| Abstract: | The main target of the research was to measure and determine the effect of integrated marketing communication (IMC) on sales performance by Taking Dashen Brewery Debrebrehan plant as a case study and its branch office situated in Addis Ababa. Basically, integrated marketing communication is all about synchronizing or coordinating the five marketing communication tools for the best of marketing output. The five tools of IMC are, advertisement, sales promotion, personal selling, direct marketing and public relation. All the sales and marketing department staffs of the company are considered as target populations (census was taken), which were 240 in number out of which around 193 questionnaires were appropriately filled the rest 47 were not filled hence excluded from consideration. The collected data were processed through statistical package for social science (SPSS). Data obtained were analyzed by using multiple regression analysis to find out the magnitude and direction of each of the IMC tool in affecting sales performance. Based on the output of the multiple regression all the five elements of IMC, namely Advertisement, sales promotion, personal selling, direct marketing and public relation have positive and significant effect on the sales performance of Dashen Brewery Share Company. When it comes to the magnitude or the strength of the effect of the IMC tools on the sales performance of the firm the highest significance value is recorded by direct marketing and the lowest is for advertisement. Advertisement’s low significance value is found to be due to the government ban on advertising any alcoholic beverages through two of the most important broadcast advertisement means (TV and radio) and also through open air banners, which come in to effect in 2019. Therefore, it is recommended that the firm expected to find and engage in other contemporary advertising mediums such as social media advertisement not to lose its market positioning. The firm also doing its best to fulfil its corporate social responsibilities as a public relation activity but there is a gap in letting the public know about the firm’s public relation efforts so the company needs an extensive promotion of its public relation activities. The firm needs to maintain the effects of direct marketing and sales promotion since its effect on sales performance found to be significant and also needs to incorporate other tools to boost its sales promotion and direct marketing activities. Personal selling also has a significant effect on sales performance of the firm but still it needs much effort to improve its level of significance. |
