Cover Story: Finding the Perfect Balance

The key, according to Marshall, is having a top-notch management team "all committed to our mission and vision. We spend a lot of time and effort focusing on our brand, making sure it's consistent across channels and that we put our best foot forward so hopefully customers will give us a chance."

Gaiam's integrated approach appears to be working, observes Mark Kirschner, chief marketing officer for Gaiam's online marketing solutions provider LinkShare. "Gaiam aligns its promotions and creative across channels and reaps the benefit of doing so," he says, adding that Gaiam is very much on top of today's consumers' multichannel shopping habits.