In 2011, they want to deliver more unique executions and
personalized messages. Budgets for non-standard media slots have
effectively doubled in all sectors and markets across the
globe.
Analysis of the automotive sector spending by MediaCom Germany
shows that while in 2009 and the first half of 2010, car brands
spent just 6.5% of their budget on more experimental media. In the
six months to the end of March 2011, that figure has risen to an
average of 14%.
In Australia, the financial sector has increased its investment
in digital screens, giant posters, illuminated sites and ambient
media by 50% more than it has boosted spend on traditional outdoor
sites.
In the US, while the bulk of the hype around the Super Bowl
advertising bonanza was focused on traditional TV spots,
advertising brands also doubled spend on digital video
platforms.
Globally, the number of brands communicating more personal
messages to their followers in the last six months has increased by
more than 40%.
Marketers are expanding their more experimental spend for two
clear reasons:
Firstly, after two years of spending as little as possible to
maintain sales during the recession they need to boost their brand
equity. In order to grow their top lines, brands need to show
what's different about them and the use of stunning, innovative and
individual media placement can be part of the story.
A perfect example would be upmarket Israeli food retailer Tiv
Taam, which promoted its Italian food month by advertising in Rome,
the number one Italian destination for Israeli tourists. By relying
on social media to spread the message back home, the brand clearly
positioned itself as knowing more about Italian food than its
retail rivals.
Secondly, post-recession consumers have stopped simply buying
what they know and are willing to make a statement by spending
extra to differentiate themselves.
Communicating opportunities to purchase products such as
personalized iPods and Nike trainers requires a message that is
also more personalized and fits in with a more one-to-one sales
experience. Alongside efficient communication in traditional
channels, brands need to communicate in a more individual way to
reinforce the differentiating qualities of their products.
Dell.com in the US has used behavioral targeting technology to
ensure that potential computer purchasers who don't follow through
to checkout receive an offer that's directly related to their
browsing activity, for example.
The drive for more unique media messages comes at a time when
media owners are able to offer extra individual solutions to
advertisers. Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat, for example, has
recently integrated a new software solution that creates a list of
personal news stories based on their previous reading on the
site.
The application delivers recommendations in the form of links to
individual articles which appear at the top of the front page. Any
ad appearing within such an environment will automatically be
perceived as more bespoke because the context is so
personalized.
Success in this new advertising environment will require
advertisers and agencies to take three key steps:
- Constantly monitor the latest
opportunities in both digital and traditional media to ensure you
have access to every opportunity to individualize your
communications.
- Keep an eye on the competition: losing
ground in the innovation stakes or use of personalized and
impactful media could harm your brand equity.
- Don't carry on buying cheap media: Media
strategies based solely on price are the wrong solution for 9 out
of 10 brands. Explore new ways to measure the additional impact of
unique/personalized advertising through tools such as social media
tracking and measuring social buzz is just one element.