Message Design in Integrated Marketing Communication of a Thai Real Estate Company

Abstract

The study entitled, “Message Design in Integrated Marketing Communication of a Thai Real Estate Company” is qualitative research, aimed to 1) study message design in integrated marketing communication of a Thai real estate company, 2) explore the perception of meanings by consumers who are buyers of the Thai real estate company, and 3) examine if and how message designed in integrated marketing communication is congruent with buyers’ perceived meanings in the current market situation. For analyzing the logic of consumption of housing, Jean Baudrillard’s concept of consumption logic, Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of semiology and taste, and the concept of integrated marketing communication (IMC) are applied as the conceptual framework through the use of content analysis of the message appearing in the IMC tools of the Thai real estate company, in combination with an in-depth interview with 18 samples.

The findings show that 1) the logic of consumption found the most in the message designed in the housing advertisements appearing on the integrated marketing communication tools is the logic of symbolic exchange value, followed by sign, exchange, and use value respectively. 2) Buyers perceive the logic of symbolic exchange the most as they give importance to the commodity's image consumption, followed by sign value to express their differences and respond to their individualistic lifestyle. The next perceived consumption logic is exchange value as they consider prices and worthiness, including banks' criteria for housing loans and investment returns. The least perceived consumption logic is use value as buyers do not perceive a house simply as a commodity for use. Besides, the taste is another variable found to influence buyers' housing purchase decisions. 3) The congruence between the message designed by entrepreneurs to create the logic of consumption and the meanings of the logic of housing consumption perceived by the buyers is found.

In general, a house is perceived by symbolic meanings, which display the relationship between a house and residents and their social status. Accordingly, real estate companies create some attached meanings beyond the meaning of a commodity in the market only, depending on how buyers will connect themselves to a house and what a house means to them. Besides, it is found that buyers tend to use their emotions or feeling rather than logic of necessity in their housing purchase decisions.