ELSEVIER

The Inevitability of Integrated Communications

Don E. Schultz
MEDILL SCHOOLOF JOURNALISM,NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

The concept and practice of integrated marketing and communications existing communication disciplines and whether or not it is
has been challenged by functional specialists and practitioners. Evidence something everyone has already done or is really not worth
presented shows integration being driven by technology, and, thus, an doing. Hopefully, this conference will shed light on whether,
irresistible force. Advertising, as currently practiced, is based on a mass as I have argued on several occasions (Schultz, 1993; 1994),
production model. Thefuture is one-to-one marketing and communication, integration truly is a radically different way of considering,
based on behavior more than attitudes and driven by databases and new planning, and implementing various forms of persuasive com-
electronic delivery systems. A "sh/ftof information technology" model illus- munication programs or is simply a passing fad that will soon
trating three types of marketing systems is presented. This provides a practi- disappear.
cal method for practitioners to identify their need for integrated marketing
and communications and the speed with which the integration must occur.
© 1996 Elsevier Science Inc. j BUSNRE51996. 37.139--146 The Game is Over: Integration Wins!
The question of integration or not is moot. It is not a question
of whether the marketer or advertiser should integrate his
or her communication programs. The fact is, it really doesn't
ecently, the concept of integrated marketing, integrated matter. The consumer integrates the marketer's and advertiser's
arketing communications, and integrated communica- communication whether the marketing or advertising organiza-
tions has been raised, discussed, and challenged by both tion does or not. Integration in truth, is not up to the marketer, it
practitioners and academicians. Those favoring integration is up to the consumer. Thus, even if the marketing or advertising
have argued that the rapidly diffusing technologies impacting organization has decided to direct totally uncoordinated mes-
the marketplace, consumers, the media and the distribution of sages to the same consumer, that consumer will aggregate and
products and services cannot be reversed (Shocker, Srivastava, integrate those communication messages in some fashion. Un-
and Ruekert, 1994) (Schultz, Tannenbaum, and Lauterborn, fortunately, that fashion might be to (1) arrange the messages
1992). Those opposed to the concept, as commonly defined as the advertiser intended, (2) ignore the messages and materi-
in the media, have challenged the principles presented as being als, or (3) put them together in ways the advertiser or marketer
nothing more than traditional marketing and advertising never considered, ways that might even be harmful to the
dressed up in fancy words and a new language. Further, oppo- marketing organization and the brand. Thus, integration occurs
nents argue integration is something all marketers and advertis- whether the marketer or advertiser plans it or not. The primary
ers have always done. Thus, they contend the issue is primarily question then is: does the communication integration process
one of interest to the academic community and has few manage- that the consumer develops help or hinder the marketing orga-
rial implications (Sloan, 1994; O'Dwyer, 1994; Miller and Rose, nization distributing the messages. Thus, the question of inte-
1994). gration, as it is being argued by practitioners and academicians
Since the American Academy of Advertising (AAA) and the alike, is really rather pointless. Integration occurs at the con-
Southern Marketing Association (SMA) have provided a venue sumer or receiver level. The marketing organization may help
for additional discussion, apparently there are both prac- but eventually doesn't control the integration process. There
titioners and academics, who believe the concept has merit for is no way to stop integration by consumers nor has there ever
further discussion. Additionally, the conference raises again been. The challenges being raised about integration therefore,
the issue of what integration really is, how it might impact in my opinion, miss the point of the argument.
In this article, I illustrate why the integration of marketing
and marketing communication by the organization is inevitable.
Address correspondence to Don E. Schultz, Ph.D., Integrated Marketing Communica-
tions Department, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, 1908 Sheri-
Therefore, the best marketers and advertisers can do is to
dan Road, Evanston, IL 60208-1290. try to understand the integration process and to modify their

Journal of Business Research 37, 139-146 (1996)

