The main reason for this is that most marketers still focus on the wrong measures. Until we recognise what advertising can and cannot do, we’ll continue to see misguided recommendations and inaccurate interpretations of subsequent performance (much more on that in the measures of success and advertising and sales posts).

On a related note, it’s important to re-stress a point from the media myopia post: the ‘menu’ that many agencies continue to employ (consciously or otherwise) is a key barrier to improving brand communications.

The graphic at the top of your post exemplifies the limited thinking that characterises most media planning. A warped remuneration model means that many agencies restrict their recommendations to those media that will deliver sufficient returns to cover their costs. That’s limiting the value they can deliver to clients. I understand the rationale – all businesses need to survive – but it’s clear from this analysis that it’s the remuneration model that should change, not the channel mix.

The reality is that absolutely anything can be ‘media’, and the best connections aren’t always paid mass-media. More on that soon…