I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Promotions Marketing Association (PMA), better known for its core focus on sales promotions, wants to help their members achieve measurable brand-building goals by becoming a primary source for integrated marketing techniques. 

This effort will be led by PMA's new President, Bonnie J. Carlson.  Bonnie is no stranger to integrated marketing. She served as vice president of integrated marketing for ConAgra Foods until 2005, creating an integrated marketing plan and launching the shopper marketing program across all four divisions--a product range of approximately 70 brands, such as Hunt's, Peter Pan and Reddi-Whip.

PMA's programs offer a host of options to learn more about integrated marketing. They are: Consumer Promotion, Trade Promotion, Advertising, Public Relations, Database or Direct Marketing, Loyalty Marketing. Experiential Marketing, Sponsorships, Celebrity Endorsements/Product Spokespersons, Shopper Marketing, Cause-Related Marketing, Grass Roots Marketing, and Corporate Communications, such as incentive programs and employee communications.

In-store signage that electronically transmits product information to cellular phones and marketers experimenting with giving consumers perks for engaging at online sites like Facebook are just two of the new opportunities to integrate incentives and promotion into an integrated campaign. Kudos to PMA for recognizing this opportunity and developing tools to help their members take advantage of the power of integrated marketing and communications.