“The report of my death was an exaggeration.” Mark Twain, June 2, 1897. New York Journal. (see also: integrated, strategic B2B marketing agency, 2019)
Not long ago, you could find articles in most advertising journals about the impending demise of the integrated agency. The dawn of digital and the eruption of martech took the industry by storm. Specialist agencies with online skills and a keen understanding of data established a foothold, impressing client-side vice presidents and CMOs with their technical chops. The promise of efficient, economical marketing with a measurable ROI was upon us.
Specialized firms brought an intensity, spirit and savvy that were good for the industry. Consultancies swept in, creating new, formidable players. For large, integrated agencies, it was a wake-up call, one that many answered with strategic acquisitions to expand their proficiencies in digital. But for many small and mid-sized agencies, the course to future success was more adaptation than acquisition, adding key skillsets and forging marketing technology partnerships. Different? Yes. Dead? Not even close.
Through it all, the role of the integrated agency has been reaffirmed, with many of the biggest brands in B2B remaining committed to these strategic relationships. Why? Because marketing is still marketing, and the theorems that make integrated agencies important resources for B2B brands still hold true.
Message over medium
We now know business decisions are based on emotional factors. It’s the story that matters over everything else.
The integrated marketing agency combines skilled creative and strategic resources to make meaningful and personal connections. A non-compelling story delivered across the sexiest, most novel digital channel won’t engage. Digital and data sophistication can’t deliver results without a true understanding of why customers engage and purchase.
Digital is not a strategy
That’s right. Digital is a category of media used as part of a marketing strategy. Once everyone recovered from the ‘everything has to be digital’ hype, the importance of the strategic, integrated marketing firm reemerged. Content marketing without strategy just felt like a lot of content. Enterprise websites developed without a deep understanding of business objectives and audiences became six- and seven-figure money pits.
The integrated agency is adept at uncovering strategic insights that keep business objectives, strategies and tactics aligned. And what if the best channel for a campaign isn’t digital? Enter the integrated firm with the resources to execute what’s appropriate, not just what’s trending.
Measurable doesn’t mean effective
There are few things more distressing than auditing a marketing plan and uncovering a Cheesecake Factory menu of activity, designed to overwhelm executives with scores and metrics. Meanwhile, legitimate demand and sales engagement simply aren’t happening.
The integrated marketing agency is resourced to be strategic in its assessment of tactics, simplifying and rebuilding a strategy that makes sense, not because we’ll be able to measure outcomes, but because it will produce outcomes. Customers aren’t data points; no one understands that better than the integrated firm with a full complement of capabilities at its disposal.
