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Moderator:

• Patricia Whalen, PhD
  Professor of Integrated Marketing, Northwestern University

Panelists:

• Jim Kirk
  Marketing Columnist, Chicago Tribune

• Susan Prather
  Senior Vice President Director of Public Relations for Cramer-Krasselt, which actively promotes its Integrated Marketing approach

• Gary Slack
  Managing Director, Slack Barshinger

The April member luncheon of the Publicity Club of Chicago – also designated Member Mania — featured a panel of experts exemplary in integrating marketing communications.

Dr. Whalen mentioned first that in the February issue of PR Week, PR jargon was discussed, including the perceptions of words like “benchmark, convergence and turnkey,” with all surveyed pretty much concurring in their definitions. However when it came to “integration,” the definitions were divergent.Dr. Whalen queried the panelists regarding their definitions of integration.

Left to right: Jim Kirk (Chicago Tribune); Jeff Bierig (PCC co president); Susan Prather (Cramer Krasselt); Gary Slack (Slack Barshinger)

Columnist Jim Kirk responded that it was more of an idea, a term with roots in the consolidation of industries in the 1980s and 1990s. The trick is how to make it work.

In corporations, according to Kirk, the public relations function reports to different department heads, rather than having a defined reporting structure. However PR serves an important role in shaping messages, especially in today’s economic climate. Different agendas exist depending on whether PR reports to human resources, marketing or the chief operating officer. Each represents a different challenge. Marketing is tied into recessional trends, while high tech had no role. “No one knew how to fit it together,” said Kirk. “Now it’s back again but indefinable. No one knows what that means.”

Kirk singled out Cramer-Krasselt as an integrated agency that understands the process. He noted: “There are forces at work that make integration difficult, but C-K has found the right formula.”

Susan Prather, who started the PR department at Cramer- Krasselt (C-K) 15 years ago, noted that C-K understood the value of integration to clients— an understanding that was supported by research. Prather shared C-K’s philosophy that each client needs brand planning, complete with a brand vision. The common goal is integration. This allows each discipline to know what it is working for and allows each part of the agency to support the vision. For example, AmericInns marketed soundproof rooms that are quiet. To reinforce the positioning, chess tournaments were held, integrating the “quiet” brand personality. The ad used the copy, “Quiet Nights, Rest Assured – Peace, Quiet, Checkmate . . .”

“Everything looks alike,” said Slack. “You need to have an understanding of all parts of the spectrum in order to guide a client down the path to meeting their objectives. In the 1970s, marketing was a cacophony. No one talked to one another. There was no coordination. Companies tended to divide into a variety of separate profit centers.”

According to Slack, NU’s Don Schultz wrote an important book that encourages updating the “four Ps” of marketing – product, price, placement and promotion, to the “four Cs.” Product becomes “customers,” price becomes “cost” – a customer will pay, placement becomes “communication” and “promotion” becomes “convenience”. The total focus becomes the customer and how they are best communicated with.

A veteran of Porter-Novelli before starting his own agency, Slack stressed the importance of public relations being part of the earliest stages of involvement with the client. “Integrated marketing communications is a business strategy,” said Slack. “It creates a longer, deeper, more profitable business method and is the right way to do things.”

Posing another question of the panelists, based on a comment made in Advertising Age, Dr. Whalen suggested that agencies and clients alike are moving to IMC.

Slack responded by saying, “Everyone in PR at Slack Barshinger is expected to get involved with other disciplines, including involvement in all the meetings. It helps them to be better public relations people. We need to read more, attend more conferences and stay abreast of the trends.”

Most corporations and agencies, according to Slack, know “the best prepared people come from public relations. They learn to think, to be salespeople, to write and develop skills advertising people don’t have.” Prather added, “PR people love to communicate and work within a team environment. In most agencies, public relations people are also account managers.” All involve a lot of pressure to answer to the publics, bosses and clients. They must constantly update creativity and strategic thinking.

Coming from other agencies before starting his own firm, Slack suggested that the general mentality of most agencies centers on the “whole egg” concept, equating consolidation with greed. Some companies want everything. This is not integration in his mind; an opinion shared by Prather, who stated, “acquisition is not integration.”

“Where is the value for the client?” queried Slack, indicating that this is the key question to ask. “The traditional product focus has been replaced with customer focus. Learn all you can about the customer and develop an understanding of the customer and his media and go from there.”

Ad agencies that have done strategic research should establish a brand vision or position. According to Prather, they identify a marketing plan, along with goals and objectives, demonstrating that they are thinking like integrators. “Messages should support what you are doing,” said Prather. “You need to all sing out of the same hymnal and feed into the same brand position or vision. PR supports marketing more than other functions. Sales is numbers oriented, ads are assessed by frequency, while PR establishes credibility.“

Despite the promise inherent in integrated marketing, Kirk is not a devotee of the concept, although he did note that public relations professionals are frequently the best integrators if they are at the top of their games. The best idea in organizations, according to Kirk, needs to have everyone involved rally around the concept. “Put the turf wars behind you. That’s when integration will work out,” he said.

In the real world, according to Slack, very little integration is being done. “You cannot count on it from most agencies,” he said. “This is not the structure to provide it unless there is unanimous support for integrated marketing communications.”

“Ad agencies look to their clients for brilliant ideas,” said Slack, “while, ideally, PR should be part of the planning team and so they can have an opportunity to create those great ideas.”