Discovering the Future of IMC

In the Fall of 2001，my husband，Don Schultz，and I made our first speaking tour of China．At the time，we were both on the faculty of the Integrated Marketing Communication Department of the Medill School at Northwestern University．We were privileged to be invited to give presentations at several executive seminars and leading universities in Beijing，Shanghai，and Guangzhou．Our presentations were centered on how Integrated Marketing Communication was a more robust，effective，and sustainable approach to marketing communication than the traditional Western methods that depended on huge budgets，mass advertising，and heavy sales promotion.

The message then was simple: We encouraged Chinese companies to approach brand communication from the customer’s point of view，to draw insight from customer data，and most of all，to leverage communication technology to foster interactive and measurable relationships with their customers.

In the years that followed，we made many return trips and expanded our knowledge of China and its rapidly evolving marketing communication industry．We saw first-hand how savvy and innovative Chinese organizations were applying IMC principles to reshape the marketplace in ways that would have a profound effect on how brands connect with their customers.

Don Schultz passed away in peace on 4 June 2020．He continued to work right up to the end；writing，researching，advising students and engaging with academic and professional colleagues about what the future might hold．In this 2025 Future of Advertising Program report，Dr．Gu，Mingyi and his colleagues carry on that tradition．They have distilled some of the most critical marketing theories of the last 20 years and combined them with current empirical research to provide a view of the emerging opportunities，requirements，and constraints facing brands．He would have been proud to have his name associated with this challenging and thought-provoking project.

Heidi Schultz

January 2021，Chicago