Has media planning lost its mojo?

Are computer algorithms making human insight redundant in today’s digitised industry?

Many years ago Paul Arden’s son, Christian, had a restaurant on King’s Road in London. It was very posh: expensive gourmet cuisine. Because Paul was a mate, I thought I’d take my children there, even though they were very young.

The posh waiter gave us menus, but my son didn’t read his. He just said: “What sort of spinach do you have?” The waiter proudly said: “It comes from a small farm in Kent. It’s organically grown without artificial fertiliser. We lightly blanch it then sear it in butter, so it’s al dente.” My son looked puzzled. He said: “Is it the same as what Popeye eats?”

That interchange represents the overriding power of simple communication in the mass market. My son didn’t know anything about methods of cooking spinach. All he knew was that spinach made Popeye strong. He knew this because he’d seen it in the cartoons.

But the interesting question is, why did it make Popeye strong? Obviously because spinach is nature’s greatest source of iron. Generations grew up learning this. That’s how powerful the Popeye cartoons were.

Some digital evangelists foresee a brave new world where 100 per cent of media will be targeted through data and traded on an automated basis. But traditionalists warn that this trend will ultimately lead to media planning by computer algorithm, undermining the human role of the media planner.

Only recently, Group M launched a consumer data tool to help agencies “develop more precise and targeted media plans”. But a world where data rules supreme must have limitations. The fear is that the rush to automated and programmatic trading, and buying ‘audiences’, rather than media channels will leave little or no room for human insight. But is this really the case?

It’s an unequivocal ‘no’ from Ramy Al-Kadhi, manager of digital planning at OMD UAE. “It’s made media planning better,” he says. “It’s like a footballer being given the ultimate football boot – it’s quicker, tougher and more effective, but it still requires the footballer to be on his game.

“The same goes for media planning. The better media planners will give media planning more mojo, given that algorithms can help them target more effectively and tell stories in a more relevant way. It’s not like the algorithms are coming up with insights and creating the content, they are merely giving media planners even more data, choice and flexibility. Algorithms and programmatic are allies of the media planner, giving them more time to think.

“Media planners less receptive to this increase in algorithmic technology, as well as different verticals, will struggle to keep up and

Ramy Al-Kadhi,

at OMD UAE will most likely stick to more traditional methods of planning, which when clients get smarter will not be acceptable anymore.”

Rabah Assaf, media director at Carat in Saudi Arabia, agrees. “As an individual who predominantly plans digital media, I salute computer algorithms; it is an 18-letter-phrase that has brought unprecedented trust to my relationship with my clients. Algorithms are not rendering human insight and planning redundant, they just make our lives as planners much easier in convincing a client of the most beneficial communications strategy with the highest return on investment.

“While many brands would have dissolved in such a digitally-complex world if it wasn’t for algorithms, the human touch remains absolutely vital.”

Layal Hassi, a senior planner at Starcom, is more guarded. “The marketing automation ecosystem is still fragmented with a huge array of platforms where gathering, analysing and consolidating data from all these platforms requires a lot of manual work. Clients value partners who can help them navigate today’s complex digital media landscape and who can plan, deliver, monitor and optimise effective marketing campaigns.

“With that said, I believe that media planning will move away from the focus on execution to a focus on monitoring and analysing marketing performance across all channels. So today’s media planner will spend less time creating and executing plans, and more time making sure the plan actually delivers high value expected results.” manager of digital planning