Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Interactive Moving Into The Strategic Mainstream
byInteractive marketing is now starting to take a lead role in the strategic planning process at many companies. This was confirmed by a recent article from AdWeek magazine. Clearly, the Web has become more than a marketing channel; it has become a strategic hub around which marketing revolves. This is especially true for high involvement products. High involvement products are purchases in which the buyer is willing to spend considerable time and effort before making a purchase.
As the AdWeek article points out, interactive marketing was originally thought of more as a direct-response medium, but it is becoming increasingly evident that Web-related marketing has been transformed into a powerful branding channel that is often able to engage high-involvement buyers more effectively than television or magazine advertising.
Just a few short years ago, interactive marketing had to live off what was left after traditional marketing expenditures were planned and implemented. However, now at many companies, the ability of the Web to create a powerful brand experience, plus the Web’s ability to track marketing return on investment, has put interactive at center stage. The result is that more and more companies are starting their strategic marketing planning from a Web-centric point of view and incorporating traditional media where it makes the most sense to support and expand online efforts.
