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Tom Goodwin,
Tribal DDB
The
Theory
The development of the best solution to a client brief with no preordained
preference being given to any particular channel of communication.
The
Practice
The practical development of integrated communications is a tricky thorn
to grasp. Experience of working on the Volkswagen account has provided
some insights about how a team can at least go some way to providing media-neutral
planning. Most projects consider TV, print, radio, PR, DM and online (media
as well as website activity). Integrated planning
We form
a tightly knit group of people, all of whom have a stake in making the
project a success. The think tank comprises an Account Director and/or
a Planner (media or creative) from each agency (it's difficult to keep
it small, but every channel must have representation - don't be tempted
to leave out the person who tells the rubbish jokes).
Initially,
the discussion and thinking is purely about the positioning of the product
and the development of the overall objectives for communications. By allowing
all agencies to input into this process the buy in to the overall strategic
framework is much greater because everyone has had a hand in it. It also
ensures that the positioning will work across channels. (Advertising agencies
sometimes develop advertising propositions without a positioning statement,
and these being more prescriptive and advertising-driven are difficult
to translate across channels).
From this
point each agency determines what role it will play in achieving the overall
communications objectives. Each agency goes back to camp and considers
this separately before discussing with the think tank. Once discussed,
individuals must be flexible enough to change their plans when looked
at in relation to other channels' plans.
Think tank
members have an important role back at their base camps in facilitating
involvement from other members of their individual agency. Involving creative
teams early on in the development of a creative strategy helps provide
some fodder for the think tank to discuss. A conversation about even a
half formed concepts is better than a conversation about the abstract
ideals.
The discussion
that really helps focus the mind is 'how are we going to measure this
plan?' This questions usually teases out how neutral each agency has actually
been, and helps focus on the effectiveness of the plan rather than the
benefit of each agency's bottom line. Costs for measuring effectiveness
are likely to be high due to the need for many different kinds of measurement
tools and the need for new tools (often quantitative) to look at integrated
campaigns. What this requires from clients
If clients
want agencies to work well together, they need to assert this up front.
The commission-based system militates against neutrality, and we've found
that it's better if agency fees are agreed in advance and set on a retainer
so payment method does not influence media choice. Bonus schemes need
to be carefully structured so that these do not run counter to media-neutral
planning. Ideally they should be based on performance rather than money
spent/hours spent.
The client
also needs to define up front what level of integration they are looking
for. Often the agency response is rejected at the creative stage because
the client had always anticipated similar executional cues in each channel.
It's helpful to tease this out at brief stage. Is full integration required
at a strategic and executional level or just the strategic level? What
is appropriate for the launch of a new product may not be appropriate
for a smaller campaign.
What this
requires from agencies
Working
as an integrated team is about attitude. The people within the think tank
need to accept that other agencies will scrutinise their work and often
have an opinion on it. This does not mean that they are attacking work
that must be defended at all costs, but does mean that each agency must
be prepared for some lively debate to ensure that the ideas that go to
the client are the very best. On a more practical note all members of
the think tank need to be copied in on all documents that are sent round
to ensure that think tank members remain open to the idea of other agencies
scrutinising their work and a culture of mutual trust is developed. Regular
catch-ups become vital to ensure that opinion on important topics is canvassed
from all agencies. The process is incredibly time consuming and as a result
integrated communications take longer to achieve, so be prepared for that.
One agency
needs to take the lead role within the think tank. BMP took this role
within the Volkswagen think tank and acted as editors for the strategy
documents that were presented to the client.
Can any one agency be expected to achieve media-neutral planning alone?
The most effective form of media-neutral or integrated planning is where
a mix of skills and expertise is bought together to solve a problem in
the best way possible. It is highly unlikely that any one agency can do
this across all channels because they would have to combine skills in
media, creative, DM, Internet and PR. Instinctively agencies tend towards
the solutions they know best and so approach client briefs with a preset
media preference. Media-neutral planning requires a big change in agency
thinking. All agencies need to learn to work together in a much more collaborative
way without the usual attempts to grab an ever bigger slice of the fee
cake from clients. Ego has no place within integrated communications.
Clients need to ensure that agency fees are determined in such a way that
this sort of behaviour is discouraged and develop a team of agencies capable
of delivering integrated communications.
(c) Account
Planning Group 1995-2002
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