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Anthony
Clifton, Planning Director, WWAV Rapp Collins Media Group
"Our agency
takes a media-neutral approach to communications planning?" tends to be
the opening gambit in most credentials pitches going on at the moment.
It may well be absolutely the right sentiment, but it needs to be founded
firmly in real strategic planning approach and process, rather than just
an 'idle boast'.
So, whilst
media-neutrality is being sited as "the new black" in fashionable marketing
communication circles, it is interest to observe that there appear to
be '2' clear viewpoints emerging?
Firstly,
there's the 'top down' view coming from the traditional brand agencies
who tend to focus their definition on the fusion of planning process,
with the 'macro' channel disciplines like PR, direct marketing, and advertising
all being planned together by the agency account planners.
This differs
from the 'ground up' definition that direct response media practitioners
favour: For us, it's about understanding the breadth and depth of opportunity
that the entire media tool kit delivers and applying that knowledge to
achieve seamless communication and tangible business targets in synchronicity.
?and
then came Media-neutral Planning?
Firstly,
it's fair to say that much has changed on the media landscape to make
communications planning a far more complex process these days. With the
enormous proliferation of media channel opportunities including consumer
magazines, sponsorship and ambient media as well as the barrage of new
digital opportunities that have arisen, comes massive fragmentation, cross-media
ownership and growing pressure to deliver greater accountability to clients.
Possibly,
the most noticeable development is that of customer centricity. In a world
of ever-increasing choice, comes the need for clients to protect their
customer base and a realisation that integrated communications is the
key to this. It can (and already does, for brands like Orange, Egg, BMW
and Vodafone), make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful
brand. Brand values have to be communicated to the consumer at every 'touch-point'
to acquire and retain valuable customers; from a television campaign down
to the sales force?
Fundamentally,
clients more than ever before, need to feel confident that their agency
is planning with their best interest in mind and not just suggesting strategy
that is achievable within the confines of the agency's own ability parameters.
A vision
of how to deliver media-neutral planning?
There are
'5' main elements to successfully delivering media-neutral planning:
1. Access
to the right talent?
This can
be the hard bit. Integrated media planning requires a 'rounded' understanding
of the best combination of media to meet client objectives. If the consumer
doesn't 'pigeon-hole' communications into the direct response or brand
messaging 'boxes', then why are there so many media planners stuck in
'direct or brand and never the two should meet' planning silos?
It requires
the planner to show ambidexterity, the knowledge of both brand and direct
and an acceptance that all media channels are capable of delivering to
both disciplines, just to varying degrees. The art is knowing how and
when to 'flex' the direct or branding capabilities of those selected channels
to capture valuable customers and to meet campaign objectives.
We have
developed a far more robust training approach for graduates; taking the
view that creating media-neutral planners 'from the ground up' is the
way forward and that changing the spots of a leopard can prove more hazardous!
The good news is that several of the industry bodies are grasping the
nettle and creating workshops to help create this new breed of planners.
2. Consumer
insight at the core?
With all
this in mind, real consumer insight has to be positioned at the core of
the integrated planning process and the planner must glean a complete
understanding of the client's stake holders, who they are, their mindset,
media consumption patterns and relationship with the business - are they
'life-time' consumers or have they purchased once, are they high value
or low value customers etc. This requires lifting the bonnet of the database,
segmentation and market evaluation.
3. Channel
planning?
Once this
landscape has been drawn up, the task is to map the media journey of each
target group and to channel plan to meet client objectives - the challenge
being how to balance the communications delivery to meet objectives as
well as integrating the plans with disciplines that the planner may be
less familiar with e.g. field sales initiatives or PR. This is where partnership
with the client comes to play. By definition, clients who are thinking
this way should welcome the role they have to play in the planning process.
4. More
than just TV, outdoor, press, direct mail, radio and cinema - real media-neutrality?
Media-neutrality
has to extend further than mainstream media. By definition, the planning
process requires the consideration of all media channels including door
to door, outbound telemarketing and cold mail. This is where traditional
media companies that are steeped in brand experience will need to broaden
their repertoire to compete and where WRC Media Group currently stands
alone with dedicated specialists in all fields.
5. Campaign
Evaluation?
The principle
of measurement and evaluation is another key part to the delivery of media-neutral
campaigns. The direct response angle and our mantra at WRC Media "if you
can't measure it, we shouldn't be doing it" helps focus the mind and enables
us to evaluate all direct campaigns effectively.
With integrated
media campaigns though, it is less straight forward, econometric modelling
allows us to pull together clients results from direct channels with external
influences such as market trend data, brand awareness tracking and outside
uncontrollable factors, such as the weather or world events that could
impact on campaign effectiveness.
The development
of tailored econometric models gives us a method to aid the understanding
of the media-multiplier effect from the integration of communication channels.
It also means that we can evaluate a host of other factors including brand
contribution and the impact of pricing and consumer attitudes on business
targets.
In summary,
media-neutral planning is not an art. It is the natural evolution of communications
planning. It relies on a progressive agency and client marketing approach
and a strong, inclusive bond where clients allow privileged access to
database, staff and business plan.
Without
doubt, the biggest barrier for both agency and client to adopt this planning
approach is culture. Successful relationships and campaigns that deliver
strong results will always create a sense of inertia - why change? All
that I will say is 'watch your backs' channel neutral planning is a powerful
weapon that both clients' and media companies' competitors will use against
them - don't get caught napping!
(c) Account
Planning Group 1995-2002
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