The term “Integrated Marketing” refers to marketing across multiple channels in concert to achieve a desired brand effect. That definition is purely about pushing information out to consumers and prospects.
What about pre-launch? Marketing is changing. It used to be that product development experts would connect with customers during the product planning process. Those conversations were quite separate from marketing process that would go on post-launch.
These days, thanks to the model that Google and others have developed the concept of a product launch has blurred significantly. With it, the difference between user needs analysis and marketing communications has also blurred.
Businesses should look at their marketing departments in a very different way. Marketing should be responsible for managing a continuous feedback loop of information about the company’s products and the users’ needs. The additional user insight will not only help design products that will work in the market, but also help the marketing dept better shape the way they present those products.
