One Dimensional Marketing is Extinct

So, should you forget about all you have ever known about marketing? Well, let’s examine how the Godfather of marketing defined marketing and see if the definition still holds true. Kotler defines marketing as “the science and art of exploring, creating, and delivering value to satisfy the needs of a target market at a profit. Marketing identifies unfulfilled needs and desires. It defines, measures and quantifies the size of the identified market and the profit potential. It pinpoints which segments the company is capable of serving best and it designs and promotes the appropriate products and services.” Who am I to disagree? If I was to be so bold as to simplify this definition a little, I would say that marketing is about finding out what customers want and giving it to them at a profit.

Do these definitions still hold true in this “digital age”? Well firstly, what about finding out what customers want, is that still important? You better believe it. You have to research to be sure what your customers want. If you get it wrong, all subsequent efforts will fail. Then comes creating solutions that add value, is this still relevant? Absolutely, prospects will not buy if you don’t manage to do this. What about targeting, segmenting and positioning your brand, do these things still have their place in today's marketing world? Of course they do, as does communicating effectively and developing long term relationships. All of these principles are the foundations of a sound marketing strategy. These principles are universal. They are not time specific. They will not go out of date.

If The Principles Are the Same, What Has Changed?

So if marketing’s fundamental principles remain the same, what has changed? In a word: digital. The digital world has exploded marketing into many fragmented parts and given us almost endless channels for communicating with the world around us. It’s not as simple now as it was before, when we engaged only in traditional media like TV, radio, print, or outdoor to relay our message, they are only one part of the marketing jigsaw. Now there are so many more touch points for communicating with our customers and, more importantly, developing relationships with them. 

Is Traditional Media Still Relevant?

Digital and social media has become an absolute must, and I will discuss this in detail in future posts. However, it must be said that traditional media still has its place in modern marketing. Once people still watch TV, listen to the radio, and read the newspaper they are still relevant marketing channels. Okay, their habits are changing in their consumption of traditional media and we need to adapt. For instance, because of the pressure put on the 30 second advert, sponsorship of specific TV shows has seen massive growth. Out of the massive audience that tuned into watch The X-Factor, many might have fast-forwarded the advert breaks, but none missed the start of the show and were therefore exposed to the fact that Dominos pizza was the sponsor. According to Publicis Media (http://publicismedia.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/the-x-factor-sponsorship/), 74.6% of all individuals saw the Domino’s sponsorship stings of ‘The X Factor’ at least once from August to December 2011, with an average of 438,200 tuning in to watch each programme in 2011 (Ireland’s TV3 audience figures). This was a worthwhile exercise for Domino. Littlewoods (sponsor the 2012 show) will be hoping for similar results.

Integrate Or Die

Smart marketing, in other words marketing for the current and next generation, has become has now become built around one new principle: smart integration. Integrating marketing communications has always been important, in other words having all your marketing messages speak with the one voice and in a consistent manner. But in the days of yesteryear, it was much easier to do it than it is today. Now, if you want to be ultimately successful, you have to be able to integrate traditional media with digital media. If you can’t you’re dead, it's as simple as that. Just like the dinosaurs, one dimensional marketing is extinct. Here are some examples of smart marketing integration. 

As Ireland's national broadcaster, RTÉ should be best placed to dismiss the online revolution and rely solely on traditional media. They could argue they don't need to engage in social or digital communications because of their stronghold and share of voice with traditional media on a national level. However, after recognising declining audience numbers on their traditional channels, and the rise of digital media, they decided to integrate a digital strategy. Now RTÉ.ie is the number 1 website in Ireland. Even the national broadcaster has recognised the need for smart integration.

Trivago is now the world’s number 1 hotel search and price comparison website. Every month, 15 million users trust trivago as their starting point for travel research. Trivago helps users find their ideal hotel and book it for the lowest possible rate. With Trivago being an online company, you would be forgiven to suggest that their marketing activities are online too. Well they are, but not exclusively. In an effort to create awareness of the launch of their Irish website (trivago.ie), their marketing campaign includes traditional media, like TV, radio and print. They would not get the traction they need from exclusively marketing online. Successful integration is giving them better and quicker results.

Similar to Trivago, DoneDeal.ie is an online company, offering anyone the opportunity to advertise the sale of whatever they want on their website. Yet, their marketing activities are not confined to the space they are in online, they integrate very successfully with traditional media for maximum impact. Their sponsorship of the traffic news on Today FM is an example of their integration efforts.

So, integration has become more difficult but of utmost importance. Smart marketers, who are in touch with the modern marketing world, are using an array of communication tools to engage with their audiences. A marketing strategy that does not include for traditional and digital media is not fit for purpose and those trying to implement such a strategy are not long for this world. Don't be a dinosaur. Integrate.