© 1996 Elsevier Science Inc. ISSN 0148-29631961515.00
655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010 PII S0148-2963(96)00063-X
140 J Busn Res D.E. Schultz
1996:37:139-146

approaches and concepts to maximize the return on the integra- organization produced. If the company made something and
tion which occurs naturally. took it to market, it generally would sell or consumers would
buy.
Because the products being produced were identical (it was
Technology Drives Integration this identicalness of product that provided the value of mass
Integration of the marketplace, by which is meant the integra- production and economies of scale), the marketer's natural
tion of production, operations, marketing, distribution, finance, assumption was that the consumers must also be identical. The
communication, and other forms of business activity, is also scenario: If the organization made one style and type of toaster,
inevitable. Integration is inevitable because it is being driven and millions of consumers bought that model of toaster, then
by technology. It is not just communications technology, which ergo, consumers must be identical as well. It was on this premise
is found in media and message delivery systems, that is the that today's mass marketing and mass advertising was devel-
driving force. Instead, it is the total technological revolution oped. The company developed a product it wanted to make.
occurring throughout the world. Technology is moving us from The organization built plants or factories to produce those
the industrial to the information revolution. Technology is products. Generally, the premise was the bigger the plant, the
shrinking the globe to one vast, interconnected marketplace. more efficient and more productive. Based on what was pro-
Technology is creating the intersection of communication and duced, it was then the job of marketing and advertising to find
distribution, which is the major thrust of the change in market- consumers who wanted or could be convinced to purchase the
ing. Technology can't be stopped and can't be reversed. There product. Since population was always growing and the market
is simply no way we can put the genie of technology back in economies were always expanding, the task of advertising and
the bottle. In short, technology is driving the need and demand marketing was relatively simple. Get the product to market and
for integration. To relate the technological impact of integration let people know it was there and get it into retail channels.
directly back, to the area of traditional media advertising, it is Using this mass production model, most marketing and
useful to understand how the discipline of traditional, mass advertising concepts, which were developed in the 1920 to
media, general advertising is practiced today and how it devel- 1950 period, as mass media was being developed as well, fo-
oped over the past 100 years. This explains how and what real cused on the creation of a single message or image for the single
integration is and why it has become such an important factor version branded product. These single focus brand messages
in all business areas. were delivered through mass communication systems and vehi-
First, a review of how traditional advertising has been stud- cles. If the products were the same and the consumers were
ied, taught, and practiced in the western world helps us under- the same, then one message would fit anyone and everyone.
stand the massive changes that are occurring. This review Hooray! Mass media advertising was born. As a result of this
points out the two key elements that have impacted and will process, most advertising focused on the product, not on the
continue to impact the way mass media, general advertising is consumer. The goal of much marketing and advertising was to
conducted. They are: (1) the practice of mass production and differentiate the product since, it was assumed, the consumers
the resulting development of the concepts of a mass market, were all the same. And, that is the way mass marketing, mass
mass communication, and mass advertising and (2) the devel- communication and mass advertising developed and in many
oping and shifting nature of information and communications cases, is still practiced, particularly by consumer product orga-
technology. We start with how the industrial revolution and nizations in the United States today.
the rise of mass production influenced what we, today, call
general, mass media advertising.
It's All Linear, Larry
Mass Production Model In addition to the assumption of market homogeneity, market-
ers also seemed to believe that marketing, communication, pro-
of Advertising motional, and advertising processes were linear. Like a produc-
As cheap power and mechanical production facilities were de- tion line, which moved a product step-by-step from raw
veloped over the past 200 years, it allowed firms to produce materials to finished product, marketing and communication
millions, and in some cases, billions of identical products. Be- processes were developed that simulated the production pro-
cause most of the products produced made the lives of consum- cess of the plant. In other words, "advertising factories" were
ers better or easier or more pleasant, there was inherent de- created where advertising was produced from a formula, just
mand for what was made. The focus of the producing firm, as products were produced from a blueprint. Products moved
therefore, was on the product with little consideration given from producer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer. Advertis-
to who might want or buy the resulting product. There was ing moved from marketer to agency to media to consumer. It
sufficient inherent demand for almost everything that could was all linear. It was all one way. And, it was all a system that
be manufactured. Therefore, it made little difference what the the marketer and advertiser believed they controlled. Advertis-
Inevitability of Integrated Communications J BusnRes 141
1996:37:139-146

Related Movement Examples of types of Examples of

J
Behavioral
Dimensions
toward
Purchase
PURCHASE
promotion or advertising
relevant to various steps
Point-of-purchase
Retail store ads
reseamh approaches related to
steps of greatest applicability

