Mapping the literature of integrated marketing communications: A scientometric analysis using CiteSpace

Integrated marketing communication (IMC) is an effective marketing practice in the age of social media. IMC builds customer relationships and enhances brand value by integrating information from multiple channels and strengthening user interaction. The purpose of this study is to present the develop...

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Main Authors: Lingling Wu, Yuriy Danko, Fuli Chen, Xuefeng Yao, Fenghe Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: LLC "CPC "Business Perspectives" 2022-03-01
Series:Innovative Marketing
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Online Access:https://www.businessperspectives.org/images/pdf/applications/publishing/templates/article/assets/16222/IM_2022_01_Wu.pdf
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author Lingling Wu
Yuriy Danko
Fuli Chen
Xuefeng Yao
Fenghe Zhang
author_facet Lingling Wu
Yuriy Danko
Fuli Chen
Xuefeng Yao
Fenghe Zhang
author_sort Lingling Wu
collection DOAJ
description Integrated marketing communication (IMC) is an effective marketing practice in the age of social media. IMC builds customer relationships and enhances brand value by integrating information from multiple channels and strengthening user interaction. The purpose of this study is to present the development process, current hotspots, and future trends of IMC research. Moreover, it explores the characteristics and patterns of IMC research. First, this paper shows the annual literature volume, leading countries, journals, and authors in IMC research through bibliometrics. Then, five hot research topics are identified through keyword co-occurrence analysis, namely IMC theory and models, brand communication, media research, customer research, and marketing strategy. From 1991 to 2020, IMC research is divided into five phases, each of which is related to the enhancement of user interaction. Future IMC research will continue to be user-centered, and IMC research will continue with social media and branding, as well as research on other topics that can further enhance user interactions. This paper also finds that the characteristics of the concept of IMC itself lead to a constant renewal of its connotations, which is one of the reasons why scholars cannot reach a consensus on the concept of IMC. AcknowledgmentsWe thank Associate Professor Zhenkun Cui of Henan Institute of Science and Technology for his valuable comments during the writing and revision of this paper. The following research projects supported this study: (1) Henan Provincial University Humanities and Social Sciences Research Project No.2022-ZDJH-0099; (2) Henan Provincial University Humanities and Social Sciences Research Project No.2022-ZZJH-158; (3) Henan Province Social Science Planning Project No. 2021BZZ004; and (4) Xinxiang Social Science Federation Research Project No. 2021-167.
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issn 1814-2427
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publishDate 2022-03-01
publisher LLC "CPC "Business Perspectives"
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spelling doaj-art-9cd49ef166564e6fbde0d122a69ce46d2025-08-20T01:51:27ZengLLC "CPC "Business Perspectives"Innovative Marketing1814-24271816-63262022-03-0118115216710.21511/im.18(1).2022.1316222Mapping the literature of integrated marketing communications: A scientometric analysis using CiteSpaceLingling Wu0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2490-6192Yuriy Danko1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9847-1593Fuli Chen2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3929-3651Xuefeng Yao3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8658-2843Fenghe Zhang4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2475-1218Senior Lecturer, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, China; Sumy National Agrarian UniversityVice-Rector for Research Work, Doctor of Economic Sciences, Sumy National Agrarian UniversitySenior Lecturer, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, China; Sumy National Agrarian UniversityStudent, Hongik UniversitySenior Lecturer, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, China; Sumy National Agrarian UniversityIntegrated marketing communication (IMC) is an effective marketing practice in the age of social media. IMC builds customer relationships and enhances brand value by integrating information from multiple channels and strengthening user interaction. The purpose of this study is to present the development process, current hotspots, and future trends of IMC research. Moreover, it explores the characteristics and patterns of IMC research. First, this paper shows the annual literature volume, leading countries, journals, and authors in IMC research through bibliometrics. Then, five hot research topics are identified through keyword co-occurrence analysis, namely IMC theory and models, brand communication, media research, customer research, and marketing strategy. From 1991 to 2020, IMC research is divided into five phases, each of which is related to the enhancement of user interaction. Future IMC research will continue to be user-centered, and IMC research will continue with social media and branding, as well as research on other topics that can further enhance user interactions. This paper also finds that the characteristics of the concept of IMC itself lead to a constant renewal of its connotations, which is one of the reasons why scholars cannot reach a consensus on the concept of IMC. AcknowledgmentsWe thank Associate Professor Zhenkun Cui of Henan Institute of Science and Technology for his valuable comments during the writing and revision of this paper. The following research projects supported this study: (1) Henan Provincial University Humanities and Social Sciences Research Project No.2022-ZDJH-0099; (2) Henan Provincial University Humanities and Social Sciences Research Project No.2022-ZZJH-158; (3) Henan Province Social Science Planning Project No. 2021BZZ004; and (4) Xinxiang Social Science Federation Research Project No. 2021-167.https://www.businessperspectives.org/images/pdf/applications/publishing/templates/article/assets/16222/IM_2022_01_Wu.pdfCiteSpaceintegrated marketing communicationsscientometricsScopusWeb of Science
spellingShingle Lingling Wu
Yuriy Danko
Fuli Chen
Xuefeng Yao
Fenghe Zhang
Mapping the literature of integrated marketing communications: A scientometric analysis using CiteSpace
Innovative Marketing
CiteSpace
integrated marketing communications
scientometrics
Scopus
Web of Science
title Mapping the literature of integrated marketing communications: A scientometric analysis using CiteSpace
title_full Mapping the literature of integrated marketing communications: A scientometric analysis using CiteSpace
title_fullStr Mapping the literature of integrated marketing communications: A scientometric analysis using CiteSpace
title_full_unstemmed Mapping the literature of integrated marketing communications: A scientometric analysis using CiteSpace
title_short Mapping the literature of integrated marketing communications: A scientometric analysis using CiteSpace
title_sort mapping the literature of integrated marketing communications a scientometric analysis using citespace
topic CiteSpace
integrated marketing communications
scientometrics
Scopus
Web of Science
url https://www.businessperspectives.org/images/pdf/applications/publishing/templates/article/assets/16222/IM_2022_01_Wu.pdf
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