We often see the term “integrated marketing” in news reports, in company literature, and in other places. At first glance, this seems like a phrase that’s right on the mark, a sign that marketers know what they’re doing. However, when I see “integrated marketing” I see someone who has forgotten the true meaning of “marketing”.

As Al Ries wrote in his recent post in Advertising Age, marketing is the job of coordinating “all the various disciplines inside a corporation in order to develop the right product, the right price, the right position, the right distribution strategy and the right brand name.” However, when most people talk about “integrated marketing”, they limit their viewpoint to a mixed advertising, PR, and/or social media campaign — the end-points of marketing, not the end-all.

As a marketing agency, Domus remains well aware of our responsibility to our clients to not only help them communicate with their market, but to help them develop and execute all components of their marketing efforts.