What Is an Integrated Marketing Campaign?
An integrated marketing campaign (IMC) is a coordinated effort that uses multiple marketing channels — such as social media, email, print, and TV — to deliver a consistent message to a target audience. By aligning content, visuals, and strategy across platforms, these campaigns ensure a unified brand experience and maximize impact.
In a 2022 study for the Journal of Science & Technology, researchers found that consistent brand messaging across several channels results in higher ROI and brand recall. According to the researchers, “68% of participants reported higher engagement levels when exposed to consistent messaging across email, mobile, and direct mail. This underscores the importance of channel synergy in fostering greater consumer interaction.”
These campaigns typically include some combination of the following:
- Digital Channels: Social media, email marketing, SEM, and display ads
- Traditional Channels: TV, radio, print media, out-of-home (OOH) billboards, and subway ads
- In-Person Channels: Events, trade shows, and retail experiences
- Hybrid Channels: Influencer and affiliate marketing
- Owned Media Channels: Websites, apps, customer portals, webinars, and online workshops
- Earned Media Channels: PR, press releases, and user-generated content (UGC)
“Integrated marketing campaigns are no longer optional — they're the standard,” says
Kathryn Landis, Executive and Team Coach, Professor at NYU’s Master of Science Program in Integrated Marketing, and Founder of Kathryn Landis Consulting. “Today’s consumers demand a seamless, cohesive experience across channels, with messages that resonate and invite interaction. Gone are the days of one-way ‘push’ communication; audiences now expect a dynamic, two-way relationship with brands.”
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By aligning messaging across these touchpoints, brands create a unified, recognizable experience that strengthens awareness, loyalty, and engagement.
Examples of Integrated Marketing Campaigns
Explore some of the most effective integrated marketing campaign examples and discover what makes them so impactful. From the cross-platform cultural moment of Barbie to the Yeti immersive storytelling project with Google, these campaigns showcase how brands can unify messaging across digital, traditional, in-person, and other channels.
Digital Integrated Marketing Campaign Example: Map the Gaps by Yeti
The Yeti “Map the Gaps” campaign is a masterclass in integrated marketing, combining content marketing, storytelling, and community engagement to deliver both impact and sales. By partnering with Google and leveraging multiple media channels, Yeti showcased its products in a dynamic, real-world context.
“This is one of the best-integrated marketing campaigns I have come across,” says Dan Ben-Nun, the Founder and CEO of Adspace Agency with more than 14 years of marketing experience. “The authentic storytelling at the heart of the campaign drives a compelling narrative that highlights exploration and environmental awareness. It creates an authentic connection with Yeti's target audience, which includes outdoor enthusiasts, adventurers, and environmental conservationists.”
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The brand’s “Map the Gaps” campaign seamlessly blends product demonstration with user engagement. Recognizing that Google Street View had mapped 98 percent of the world’s roads but overlooked many wilderness trails, Yeti equipped 13 global ambassadors with GPS-enabled 360-degree cameras and its Hopper backpack cooler to document 15 uncharted paths across diverse terrains. The captured footage was then uploaded to Google Street View, effectively transforming the platform into an interactive showcase for Yeti products.
The campaign used a combination of digital, hybrid, owned, and earned media channels:
- Digital: Yeti collaborated with Google to map unexplored outdoor locations, embedding the brand into one of the most widely used digital navigation tools. It also leveraged social platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook to showcase explorer journeys and behind-the-scenes content.
- Hybrid: Yeti partnered with 13 influencers, including adventurers, athletes, and explorers. Doing so allowed the brand to communicate authentic stories to the Yeti target audience.
- Owned Media: The “Map the Gaps” initiative was prominently featured on the Yeti website, offering visitors a deeper look into the explorers’ journeys.
- Earned Media: The campaign attracted widespread media attention, with features in publications such as Contagious, generating more than 78 million social media impressions. By inspiring community engagement, the campaign also invited consumers to share their own adventures. “Community engagement fosters a sense of belonging, which organically amplifies the campaign's reach,” explains Ben-Nun.
In the end, the campaign yielded impressive results, including a 300 percent increase in Hopper sales, 78 million social media impressions, and the addition of 75 miles of newly charted trails to Google Street View.
