Inter-functional Collaboration and Inter-organizational Relationships in Communications Strategy Implementation

Abstract

There is a dearth of empirical studies focusing on marketing implementation, especially regarding the interplay between different functional areas and service providers.  To fill this gap, this paper explores running a communications campaign across several organizations. It takes a practitioner perspective via agency and client interviews embedded within a longitudinal case study. We find that practitioners argue that closer collaboration between sales and marketing functions is vital. However, there appears to be little awareness of some of the processes that influence successful strategy implementation, particularly the impact of inter-personal and inter-organizational relationships.