Synergy Practices in Media: A Connection to Integration Theory

Synergy is the increased effectiveness that results when two or more people or businesses work together (Goodwin, 2016). However, in media and public relations, it is the use of one channel to promote products of a different medium, and using each medium to sell the other (Olson, 2012). This creates a cycle where each medium draws sales and attention to the other.

From Hector Vasquez via Unsplash

An Ethical Analysis of Synergy

An issue that arises with synergy is that media ownership falls into the hands of a few select companies. A notable example is the Walt Disney Company, which owns Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Pictures, Hulu and ABC, to name a few. The Walt Disney Company has successfully dominated the entertainment market, making it so that they do not have competition to buy them out. Furthermore, they have created a model of synergy by owning several mediums across a variety of industries: movies, television, news, streaming, merchandise, etc.

According to Galician (2004), when using media synergy, it is important to review several issues.

1. The amount of control synergy has over a consumer.

2. If the consumer has another choice.

3. If the consumer has consented to the synergy environment without being decieved.

   
   

According to the PRSA Code of Ethics, practitioners are expected to uphold values of honesty, fairness and advocacy in their two-way communication practices. In relation to synergy, this means ensuring that audiences are not deceived by how media products and ownerships are interconnected. Furthermore, it is important to ensure that consumers are fully aware of the relationships between certain platforms, promotions and products. The PRSA principles of independence and loyalty remind practitioners that while they aim to advance organizational interests, it should not come at the expense of the public’s right to informed decision-making or through deceptive means.

Integration Theory

Similarly to synergy, integration theory refers to how different communication practices and media channels can be unified to achieve stronger outcomes. In public relations, integration is important for consistent messaging and brand identity across different media platforms. According to Chang et al. (2018), integrated marketing communication incorporates various mediums, such as advertising, public relations and promotion, to achieve the most effective communication for providing consumers with accurate information.

Moriarty (1996) explicitly links integrated communications with synergy, stating that it creates linkages in a consumer's mind using coordinated messages to impact consumers more than a single message (Goodwin, 2016). To ensure message connections, multiple mediums should be used and the message should be repeated consistently.

In contrast, integration is a means, while synergy describes the ideal result of that means. Synergy emphasizes the outcomes of the combined efforts, while integration focuses more on the strategy of "cross-utilization of resources" (Goodwin, 2016).

Both synergy and integration express the power of combining media channels to strengthen communication efforts. While integration focuses on strategy, synergy emphasizes outcomes, which can raise ethical concerns when media ownership has control over consumers, limits consumer choice or ignores consent. By applying the PRSA Code of Ethics, practitioners can use synergy responsibly, ensuring that combining mediums and channels does not overshadow ethical transparency and the public’s right to informed decision-making.

References

Chang, Y., Dong, X., Fan, X., & Liang, S. (2018). How online media synergy influences consumers’ purchase intention. Internet Research, 28(4), 946-964. DOI 10.1108/IntR-08-2017-0298

Galician, M. (2004). Handbook of product placement in the mass media: New strategies in

marketing theory, practice, trends, and ethics. New York: Best Business Books.

Goodwin, J. (2016). A Concept Explication of Synergy. Association for Business Communication.

PRSA Code of Ethics (n.d.). PRSA. https://www.prsa.org/professional-development/prsa-resources/ethics

Olson, S. (2004). The extensions of synergy: product placement through theming and

environmental simulacra. Journal of Promotion Management, 10, 65-85.

Walt Disney Company (n.d.). https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/