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Peter
Crawshaw, Integrated Communication Consultant
Open minded
thinking combined with targeted solutions
Media-neutral
Strategy Planning (MNSP) is currently a hot topic. No pitch is won without
giving it some airtime. However, what does it mean, what is its real benefit
and is it always necessary?
So,
what exactly is Media-neutral Strategy Planning?
To move
forward we need to agree a common view of what we mean by Media-neutral
Strategy Planning and importantly clearly articulate its benefits to agencies
and clients alike.
Definitions,
as with any buzzword, are by no means consistent but for me Media-neutral
Strategy Planning has two dimensions that need to be considered. The first
is integration of messages across media channels (TV, press, interactive
etc.). The second is integration of communications across what could be
called "disciplines" - such as PR, Direct mail, Sponsorship etc.). Only
when both types of integration are brought into the definition will it
be possible to deliver seamless campaigns.
Why
do we need Media-neutral Strategy Planning?
The simple
reason we would want media-neutral communications is so that we can connect
the right message with our target audience, at the right time and place
to persuade them to do what we want. This will lead to powerful, effective,
value for money communications that solve client's business challenges.
Furthermore,
we should be able to monitor and adjust the spend so it continues to be
effective regardless of the channel or discipline or age of the campaign.
Implicit
in this view is that you can't separate media and message and that each
media channel / discipline has certain strengths and weaknesses.
Where
to start with Media-neutral Strategy Planning?
From a
planning perspective, the consumer is key to the process and any
integration has to centre on them.
Media-neutral
Strategy Planning requires open minded thinking:- thinking outside any
single media channel and any single discipline. It requires agencies to
think how best they could solve the problem and not how they can win a
Gold Lion at Cannes or a Campaign Media Award. It requires agencies to
think outside of what they classically deliver - throw away the rulebook
and think like a consumer of the product or service.
Ultimately
the solution delivered will be very specific, tailored and targeted to
each client and not every media channel or communication discipline will
be used, just the ones that are most effective - but you need to consider
them all initially if you are going to choose the best ones.
Below is
a simple checklist of questions that I would use in any media-neutral
strategy planning process.
1. Is there a
clearly articulated problem / issue?
2. Brand / Product
/ Service
a. What does it stand for rationally and emotionally?
b. What can you credibly say about it?
c. What are objectives and aspirations of any work?
3. Consumer
a. Who are they?
b. What are they like?
c. What media do they consume?
d. When do they consume it?
e. Do they consume different media differently?
f. How to they value each media channel
g. How / when do they use your product or service
4. Commercial
considerations
a. Budget
b. Campaign objectives / targets
Then with
those answers you can start to consider targeting and choosing the most
appropriate channels / disciplines. In addition, the Message has to be
considered in light of how best able to connect with consumer and the
budgets available.
If it's
so straightforward why isn't everyone doing it?
At a recent
seminar in June, organised by the Account Planning Group, nearly 50 planners
and communication professionals talked about as frankly as was possible
about the issues around media-neutral strategy planning and how progress
might be made. I made the following observations.
1) On a general
level it was agreed:
a. MNSP is incredibly important to clients and agencies and how it can
be achieved is high priority
b. Organisational problems in clients and agencies are holding MNSP
implementation back
2) More specifically
a. The benefits of MNSP were assumed rather than articulated
b. With this new discipline there were few case study examples and most
of the presentations were grand visions
From a
personal perspective while I was Marketing and Communications Director
at Multex Investor Europe, a Reuters joint venture, I used a media-neutral
approach to build the registered user base from 5,000 to 125,000. Sometimes
it was not easy and involved bringing, sometimes forcing, PR, Advertising
and Media to work together. My aim was simple:- to design and deliver
effective, targeted, multi-channel campaigns. Consequently, we had a consistent
voice and style of communication in everything from press adds to press
releases.
In addition,
all marketing spend was carefully tracked to ensure we could constantly
improve our effectiveness. In our case the cost per member recruited was
reduced by 75% over the life of the campaign. And before creatives jump
up and say this approach might work but it is too structured to allow
creativity to flourish - it wasn't. The press campaign created by masius
has won numerous creative awards in the UK and US.
Every
journey starts with a single step
What is
clear to me is that currently no one-agency discipline can cover all these
tasks. So while the massive agency groups are wrangling with the politics
could I make a simple suggestion to start things off? Ad agency (above
or below the line) and Media agency planners work together (really together
in the same room not just giving lip service to it) to produce the initial
brief.
This will
then ensure that ideas aren't created that can't be used in the media
channels that are most relevant to the target audience. Time isn't wasted
producing adverts for media channels that the client can't afford or don't
target the audience at the right time. Most importantly, it should reduce
the risk of any one group over promising and under delivering and further
harming the progress to true media-neutral solutions.
This simple
approach, which I'm sure will succeed, would then start to build credibility
and trust in media-neutral strategy planning for clients and agencies.
It will also start to deliver powerful, targeted, effective and flexible
communication plans.
Only when
you have these foundations will the grand visions talked about become
the norm in planning.
(c) Account
Planning Group 1995-2002
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