The integration philosophy is born from seven concurrent trends (for more on this, stay tuned), but the challenge is that each “one” tends to function in its own differing ways. In effect, true integration often stalls very quickly because we look for limited bridges between one or two areas in our organization, versus looking for customer-led moments where we can test, prove and broadcast the value of integration across a much wider gamut.

Seven drivers of integration:

1. Wastage: Marketing is increasingly under pressure to show ROI. Integration portrays much less of a “waste-oriented mantra” than channel-only or share of voice (driven by awareness activities).

2. C-suite lexographic shift: Increasingly c-suites talk about customer journeys and pathways. These views need a more customer-based lens. Integration offers a logical step towards achieving this by talking about combining elements through the journey.

3. Online makes it much easier to track and act faster: Social and digital allow you to track activities in near real-time. This means it is a touch easier to monitor, or at least correlate with simple regressions. For example, what happens when activity A and activity B happen together or in sequence? It is about measurable baby steps to some (apologies for misquoting Bill Murray in the film What About Bob).

4. Budget shortsightedness: SOX forces a lot of late-in-the-quarter investment models and it rarely gives marketers time to roll out large, complex programs. Integration offers a simple process that feels closed-looped enough to quickly justify a change in short-term available funds by the next quarterly scramble. It feels a little like trench warfare (a few inches at a time), but it is the reality of where we are, especially in U.S.-led organizations.

5. Complexity abounds: There are too many choices of marketing vehicles and too many layers in the process (content, messaging, sequencing) to ever have a finite set of choices. Integration offers some form of sanity and relief to this chaos.

6. There are early signs it works: Every brand we have worked with has told us they wanted to build success with a defined process in order to “scale.” This embryonic start is critical to achieving buy-in, as well as investment models.

7. Everybody else seems to be at it – in some way or another: It is talked about so much that it must be true. For example, The Online Marketing Institute talks about how the simple act of rob-calling an eDm recipient the night before they get an eDm increases response by 50%.

The above example is fantastic from a one + one perspective. But marketing’s role does not stop at the response stage. We need to change how the eDm is received, signed up for and what else it is connected to (other choices). We should not settle for a 50% improvement when handling any of the items when we can add another 50% to the value of the one + one model.

Why Silos Exist and Why They Need to be Broken Down

The maelstrom of drivers does little to create fully integrated processes and programs. We are barely at the earliest points in that journey. Spotty connections from activities A and B and from one stage of the customer’s journey to the other still dominate the work we see time and time again.

In my next post, I will discuss common ways integration is slowed or stopped in companies. Until then!