Market or sales tests

CONATIVE l
the realm of motives =Last Chance" offers Split,run tests
Ads stimulate or Price appeals Intention to purchase
direct desire Testimonials Projective techniques
CONVICTION

PREFERENCE Rank order of

Competitive ads preferences for brands
AFFECTIVE l Argumentative copy Rating scales
the realm of emotions
Ads change attitudes "Image" ads image measurements,
and feelings. Status, glamor appeals including check lists
MKING and semantic differentials
Projective techniques

KNOWLEDGE Announcements Information questions

Descriptive copy Play-back analyses
COGNITIVE
the realm of thoughts Rt Classified ads Brand awareness
Ads provide Slogans, Jingles surveys
information and facts. Sky writing Aided recall
AWA NESS Teaser campaigns
Figure 1. Advertising and Advertising Research Related to the Model.

ers and practitioners built models and examples of marketing more than a pawn in the process the marketer devises. Or, at
and advertising and distribution systems. All were linear. All least that's what the model suggests.
were one way, i.e., from the marketer or producer through The problem with the Lavidge and Steiner approach, which
the channels to the consumer. Systems were developed for was developed in 1960, is that we are rapidly learning that
advertising production and distribution. Concepts of how ad- isn't how advertising works today, if it ever worked that way.
vertising worked and how consumers responded to marketing Larry Light, Chairman, Coalition for Brand Equity, states he
and advertising efforts were generated. Consumer behavior has reviewed over 900 advertising studies conducted over the
models were presented that attempted to explain how consum- past 20 or so years. He has yet to find any support or justification
ers went about buying automobiles or cans of soup or new for the Lavidge and Steiner hypotheses and resulting model
suits. In many cases, those models assumed the process of (Light, 1993). Light's findings are, at the least, discourag-
purchase was the same no matter what was being bought or ing, since most of the advertising planning processes in use
who was buying. around the world are based on the Hierarchy of Effects model
One of the best known models of how advertising was sup- or concept.
posed to work is the famous or perhaps now infamous, Hierar- In addition, this hierarchy is also the basis for the most
chy of Effects model by Lavidge and Steiner (Lavidge and widely accepted method of evaluating the effects of advertising.
Steiner, 1961). Figure 1 illustrates the hierarchy as developed That is the concept, developed by Russell Colley in the early
by those researchers. Figure 2 is a revised rendition of how 1960s, called DAGMAR (Designing Advertising Goals for Mea-
the hierarchy is currently used in advertising planning today. sured Advertising Response). The Association of National Ad-
As Lavidge and Steiner described their process of how adver- vertisers thought so much of Colley's work, they updated and
tising worked, it is clear ,that their premise is that all consumers published a more current version in 1993 (Colley, 1961).
are alike, i.e., they all go through the same process and are DAGMAR, unfortunately, is based on the same mass produc-
impacted in the same way by advertising. As can be seen, the tion, linear, attitudinal approach to advertising that has been
Lavidge and Steiner model is linear. The marketer or advertiser used for at least the past 40 years. CoUey's DAGMAR model is
is always in control, that is, the marketer knows customers' illustrated in Figure 3.
favorite brand in the advertising program. The consumer is no The major factor, which ties Lavidge and Steiner and Colley
147- J Busn Res D.E. Schultz
1996:37:139-146

One-Way

Advertlslng~ ~
Through \Awareness/I v,~,,,t=~ ~ D.=, . . . . . ~ ........ - / Pureh.R~. ~.
the / ~ , v , u t , o n ~. Ra[h~'v/nr x ~

Linear

"ACTING ON CONSUMERS"
Figure 2. Traditional "advertising-based" view of marketing communications.

