A recent article on Mashable pronounced Inbound Marketing the Great Conquerer of Outbound. There are dozens of other articles out there like it, trying to make Outbound Marketing look like Jake LaMotta about three quarters of the way through Raging Bull.

But as any responsible marketer will tell you, Inbound and Outbound are not knocking each other down. Each one lifts the other up, intertwining beautifully to both push and pull the consumer in the same direction – toward purchase.

The reality is, brands cannot simply exist and expect to be found. While Inbound Marketing is essential in this day and age, it cannot work alone. Search and Social media are great ways of capturing people who are in the active phase of researching and comparison shopping. But Outbound Marketing (TV/Radio/Billboards/Print/Direct Mail/Online Ads) are the stimuli that generate brand awareness, planting the seed that will grow the desire within a potential consumer for your product or service.

Outbound ads do not need to be irrelevant or intrusive. You just need to let consumers know that you’re there, tell them what you have, and most importantly, differentiate yourself from your competitors.

Consider this: in a recent study we did for a client, we found that the majority of respondents find out what to do on the weekends in the newspaper. Local websites were a close second, but imagine how much business a local restaurant, shop, or attraction could gain by reaching the target where and when they are looking for them, instead of simply hoping to be found.

The point is, marketing isn’t just taking a shot in the dark. Brands need to research how to best reach their targets to find the right mix of Outbound and Inbound for their particular purpose. Every category – every brand – is different.

It’s about all facets of marketing working together. No black eyes. No broken noses or bloodied lips. Just love, sweet love.