimization of communication approaches to achieve superior communication effectiveness, which has other downstream benefits (e.g., brand and financial performance). The development of an IMC capability is likely to be felt through better performing campaigns, which in turn result in improved brand outcomes such as market position and financial performance (Duncan and Mulhern 2004; Reid 2005).
Given the competitive challenges facing most firms, it is vital that brand managers and their agencies identify and react to competition and growth opportunities rapidly by building and sustaining marketing capabilities strategically and linking these directly to organizational objectives (O’Cass and
Weerawardena 2009).
Despite much conceptual work around defining IMC and theoretical posturing about the value of IMC for brands, little research has been undertaken to illustrate its value as a capability and demonstrate its value to brands. To address these issues, this study is grounded in the resource-based view
(RBV) of the firm and considers IMC and its execution as a business capability that facilitates the translation of a firm’s communication-related resources and its brand assets