H O L I S T I C

M A R K E T I N G :

A

T O P - L I N E

P E R S P E C T I V E

b y M i c h a e l A t w o o d

Holistic: adj. pertaining to holism: the view that an

organic or integrated whole has a reality independent of

and greater than the sum of its parts.

01. I n t e g r a t e d m a r k e t i n g h a s c r e a t e d n e w c h a l l e n g e s f o r t h e b r a n d m a n a g e r .

The paradigm of integrated marketing has quickly taken hold in the marketing world. Corporate

marketers and their agencies now generate and execute marketing plans that include a diverse array of

marketing media—print and broadcast advertising, direct response, interactive, public relations. With so

many media channels, many marketers have found it increasingly difficult to maintain tight controls over

their brands. They have discovered that it is no easy task to maintain brand consistency across all their

messaging venues: Are opt-in e-mails following the same brand guidelines as the print campaign? Are the

radio spots created by the regional office “on brand” – do they feature the correct messaging and new tagline

that corporate has developed? Has the revamped Web site faithfully adhered to the corporate identity?

Clearly, managing this process—and maintaining control of brand consistency—is far harder than it used

to be.

In the face of this challenge, marketers must ask themselves: What are we gaining by insisting on

ironclad consistency across all marketing channels? All too often, marketers do not give themselves an

opportunity to answer this question in a fair and thoughtful manner. Rather, they find themselves answering

that brand consistency must be maintained at all costs. A single message must be repeated again and again—

regardless of media, situation, audience, timing. In this manner, marketers attempt to control brands in a

fragmented, ever-changing marketplace. They seek static solutions that are frozen in time—repetitious

communications that do not reflect or adapt to the ebb and flow of market conditions, societal pressures or

customer preferences. More often than not, a brand has its day—and then, stuck in its mold, fades into the

category of “yesterday’s news.”

Still, in spite of this unenviable fate, many marketers insist on exerting tighter and tighter controls.

This is perfectly understandable, since virtually every marketing philosophy since “the dawn of advertising”

has made the sanctity of the brand its centerpiece. We have all been taught to stay within the boundaries of

predetermined branding parameters—at the risk of putting an “off brand” message into the marketplace,

confusing customers and prospects alike. And yet, if one approaches the brand with flexibility, does it

necessarily follow that chaos will soon ensue? By granting ourselves more room to maneuver—and making

allowances for the variegated media possibilities and audience fragmentation that now present themselves—

do we necessarily bring ruination onto the brand?

The answer is “of course not.” Rather, the very fact that we are asking such questions points to a

new development in the marketing world—namely, the advent of Holistic Marketing.

It’s not that we’re positing that consistency is a bad thing. It’s the essential component of all brand-

ing initiatives. Rather, it’s when consistency is devoid of flexibility and creativity—when arid strictures are

automatically put in place—that trouble occurs. Or, to put it another way—when singularity of voice is not

matched by multiplicity of purpose and approach, it may fall flat.

For example, why do marketers assume that a static brand will always appeal to the target audi-

ence in the same way? Whether a company is advertising in the business-to-consumer markets or business-

to-business markets, the fact remains that its target’s moods, thoughts and desires are always changing.

02. W h e n c o n s i s t e n c y m a r r i e s f l e x i b i l i t y , t h e y h a v e b e a u t i f u l o f f s p r i n g .

The target does not go through life in the same frame of mind at all times—morning, noon and night.

Rather, we must aim at a moving target, whose buying preferences and decision-making processes vary over

time and space. The thought processes of one moment may give way to entirely different way of thinking a

moment later. Therefore, it may be necessary to create a campaign that has a consistent base—with core

graphics and positioning in place—but that varies and evolves by situation and media. Let’s take a B2B

campaign, for example, where we use television to create some sizzle and play off of a brand’s emotional

appeal. Let’s reach decision-makers when they’re at home, relaxing, and most prone to respond with their

gut to a quick, 30-second sales proposition. In contrast, in the same campaign, let’s use direct mail to deliver

a logical, step-by-step sales proposition that lays out a business case for a product or service—and appeals to

a decision-maker’s rational abilities. Let’s send this package to recipients when they’re at work—and most

likely to be in an analytical, business frame of mind (and let’s be clear on one point: all media are branding

touch-points, even direct media that have traditionally not been considered part of the branding arsenal).

Let’s use outdoor, too, to reach these very same decision-makers when they’re sitting impatiently in traffic—

making them all the more receptive to any business solution that will make their workdays easier, faster-

moving, and psychologically more agreeable. In these three instances—when watching television at home,

opening a direct mail package at work, and sitting in traffic at the end of the workday—the prospect is in a

different situation and different frame of mind. As such, rather than using a lock-step brand monotone to

approach the target in these variable situations—we would create a brand that was multi-faceted. This brand

would have the flexibility and malleability to achieve maximum marketing effectiveness with customers

and prospects whose lives and thought processes are constantly changing. Just as the targets’ lives are

never static, so too does the brand adapt to new situations and the transitory nature of what resides in

our consciousness.

However, having said this, we should hasten to point out that in creating a brand, it is still neces-

sary to adhere to standard branding conventions—with consistent use of the logo, layout grid, photographic

styles and messaging platform. All marketing materials must be instantly recognizable as emanating from

a single source. However, it is also necessary to exploit each media to its fullest and manipulate the brand

essence to deliver maximum impact. The result is a brand that is dynamic, adaptable and agile—a brand that

evolves with the market, makes opportunistic use of media opportunities, and keeps apace and outstrips the

competition. This type of marketing solution goes beyond the parameters of integrated marketing—and

instead, defines itself as Holistic Marketing.

