05 Jan Multiples Against Singularity

Digital marketing, however broadly you define it, has revolutionized every aspect of advertising, marketing and messaging. What digital marketing has not done is eliminate the need for a well-rounded marketing effort. Consider these 11 + 1 reasons you can’t market in a vacuum.

Single channel bets your entire budget on a single approach. Channel diversification spreads the risk among the various marketing channels providing assurance that you r message will reach more of your audience, and insurance against the black swan event.

Single channel makes assumptions about your audience. Expecting a single approach to reach and influence any remotely diversified group is irrational. Even with a single profession, the demographic, psychographic range of an audience is extraordinary.

Single channel eliminates the integrated campaign. Audiences require repetition and reinforcement to capture their attention. A single channel approach limits the opportunity for this repetition.

Single channel stunts business growth. Because the one channel you select can only reach a specific group of prospects and customers, you are deselecting a large number of potential consumers.

Single channel can be an opposite influencer. Of all the existing channels, online is the easiest fake. Consumers look to traditional sources to establish credibility for online messages. Only seeing a brand in a single context can raise doubts about the brand.

Single channel is more costly in the long run. Multi-channel marketing efforts leverage each other’s efforts to deliver greater ROI.

Single channel eliminates measurement opportunities from other channels. This can lead to inefficient and ineffective spending.

Single channel can undermine the reputation of the brand. When familiar brands disappear from expected places, consumers tend to formulate negative conclusions.

Single channel disempowers consumers. A multi-channel approach lets consumers decide when and how they want to interact with a brand.

Single channel mutes the impact of other house brands. When products are brands are seen in a singular, isolated context, they become removed from the greater corporate ecosystem.

Single channel prevents accidental discovery by the audience. Consumers natural defense mechanisms are highest when they expect to be sold. Organic, unexpected discovery bypasses many of these biases.

Single channel prevents accidental discovery by the marketer. Trends never occur in a vacuum. Today’s marketer needs to be exposed to a spectrum of marketing ideas in order to continually synthesize and revise their message and medium.