Integrated marketing is a blend of all aspects of marketing communication - advertising, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing, and social media - through their respective mix of channels, media, and methods so that all work together as a unified force. That’s a pretty long sentence, but the objective is fairly simple: ensure that all messaging is consistent across all channels and is centered on the customer. The customer doesn’t see all the ways and means you’ve used to attract their attention; they just want a brand experience that speaks to them, however – and however many times – that message is delivered.
As marketer Tony Wright wrote in Search Engine Journal, integrated marketing used to “blur the lines that separate creative, media, television, radio and print.” Fast forward to 2019 and it’s gotten a lot more complicated with the introduction of new digital marketing channels like Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest along with existing platforms like Google, Facebook, and Twitter. With all of these arrows in the marketing quiver, integration has never been more complex, or more important.
Not only are multiple channels and platforms available to the marketer but deciding on tactics such as whether to push or pull content comes into play. Push content takes the product directly to the consumer via whatever means, ensuring your product is present at the point of purchase. This relies on supply chain management to ensure product is visible in market, packaging decisions, point of sale displays. Pull content is getting the customer to come to you, via advertising and direct marketing, word-of-mouth referrals, CRM, and sales promotions or discounts. In all cases, consumers must take some sort of action to connect with the brand. Integrated marketing uses a combination of push and pull to attract customers on their own terms and in whichever way is most comfortable for them.
At Clever Samurai we’ve executed many integrated marketing campaigns, using the full spectrum of marketing and communications tools available. A recent client, Minus Forty, wanted a brand refresh and a 21st century logo redesign to attract attention to their award-winning product line of refrigerated merchandisers. Clever Samurai designed a new website, got their branded content in popular trade publications and placed thought leadership articles in front of decision makers.
The end result has been remarkable: better branding, a more effective and customer-centric website, thought leadership positioning in the industry and a robust employee outreach program to secure workers in a tight labour market.
Partnering with an agency like Clever Samurai gets you expertise in a number of areas – from website design to branding and communications strategy. We can also bring our sister company, 360Leads, to the table, to help out with lead generation as well. No matter how big or small your challenges are, we can combine forces to meet your requirements and provide an integrated marketing solution that solves whatever issues you might have.
