E-commerce 'driving marketing integration'

The growth of internet-based activities, such as e-commerce, is likely to drive an integrated approach to market, one expert predicts.

Lisa Turner, marketing director with the Institute of Direct Marketing (IDM), says that while direct marketing used to be one of many sole techniques, it is soon likely to play a role in a more cohesive approach to brand building.

"Technology is driving the integration of what used to be a whole host of distinct marketing techniques," Ms Turner notes.

Citing research suggesting that more than 80 per cent of advertisements on TV carry a website address for an e-commerce or other online business site, the IDM representative notes that newspaper advertisements are also evidence of this shift towards integration in marketing.

Meanwhile, Direct Marketing Association research from April of this year discovered that the total value of direct marketing stood at £43.7 billion in 2008 - an 18 per cent rise since 2004.

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