Gareth Kay at Brand New has been invited to sit on the panel at the Future Marketing Summit and this year the theme is integration. Gareth argues that integration is a false concept and instead it’s a label that is used to describe how different media interact with each other.
“There is a big difference between things that are complicated and things that are complex. As he explains, an airplane is complicated – you can break it down into its parts and then build it up again – whereas mayonnaise is complex – it’s ingredients become something interwoven and quite different through their interaction and cannot be separated to its initial ingredients.
“Most (if not all) of our measurement of ‘integrated’ ideas assume they are complicated – we can measure the individual channels and their contribution to the net result (and therefore optimize the mix). But isn’t this wrong? If these ideas are interactive in nature then aren’t we talking about a complex entity, not a complicated one. And, if we are, shouldn’t we just be looking at the overall impact on the brand rather than trying to crack the nut into bits? ”
Integration is a pretty hot topic so it would be great to hear what IF! readers think about it in the comments.
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I’m not entirely sure if integration should be deemed complex or complicated. Integration is based on the appropriate mediums and touch points required to deliver a campaign message or experience. Extending beyond conventional media usage requires the involvement of appropriate disciplines to deliver the message. By involving these disciplines i.e. brand activation, crm and experiential (which compliment traditional media), fall into a holistic approach called, integration. Having said that, planning the communication to work across each medium and discipline plus maintaining the campaign integrity is the challenge. Thats my take on integration. Hope it makes sense. Kev.
March 15th, 2007 at 9:25 pm