Independence first
IMC Report is written for the people who plan and buy marketing communications, not for the companies it covers. No platform, agency, advertiser or sponsor sees a piece before it is published, approves it or pays for it. How the publication is owned and funded is set out in independence, ownership and funding.
What we cover, and why
- The discipline Learn explains integrated marketing communications and each of its disciplines from the research and the practice, with the debates left in.
- The industry We report on what changes for practitioners: research, regulation, markets, and the way agencies and platforms work.
- The providers Platforms and agencies are listed by a published method, never because they asked or paid.
A subject is chosen because it is useful to practitioners in at least one of our markets. Whether a company advertises, cooperates or is popular plays no part.
Sourcing and checking
- Every claim that matters has a source a reader can open, the primary one where it exists: the research paper, the regulator's text, the vendor's own documentation or filing.
- Figures are attributed, never averaged. Where published figures disagree, market sizes especially, we say so rather than pick one.
- Unverified is a state. A source confirmed only from a search excerpt is marked "to re-check" until an editor has opened it.
- What we could not source is left out, not estimated. No invented numbers, quotes, logos or testimonials.
- Every source is listed on its piece and in the sources index.
Facts, analysis and opinion
Listings and Learn pieces describe; they never say which product or firm is best. Where a piece argues a view, it is presented as analysis, gives the strongest opposing case and cites both. Republished pieces are labelled and attributed to their authors.
How we use AI
We use AI tools to help research, draft and translate. They work under the same rules as any writer: every claim needs a source a reader can open, nothing is invented, and an editor is responsible for what is published. AI never decides a listing's checks, its place in a landscape list or a Find your stack result; those follow the published rules.
Conflicts of interest
- Editors do not write about, list or assess a company they work for, advise, invest in or are paid by. Where that cannot be avoided, the interest is stated on the piece and on the listing.
- Contributors say who they are. Anyone who works for, partners with, resells or is paid by a company they write about declares it on the contribution and on their profile, and may not rate or review it. Undisclosed self-promotion is removed.
- Vendors and agencies are welcome to send corrections and evidence like anyone else. A correction is weighed on its source, not on its author, and being listed never depends on cooperation.
Contributors
IMC Report publishes with its community. Members suggest listings, correct facts, add sources and share experiences on Participate; practitioners can propose a piece by writing to the team. A moderator reads every contribution and checks it against its sources before it changes anything. Accepted contributions are credited.
When we get it wrong
We correct errors quickly and in the open: see the corrections policy.