Convincing senior executives to invest heavily in digital is no easy task. Kmart's CMO explains why building an integrated strategy -- where every element works together -- is the best way to get everyone on board.

Kmart CMO Mark Snyder knows the challenges of moving a big brand over to digital. In fact, Snyder has seen it firsthand with two of America's biggest retailers: Kmart and Sears.

Sears Holdings Corporation (the parent company of both retail outlets) is the world's largest print advertising producer and buyer, and continues to spend on print and TV spots. But the Sears companies have grown to become leaders in multichannel marketing; as you can imagine, the transition to digital marketing powerhouse wasn't necessarily easy.

"Imagine having to take two retailers, Sears and Kmart, and shift the mindset with a big group of merchants to migrate them toward meaningful, personalized relationships with customers instead of just selling stuff," Snyder said, speaking at the iMedia Brand Summit in Miami, Fla.

Sears, an iconic retailer, now lets customers make purchases through a number of channels with a variety of pickup options. Consumers can make purchases online and pick them up at a brick-and-mortar store. They can purchase an item from their mobile phone and have it brought to their car as they wait outside the store. Consumers can even order a product in the store at a special online kiosk and have it delivered at, free of shipping charges.

Sears' integrated platform is successful because every channel fits together. TV spots drive consumers to both physical stores and the online store. Mobile applications demonstrate that Sears -- both the physical stores and web store -- are the one source for everything you need.

Many digital marketers subscribe to the philosophy that traditional already has one foot in the coffin, but Snyder cautioned the assembled marketers not to jump to that conclusion.

"Traditional media is not going away anytime soon, and any big business is not going to turn off traditional tomorrow," he said. "Why? Old habits die hard."

What Snyder proposes needs to be done is to add elements of digital -- social media, mobile, email -- to slowly wean consumers (and the executive suite) off of traditional.

"This isn't about selling more stuff and playing around with digital technology," he said. "This is about building an information strategy for the future."

Building that information strategy takes work though. To start, you need some serious investment, something that many brands fail to realize.

"The biggest mistake companies make today is that digital marketing is relegated to somebody who's already got three jobs," he said. "They haven't stepped up to realize they need dedicated resources, dedicated investment, and dedicated support."

To get that investment, you need to convince senior leadership that this all feeds into the business strategy. Many executives like the idea of social media and email marketing, because they think those channels are free. And you can market on those channels with very little investment, but you're not marketing as well as you could be.

"If you want to drive friends and fans [on Facebook], all you have to do is a paid media program and you'll get fans all day long," Snyder said. "They'll get gift card, but it isn't a meaningful relationship, and that's what we want."

Snyder outlined a recent Sears Facebook campaign aimed at college students. Students and their roommates could register with the retailer and fill out a survey about what they would bring to school, as well as their likes and dislikes. So while the campaign served as a way to promote Sears as the place you could buy a microwave or TV for college, it also helped roommates learn about each other.

In another campaign, for Kmart, the brand used online video to overcome the perception that its clothing was not trendy or high quality. The brand hired a documentary film crew to produce video segments about the designers in its New York City design studio. The videos served two roles: Frst, they showed consumers the inspiration behind many of the product they bought, and second, Kmart was able to use clickable video technology that let consumers make purchases directly from the video.

When launching the campaign, Snyder turned to digital because he felt traditional marketing wasn't authentic enough to convey the message Kmart wanted. In the end, his move paid off and consumer thought surrounding Kmart clothing changed.

"It's not about building technology," Snyder said. "You have to go out and face consumers where they are and convince them. Multi-channel can eliminate departures from your brand. The market is going to continue to change. Ultimately, the market will always shift to what consumers want."

Rich Cherecwich is deputy editor of iMedia Connection.

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