WARC’s recent report, The Multiplier Effect, argues that many brands are missing out on significant revenues and profits because of an incomplete approach that means there are “false choices” leading to an ineffective marketing and media plan rather than a multiplier effect from real integration across the media and marketing mix. 

Getting the best people on an account is one thing.  Getting one team with one goal is another.  

Can you imagine going into a highly competitive situation with the best people, but with each of them playing their own game?

You don’t have to look far to see this in sports.  England is repeatedly criticised by football pundits for having the best players in their national squad, but not playing as a team, which means when it comes to the final stages of tournaments, they come close but do not win.

Last summer Gareth Southgate’s England team lost to Spain in the final of the Euros.  This was the second successive European soccer tournament where England reached the final, but lost.  You could say that they came second, or that they were runners up, but, just like in business, there are winners and losers and England lost.  Former player and commentator Chris Sutton remarked: “Spain are a team.  England are bits and pieces.”

Former England defender Micah Richards added: “I’ve said from the start that England have the best squad, but not the best team.”

Now there are many reasons given for this, lack of time to play together because of club fixtures included.  A lack of chemistry, and possibly selfish play from some star players – think Jamie Tartt on Ted Lasso.   

Playing as a team, with one goal (to beat the competition of course) and with one focus would transform England’s prospects.

What is intriguing is if you apply this thinking to agency integration in media.  There might be a talented set of people working on individual briefs for paid search, seo, retailer media, brand advertising, social and influencer.  They could well be working on one brand, but with different client stakeholders to serve within the marketing team.  They certainly should be working as one integrated team, but frequently their salaries will be paid by different agencies, and their personal goals set by different businesses.  (Almost like a national squad with players under contract to different clubs).

It is essential to integrate high performing players to ensure that every aspect of a brand’s campaign is designed to work together to win.  

Because the siloes across disciplines are entirely artificial.  In the real world, of course, everything is connected, and interpreting data from one field can supercharge the effectiveness of another.  For example, social signals can help design content; search behaviour must be integrated not just across seo and paid search but across Google, TikTok and Amazon.  Influencers can  represent all the different types of people that buy the brand, not just one advertising polished image.  

One united strategy can transform every tactic.  If every aspect of communications and customer experience is aligned to focus on quality then this can drive price elasticity and fight discounting; an integrated focus on friendly service and experience can drive repeat purchase; a sense of humour in all aspects of communications can bring in new customers and drive advocacy.  

We are in the third wave of integration in marketing and communications.  When I started out in the business the rule was still for a single advertising agency to do everything.  My experience was that this meant doing everything to put a television advert on air most of the time.  It was a time of broad reach, when ads talked at you, told you what to do, made you laugh (think public service ads, soap powder ads, beer ads).  In the early 21st century the rise of the media independents led to fracturing of the old business models, with integration communications planning taking the lead. With the platforms growing in importance feeding the algorithm and immediate return on investment dominated.  And as multiple different agency groups battled for dominance, the issue of driving growth for the brand sometimes dropped off the agenda.  The issue that concerned agency leads became growing the hold cos instead.

In the third wave of integration new independent thinking puts driving profitable growth for the brand first, and measurement redefinition for outcomes that drive revenue for the client must ensure that all disciplines are organised to work to serve that goal.  

The goal is to win.  To win, you need to organise as a high performing integrated team.