together, is the use of attitudinal and psychological measures elements. Then, try to determine or break down what sales
as the basis for their models. As will be shown next, one of promotion contributes or what public relations does or how
the major issues facing general, mass media, advertisers is not an event impacts the overall process of communicating with a
just integration, but, how and when and where and under what consumer or customer or prospect. By looking at all the pieces,
circumstances advertising works in the marketplace. Perhaps, one should be able to understand the whole. In today's ever
understanding of the broad issues of integration can provide more complex, and ever more interconnected world of com-
some of the answers. munication and promotion at all levels, that doesn't appear
possible or practical. It's almost impossible to create a clean,
clear, uncontaminated situation where advertising or any other
It Ain't Atoms, Either communication element can be studied in isolation. Even if it
As a last point, what has created additional difficulties for mar- were possible, there is considerable concern about how valu-
keters and advertisers is what has commonly been called the able that might be.
"scientific method" of study, which is used in western cultures. What has really prevented an understanding of advertising
This is the approach that suggests if one wants to learn about and what I argue is one of the major factors d riving the inevitable
something, the best way is to break it down to its smallest parts. integration of marketing, promotional elements, and advertising
Then, study the parts and their relationships. From this, one is the increasing availability of feedback loops. In other words,
should be able to understand the whole. It is this atomistically the ability to actually measure the behavior of consumers and
based approach that I argue has created much of the difficulty customers and prospects in the real world and in some cases,
in marketing, marketing communications, and advertising. It in real time rather than simply measuring changes in awareness
is this continuing attempt to understand advertising as a piece or attitudes. Thus, rather than trying to predict what consumers
or a part of the brand's communication in isolation, rather than might do, the marketer or advertiser can actually examine what
as part of the whole. That is, study advertising in isolation, consumers really do. This has been a dramatic shift from the
and do the same with other promotion and communication attitudinally based approaches developed in the middle of this
century (Lavidge and Steiner and Colley both use attitudinal
approaches, avoiding behavior altogether). As a result~ behav-
From unawareness tO)
The prospect must first be aware of the ioral data is challenging many of our long-held notions about
AWARENESS existence of a brand or company. communication and marketing effects.
5tarring in the mid- 1970s, measurement of actual consumer
He must have a comprehension of what the behavior became possible and practical. It came, not as a result
COMPREHENSION )roduct is and what it will do for him. of advertising or marketing thinkers developing or demanding
a more effective way to measure the impact of the discipline,
-le must arrive at a mental disposition or
CONVICTION conviction to buy the product. they were apparently happy with attitudinal information.
Rather, measurement came as a by-product of a logistical system
Finally, he must stir himself to action. designed to control and evaluate product inventory flow and
ACTION to speed up the check-out process in retail stores. It is the now
ubiquitous UPC (Universal Product Code) bar coding system
Figure 3. and point of purchase (POS/systems), which are being used
Inevitability of Integrated Communications J Busn Res 143
1996:37:139-146

