Marketing firms used to refer to themselves as “full-service.”

Then they were “integrated.”

Now they are “hybrid” and “channel-neutral.” And once again “integrated.”

What’s the difference?

Full-service means all of the services one might expect a marketing firm to offer are in-house. The firm does not specialize in any one function, such as media-buying or PR.

Integrated marketing, according to the American Marketing Association, is “a planning process designed to assure that all brand contacts received by a customer or prospect for a product, service, or organization are relevant to that person and consistent over time.” Today, the concept includes both online and offline marketing channels, which is why it has re-emerged.

A firm which describes itself as channel-neutral, H2M, says “we hold no bias nor any vested interest in any media, communication channel or holding company of any particular media channel. We house expertise in all media disciplines, but remain impartial as to each channel’s use. This guarantees truly unbiased recommendations regarding our clients’ business.”

Hybrid applies to the combination of expertise for both offline and online channels under one roof, i.e. a hybrid of a traditional marketing firm and an interactive firm. Offline channels include print, direct mail, public relations, outdoor, radio, and television. Online channels include search engine marketing and optimization, email, online advertising, social media marketing, and mobile marketing.

Notes for CMOs:

• There is no standard for how many services make up full-service, nor does being full-service imply that the services are coordinated with each other.
• Integration speaks to efficiency, not channel-neutrality.
• These days you should expect all of a firm’s services to be integrated for better results. Integration should be the consultant’s responsibility, not yours.
• You should also expect channel-neutrality from a strategic partner. It’s in your best interest to consider all options in an unbiased manner. Obviously, if you work with specialty firms, they are going to recommend their specialty.
• More and more firms are claiming to be hybrids as they add services, but they are usually stronger in one area than another.
• There are advantages to working with specialists and advantages to working with integrated marketing firms. The choice, as always, is yours.

P.S. Since posting, I’ve heard the phrase “channel-agnostic,” which presumably means the same as “channel-neutral.”