The revolution in how people use media has ignited the upheaval in marketing communications strategy we are calling hyperintegration. It begins with media, but doesn’t end there.

Time was, the job of media professionals was to make the best purchase among a limited number of advertising media. In the consumer world, that meant TV, magazines, newspapers, and radio. Maybe outdoor.

In business-to-business, the range was even tighter: which trade journals fit the best and were the most cost-effective?

The explosive growth not only in the number of options, but in their essential nature has changed the situation dramatically. A podcast offers informal, but personal, contact. A video shows rather than tells. A webcast demonstrates expertise. And it’s hard to beat search – paid or organic – for generating leads.

The point is, it’s not just about reach and frequency any more. With all the different types of media available, it’s now about efficacy. Not just which media blankets the audience best . . . but which medium can best carry the message and produce results? (Marshall McLuhan, are you listening out there?)

So that makes the media professional more of a conductor of an orchestra than a single train. Because it’s not only about buying space or time among available options. It’s about which medium communicates the message best. And it changes from industry to industry, program to program, and even project to project.