Web design—particularly the Web interface—is far from an island unto itself. Indeed, Web interfaces are only one tangible extension of an organization’s marketing and communications. This is a critical point that is often lost on everyone in a company, from the VP of Marketing to the brand manager to the Web designer—let alone the many people not directly involved in marketing, technology, or design. The good news is that, for those of us who understand the broader dynamic and are able to properly integrate all of the relevant components, there is a significant competitive advantage that we can enjoy as designers and can pass on to our clients and employers.
Integrated marketing is an approach based on the consistent and systematic strategic creation and delivery of marketing messages and materials. By establishing consistency between different media and distribution points, particularly over the course of a period of time, brands can enjoy greater sustainability and coverage. The expenditure of dollars or resources for integrated campaigns works in a resonant way, benefiting from the messages that came before and continuing to provide momentum and strength for the messages that come thereafter.
While it is a somewhat different scope and more limited application, visual designers have traditionally experienced this effect in logo design. Many of the most powerful and lasting logos enjoy recognition and prominence as much for their consistency and long-term application as for the skill of design craftsmanship and quality of the end product. Integrated marketing takes those principles farther, extending them on an enterprise level to most marketing and communications-related tactics.
Web sites are in their relative infancy compared to other media and communication touch points. As such, while well-designed corporate marketing typically exhibits excellent integration across more traditional media, Web sites often do not enjoy the same level of success. A big part of that is the lack of understanding that marketing professionals have for the media. For Web designers who do have a deep understanding of the Web, that spells opportunity. Here are some specific strategies and tactics that we can employ to use Web design as a successful component to organizational integrated marketing.
