Here is the feedback from CM industry pundits to Prediction 4 in our ongoing online research, which stated: Buzz, viral and word of mouth marketing will be merged into the wider marketing mix, with online viral marketing adopted and integrated within advertising, word of mouth within promotions and buzz within PR.

This prediction is becoming true to a point, particularly in Europe, especially with those brands that are finding it difficult to move beyond traditional marketing rather than find new ways to connect with consumers and ignite conversations among them, as Trendwatching says.

President of Agent Wildfire Sean Moffitt points out that marketers across the board are trying to get to grips with and jump on the CM bandwagon: “Marketers don’t have a good understanding of this area - it’s like the kid with the shiny red train under the christmas tree - it’s attractive and flashy, they want to play with it but have no idea what they should use it for or what it is or what it’s called. I see a blurring of functions where in some of companies - the Director, Online is playing the role of Marketing Director. Distinctions between marketing branches will be erased in the future - whatever the uber-title is VP, Consumer - you’ll need to have skill in each discipline.”

Aaron Sugarman Vice President of Interactive Marketing at New Line Cinema agrees that the struggle for marketers to place CM is ongoing: “It’s in the mix, definitely. As to where it lives within an organization and its fiefdoms, I think that’s still playing out. Some traditional marketers have leapt on these new tools, and others are more like, “I’m busy, here.” As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold, wherever they may sit.”

Ideally, businesses should embrace responsibility for CM within a meta role that looks at customer experience as a whole and then looks at how it can be improved at all the various touchpoints that go beyond marketing communications through research and innovation to customer service and so on.

For now it looks like all we can expect, as Director of LBM Tim Borthwick says, is “greater understanding of the integrated picture at the strategic level, but the tactical will remain largely in silos”.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 6th, 2007 at 5:24 am and is filed under news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.