Source: Yeti
Up your digital marketing game with these free digital marketing campaign templates, trackers, and reports.
Integrated Marketing Strategy Example: The Barbie Movie
The 2023 campaign for the Barbie movie is a prime example of a successful integrated marketing strategy. Using a breadcrumb strategy, the movie built anticipation through teasers, trailers, in-person events, and brand collaborations with Google and Airbnb. By combining paid media with organic buzz, Barbie became not just a single event but a cultural moment.
“I started a global branding and digital marketing firm 23 years ago, and Barbie’s massive campaign deserves top honors for me,” says Paige Arnof-Fenn, Founder and CEO of the marketing firm Mavens & Moguls. “Over eight months launching prior to the movie release in theaters and lasting through the summer and streaming availability, they continued to build the momentum. Barbie was everywhere: retail tie-ins, social media, TV ads, movie-themed settings on Alexa devices, and more. They tapped into nostalgia and painted the world pink, executing an unparalleled integrated marketing campaign.”
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For example, as part of this massive, multi-channel campaign, Warner Bros. and Mattel partnered with Airbnb to transform a real-life Malibu DreamHouse into a rentable experience, “hosted by Ken,” for two free one-night stays timed with the film’s July 2023 release. This playful activation drove massive media buzz, generating more than 13,000 press mentions and 250 million social media impressions.
Source: Airbnb
“Whether you love Barbie or hate her, they successfully reached influencers all over the world, created massive fan engagement, and deepened the connection with audiences through a wide range of partnerships and product collaborations, there were no shortage of ways for fans to express themselves online, offline and at immersive experiences,” explains Arnof-Fenn.
As another example, the marketing team collaborated with Google to create a unique Easter egg: searching for terms such as “Barbie,” “Greta Gerwig,” “Margot Robbie,” or “Ryan Gosling” transformed the Google search interface into a pink, sparkly theme. This tactic seamlessly blended branding into one of the world’s most widely used digital platforms, where millions of users engage daily. This sparked organic, word-of-mouth marketing as people shared the Easter egg on social media:
Source: X
“The combination of these cross-platform strategies resulted in a massive surge across the board,” says Arnof-Fenn. “I think Barbie’s marketing campaign’s immense success set a new global benchmark for integrated marketing. I predict that this model will be the gold standard for brands with big budgets.”
Example of Storytelling for an Integrated Marketing Campaign: @properties
The Brandie Award-winning “Love Letters” campaign by @properties Christie’s International Real Estate is a standout example of an integrated marketing strategy that taps into emotional storytelling to build brand awareness and foster a sense of community.
Source: IntelligenceBank
The campaign featured more than 40 personalized “Love Letters” addressed to the neighborhoods, clients, agents, and staff connected to the brand. These letters highlighted local events, attractions, and community-specific details to create authentic, heartfelt content that resonated with each community. The letters were featured across multiple channels, including print ads, postcards, websites, social media, and even regional movie theaters.
This campaign exemplifies the power of integrated marketing by weaving a unified message across paid, owned, and earned media. Paid ads on social platforms such as Meta and Adwerx amplified the reach of the “Dear Chicago, We Love You” video, while social media, email, and internal communications engaged agents and staff, turning them into brand advocates.
The campaign’s thoughtful personalization and consistent use of love-themed branding across digital, physical, and in-person channels made the message feel authentic and deeply connected to the community.
Example of Leveraging Data for an Integrated Marketing Campaign: Spotify Wrapped
Spotify Wrapped is an annual, personalized year-in-review experience that showcases users’ top songs, artists, genres, and podcasts, all designed to spark social sharing and brand engagement.
“Spotify Wrapped combines data storytelling with nostalgia, reminding users of their year in music,” shares Cari Jaquet, Chief Marketing Officer at Normalyze. “Spotify turned emails, in-app features, and social sharing into an annual celebration.”
The annual Spotify Wrapped campaign has become a viral marketing phenomenon, with more than 120 million users engaging with their personalized year-in-review in 2021. This user-driven content also significantly boosts Spotify’s visibility across social media platforms, as users eagerly share their listening habits, such as this viral tweet from 2024:
“The takeaway?” says Jaquet. “Leverage your data to delight your audience in a way only you can.”
