Blurring the Lines of Advertising Sales
There is a term floating around among advertising and marketing departments these days called Integration.According to the dictionary, to integrate is "To make into a whole by bringing all parts together; to unify."
Seems self explanatory... right?
There's no denying the fact that today's marketing personnel are focused on this idea of integration, and with good reason. Reaching one's customer is an increasingly complex process that potentially involves many individual parts.
It's safe to assume that most marketers want to keep and succeed at their jobs. So, with that in mind, let's consider our options.
Not too long ago marketers looking to reach customers had several valid alternatives. These for the most part centered around print and broadcast media, direct mail and telemarketing. However, not long into the beginning of the twenty-second century the model began to change. Seemingly, overnight the Internet grew, cable broadcasting blossomed offering choice and diversity, broadband communication opened valid new doors for information and entertainment, desk top publishing became a hot new industry with targeted publications popping up everywhere, e-mail became a standard form of communication, telemarketing became a dirty word, buses, trucks, cell phones and video games began to offer advertising opportunities and the list goes on. Suddenly, marketers were faced with a complex and growing problem. How were they to best reach customers? And which were the optimal mediums for insuring the highest return?
In an attempt to cut down on risk, marketers did something similar to investors on Wall Street, they created a sort of advertising mutual fund. The goal was clear, develop a marketing portfolio comprised of individual elements, based on a high probability for positive return and minimize overall risk. Using such a system marketers were able to protect their customers, their jobs and provide an acceptable level, whether perceived or real, of return on investment.
The advantages or disadvantages of this method of marketing remains a subject of discussion and will be reserved for some other time. However, as it relates to print ad sales personnel, the implications are important.
Anyone who has sold print advertising, even for a short period, will likely concur that today's marketing professionals are interested in options. Beyond run of press ads they want to know if you offer on-line advertising, e-mail advertising, list rental, event sponsorships and more. In short, they want to know how many ways you can help them successfully reach their customers and minimize risk. This has caused traditional print advertising sales professional's boundaries to blur into new territories. As a result, to be successful in print advertising sales one must deepen their understanding and knowledge of what assets can be made available to marketers. This means creating a company-wide portfolio or "product mix" with marketing options that allow companies to diversify their risk and increase potential returns.
Simply put, the advertising sales people and media companies that will succeed at generating strong growing ad revenue in the days to come will be those that know their customers needs and educate themselves with the knowledge, understanding and skills to meet them no matter where they lead. This means advertising sales professionals must become proactive, constantly looking for ways to improve their knowledge of options and alternatives. They must learn to think ahead of advertisers and, rather than being content to respond, become innovators and leaders. So armed, they will take charge of a murky environment and help marketers find their bearings. The lines of advertising sales are most certainly blurring and change is never easy. But, remaining relevant requires a response. It is a wise response that will begin to bring clarity.
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