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On
one of my recent CIM presentation courses, a
delegate reminded me of a wonderful word, ‘salmagundi'.
Amongst other definitions, it means a collection
containing a variety of things. This neatly
sums up 2004's latest marketing vogue, Media
Neutral Integrated Marketing (MNIM). Everyone
who is anyone is raging about MNIM's ousting
of Value Added marketing, which frankly darlings,
is just so ‘2003'.
Yet,
if I cast my mind back to around seven years
ago, just about every direct marketer raged
about a similar concept, through–the–line marketing,
which combined awareness and response marketing.
Ostensibly,
both BLTL and MNIM are not so concerned with
the choice of media as the power of a brand
message.
One
much heralded case study for MNIM is the current
D&AD award winning campaign for Audi, designed
and implemented by their agency BBH. According
to D&AD, “BBH prides itself on working across
all channels”.
The
Audi campaign celebrates Audi's concern for
exceptional design. At the beginning of the
millennium, Audi hung its communication message
on design. Today, according to D&AD, “BBH's
account team works with dedicated people within
the agency responsible for data targeting, data
purchase and campaign analysis.”
Much
of the campaign's design concepts originate
from a company called Jam.
In fact, Jam produced a range of 12 products,
displayed at Audi's permanent showroom in London.
Jam also worked alongside BBH to produce direct
mail for loyal Audi customers.
This
integrated style of marketing opens up appealing
areas to explain a branded message. Audi supported
its commitment to design with initiatives such
as becoming Arts centre sponsors.
I
could end here, leaving you with a blissful
image of everyone living happily ever after,
driving towards the sunset in an Audi TT. However,
I think you deserve a closer look at MNIM.
David
Brent (of BBC's The Office fame) typified the
archetypal manager who, having whittled a distinctive
mission statement down to three innocuous words,
along the lines of ‘The caring corp', would
periodically gather ‘his team' to remind them
that ‘we are all singing off the same hymn sheet'.
And
a jolly good job too! For example, imagine if
Coca Cola had one brand message delivered by
its design agency, another by its advertising
agency and yet another by their PR agency? The
entire campaign would be as confusing as a government
ruled by a prime minister with one agenda and
a deputy prime minister with another. (Hold
on a minute – that sounds kind of familiar…)
Great
brand messages adapt rather than totally capitulate
to local markets. Akio Morita - one time Chairman
of Sony coined the phrase, ‘global localisation
'.
(The Japanese term for adjusting to regional
markets is called, Dochakuka.)
This ‘glocal' adaptation is akin to a delicate
balancing act, with brand strategy at one side
of the spectrum and customer expectations the
other. Well-chosen integrated marcoms holds
it all together.
Often
when convincing one marketing communications
agency to follow the Integrated Marketing lead
of another results in relationships as concordant
as that between Arafat and Sharon.
Take
that old integrated communications ‘chestnut',
the corporate website (the modern day hub of
everything revolving around cost cutting operations).
The company's main office, for example based
in The States, may assume a tough stance, never
compromising US
style web copy in favour of copy written by
local European offices. The result of the US
Vs European grappling match is usually either
a campaign, which takes the ideal of ‘neutral'
to new depths of blandness, or disenfranchised
staff huddled around the water cooler muttering
words such as “typical of management, they never
listen to what customers really need.”
And
then there is the butt clenching experience
of announcing to your below-the-line agency
that the main above-the-line agency will be
setting the campaign's MNIM agenda. You are
left grinding your teeth as the DM's Creative
Director simultaneously smiles a smile to sink
a thousand ships, and screws up his or her eyes
in total disdain and disgust.
Irrespective
of whether you believe MNIM is that different
from its predecessors, one thing is certain;
today's salmagundi of media opportunities allows
any marketer worth his or her salt to demand
Media Effective Integrated Marketing
rather than having to settle for sitting on,
above, or below the fence.
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Jonathan
Gabay is on CIM's core faculty. Recommended
future courses led by Jonathan include:
•
The
definitive guide to marketing teamwork
•
Creative
Marketing – the complete beginner's guide
Be
sure to visit Jonathan's website – www.gabaynet.com |
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