Example of Continuity in an Integrated Marketing Campaign: Taco Bell
For more integrated marketing inspiration, Jaquet also recommends taking a look at Taco Bell’s recent, multi-channel partnership with Davante Adams. When NFL star Davante Adams was unexpectedly traded from the Green Bay Packers to the Las Vegas Raiders, Taco Bell saw an opportunity to turn the moment into a clever marketing stunt. After previously featuring Adams in a TV ad promoting its new Loaded Taco Fries, Taco Bell leaned into the news of his move by creating a playful “real estate listing” for his fictional Taco Fries-themed “house” in Green Bay.
Source: Today
As an integrated marketing campaign, this stunt seamlessly blended traditional and digital media to create a cohesive, ongoing story. It started with a traditional TV ad that the company carried to social media. This clever continuation of the storyline sparked organic engagement on platforms such as X and Instagram, fueled UGC, and earned widespread media coverage.
Source: Taco Bell
By leveraging multiple channels — TV, social media, and PR — Taco Bell extended the life of its original ad and reinforced its playful, culturally aware brand persona.
Integrated Campaign for B2B Marketing Example: “Secure in 15” by McAfee
The “Secure in 15” campaign by McAfee was a successful integrated marketing strategy that unified messaging and branding across multiple channels. This campaign included daily email tips, partner campaign templates, a research report, and marketing collateral — all aligned under the “Secure in 15” brand.
“I had learned that security folks at small to mid-sized companies only had 15 minutes a day to do anything related to security — the rest of the time, they were setting up email accounts, fixing the monitor in the boardroom, etc.,” says Jaquet, who ran the campaign. “We created every component of the campaign, from a primary research report to a 15-minute tip emailed to our community every day (‘today, consider updating your XYZ’) to partner campaigns and templates. It was so successful and really made marketing to that segment very easy. Best of all, we were able to create a unified approach to a bunch of otherwise disparate products because they were all under the ‘Secure in 15’ umbrella.”
Integrated Marketing Communication Example: Muscular Dystrophy Association
The Muscular Dystrophy Association’s (MDA) 75th Anniversary Campaign is a comprehensive, milestone-driven initiative that highlights the organization’s seven-decade legacy of supporting individuals with neuromuscular diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), ALS, and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
“Our approach leverages an omnichannel strategy that utilizes the strengths of paid, owned, earned, and social media,” explains Morgan Roth, Chief Marketing Officer for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Key components include social media ads, search engine marketing, personalized email outreach, and organic social content on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
“Paid digital advertising, including social media ads and search engine marketing, will amplify awareness and drive traffic to our campaign microsite,” Roth explains. “Personalized email campaigns will engage our existing donor base and potential supporters, emphasizing MDA's legacy and vision for the future. Organic posts, stories, and video content across platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn will keep the celebration active and engaging. We are pursuing news media to spotlight our ongoing breakthroughs and unique stories of resilience and impact. Print and direct mail campaigns will extend our reach, especially to audiences who value traditional communication, while webinars and online events will bring people together and reinforce the shared purpose that defines MDA’s broad and diverse community.”
The campaign’s art direction is a reflection of MDA’s journey and creates a unified visual identity that carries through every channel. “Notice that we’ve gone from black and white to full color,” Roth notes. “This is to represent our evolution from the 1950s, where so many people knew us from the telethon on black and white TV, to full 4K color.”
Find resources to help keep your marketing communications consistent and aligned in this roundup of marketing communications plan templates.
Example of an Integrated Marketing Campaign: “Live From PS5”
PlayStation’s Drum Award-winning “Live From PS5” campaign is another standout example of integrated marketing that reignited global excitement. The campaign transformed iconic game moments into playful news segments and deployed them across various channels, including television, digital platforms, and social media.
Source: The Drum Awards
By unifying these efforts under the “Live from PS5” banner, PlayStation captured the attention of existing fans and potential new customers. The results were staggering. The massive, multi-channel effort deployed more than 600 assets across television, social media, out-of-home advertising, digital displays, and high-impact special builds — all within a four-week period.
