Integration of online marketing systems also helps put the user back in control of the process, so that campaigns can be quickly and easily adjusted in line with business goals. And for many marketers, the promise of being able to automate and run marketing programs across various communication channels is a compelling one.

Perhaps the most important promise of integration is unleashing the true power of the many technology tools marketers have at their disposal: sophisticated e-mail, ad serving, Web analytics and search marketing platforms. These systems are technically sound, yet often fail to live up to expectations because users have often not been trained to use them to full effect together with their other business systems and processes.