NEW YORK, NY – While 59% of client-side marketers are satisfied with their companies' progress toward integrating traditional and digital media, most also agree that inadequate metrics continue to be the biggest impediment to honing the media mix, a new survey of 294 Association of National Advertisers and American Association of Advertising Agencies members has confirmed.

The study, which focused specifically on integration issues, found agencies' biggest frustration to be clients' lack of understanding of how customers use digital media.

Corporate marketers agreed, citing lack of digital media savvy among key executives (including senior management) as one of the biggest internal obstacles. Other internal challenges cited included reluctance to move funds from "tried and true" practices of the past and organizational silos that impede a focused, enterprise-wide approach.

On the agency side, the two top challenges to integrating digital into larger-scale marketing programs are insufficient client awareness of the benefits of an integrated approach and insufficient client cooperation across internal operating/divisional channels.

By and large, agencies do not view their own internal structures or politics as much of an obstacle to integration.

Both groups said that the solutions include becoming better educated about digital media, setting clear goals and understanding business objectives up front, understanding the consumer, being willing to test and learn, and committing to metrics and analytics.

"Agencies and clients alike need to work together to educate internal and external constituents to demonstrate the value of well-thought-out multichannel approaches," summed up 4A's president/CEO Nancy Hill.

The survey was conducted in partnership with Bellwether Leadership Research & Development during this year's first quarter.

Copyright 2009 MediaPost Communications. All rights reserved. From http://www.mediapost.com. By Karlene Lukovitz.
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