This integrated approach paid off significantly, with Sony selling 19.1 million PlayStation 5 consoles in the financial year, surpassing its forecast of 18 million, underscoring the campaign’s effectiveness in driving demand, and reigniting global hype for the console.
Integrated Marketing Campaign Event Example: 4 Rivers Smokehouse
The Southern restaurant chain 4 Rivers Smokehouse launched a 2024 campaign that won a prestigious MarCom Award. By unifying digital, paid, and owned media channels, 4 Rivers successfully turned a limited-time menu into an immersive, multi-platform event that increased brand loyalty and drove new customer acquisition.
To build buzz and drive customer engagement, 4 Rivers activated a variety of touchpoints, including Google Search ads, social media advertising, email campaigns, and organic social media posts. Centered around seasonal offerings such as its blueberry BBQ sauce, the campaign combined culinary excitement with a multi-channel promotional blitz.
Source: AMCP
Through its strategic mix of channels, 4 Rivers gained nearly 12,000 social engagements with an average engagement rate of more than 2 percent. 4 Rivers also layered in experiential elements such as weekly concert ticket giveaways in partnership with PepsiCo, as well as quirky merchandise promotions featuring playful puns such as “Piggy Smalls” and “Pearl Ham.”
Source: AMCP
Paid social media ads promoted contests, music video content, and exclusive offers, while email campaigns invited loyalty members to participate in personalized promotions. The result was a fully integrated customer experience where every touchpoint reinforced the campaign’s message. The approach paid off in a big way, driving more than $183,000 in sales.
B2B Integrated Marketing Campaign Example: RedLine Solutions
In 2024, RedLine Solutions, a company that helps businesses improve their inventory and traceability processes, launched a campaign built around a business-to-business (B2B) integrated marketing strategy that uses an unexpected but impactful channel — a published book, Produce Traceability Integrity — to reinforce brand authority. By pairing the book with webinars, free training, discussion groups, and digital media promotion, the campaign maintains consistent messaging across multiple channels, fostering trust and alignment.
Source: RedLine Solutions
“I worked with this client to write a book, Produce Traceability Integrity, on achieving FSMA 204 safety compliance for produce growers and packer-shipper clients,” says Carmen Williams, Chief Evolution Officer and Fractional CMO at Evolve for Growth. “With the government-mandated food safety compliance deadline fast approaching, fear of fines for not achieving compliance and potential lawsuits is prominent within the industry.
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“To address this, RedLine has provided the book and free training, webinars, and discussion groups to guide their clients through the process,” she continues. “By promoting these resources across digital media and live events, RedLine fostered trust and alignment within the industry. The campaign emphasized the greater good of enhancing food safety standards while equipping clients with the tools and assurance needed to succeed.”
RedLine’s campaign exemplifies an effective integrated marketing strategy by combining educational resources with multi-channel promotion to build trust and address industry needs.
Marketing Experts Share Their Integrated Marketing Campaign Best Practices
According to experts, the best practices for integrated marketing campaigns center on multi-platform consistency. A unified message, adapted for different platforms but consistent in tone and purpose, maximizes reach and brand resonance. Industry leaders emphasize aligning messaging across all channels to create a seamless and impactful brand experience.
“It is important to have a unified message that aligns with your brand’s core values and resonates with your target audience,” Ben-Nun advises. “This ensures consistency across different channels and touchpoints.”
Here are some other expert-tested best practices for integrated marketing campaigns:
- Channel Coordination for Seamless Integration: Coordinate channels and centralize creative assets to ensure seamless integration and message consistency across all touchpoints. “An integrated marketing approach requires coordination to ensure each channel complements the others and drives message momentum,” says Roth. “By centralizing creative assets in shared digital workspaces, every team and MDA partner will have the materials needed for seamless integration into their business units’ external communications and activities.”
- Cultural Relevance: Stay relevant within social or cultural discussions by aligning campaigns with key cultural moments to increase brand recall and relevance.
- Audience Engagement: Use interactive tools such as polls, AR virtual try-ons, or challenges that encourage user participation to turn followers into active participants.
