Six questions with Mandy Davis, Marketing Director, Media at Primacy. Read on for changing trends in media planning and the essential value it brings to clients.
- How does media tie in to the larger field of marketing?Mandy Davis: A holistic view of the media ecosystem is important because no person lives their life exposed to just one medium.
- What is one of your specific strengths in your role?
MD: Seeing things from the target’s point of view a strength of mine. The information in the customer persona provides great insight to motivations, emotional states and where/when/how the customer would be most receptive to receiving the brand’s message. - What value does media planning bring to clients and their projects? MD: Media can be shaped to fix many problems – anything is possible. Do you think a client can’t afford TV, but has great video assets? Let’s promote it online and investigate targeting the cable zones where there is a greater concentration of their potential customers. Don’t have enough insight about the target customer? Run a broader campaign, and let the media help uncover customer attributes to develop a profile.
- What common challenges are clients facing in media planning and buying? MD: Most in Media will typically say “lack of budget”, but I think the bigger challenge is tracking what is working and what needs tweaking. Understanding the specific roles media play in different phases of the customer journey is critical. Having clearly defined KPIs for different phases within the purchase funnel gives focus to optimization efforts. This can be particularly tricky with offline media. For example, when the goal is awareness, and you’re measuring through brand tracking studies, it can be challenging to attribute success back to a singular medium. Credit is usually given to that which can be measured, and this puts online media at a real advantage. “Last click” attribution will skew “effectiveness” toward media closest to the sale, such as paid search. Rarely does a consumer say “I purchased this because I heard it on the radio”, but this can be an important part of generating awareness. Every medium has strengths and weaknesses, and the goal is to utilize each effectively at the appropriate point of the customer’s receptivity.
- What new technologies are having an impact on media planning?MD: A lot of growth is happening on the TV landscape. Television used to be about reaching a mass market. With the fragmentation of viewers, technology has finally caught up, allowing us to target in a ‘digital like’ manner. Offline data can be combined with set-top box data, so audience segments can now be targeted. This is a game changer not only for the media strategy but the creative messaging as well. Imagine an insurance company being able to target households who own their home with a different creative than renters for a more personalized message. And set-top functionality allows for TV ads to be lead generating. With the click of a button, the viewer can send their contact information right to the advertiser via the cable service provider.
- What’s a must read publication or news source for insights in marketing?MD: Marketing Charts – a great email for applied marketing stats and sources, 4As SmartBrief for industry news and happenings, and AdRants – because it is just fun to see what ad folks are trying to pull off!