on almost every product and in every retail location imaginable, is used. It is called the Evolution and Revolution oflnformation
and increasingly, around the world. By linking consumer pur- Technology (see Figure 4).
chases, through bar coded products, to the actual consumer As illustrated on the left-hand side of Figure 4 in the Histori-
who has agreed to identify him or herself to the merchant as the cal Marketplace, the manufacturer or marketer dominated the
purchaser, suddenly, marketing communications, particularly system. Because the manufacturer had raw materials, plants and
advertising and sales promotion, has become a closed loop equipment, technology and most of all, money, the organization
system, rather than the linear, one-way, outbound activity that dominated the marketplace, which included the channel, the
Lavidge and Steiner and Colley suggest (Peppers and Rogers, media, and the consumer. The information technology that the
1993). Through scanner panels developed by IRI (Information manufacturer controlled, along with the rise of inexpensive and
Resources, Inc.) and A. C. Nielsen, marketers and academicians pervasive transportation and communication systems, pro-
found there were a number of factors that influenced consumer vided the facilities for the development of major national brands
behavior and that they were all interconnected. In other words, and mass markets. Mass communication systems advised con-
they were integrated into a whole system or process. Not just sumers of the availability of those products and brands. As a
a bunch of parts, an interconnected whole. The consumer re- result, the mega-brands we so revere today, were generally
sponded not just to advertising but to the compounded effect built in the 1930-1960 period in the United States. Those
of price and displays and coupons and in-store features and include such household names as Kraft, Colgate-Palmolive, Nes-
public relations activities and events and packaging on and on tle, Quaker Oats, Lever Brothers, IBM, American Airlines, and
and on. With scanner data, the atomistic approach to explaining the like. Because the manufacturer controlled the information
or understanding advertising as a communication force became technology, he or she controlled the marketplace. Such it was
obsolete, almost overnight. Whereas many marketers and ad- until the mid-1970s.
vertisers still try to parse out the effects of traditional, mass During the 1970s, two things occurred. Retail and distribu-
media, general advertising, increasingly all are beginning to tion organizations began to consolidate and concentrate. Dis-
understand that it is the whole or system that is important, tributors organized massive warehouses. Cooperatives formed.
much more than the individual part or parts. More important, Retail operators bought or merged with other retail operators.
in communication systems, the whole is generally greater than And, with the rise of scanners, UPC codes, and computer sys-
the sum of the parts. It is this increasing recognition of a holistic, tems, retailers suddenly gained superiority over manufacturers
systemic process of communication in which there are all types in terms of knowledge and information about the marketplace,
of synergies that will inevitably drive the acceptance and use of particularly consumers (Kim, 1993; Achenbaum and Mitchell,
integrated marketing and communication programs. We can't 1987). Suddenly the retailer knew exactly what was being sold
back off from what we have learned. Advertising is not a whole. out of each and every store and in many cases, to whom.
Instantaneously. Retailers knew who customers were. What
It is only a part. And, as a part, it must be considered in
they bought. When they bought. How they bought. This shift
combination with all the other marketing and communication
of information technology, which had been in the hands of the
activities that impact and affect the behavior of consumers in
manufacturer for over 200 years, disappeared almost overnight.
the marketplace.
In the middle section of Figure 4 labeled New Marketplace,
As we move from the industrial age to the information age,
we find the situation of many industrialized, western markets.
as we move from the parts to the whole, as we increasingly
The retailer, because of the shift in information technology,
understand the networks and systems and processes, we slowly
now controls the marketplace. (The distribution channels are
but surely begin to understand that integration of the elements
called retailers only for simplification. In truth, it is the distribu-
makes the system work. Not more of the parts and pieces.
tion channel, whether distributor, wholesaler, retailer, sales
Integrated systems are important, not the individual elements.
force, or other channel member, who controls the information).
It is the integrated process we must understand, for that is what
In the New Marketplace, the retailer controls the manufacturer
is impacting the consumer and the customer.
because he or she has the interface with the end user and has
the technological capability to capture, store, and manipulate
transaction information. Thus, the retailer also controls the
Shift of Information Technology media and the consumer or end user because he or she has
The second major force, which is driving the need for integrated location, inventory, and marketplace power to provide the best
approaches and integrated thinking, is the shift in information alternative to those consumers. (The retailer is said to control
technology-that is, the flow of information data capture, stor- the system because, for the consumer to obtain the products
age, and understanding that is or has moved from the manufac- or services desired, he or she must visit the fixed location or
turer to retailer of distribution channel and is headed for the other facility which the retailer has created.) Manufacturers are
consumer or end user along the famed Information Superhigh- too removed from the interface with the end user to maintain
way. To understand this information technology shift and its their traditional control.
impact on marketplace organirations, a simple graphic device In this New Marketplace we find many, if not most, consumer
 ,,,,,k

,b.

~Oc

NewMarketplace Zl st Century Marketplace

tlstorlcal Marketplace
I

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~ Mo~y

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tdmlogy

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Figure 4. Evolutionand revolutionin the marketplace.

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Inevitability of Integrated Communications J Busn Res 145
1996:37:139-146

products and brands in the United States today. Increasingly, An anecdote will provide an example of development of the
we are seeing the same information technology shift in business- 21st Century Marketplace today. A few weeks ago, an associate
to-business markets. It is not the product innovator or devel- who lived in Chicago was preparing to leave on vacation. She
oper that is dominant today, it is the distribution channel or decided she needed a new camera for it was to be a vacation
the organization that has the information technology and the where unique birds and animals were to be seen. She first
interface with the consumer or end user. delved into her knowledge of how and where to buy a camera.
She decided on a set of brands that she would consider. (The
Historical Marketplace, where the manufacturer's brand was
On-Ramp to the Superhighway critical, illustrates this example.) Because camera technology
Whereas one could make a strong case for the need for integra- has changed rather dramatically in the last few years, she de-
tion of marketing, communication, and advertising simply be- cided to visit a selection of camera retailers. She went to several
cause of the shift of information technology, it is the third phase retail stores, asked for demonstrations and made her product
that will truly drive the need for total integration. and brand decision. (The New Marketplace in action). But, she
As illustrated, it is an arguable point in the Historical Market- didn't buy. She returned to her home with all the information
place that integration of marketing, communication, and adver- she had gathered and proceeded to telephone 47th Street Photo
tising is not critical, because the manufacturer, in essence, drives in New York. She bought the camera by telephone, using her
the marketplace. In the New Marketplace, integration is much credit card and the information technology that had shifted to
more important, particularly to the mass media-oriented, gen- her in the form of credit cards, 800# telephone numbers, tar-
eral brand advertiser and the mega-retailer. It is the aligning geted advertising, and various forms of information technology.
of the manufacturer and retailer efforts that are critical if the The point of the story is simple. It was the integration of the
national brand, as we know it, continues to be important. advertising, sales promotion, the sales force, the retailer, the
Of much more importance, however, is the information shift telephone technology, the credit card system, transportation
to the consumer, which lies on the horizon. This is called the and distribution facilities, and the information technology that
21st Century Marketplace in Figure 4. The premise is that this made this transaction possible. The 21st Century Marketplace
shift of information technology will truly drive the need for is not some pie-in-the-sky dream of marketers and technolo-
integration. In the third scenario, information technology shifts gists. It is here and now. The real question is now we will deal
to the consumer. In other words, the consumer has the ability with these shifts in information technology, for they too will
and capability to communicate and even purchase through the drive the inevitable requirements for integration of all market-
media, the retailer and the manufacturer on an interactive basis. ing and communication efforts.
The manufacturer and retailer can send messages. The con-
sumer can request information. It is the interface and the inter-
action between the groups or individuals that is really the critical
From Inside-Out to Outside-In
issue. One can, for instance, imagine a marketplace where the The 21st Century Marketplace, which has been illustrated,
buyer holds up his or her hand in some way and says, in effect, changes the process and system of advertising dramatically.
"I am ready to buy a product in category X. W h o is ready to The communication flow moves from inside-out, that is, the
sell?" At this point, all the suppliers of products in category X marketing organization sending messages to prospective cus-
are alerted to the buyer. The question, however, is how the tomers and consumers, to one which is essentially outside-in.
seller responds. Thus, in this case, the buyer has become the In the outside-in scenario, the consumer or customer accesses
advertiser, and the sellers have become the respondents or or requests information as needed or desired. Consumers are
consumers. Given this scenario, how do traditional marketing, no longer dependent on the marketer to develop or supply
communication, and advertising activities fit? What is the role information or messages. In the Historical Marketplace, the
of advertising? Or of sale promotion? Or of direct marketing? marketer decided when and where and in what media, what
Or any of the other host of discrete disciplines that have devel- message was to be sent, and, to whom. The marketer sent the
oped over the years. Are they rdevant? Are they useful? Do message. The consumer, supposedly, received it. Much the
they have any economic value? same is true in the New Marketplace. The only difference is
In the scenario just described, it is assumed that the pur- that the retailer or channel is sending most of the messages.
chaser has knowledge of the marketplace and product availabil- Still, the consumer or customer is perceived or hoped to be
ity. It assumes search mechanisms are in place that allow the the receiver.
purchaser to know what they would like to buy. It also assumes In the 21 st Century Marketplace, senders become receivers
there are all types of distribution channels that could supply and receivers become senders. The market is interactive and
the product or service that the consumer might desire. But, the communication flow is in both directions, not just outbound
these are not just assumptions. In truth, such a marketplace from the marketer. This dramatic change in information tech-
exists today, and it will only develop and become more refined nology will truly drive the need for integrated marketing and
in the years to come. communication. In a marketplace where the consumer and
146 J Bush Res D.E. Schultz
1996:37:139-I 46

customer is inundated with information, their question is not in place today, and (2) the shift of information technology on a
how to get more information about products or services, it is diagonal from the manufacturer to the retailer to the consumer.
how to sort through all the information available. Increasingly, With this movement to integration, some major issues in
product, service, and marketplace information is supplied not advertising practice, education, and research begin to emerge.
just by marketers; it is supplied by all forms of media and from For example, does the traditional functional management of
a variety of sources, many of which are not controlled or even the marketing and communications activities make sense when
managed by the marketer. For example, in almost every major developing and managing an integrated and holistic approach to
Sunday newspaper, there is an automotive or transportation communication? What about all the specialists, i.e., advertising,
section, which contains reviews and comments and test drive sales promotion, direct marketing, and the like? Are they still
reports of various makes of automobiles. The same is true for needed? What about education? Today specific, discipline-
automotive publications such as Car & Driver and Automotive related curricula are taught. Should communication processes
News. And, Consumer Reports regularly reviews automobiles be taught instead? What would that do to the traditional course
through their testing services. The J. D. Powers organization by course approach to education? And, what happens to adver-
rates automobiles on a variety of criteria every model year. So, tising research? As we move from attitudinal research to behav-
although General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota ioral information, do our traditional advertising research tech-
spend billions on traditional, media-delivered, general advertis- niques still apply? All these and a host of other questions arise
ing, it is likely only a fraction of the information prospective when we acknowledge that integration, whether needed or
automobile buyers use to make their purchase decision comes wanted by advertising practitioners and academicians, is inevi-
from that advertising. This is said, not to demean the value of table, but that is another subject for another study.
advertising, only to suggest that advertising is only one form
and one factor that influences and persuades consumers. It
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is the integration of advertising with all the other sources of Achenbaum, Alvin A., and Mitchell, F. Kent, Pulling Away from Push
Marketing. Harvard Business Review (May/June 1987):38.
information the consumer uses that is critical to understand-
Colley, Russell, DefiningAdvertising Goalsfor Measured Advertising Re-
in other words, the process, not just the parts. sults, Association of National Advertisers, New York. 1961.
The task of the marketing and marketing communications Kim, Peter, Restore Brand Equity. Directors Boardroom 17 (Summer
managers of the future will not only be to develop and execute 1993):21-29.
planned messages, it will also be to attempt to manage all the Lavidge, Robert J., and Steiner, Gary A., A Model for Predictive Mea-
information sources and resources that might influence a con- surements of Advertising [Link] of Marketing (Octo-
sumer's purchase decision choice and as important to be able ber 1961):59-64.
to respond to customer and project requests for additional Light, Larry, At the Center of It All Is the Brand: Promotion Has Bigger
information. Thus, as we move from primarily internally di- Role than Ads, But Short-Term Bribes Are Suicidal. Advertising Age
(March 29, 1993):22.
rected, planned marketing and communication programs to
Miller, Debra A., and Rose, Patricia B., Integrated Communications:
those in which the prospective customer influences the type and A Look at Reality Instead of Theory. Public Relations Quarterly
kind of information they need and want to make a purchasing (Spring 1994): 13-16.
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sary, but, inevitable. Peppers, Don, and Rogers, Martha, The One To One Future: Building
Relationships One Customerat a Time, Doubleday, New York. 1993.
Schuhz, Don E., Traditional Marketers Have Become Obsolete. Market-
Summing Up or Setting Up ing News (June 6, 1994):11.
Schuhz, Don E., We Simply Can't Afford to Go Back to Mass Marketing.
the Next Questions Marketing News 27 (4) (February 15, 1993):20.
In this article, the move to integrated marketing and communi- Schultz, Don E., Tannenbaum, Stanley I., and Lauterborn, Robert F.,
cations has been reviewed and explained by using the example Integrated Marketing Communications: Putting It Togetherand Making
It Work, NTC Business Books, Lincolnwood, IL. 1992.
of mass media, general advertising; it is clear integration is not
Shocker, Allan D., Srivastava, Rajendra K., and Ruekert, Robert W.,
just desirable, it is inevitable. Two major factors are driving Challenges and Opportunities Facing Brand Management: An In-
the need and requirements for integration. They are: (1) the troduction. Journal of Marketing Research (Spring 1994): 149.
move from a traditional, industrially oriented view of advertis- Sloan, Jeffrey, Ad Agencies Should Learn the Facts of Life. Marketing
ing to one that reflects more the holistic information systems News (February 28, 1994):4.