The brand police may not agree with the principles of Holistic Marketing. Still, it’s too easy

a solution to set up these champions of consistency-at-all-costs as straw dogs. We wouldn’t be the first to

quote from Emerson, who stated, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds…With consistency a

great soul has simply nothing to do.” Rather than dwelling on such sentiments, we would simply reiterate

that Holistic Marketing is a melding of consistency and flexibility. They are two sides to the same coin—

opposites that play off one another and create the dynamism that makes for a great branding effort. The fact

is, when opposing forces reside within the same corporate brand, it is not an anomaly—it is rather an in

herent complexity that gives the brand its multi-faceted appeal.

Let’s use an analogy: When an auto manufacturer is selling a particular type of automobile, they

are selling a consistent brand message to their chosen audience. Just as the cars are all manufactured to the

same specifications and to the same set of customer expectations, so too does the branding campaign convey

a primary sales message that extends across the entire line.

03. I t ’ s O K t o b e d i f f e r e n t t h i n g s t o d i f f e r e n t p e o p l e .

However, it’s also true that among the same make and model of car, there are different colors of paint that

are used on the cars’ exteriors. These colors assume different meanings—red may be seen as sporty and

adventurous, silver as proud and sleek, black as conservative and well-established. In this manner, the same

brand quite literally takes on different shades of meaning—and in the process, appeals to the widest possible

audience. The brand means different things to different people—not because brand standards or consistency

have been violated in any discernable way, but because the brand has been allowed to present itself in a mul-

titude of ways.

Logos. Graphic standards. Content. All too often, we assume branding is the exclusive domain

of corporate marketing departments and their advertising agencies. Indeed, in the discussion that’s featured

in these pages, we have so far confined our exploration of branding to the marketing activities that are

traditionally associated with a brand-generation effort. However, we would be remiss if we did not point out

that the brand is not simply the creation or property of the marketing professionals who propagate it. On the

contrary—a customer’s most powerful impression of your brand may come from one of your customer

service representatives who interacts with the customer over the phone. If this representative is helpful and

courteous, your brand wins. But if this individual is rude, unhelpful or disinterested, your brand suffers.

The customer is turned off—and no amount of marketing, no matter how clever or targeted, will succeed in

winning him or her back. And yet, even with such stakes in every customer interaction, many organizations

still do not grasp that every employee is ultimately a brand ambassador.

04. Y o u r b r a n d a m b a s s a d o r s a r e e v e r y w h e r e .

Nevertheless, great strides are being made. More and more organizations are realizing that

branding in an all-inclusive, top-down phenomenon that starts in the boardroom with the CEO—and

extends down to the rank-and-file employees who are on the front-lines of customer interaction. If a

company claims to have fast service, then its management and employees need to understand how

important it is for them to pay off this claim. Each person in the decision-chain must respond quickly—

and turn on a dime to meet and satisfy customer requests in a timely manner. The brand image must be

borne out by the real-life situations in which the branded product or service comes in contact with the

target audience.

And yet, given the complexities of branding—especially in multiple media to fragmented,

ever-changing target audiences—how does a company disseminate its brand message within the organiza-

tion? How do we educate the brand ambassadors on the key marketing points and subtle nuances of what

they are selling or representing? Or, to take previously-used analogy one step further—how do your

employees know when to sell the red car instead of the black car? The answer is that you must make

branding an inside-out effort—one that starts within your organization as a clear definition of corporate

vision, mission and values—and then extends outward with a marketing message that captures the essence

of the corporate ethos. To succeed with such an effort, you need to not only devote time and resources to

building your “external” marketing machine (strengthening your marketing department and your relation-

ship with selected agencies)—you also need to impart your branding message in all of your “internal,”

employee-focused communications, such as recruiting efforts, new employee training, intra-company

communications, and rewards systems. Traditionally, the latter type of communications has not been han-

dled by marketing communications firms, but rather by internal human resources departments. However, it

is our position that such a model is outdated. Given the realities of Holistic Marketing, it is advisable and

necessary for the organization’s branding partners—whether they’re ad agencies, direct marketing firms,

public relations firms, whatever—to work in tandem with management to craft a strategic brand message

for external and internal distribution.

If management desires, these partners can also execute such a program tactically, by creating training

tools, newsletters, intranets, etc. that serve to educate and inform the full range of employees who all serve

as brand ambassadors.

So how do you marry consistency and flexibility in your branding effort? How do you show your

brand in all its different shades to your multi-faceted, changing target audience? And how do you build in

this brand flexibility, while at the same time imparting a cogent and understandable message to all your

“brand ambassadors”—namely, every person who works for your organization? The answer is in finding the

right branding partner. You need to find a marketing partner who understands the laudable imperatives of

integrated marketing—but who can also take you to the next step of Holistic Marketing. You need to find a

partner who can analyze and understand the core essence of your brand, and use this knowledge to help you

gain a decisive advantage over your competition. You need to find a partner who will not let your brand

stagnate, but will instead help you evolve it in a measured, systematic way that maximizes the impact and

effectiveness of each media placement and touch-point. And you need to find a partner who can provide you

with guidance in developing your internal communications to your employees, while generating the same

shades of messaging for external consumption by customers and prospects.

If you would like assistance in finding such a partner—or if you have questions or comments on

the content of “Holistic Marketing: A Top-Line Perspective”—please feel free to contact Michael

Atwood at 603-548-9561 or matwood@arrowdirect.com.

©Copyright 2004—Michael Atwood

05. I t ’ s i m p e r a t i v e t o f i n d t h e r i g h t b r a n d i n g p a r t n e r .