There is a mosquito on the inside of the windshield of my car. As I drive along, I can see the bug desperately trying to fly through the windshield. He wants out. I want him out. If I can’t get him out of the car, I want him dead! I start pounding on the windshield in an attempt to squish him. I keep missing, leaving handprints on the glass. He gets frantic with my fist pounding about him. He flies faster. I pound harder. I start shouting at the insect, as if he could understand a thing I am saying. I am certain that I look like a complete maniac to the oncoming traffic. Before I do lose my mind (or swerve off the road) there was a solution that crossed through my thoughts – one where both the mosquito and I would get what we wanted. Remove the windshield! Voila! Everything is fixed, right? No, I would have even more bugs in my car if it weren’t for my windshield, plus rain, snow, and sleet, low flying birds, falling leaves and all sorts of other undesirable items the windshield keeps out of my car.

I tell this absurd story because that is exactly what happens to businesses who depend on one marketing medium to drive their sales. When it doesn’t happen, the boss demands that the marketing department do something, so they start frantically trying harder with their one marketing method – akin to pounding the windshield and shouting loudly. When this doesn’t get the desired results, the boss is likely to do something very stupid, like declare all marketing as useless and take out the proverbial windshield.

Marketing works best when it uses diverse methods and is integrated behind a campaign. It needs to be diverse because most target markets are complex. We are living in the seam between marketing technology of today and of yesterday. I have a friend who is a Gen Xer. He works mainly with Millennials. In the morning, before he goes to work, he buys a daily newspaper from a newsstand and reads it. His Millennial co-workers make fun of him for not getting his news on his smartphone via social media. It trends immediately and you don’t have to buy anything, especially as archaic as a newspaper! It doesn’t deter him. He likes to hold the paper and read it, not scroll on his phone. Now let’s say my friend needs to stop at a grocery store after work to pick up a few things. One of his Millennial co-workers also needs to buy the same items after work. If you were in charge of the marketing for the grocery, where would you place your marketing emphasis – in a newspaper flyer or in social media advertising? Do you see the problem with choosing one method over the other? You would need to diversify your marketing methods to reach both people and get them to your store.

But let’s take a closer look at those Millennials and their obsession with finding everything they want on their phone. Just where would you advertise? If you go the direction of social media, Facebook boasts the largest network, with 1.5 billion active users. That is 4.7 times the population of the United States! Yet many Millennials have long since left Facebook and are more active on other social media sites. And hard-charging advertising is seen as out of place on social media by the purists. What can you do to market your products and services? This is where an integrated campaign comes into play. A marketing campaign is based upon one idea that separates you from your competition. This is typically put into a short, easy to remember slogan (a.k.a. a tagline) that is attached to your brand. This campaign slogan needs to be integrated with all your marketing efforts in every medium. The slogan speaks to the Gen X reader of the newspaper and it speaks to the Millennial reader of their phone. Marketing campaign slogans are not seen as in-your-face advertising that is shunned by many social media hounds. However, a well crafted slogan that is designed to put your best foot forward and separate you from your competition is an excellent marketing device. It should be the central thought in all of your marketing.

If you find yourself pounding the glass trying to get the mosquito out of your proverbial car, take a look at the diversity of marketing methods you are using. Are you truly touching your entire target market? And also take a look at what you are saying in your marketing messaging. Is it all tied together around a single campaign slogan, or is it hit or miss in its messaging? Integrate the message and you will find better continuity in your marketing efforts.