- Tailored Content for Each Channel: Customize content for each platform rather than duplicating it. “While it is important to maintain a cohesive message, ensure you adapt the format and tone for each marketing channel to maximize reach and impact,” recommends Ben-Nun. “For example, Instagram requires visually engaging content, while LinkedIn performs better with thought leadership posts.”
- Personalization: Use customer insights to deliver personalized marketing messages for different audience segments, boosting engagement and brand connection. “Use customer insights to tailor your marketing messages to different audience segments,” Ben-Nun suggests. “Content personalization improves engagement and builds a stronger connection with consumers.”
- Real-Time Monitoring and Adapting: Use data analytics tools to track campaign performance and make real-time adjustments based on audience behavior and feedback. “Use data analytics tools to track performance and adjust your strategies mid-campaign,” Ben-Nun suggests. “Successful marketing campaigns often evolve based on audience response and data insights.” For example, Roth shares her monitoring plan for her MDA campaign: “Weekly meetings with the marketing and communications team will track performance, adapt strategies as needed, and keep campaign elements aligned and responsive.”
- Harnessing AI for Automation: Leverage AI-driven tools for more efficient workflows and smarter decision-making. “AI-powered tools streamline processes such as audience segmentation, predictive analytics, and dynamic content creation, enabling marketers to focus on strategic innovation,” Williams says.
Integrated Marketing Campaign Templates
If you’re managing a multi-channel marketing initiative, these IMC templates are essential tools to streamline your strategy. From campaign workflows and media plans to proposal templates and communications plans, these templates can support every stage of your integrated marketing campaign.
To get started, browse the templates below, or you can view our roundup of marketing campaign templates to find the one that best suits your organization’s needs.
Multi-Channel Campaign Workflow Template
Download a Multi-Channel Campaign Workflow Template for
Microsoft Word
|
Adobe PDF
| Google Docs
Designed to streamline and manage integrated marketing campaigns, this template allows users to map out the sequence of events, user actions, and messaging across email, SMS, social media, and other touchpoints. The template helps marketers track user actions and outcomes so they can adapt campaigns in real time based on audience behavior.
Integrated Marketing Campaign Management Template
Download an Integrated Marketing Campaign Management Plan Template for
Excel
| Google Sheets
Created with multi-channel integrated marketing campaigns in mind, this template provides a structured workflow to guide users through every phase of a campaign, from planning and creative development to promotion, testing, and launch. Notable features include a dedicated space to coordinate and measure up to six marketing channels, to ensure seamless cross-channel integration.
Integrated Marketing Campaign Brief Template
Download an Integrated Marketing Campaign Brief Template for
Excel
|
Microsoft Word
|
Adobe PDF
| Google Docs
This template is ideal for teams who manage multi-channel, integrated marketing campaigns. The template proves space for you to note a unified brand message and tone to maintain across all channels, as well as provides space to indicate which marketing channels to use. Users can also set measurable KPIs for individual channels, whether they’re digital, traditional, hybrid, owned, in-person, or earned media.
Integrated Marketing Campaign Proposal Template
Download an Integrated Marketing Campaign Proposal Template for
Microsoft Word
| Google Docs
Designed to support multi-channel, integrated marketing campaign proposals with a clear structure for planning, budgeting, and execution, this template includes a dedicated channel integration strategy section to ensure consistent messaging and cross-channel coordination.
Integrated Marketing Campaign Media Plan Template
Download the Integrated Marketing Campaign Media Plan Template for Excel
This template is perfect for marketing professionals and campaign managers who need to streamline their cross-channel media planning. It provides a clear structure to track cost projection, impressions, and conversion rates across multiple platforms, such as social media, telemarketing, and online channels. Select this template to ensure a cohesive, data-driven approach to managing complex marketing campaigns.
Integrated Marketing Communications Plan Template
Download the Integrated Marketing Communications Plan Template for Adobe PDF
Perfect for marketing professionals, project managers, and communications teams, this template helps streamline the development and execution of a comprehensive marketing communications strategy. It includes dedicated sections for a SWOT analysis and to list SMART objectives, brand positioning, and creative strategy development notes.
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