by Jerry Mpufane (@JerryMpufane) All clients recognise that the digital discipline is an important part of the marketing communications mix. This should be no surprise to anyone; at least, not anymore. But, because digital is relatively new to both client and agency, best practice is an evolving process — with new lessons learned from every new campaign.
Here are a few notable issues linked to the digital/traditional advertising conundrum.
Silos are comfy, but inefficient
There’s a status quo. Very few clients have a specialised digital resource hotwired into the marketing department. At the same time, very few agencies have a digital capability hotwired into their creative processes. For this reason, many clients source capability on a silo basis; ie structuring all major pitches on a specialist agency supplier model, rather than on an integrated capability model.
In practice, however, it has become hugely cumbersome to bring 5–10 specialist agencies into the same room to solve one problem. Indeed, it feels like a conference, with lots of skills duplication, tons of energy spent trying to get everyone onto the same page, and many many hours of planning — rather than actual creating.
Yes, specialist digital agencies do enjoy the advantage of an in-depth knowledge of digital touchpoints. They live and breathe that world and the good ones are really, really good. Like top through-the-line agencies, however, they’re learning to integrate other consumer touchpoints as part of their solutions to clients.
The proof is always in the pudding
While you may think that the ‘in thing’ is to talk digital, television still makes the world go round when trying to engage a mass consumer base. The mainstream media is hardly ‘old school’. As an example, the reality TV generation spends a lot of time glued to the big flat screen, such that TV ratings continue to grow year-on-year, in a market where 70% of the consumer population is under the age of 30.
In fact, when a topic is trending on digital platforms such as Twitter, there’s a good chance that the viral content originated on TV, radio or out of home. For my money, therefore, the right approach to digital is to see it as part of and connected with other mainstream media — as a complementary consumer touchpoint.
The onus rests with us as agencies: we need to demonstrate savvy by showing clients, convincingly, how alternative touchpoints may be integrated into the communications solution. Hopefully this will lead clients to insist upon integration when designing their agency supplier network (instead of the current siloed approach).
Go to consumers where they are
Consumer touchpoints drive marketing activity, and where brands meet the consumer is where clients will put their money. So, the top three buckets of client spend, in order of investment, tend to be the “mass-media touchpoints” (TV, radio, OOH and print); followed by always-on “digital touchpoints” (websites, apps, social media); and, lastly, “activation touchpoints” (event-led consumer engagement).
However, the successful agencies create The Big Idea and drive their messages into the best consumer channels, whatever those might be. The John Lewis Christmas campaign is a great example of this…
John Lewis, a sought-after UK brand, is known for driving strong activation campaigns using clever consumer-care-oriented social media. Titled “Monty’s Christmas”, its TV-led campaign showed that emotive storytelling, supported by strong digital messaging, can drive brand affinity and sales. This campaign delivered superlative ROI, earning its agency a Cannes Lions Grand Prix in Campaign Effectiveness.
What’s the bottom line, then?
Alex Donovan, an Australian marketing expert, says, “Think of the two forms of advertising methods as boxers. Traditional media is the well-established nine-time heavyweight world champion, whereas digital media is the incredible up-and-comer with the fastest feet and jabs in the business.” So, when put into the ring, which of the two will emerge victorious? That depends upon The Big Idea and the best channel for the job.
Jerry Mpufane has executive experience in both ad agency and client organisations. He’s only got one goal in life, which is to be an inspiring leader. Jerry is currently group MD, Gauteng, of M&C Saatchi Abel. His monthly column on MarkLives, “On My Mind”, focuses upon what it takes to run a great AND sustainable ad agency.
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