The Exponential Power of Integrated Communications
As a communicator, you have more options than ever to try to impact your target audience. But how are you supposed to know where to invest your limited time, energy and money? No matter what you hear, every medium, traditional and new, requires all three of your precious resources. Spread your message thinly across too many channels, you may not have an impact. Don’t use enough channels and you may not reach your target at all.
To be successful, you need a synchronized multi-channel strategy that reaches your market segment with a powerful message. Multi-channel should not be confused with every channel. You can’t do it all, so you need to use research to make sure you select the mediums that will reach your target when and where they’re most receptive. And, you’ll need to make sure your creative approach draws their attention and compels them to action. Each touch point should amplify the other, so the power of all of the messages is greater than each by itself.
I’ll use an example where I was obviously a target of an integrated campaign for Comcast Business Class. The campaign message boasted: “Boost Your Bottom Line.” Not very subtle, but the multi-channel strategy was certainly designed to catch the attention of their target market of executives in small to mid-size businesses. Within a week, I received a post card, saw a commercial on ESPN, viewed an ad in Inc. magazine, heard their sponsorship of the “HBR Ideacast” podcast and read a banner ad on CNN.com. The result? I now think of Comcast as not just a consumer provider, but as an option for business services as well.
Whether it’s B2B or B2C, the strategy and creativity that go into the media mix are as critical as the creativity in the message. When everything aligns - media, message and target - you experience the exponential power of integrated communications. Each new message builds on the one before and becomes more likely to find permanent space in the mind of the target.
