A firm that coordinates the use of advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, and public relations to deliver a clear and consistent message about its products is engaged in direct marketing.

The firm is engaged in integrated marketing communications (IMC), not direct marketing. IMC involves coordinating various promotional tools to provide a clear, consistent, and compelling message about the organization and its products. Direct marketing, on the other hand, involves engaging directly with targeted individual consumers to obtain an immediate response and cultivate lasting customer relationships.