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Integrated Marketing is back. But will marketers embrace brand experience in addition to brand message...?
... iMedia Connection has recently published “A Quick Guide to Integrated Marketing.” It’s another take on the all-too-familiar challenge of aligning multiple marketing initiatives across multiple channels with the goal of “integrating” these efforts to achieve marketing nirvana. Only one problem with this piece: What about the TOUCHPOINTS?
Before I go on—here is how I would differentiate a channel from a touchpoint:
CHANNEL:
A method of communication or interactivity that attracts, engages, or raises awareness among consumers. Channels may also involve participation and community especially among emerging media. Examples: TV, Radio, Direct Mail, Web, Blogs, Social Media, etc.
TOUCHPOINT:
How customers interact with a business or brand. Touchpoints usually involve some type of transaction or facilitation of a service. Touchpoints are experience-driven with the quality of the experience determining the effectiveness of a touchpoint. Example: catalogue, online catalogue, ATM, retail, online shopping, customer service, banking, online banking, travel etc.
Now back to the article:
“Integrated marketing means that your brand messages resonate in complementary -- rather than contradictory -- ways across marketing channels.”
Brand Messages. That’s the key theme of the entire piece. Messaging the brand across multiple CHANNELS. There is nothing wrong with this—but here is the point. If marketing firms and agencies are serious about providing a comprehensive “brand message” across the media landscape—then they need to at least CONSIDER touch points too.
I’ll use Citibank—my favorite example. Great online banking. Great offline banking. Great ATM Experience. And great marketing initiatives across all those wonderful “channels”. I know there are many agencies behind this (in addition to Citibank)—but I would like to think that somewhere, someone is thinking about how all of the marketing initiatives and customer experiences come together.
Don't marketers need to think about Brand Experience in addition to Brand Message?
Another quote:
“Every medium, channel, format and vehicle from online marketing, direct mail, television, print, billboards, guerilla marketing and so forth has its distinctive strengths and weaknesses.”
Again—no mention of the customer experience anywhere in this “Integration.” So here’s how I’ll end this. If marketers really want to “integrate”—then we will talk about experiences as well. Until then it’s partial integration at best.
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Comments
Great point. If the experience at each of the touchpoints isn't true to the brand message, you're shooting yourself in the foot -- generating customer expectations that you won't be able to meet. That seems more harmful than having no message at all.
Posted by: Monica Powers | 06.16.06
Exactly Monica. This is why marketers are having such great challenges when marketing products or experiences that aren't so hot. We often find ourselves creating an "illusion".
But customers eventually find out the truth—especially nowadays when consumers empowered and resourceful more than ever.
So, for marketers—it's important to think about the experience of the brand as well. If we do our jobs right, we'll have an intimate understanding of these experiences and can market to the brand emotionally, rationally, effectively and honestly.
Posted by: David Armano | 06.16.06
I agree with you, David. I've had so many nightmarish customer service experiences with major brands, particularly in their in-bound call centers. It really doesn't matter how great the companies are or what they offer if they can't resolve problems for existing customers.
If a CSR can't help me, I expect to be able to talk to a supervisor, if s/he can't help, I expect to talk to a manager - not be told that no one can help and then be given the runaround, waiting long periods on hold. That only infuriates me, as I'm sure it does to many others.
Customer service is a huge touchpoint and it's often ignored or just done poorly.
Posted by: Elaine Fogel | 06.16.06
You know what also pisses me off to no end? When I get acquisition mailings from a credit card company where I am already a customer. Can't they just take the time and money to personalize the mailing and recognize that I have been a loyal customer for an extremely long time and increase my credit limit instead of trying to give me another credit card.
Posted by: Scott Petinga | 06.16.06
Right.
See—you are at least thinking about it. Some marketing firms actually help imrove the customer experiences across touchpoints. But even if yours doesn't—you should at least think about how those experiences affect the marketing program.
And—think beyond MESSAGING which implies one way communication as opposed to interaction, community and conversation.
Posted by: David Armano | 06.16.06
Wonderful points but one additional issue that seriously impacts integration is the consistent difficulty many marketers experience when trying to get corporate buy-in to implement brand strategies across multiple channels. Too many executives are looking for quick fixes and fail to give marketing integration the time it needs to succeed.
Posted by: Tracy Bramlet | 06.18.06
Tracy,
That is a good point. I wonder if part of the reason is that many "integrated efforts" don't succeed as promised. That said, you definitely need support from the very top in order have a chance at success.
At my previous agency—we played a very small role in HP's "One Voice" initiative to make the brand more consistant across media both internally and externally. My understanding is that it was a top priority initiative within HP and in my opinion, this helped greatly.
Posted by: David Armano | 06.18.06
I agree that touchpoints are critical. Particularly in this web 2.0 world, it seems like the opportunities to achieve effecive touchpoints are increasing.
I look forward to the next wave of RSS marketing and multi-user podcasting that will enable much more effective brand experiences online that will enhance the messaging.
-Mario
Marketing Nirvana
Posted by: Mario Sundar | 06.20.06
Mario, the definition of Marketing Nirvana on your blog says it all:
"mar·ket·ing | nir·va·na (märk-tng | nîr-vän, nr-)
n.An ideal condition of rest, harmony, stability, or joy for marketer and consumer alike."
Marketing Nirvana cannot be achieved by focusing soley on the "messaging"—even in the interactive format.
Posted by: David Armano | 06.20.06
Companies are not telling their full brand story if they're failing to recognize the importance of touchpoints. So many people spend tons of resources on getting their message out to bring in traffic...but what then? What happens after that customer walks into their store, or shops their website, or opens their catalog?
I don't believe the problem is that companies aren't thinking about touchpoints. It's more that they tend to get so caught up in short-term sales/acquisition goals, that they're not focusing on the long-term benefits of creating and maintaining a meaningful and consistent experience for their customers. This focus on the 360-degree brand experience needs to be a priority, starting from the top. A company's brand values need to be at the heart of everything it does.
Posted by: Cindy Ho | 06.21.06