Via Fast Company comes “Why Integrated Marketing Makes Me Shudder”. I’ve been on the integrated marketing bandwagon for many years now. It makes sense to deliver a consistent message to your prospects and customers. It’s cheaper, more efficient and less confusing. But, as the authors of the Fast Company blog point out, marketing is just one of the departments with a stake in creating the customer experience. Companies need to consider ways to deliver a seamless customer experience throughout the organization. In a market-oriented firm, the customer should be at the centre, with everything else wrapped around them. Your customer service plans, product development decisions, invoicing and even the way you answer the phone should reflect that. Integrated marketing should reach right across the organization and that’s why we need executive-level champions for the cause. At the same time, marketers should seek to integrate their own campaigns and tools, while building alliances with other members of the organization.

(c) 2005 by Andrea Coutu. Vancouver Marketing Consultant. All rights reserved.