Examining the relevance of IMC in the Australian SME context

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a pivotal part of the Australian economy. There has been a wealth of literature on the challenges facing SMEs, particularly on the issues of resource constraints and a lack of marketing expertise. These issues are intensifying the challenge of managing marketing communications and while the concept of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) has been offered as a 'panacea' to the improvement of marketing communications, little research has been undertaken to explore its relevance in the SME context. This paper identifies a research agenda for examining associated issues.