In marketing as in medicine, perception can be everything. More Expensive Placebos Bring More Relief (NY Times)
By BENEDICT CAREY, Published: March 5, 2008

This famous quote from David Packard (50% of Hewlett & Packard) gains even more depth in todays interconnected cross media world.
Traditionally, marketing departments are caught in the middle of the crossfire between sales requirements, regional approaches, timelines and ever changing strategies.
And now, online media and ever more screen based communications, increases the technological requirements and knocks it up a notch.
But as technology determines the requirements, it can deliver the solutions as well. A whole lot of processes, that are executed daily in medium and large marketing departments have nothing to with creativity, content creation or ideas.
There's a lot of potential for automation, supported communication tools, decision tracking, workflow-tools and integrated communication solutions.
The market of web-to-print software solutions, media asset management, content management systems for web, catalogue, print, brochure and business cards is just starting and getting up to speed. Compare it to the ERP systems in the 80ies.