The academic community thrives on clearly defined concepts, and tried and tested explanations
in which the messy world of actual marketing and marketing communications can be
codified. Such is not the case with these practitioners. Each seems to have a unique view of
integration, what it is, how it should be used, how it can be implemented, and so on. Indeed,
from the client or marketing organisation view, each CMO seems to have brought his or
her own unique view and definition of the concept and how it should be played out in each
company and each country And, most likely, when that CMO moves on, his or her replacement
will bring a new view of integration to the firm as well. Thus, we can conclude that
a clearly defined and agreed upon definition of IMC may not be possible, practical or even
useful. We probably should be dealing with broader concepts such as thinking and planning
at a more strategic level, being driven by customer focus, and using contact points rather than
media forms or even the 'bright, new, shiny objects' that seem to define today's social media