If you’ve ever had a chat with a 5-year old, you’d have noticed they ask ‘why’ a hell of a lot.

Why is the sky blue?
Why don’t plants have eyes?
Why is that dog sniffing that other dog’s butt?

So perhaps I never grew up, because whenever I hear a marketing ‘must-do’, the first thing I ask is why.

Take ‘the power of integration’ for example. We all bang on about it, but why is it so important.

A text book (or your boss) would define integrated marketing as:

A data-driven approach that focuses on identifying consumer insights and developing a strategy with the right mix of channels to forge a stronger brand-consumer relationship.

Yawn.

Much more exciting to look at the ‘why’.

Let’s start with a snapshot of the science that sits behind the method.

It’s called the multiplier effect.

Simply put, when your target market sees, hears and interacts with a campaign in multiple channels, the impact of your message intensifies. So they understand it quicker and in greater depth.

The old adage ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ has been debunked by psychologists.

In fact, it’s just the opposite. We not only pay more attention to a message or brand the more we see it, we become predisposed to like it. So show your audience the television commercial, hit ‘em with some press, get them interacting with your brand in social media, maybe throw an outdoor billboard at them on their way home from work. Their recall will improve because the information is being processed at a deeper level.

Integration also helps you get a fuller message across. Some media lends itself to information, whilst others are better for emotional engagement. By combining media you can include both.

So that’s why integration is a good thing.

On to the ‘how’.

Experts say the key to optmising the multiplier effect is – surprise, surprise – creative.

‘Creative links’ and varied designs strengthen the effect. So to achieve the multiplier effect there must be strong creative links between the different media channels you’re using.

This doesn’t mean taking a still from the TVC spot and whacking it on a billboard.

No, no. It means working with the basic creative idea of the campaign and using consistent visual cues in each channel. This reinforces the advertising content. Because the more we humans see something, the more connections our brains make and the more we remember!

So next time you’re working on a campaign, use the multiplier effect to your advantage.

Why not?

Cheers,
Chantelle

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Tags: chantelle lane, integration, marketing, multiplier effect