Practitioner opinions and interests regarding integrated marketing communications in selected Latin American countries

Although integrated marketing communications has received much attention from US educators and professionals, to date little or no attention has been given to the interest in and status of integrated marketing communications in the international market-place, particularly Latin America. Latin America's liberalization of trade and investment rules and its growing degree of market integration have opened new horizons of opportunity for US business. Leading advertising and public relations agencies are reviewing their Latin American operations with a view to offering enhanced capabilities to regional and multinational marketers. Educational and professional organizations also need to review the region's perceived changing communication training needs. This study explores the current perception of integrated marketing communications as well as the perceived interest in integrated marketing communication training in selected Latin American countries. Whenever possible, the findings are compared to previous US findings. The study concludes that the majority of Latin American communication practitioners believe in the integrated marketing communication concept and view their roles as encompassing the broader areas of communication; however, these beliefs are not as strong as those held by their US counterparts. Despite these differences, the training interests of Latin American communicators resemble those of US practitioners and are centred on an integrated curriculum.