New media menu, same taste

by Andy Wright

I’ve just finished reading Simon Kemp’s post on Media Myopia. Simon says if media agencies are to succeed in this new world of an ever increasing menu of media “we must stop operating as mere brokers, and aggressively push the strategic agenda we know to be correct.”

I think there are some key issues raised that need to be overcome by all marketers. They revolve around:

1. Incentive
2. Understanding
3. Precedent

Incentive

We’ve all had enough of claims that ideas are ‘media neutral’. Most of the time they’re not. They’re media commissioned.

At the end of the day media agencies are paid via commission. Their incentive is through the discounts they negotiate from media owners and the percentage they can charge clients. If there is no discount / paid media they don’t get paid. Of course for bigger clients who can afford retainers the world should be their oyster. But they’ve already been paid – which logically is less motivating. Of course I’m generalising here and many agencies have the integrity and the talent to deliver valuable, successful solutions for their clients. But there are also as many who could offer more.

Those in media sales could also adjust their incentive. Staff are paid on commissions and the less work involved in making the sale (and their bonus) the more they take home.  Read Freakonomics and the real estate agent example for something very similar.

Performance related (yes, sorry…) fees could help to incentivise everyone. Make sure the performance indicator’s are realistic but challenging and relevant to the ultimate goal. i.e. frequency of meaningful interactions or target 1 year value of a customer acquired through social media.

Understanding

At the same time, the sometimes niche expertise of TV buyers vs online media planners vs social media experts needs to be shared or it can limit the opportunity for advertisers. This is where the strategy  / planners in agencies need to step in and be given the necessary power to recommend and implement. Unfortunately, their expertise is usually saved for a smaller number of large clients.

If opportunities aren’t made apparent, brand marketers (who hold the purse strings) need to strengthen their knowledge of their target audience. The media menu is indeed longer, which means the understanding of the level of engagement with each channel needs to be intensified. Nothing’s really changed from this perspective. We’ve always strived to get closer to our potential customers. What’s key is to ask the right questions. Questions which are no longer about reach and frequency, but about:

• Time spent with the media (by the consumer)
• Purpose of the media (for the consumer)
• Proximity to purchase of the media (by the consumer)

Prioritising the answers to these questions is the challenge. If they spend a lot of time with a particular channel, is it relevant and permissible for your brand to interact with them in the same place? Could they use it to make a purchase decision or talk to others about your product? Could they buy your product easily from that point in time?

Yes, the new menu of media is much more about growing relationships, trust and two-way communication – but you still have to shift some product. That’s why it requires a start point further back than one or two channels, or even a creative idea for a campaign.

Start by looking at your brand. How it adds value to the lives of your consumers, how you can build on that value to enhance their enjoyment of media and how you can build trust and permission to ultimately, sell them something that you have.

Precedent

It’s hard to start something that you’re not already used to, or that you don’t see others doing. It’s uncomfortable. But uncomfortable is good if you want to make a difference and stand out from the crowd.

The first brand in the market that can truly add value, through every interaction with their brand not just through their product will develop habitual relationships with their customers. If one of your tactics doesn’t add value, don’t do it again. A pet hate of mine would be the competitions placed in magazines and on websites to push awareness of a product. I don’t see a lot of value here. The placement isn’t necessarily relevant but the brand apparently generates even more ‘media value’.

As I said before there are some good examples out there. Naked’s approach to communications planning is all inclusive. By removing themselves from the media incentive game they also ensure their neutrality. I also like Carat’s philosophy to the new media world. They split media by bought (TV, radio etc), owned (corporate websites, microsites, retail stores, packaging) and earned (social media, fan sites and shared content). This particularly helps the thinking around what role your brand should be playing and how your customers perceive what your role should be.

In conclusion, I believe we’re all getting better at our approach to planning. However, it takes a genuine commitment to a customer first approach. It also requires some fresh thinking on interim objectives and incentives. Pay your experts on either sales or interim measures they can control that lead to sales – not just on target number of impressions, ratings or share of voice. Finally, make sure you’re adding value with each interaction and you’ll experience high retention and recommendation rates leading to loyal, valuable customers. Don’t forget interactions don’t just happen through media channels, but through your salesforce, packaging and even through your employees outside of work.

These are of course my personal opinions and no-one elses. If you know of some good and bad examples, please feel free to post them below, along with any other perspectives you might have.