Are we rushing to tactics again?

Last week, I read an article from the Miami Herald reprinted in the Cleveland Plain Dealer about advertising and PR firms considering consolidating to take advantage of the ever changing, yet not fully developed social media opportunities of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube...and, so many others. Seems clients are tired of wasting their money and want to be much more highly targeted with their messaging. This is news?

The same thing was said and done yesterday, five years ago, twenty years ago and countless other times with sales promotion, trade show exhibiting, direct mail, database marketing, on-demand printing, premiums, websites...whatever the next hot topical tactic was at the time. And agencies gobbled up firms left and right, to provide the resources.

According to the author "firms are rushing to integrate the once separate fiefdoms of PR and advertising." Why?

Because PR firms were quicker to see and pick up on...and capitalize on...the communication potentials of tweets and links. They got it faster - so now agencies are looking to fill their voids.

Why?

Because they are losing the revenue, losing their footing and the dialogue with the client. It's that simple. Advertisers (a lot smarter than they used to be) are clamoring for this expertise and agencies just don't have it. Just like sweepstakes management or websites, some years ago.

What's the real deal? Well, it's a lot more than acquiring or building a bunch of departmental tactical experts, meeting together more often and parsing out the work.

Smart marketers are way ahead of this game. For years, those who have understood how brands are built have been integrating the marketing communications - either by themselves or with smart strategic shops. They develop their brand first, discover the unique distinctions, create strategies, invest in and empower engaged employees and then push the claims outward with proper, well-defined, well-justified tactics. Could be a tweet. Could be an outdoor campaign. Might be both.

Start strategy smart. Facebook might be your answer but, yet, so might a revised, redesigned point of sale program.