SIMPLIFY IN SIMPLIFYING MEDIA STRATEGY
From tech transcendence to pandemic paranoia, the way in which marketers approach media has changed significantly in the past few years. STRATEGY Media Director ANNA MATTHEWS and Group Media Partner STEVE DIMAKIS are here to help you navigate the new realities.
THE WORLD HAS CHANGED A LOT IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS – HOW ARE NEW ZEALAND CREATIVE AND MEDIA AGENCIES ADAPTING TO KEEP UP?
STEVE DIMAKIS: Being adaptable and agile has been vital in this industry for a long time. The principles of what we’re trying to achieve haven’t changed; Right person, right message, right time, right outcome. That essence has always held true, and keeping that in mind makes being agile and adaptable that much easier. What content people are consuming, where they’re consuming it, how they’re consuming it and why they’re consuming it will always be subject to change. For those of us in agencies, that means taking the time to understand behaviours and trends through testing, learning and building relationships.
ANNA MATTHEWS: Adding to that, much like we saw during the GFC, with budgets reduced and a hesitancy from some advertisers to spend, we’ve had to strip everything back to the fundamentals of right message/time/place, and from that we often get the best, most authentic work. Kiwis have always responded well to a more human, humble brand approach, and I think we’re seeing that come through more since Covid has hit. Ultimately at Strategy, we’re still using our strategic thinking to solve client problems, tell great stories and grow brands, despite the everchanging world we live in.
WHAT DOES THIS SAY FOR THE FUTURE OF CREATIVE AND MEDIA PLANNING?
ANNA: The convergence of creative and media, particularly in the digital space, means that having all the right specialists in the room together throughout the campaign process is becoming key. Agencies that deliver true integration between strategy, creative and media will continue to deliver a better result for their clients.
STEVE: The future of creative and mediaplanning is one of rapid change. Keeping up with the pace of emerging platforms and channels, the availability of data and being able to use channels in a way that feels natural for audiences is going to be key.
ADVICE ON STRATEGIC THINKING AND CREATIVE EFFECTIVENESS ARE TWO THINGS MARKETERS LOOK TO AGENCIES FOR. WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS?
STEVE: Clients turn to agencies for strategic thinking and creative effectiveness because staying on top of an ever-changing world is easier when you can turn to someone who’s immersed in it daily. Trusting your agency comes from knowing they’re in it for the long term and are a true partner that provides critical thinking. Although we are partners, that separation from a client’s business or organisation allows us to take a step back and look at problems rationally to find strategic and creative solutions.
ANNA: The masses of campaign data now available means there’s no excuse not to have an open and honest dialogue between the advertiser, creative and media about what is and isn’t working, and be quick to learn and adapt for maximum effectiveness. As an industry, we’re so much more agile now and I believe advertisers are more accepting of a ‘fail’ as long as it’s recognised and learned from quickly, and agencies are less precious about their ‘ big ideas’ – we all want the clients’ businesses to do well.
HOW DO YOU GET GREATER SYNERGY BETWEEN THE TWO?
‘Agencies that deliver true integration between strategy, creative and media will continue to deliver a better result for their clients.’
STEVE: Having a collective approach where creative, media and strategy are all in the same room. The beauty of an integrated
offering means ideas get bounced around between media planners and creatives, and that’s where the really great ideas come from.
ANNA: It’s those water-cooler moments you get when creative and media work under the same roof, coupled with the removal of friction around who’s going to be the lead agency, whose idea is better, the P&L [profit and loss] landgrabs etc. Having a range of specialists all working to the same brief, to the same P&L line, with a collective purpose brings the real magic. At Strategy, we have all our specialists working together, identifying insights and opportunities, developing strategy, crafting relevant and, most importantly, impactful ideas that connect people with brands. Innovation and storytelling runs deep in our DNA and to deliver on our purpose – to help our clients humanise their brands through combining strategy with creativity – is something you just can’t do with siloed teams.
WITH MUCH MORE MEDIA, MARKETERS ARE INCREASINGLY LOOKING TO AGENCIES TO ASSIST THEM IN GETTING THEIR MESSAGES OUT THERE. WHAT’S THE TRICK TO GETTING THE RIGHT MIX?
ANNA: Understanding your audience is a continual process as people change their media-consumption habits, but despite the huge fragmentation of media, we’re lucky in New Zealand that there’s still a pretty tight number of channels and publishers that can deliver effective mass reach. Then it’s about understanding the nuances of your audience and layering in the niche targeting and channels required to reach that specific audience.
STEVE: Understanding your audience, that’s not just a demographic – it’s understanding the people who make up your audience.
DIGITAL COMES WITH ITS OWN SET OF CHALLENGES. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR MARKETERS WHEN USING THE CHANNEL MORE EFFECTIVELY?
STEVE: Know what success looks like for you. Rather than using it for the sake of it, your digital activity should be helping you achieve your organisational goals and evaluated based on the role it plays in the customer journey. Also, to do it well, you need to put in the effort to ensure you’re getting in front of the right people in the right way with the right outcome in mind. There’s no set-and-forget with digital, either. Keep testing and learning, and design with AI [artificial intelligence] in mind, because the AI filters what humans consume and if you can’t work with the algorithms, your audience might never see your message.
ANNA: As Steve said – know what success looks like beyond the media metrics and ensure your digital activity delivers to them. Don’t feel as if you have to be active in all the various digital channels, and remember, just because its cheapish doesn’t mean its effective. Not all impressions are equal. Also, put more emphasis on creative. Creative/message quality has the biggest impact on campaign effectiveness – studies show around 80 percent – and this is where I believe integrated agencies really shine and achieve better results for their clients, through testing and refining and the constant dialogue they have on what is and isn’t working.
THERE IS A RISK OF BECOMING TOO RELIANT ON DATA WHEN IT COMES TO DIGITAL MEDIA. HOW CAN MARKETERS USE IT TO BETTER INFORM THEIR PLANNING?
ANNA: Data is a reflection of human behaviour – it doesn’t change behaviour. Data can help us connect the dots between what people want and brand objectives, and help us validate our assumptions or provide new insights, but it always needs that human-behaviour lens applied.
STEVE: The data’s there to help us make smart decisions. Understanding what the data’s telling us comes from understanding the human behaviour behind it. Data helps us find patterns and behaviours that lead to insights and hypotheses.
Founded in 1992, Strategy is an independently owned, award-winning, accredited full service agency. In addition to its core strategic, creative, design, advertising and media services, the agency provides specialist web and interactive capability through its sister digital agency, NV Interactive.
For more about Strategy, their thinking and work, visit strategythinking.com/nz