What makes life difficult in achieving integrated marketing is the human element. Integrated computer systems generally stay that way unless there is some form of human intervention.
In a previous column of mine I talked of the gatekeepers and the catalysts and the two play a crucial role in any form or level of integrated marketing.
Some people instinctively pool resources even for just a temporary project whereas most beings on this planet resist vehemently, any discussion and debate that leads to increased creativity, efficiency, productivity and delivery.
Some of these people know who they are but most are totally unaware which makes the integrators task exponentially more difficult.
The word catalyst is the key here and they play a very similar role to that of the catalyst in the creative process. They are the people with wild and crazy ideas, lifestyles that amaze their colleagues and seemingly endless amounts of energy.
They are also, and this is more important in integrated marketing, the people that don't even feel the ice at cocktail parties and those that march through DMZ's in order to get feedback from somebody in another department.
It is a tired and much repeated old debate and most people don't even listen anymore but if your company does not have at least a couple of these catalystic characters then achieving integration will be that much harder and maintaining it will be impossible.
