The Economist conference just finished Monday in New York and some marketers still don’t believe what happened in 2009…
Post-digital culture drastically changed consumer behavior and the media landscape. The way marketers reach their audience must also change. Quickly.
So when the L.A. Times announced that ABC, the Disney-owned network, decided to skip the first commercial break while premiering their most anticipated TV series “Flash Forward” and Courteney Cox’s “Cougar Town”, some think the network was experimenting with a new tactic to keep viewers tuned in, while others speculate that the network couldn’t find enough media buyers…
You might want to print those articles and read them on the train tonight. Or save some paper and add them to your InstaPaper account. Respectively on TechCrunch & Mashable.
In Radio 4’s ‘Advertising: The Most Fun You Can Have With Your Clothes On!’, Robin Wight presents a wonderful history of the advertising industry; from classic TV ad campaigns to Cadbury’s Gorilla and a fascinating view of the future. Listen to the second (and last) broadcast now – it’s only available until Jan 19th!
Instant messaging someone just a few feet away from you in your office? Today’s culture does not lend itself to face-to-face communication – digital communication, either through e-mail, instant message, text-message, twitter, or even Facebook Wall post, is sometimes easier to deal with; we can take time to construct our messages, process responses, and continue the conversation with greater purpose and clarity than we can off-line. Take a look as one member of Gen-Y graphs out his communication habits, showing us that, for Gen-Y, only the most urgent situations require a face-to-face discussion.
More and more, brands are beginning to target young people while keeping the generation’s unique communication strategies in mind. By asking consumers to “become a fan,” “share” and “post,” brands like Dentyne are tapping into everyday channels of communication while reaching consumers in a way that was never possible when the Boomers were stuck with landlines and snail mail. While Dentyne may use the web to communicate its marketing agenda, their message is different – ”Make Face Time”. What are they saying? Get out of your chair, away from your computer, and go talk to your friends. Their website even “shuts down” after 3 minutes – the time they feel is needed for viewing. ”Face Time” may seem counter-intuitive to the average Gen-Yer, but Dentyne realizes who they are talking to; providing tools for this group to request face time with another person by filling out a request form – online.
Ok, so creating effective integrated campaigns isn’t a new resolution for 2009, it’s something that we want to achieve every year. But, every year we all feel that it doesn’t quite happen in the way it should. We still see media plans that have been put together without talking to the creative team or TV advertising that is completely unrelated to the digital campaign. Or, even worse, we see TV ads that are the digital campaign.
After 12 years of working with digital media I am pretty frustrated by this and I usually tackle it by having a good old whinge. This year I have decided be a bit more constructive. So, if you can’t put your complete campaign with one agency, here are some of my thoughts on how we can create innovative and effective campaigns that work all the way from awareness to purchase and loyalty.
Brief all of your agencies at the same time.
A campaign that sits with one agency for the first 3 months of its conception will naturally have a strong imbalance towards that channel and integration later will be much more difficult.
Insist that your agencies present together.
This is an easy way for see how the consumer will see the different channels working together, from the start.
Break the ‘tv-decides-all’ tradition.
The big campaign idea might come from your above-the-line agency but it doesn’t have to. Many clients are already leading with concept, not agency, and they get great results.
Drop the ego and collaborate.
Yes creative people, I mean you. We all want to produce great work and, amazing as it might seem, working together makes that more likely.
Remember that integrated doesn’t mean ‘matching luggage’.
This isn’t a new message by any means but it is still forgotten too often. Each channel is unique and requires a different approach so the key visual from the press ad probably isn’t going to do the job online.
Maximise the output from your shoots.
Simply informing everyone when there is a shoot and allowing them to request additional footage can shift a campaign from ordinary to amazing. And, it saves everyone time and budget.
I’m sure a lot of you are thinking that these are the most basic things in the world and you’re right. So no more excuses, let’s make it happen in 2009.
Seriously one of the smartest online ad I’ve seen in a while. The most amazing is that all the elements on the page are still functional even after they’ve been stacked at the bottom!
This is not yet another post about the “death of Television”. In fact, I don’t believe this will happen in the near future. And if you doubt this humble blogger’s oppinion (shame on you!), you can hear it straight from the mouth of Gary Carter of FreemantleMedia, in a excerpt of his historical speech at the National Association of Television Program Executives in Las Vegas, in January 2007.
True, efforts have been made to integrate Internet resources in TV-like interfaces, with little market success. True, Television’s penetration has stagnated, whereas the Internet’s penetration still grows.
Television in now adapting and playing a different role, that of a massive recruiter of passive Internet users who respond to TV commercials and abandon their couches to go online. So this “old” Media is, in fact, driving consumers to a “new” Media, a more informative and engaging one.
Look around you, the change is happening already in many ways. Every year, more and more commercials are mentioning company and product website’s addresses. Commercials are incorporating visual elements originated on the Internet. Incredible TV ads are being produced that are thought to resemble videogames.
So, it’s clear that this is not TV’s capitulation. It’s adaptation to progress and to social changes, in order to guarantee survival. There’s no winner or looser. Both players win.
The problem with “Eco” is that it is usually seen in technology terms as a synonym for “Naff”. Nokia have taken steps to make us change our minds with the new Nokia 3110 Evolve.
It’s a piece of hardware that is made from 80% biosourced materials yet sacrifices none of the trademark Nokia nooks and crannies!
The “evolve” website also manages to convey and reinforce the message that biodegradability can be cool with matrix style exploding diagrams, showing us the phone with all its internal mechanisms laid bare.
The website’s point of entry is an invitation to explore the phone and one could argue that the way in which the site treats its user is as evolutionary as the hardware it is trying to advertise.
Have a play, get down with your bio side and evolve with the 3110!
The TrendWatch is the collective postings of some of the FullSIX Group’s designers, strategists, and consultants on new media and marketing trends. It is meant to be an impromptu think-tank, and is a way for us to share theories and beliefs about how we think communication and connectivity is evolving.
We work for The FullSIX Group; a leading full service marketing agency with digital DNA. From our 15 international offices with over 600 employees, we constantly embrace and encourage innovation to make integrated marketing and communication campaigns that are more accountable and efficient for our clients.
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