As highlighted by our Convergence of Marketing and Sales report, this approach is becoming increasingly desirable as a way of streamlining the customer journey.

Here’s why the decision could prove effective for Molson Coors and many other brands like it.

Changing customer behaviour

With 67% of the customer’s path to purchase now being conducted online, it has meant that the influence of both marketing and sales has been overtaken by self-directed online research.

As a result, there is no longer a clear distinction between the roles of marketing and sales.

See the below graph, which highlights how consumer research dominates the active consideration stage. 

For a company like Molson Coors, the decision to merge the teams means it is able to put on a united front, resulting in a single conversation with the customer rather than a disjointed one.

Focus on personalisation

As well as the changing path to purchase, another motivation behind Brew + Press looks to be the evolving needs of the customer – especially their desire to be educated as well as to enjoy immersive experiences.

Speaking about the new division, Martin Coyle, Marketing Director for the UK and Ireland, commented:

There is a growing appetite among consumers to learn more about beer, cider and spirits, as well as for experiences and learning about the brands themselves.

Brew + Press intends to go after that market opportunity and talk to the consumer in the way they want to be spoken to.

While sales teams were once the only way to deliver a personalised experience (through one-to-one interaction), marketing automation now means that companies can communicate highly relevant and personalised messages to consumers at all stages.

Brew + Press looks set to target experience-hungry consumers by hosting events like beer and cider tasting, cocktail masterclasses, and food and drink pairings. 

Shift towards an omnichannel experience

Today, the customer journey is far more difficult to track than it used to be.

Instead of the traditional funnel (seen below) and a single channel, consumers move from one device to another, from offline to online and back again.

This means that opportunities for sales and marketing have also changed.

Sales teams are attempting to extend their reach into earlier stages of the customer’s journey, while marketers are encroaching closer to the purchase decision. 

As a result, taking into consideration the drive towards technology integration, it makes far more sense to join forces.

In doing so, a seamless experience for the customer across all channels can be achieved. 

While Molson Coors is only merging its sales and marketing in London for now, it is hoping that the decision will set a precedent for other markets. 

Subscribers can download the Convergence of Sales and Marketing report here.

Further reading on the blog: