Holistic marketing acknowledges that everything matters in marketing – and that a broad and integrated perspective is necessary in developing, designing and implementing your marketing. It's a high-level approach. And it's a great reason to learn how to integrate your marketing.
The strength of holistic marketing (and why I love it) is in seeing all perspectives of a product or service. It's looking at the challenges and opportunities not solely from the brand's perspective. But from the consumer perspective, too – which is one of the most fascinating and important viewpoints.
Genuine creativity (and good marketing) needs a collision of ideas from all different angles. This generally happens with lateral thinking. It happens when an idea travels in one direction and then suddenly is broadsided by another traveling in a different one.
Blackberry's Perspective
Blackberry focused on the hoi polloi perspective with its recent product launch. They assumed fans would swoon over Alicia Keys' celebrity endorsement. And that she could “inspire the future” of the company.
But it falls flat for many reasons. It's marketing from one angle. Blackberry tried to trick their consumers. But everyone who follows Alicia Keys on Twitter knows that she tweets and uses Instagram from her iPhone. Her endorsement traveled in one direction. And the only thing it collided with was angry fans and consumers.
Integrity is not optional.
Integrity needs to be baked into marketing from all angles. Because when you have integrity, you're about quality. And when you're about quality, the marketing comes naturally. Because it's not about celebrity endorsements. It's not about the perspective of the CEO. It's about multiple angles coming together. It's about the fans and the consumers. It's about the little people who see the big picture.
The old world was top down. Celebrities endorsed a product and the little people followed.
But now it's the opposite. Because the little people have the power. The power may not blasted through the speakers through fast media. But that's ok. It happens slowly because quality doesn't mean quick.
Holistic marketing is the slow cook. It's where the story, experience, and journey begin. And it leads to customer loyalty and greater growth. No matter which angle you look from.
