So, what is Marketing Communications? Things Younger Communicators Need to Know

By Mark Semmelmayer
Chief Idea Officer
Pen & Inc. Marketing Communications

A couple of decades ago, the term “marketing communications” came into vogue to describe what had traditionally been called “advertising.” Advertising was descriptive of selling messages delivered via traditional media, like TV, radio, publications, direct mail and the like. But, with the advent of the web, email and social media, marketing communications is a better way to describe the creation and delivery of messages designed to get us to buy something.

This article may seem incredibly basic for readers with years of MarComm experience. But, in my recent activities with the Business Marketing Association (BMA) leadership on both a national and local level, many are expressing the same concern. The lack of education in the fundamentals of marketing communications among younger practitioners.

Business Swings Beget Changes …

It’s not a new phenomenon. When there’s a business downturn, a company’s marketing department feels it first. Communications plans are put on the shelf and communications pros are put on the street. When business picks up again, marketing communications comes back into the mix.

The issue then becomes staffing MarComm positions. Often, a company opts to fill them from within, choosing someone in the organization who had a few marketing and advertising courses in college. That person is usually younger, lower salaried and less experienced than the person they replaced.

… That Become a Problematic Movement

In the past, bringing in a younger MarComm person wasn’t as big an issue as it is today. Young guns were pretty much on the same page as older hands, in terms of being versed in available tools and how to use them. Today, though, turning the communications role over to younger folks can present a dichotomy between the tools they know and want to use and the way the customer wants and needs to be communicated with.
 

The young comm manager is likely to be a “Millennial.” Growing up, they got their first cell phone at 10, had a laptop or tablet before they got to middle school, text more than they email and may or may not have read an actual newspaper. Certainly, print has never been their medium of choice. Social media is.

This can be problematic, especially in B-2-B marketing, where the age of potential buyers for business products or services can range from the 30s to the 60s. A new communications manager needs to understand that and be willing to look beyond the channels and tactics they know. That takes knowledge. If there is no mentor “in-house,” they need to get it on their own.

That’s the Point of This Article

In my 40+ years of ad agency and corporate marketing experience, I’ve witnessed … and coped with … changes brought on by this new media “universe.” Regardless of changes, though, a few basic concepts still need to be applied to make marketing communications efforts successful.

• It’s About Targeting

You’ve heard the term “selling ice cubes to Eskimos,” right? In a nutshell, that describes targeting. You need to define the audience or demographic market segment with a need for your message effectively. Failing to do that and scatter-gunning messages to the ends of the earth is just a waste of time and money.

• It’s About the Medium as the Message

Thank you, Marshall McLuhan, wherever you are! He was on it. Once you’ve defined your target audience, you must deliver your message when and where they are receptive to it, via their medium of choice. This is one area where the increased number of communications “channels” has altered marketers’ tactics. To be effective, they need to strategize how to use each delivery medium and how to craft a consistent selling message appropriate for it. That’s called Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC).

• It’s About Getting Their Attention

Studies show we’re exposed to over 100 selling messages per day. How many go in one ear and out the other and how many strike a chord? A good message goes beyond the rational and resonates emotionally. Think creativity. Most ad agencies use a Creative Work Plan to help develop the message. Two key questions in the plan ask: “What is the problem the consumer seeks to solve?” and “How does your product solve it?” Answering them is key to creating a good message. Compelling messages work. The more memorable, the better.

• It’s About Building a Brand

If you take the Creative Work Plan a step further and ask how you can be the one product, in a world of competing products, that the customers believe solves their problem the best, you’re building a brand. Building one takes time, consistency and quality. I just finished a 32-year stint with Kimberly-Clark, owner of one of the most recognized brands in the world, Kleenex®. That trademark is synonymous with facial tissue. It meant the same thing to your parents and grandparents as it does to you. That’s a brand!

• It’s About Measuring Your Results

Department store magnate John Wanamaker lamented, “I know half the money I spend on advertising is wasted. The problem is I don’t know which half.” When web clicks, opened emails and sales results can be tabulated almost instantaneously, measurement is a must. The web has also made market research more available and affordable. Smart marketers learn from what was done, success or failure, and incorporate that learning into the next communications plan.

• It’s About Networking

Advertising and marketing communications have always been about big ideas, insightful strategies and new tactics. The discipline is constantly evolving. There is no better way to gain knowledge and insight than spending time with other professionals in the business. For a young B2B marketer, the best choice is probably BMA (Business Marketing Association), but AMA, IABC and even the local ad club can also be valuable. Most local chapters have regular, informative lunch or evening sessions where experts speak on topics of interest to the audience. Many of these organizations also offer discounted memberships for young professionals. Join one, or at least attend their events.

Need more information?
Mark Semmelmayer
Chief Idea Officer
Pen & Inc. Marketing Communications
Marietta, GA
770-354-4737
www.linkedin.com/in/marksemmelmayer/

MARK SEMMELMAYER is a former Chairman of the Business Marketing Association (BMA) and recently retired from corporate life after a 32-year stint with Kimberly-Clark Corporation in their Health Care business. He is the founder and Chief Idea Officer of Pen & Inc. Marketing Communications, a consultancy in Atlanta, GA.