Pete Davies, Managing Director Get Me Media

It’s all change in the media world. Or is it?

Whilst thinking about this article I took the opportunity to look back at those written previously, and was surprised to see that I am perhaps the first to write from a client perspective. Whilst adding a bit of pressure to do a good job, it also helped shape my subject!

My career began at Nestle where I spent time both as a marketer, working on campaigns such as Yorkie “Not for Girls”, and as media controller. It was during the latter role that I quickly saw the value of working directly with media owners. This experience led me to set up www.getmemedia.com; an online search tool for targeted advertising and sponsorship ideas for brand campaigns. Think of how you’d use Expedia to search for holidays and you’ll get the idea of how we help brand managers and agency planners find inspiration with ideas from hundreds of media owners. We also run marketer training courses and offer a bespoke media owner briefing service for agencies and clients direct.

Therefore my area of expertise is relatively unusual in that I have a holistic view across both the media and marketing industries. The business acts as something of a market barometer, and we see what brands are looking for, when and why. As such, in this article I wanted to share 5 observations…

1) Who owns the big idea?
Where the ‘big idea’ originates and the agencies who provide them to the client is changing fast. I believe clients reward pro-activity. They aren’t worried where the idea comes from, but they yearn for the key point of difference that will turn their campaign into a success. This creates a real opportunity for agencies of any discipline and media owners. I’ve seen PR and Sales promotion agencies successfully sell in and book media campaigns for clients recently.

2) Competitive edge through enhanced media knowledge
Knowledge is power. Marketers and agencies (of all disciplines) who understand Media will gain competitive edge, simply because to maximise their media budgets they must understand what opportunities are on offer and how they work. Many marketers aren’t able to define a TVR, much less understand coverage and frequency. Yet millions of pounds are signed off based on these measurements. Training and insight for clients is key, and that’s where the likes of Thinkbox and the ITV client team come in.

3) Media owners that drive technological change will win through
The best media owners are able to embrace change. ITV is a good example with what they now offer clients from a multi channel perspective. Event TV and great content are still key but how and where we view it is changing fast. Media owners should keep their offerings as simple and accountable as possible – and be patient with advertisers in these tough times, as they still need to understand these new concepts in comparison to traditional media.

4) Don’t underestimate the power of big media and event TV
Digital is talked about a lot and I am seeing a sharp rise in searches for digital ideas on www.getmemedia.com, but let’s not forget the power of big media and big audiences. Event TV, such as X Factor, is a great driver of consumer discussion in the digital world. From a brand point of view, the success of Yeo Valley’s rapping farmers ad came from great positioning during the last X Factor season with just 16 TV slots! Add to this the benefit of online and social media measurement and we can now see the success of TV campaigns and programming through the level of immediate online discussion from a qualitative and quantitative perspective.

5) Are people’s media habits changing as much as we think?
One final observation is drawn from discussions with brand managers about their target consumers. Whilst technology changes at a pace, the wider public aren’t quite as quick to change habits. Our population is ageing and it’s important to remember that we don’t all live in London and use the latest technology. Millions of viewers with good levels of disposable income are over 50 and ‘creatures of habit’, still sitting down to watch hours of their favourite TV shows with their tea on their lap as they always have.

So the message that I really want to get across is that whilst technology is inevitably driving change and there’s an excitement for new media ideas and social media, let’s not forget some key advertising drivers to success. Big ideas often need a big audience launch pad. If you’ve got great creative and you know how to amplify your message, consumers will still talk about last nights TV viewing. The difference is it may not be on the doorstep, but on facebook and twitter!