I am a passionate proponent and frequent champion of avoiding what in my view is a common marketing mishap, the "ready, fire aim" method of running with a marketing tactic prior to clearly understanding a couple of things:  the business objectives which drive the marketing objectives and corresponding integrated marketing mix, but also, and more important to the overall effectiveness of a marketing program, the unique positioning of a product or a brand as the genesis for all marketing.  I define "brand" as a promise to customers, employees, channel partners, employees and even competitors.  I define positioning as how a company (or a product as representative of a brand) uniquely delivers on that promise.  Typically, my most effective work developing positioning has been done through the lens of relevance, credibility and distance.  Relevance related to how the attribute of a brand are translated into the terms that are aligned with customers in a particular segment of the market.  How does a brand or a product deliver against their specific needs, help them achieve their goals and aspirations?  How can they relate to a brand in their own context, in their own language and vernacular?  Credibility builds upon that relevance to articulate the reasons to believe that a particular brand can deliver against those customer-specific aspirations and goals.  Why should anyone believe your promise?  Any brand has that information at the ready.  Some are challenged bringing that to the forefront.  It's often corporate nature to focus inside-out.  To want to talk about what makes your product cool, to focus on a technology instead of benefit, to list features etc. etc.  And conversely, against corporate nature to think about positioning, what makes you unique in a way which is relevant and credible to your customers?   Continued discipline is needed not only to establish this type of philosophy, but also adjust and evolve it as the market, customers and competitors, evolve.  The third element, distance, speaks to how different and differentiated you are from the competition.  How do you deliver your brand promise with relevance and credibility that's unique to other choices in your category?

With all that said, as I reflect upon this blog to-date, I've started with tactics loosely affiliated under the confederacy of the integrated marketing mix. In hindsight, this topic should have been the genesis of any integrated marketing discussion.