It’s no secret that marketing and communications are merging. Being a single discipline, marketing communications (or marketing comms) unites marketing strategies with the tools to implement them. Through integrated marketing communications, businesses can create compelling content to support their marketing campaigns, identify key influencers, and connect with potential customers in a more personalized way.

To better illustrate how marketing and communications are merging, let’s take a quick look at the role of marketing and communications in four case studies.

1. Marketing and communications drive digital transformation

For years, marketing and communications were considered separate disciplines, with marketing handling the strategy and communications delivering the message. Thanks to digital transformation, that is no longer the case. As consumers adopt new ways of doing business and engaging with content, marketers need to evolve with them. As a result, integrated marketing communications (or “integrated comms”) was born.

Marketing and communications merge to form integrated marketing communications because marketers can no longer consider themselves as separate from consumers. Thanks to tools like Google Analytics that provide data on consumers’ digital behavior, marketers can identify which platforms and channels to pursue and which to avoid. Having a single source of data on customer activity across digital and physical environments allows marketers to craft more effective strategies and to track the effectiveness of their campaigns and initiatives. This is also where marketing analytics meets data science.

2. Marketing and communications drive brand loyalty

Thanks to marketing and communications merging, marketers can leverage content across different platforms to drive loyalty. If a company’s core values and principles are articulated in compelling content that resonates with the target audience, they are more likely to earn loyalty and advocacy from consumers. This can be achieved by using content to describe the brand experience, reveal the character of the company, and demonstrate why the brand is preferable. In addition, marketers can use content to generate demand, either by encouraging potential customers to enter the market or to move away from their competition.

3. Marketing and communications drive social consciousness

Social media has forever changed the way we communicate. Thanks to platforms like Twitter and Instagram, it’s become much more personal. As a result, marketing and communications have evolved to focus on generating content to have maximum impact on an audience. When done well, content like this can raise awareness and drive action, whether it’s signing a petition or starting a discussion about a social issue.

4. Marketing and communications help customers feel remembered and valued

In an age where consumers can access information instantly, it’s essential that brands establish connection with consumers on a personal level. Thanks to internet marketing, personalized communication is now possible. When a business engages with customers on a one-to-one basis, personalized marketing and communications can take the form of a newsletter, a tweet, or even an email. These platforms provide marketers with the ability to craft personalized communication, ensuring that consumers feel valued and remembered for their unique needs. Furthermore, with every customer relationship starting from scratch, businesses can discover if they are providing the value that the customer desires. While this is a challenging process, creating a customer-centric brand identity and marketing strategy is well worth it in the long run.

As you can see from these examples, marketing and communications are merging to form a single discipline because consumers expect to see brands in all aspects of their life. A single-minded approach to marketing and communications will help businesses succeed in today’s digital world.