The Right Media to Drive Your Brand. - Issue: 2004 Qtr 1
Hold the mirror of media selection up to your brand…do you like what you see?
Most of us are familiar with the phrase “you’re known by the company you keep.” And that is certainly true for brands when they make choices about which media options are right for them.
Media evaluation and selection wasn’t always as complex as it is today. In many business–to–business markets, there was a very specific short list of options: two or three publications targeted to a specific audience. Even in consumer advertising, the choices were similar: the big networks on television, and independent radio stations in each market that could be “sliced and diced” based on simple demographics and Arbitron ratings.
Today it’s different. And the wide range of media choices — from hundreds of cable television channels, to a whole new surge in magazine titles, to web sites, and web services, and web marketing newsletters and web this and web that — have made once–simple decisions much more complex for brands.
Where you advertise often says as much about the brand as the content. How would you feel about using the “industry bible” as the sole vehicle for your innovative, high–tech brand? Conversely, how would your conservative brand feel by ignoring the association–sponsored “industry bible”?
Smart brands today want to be associated with media properties that reflect the same attributes of their brands. Because that’s where their target audience is probably hanging out. This means that it’s not enough to just look at the circulation figures. It means going beyond…into a more in–depth look at content, and maybe even conducting independent research to see where target audiences are looking for their information (in print, on–line etc.).
Keep in mind that even if it doesn’t look like it on the calm surface, the sea of media choices and changes is in flux. Radio stations change formats overnight. The hot tech magazine of two years ago may be an also–ran. And web opportunities display seismic shifts on a daily basis.
So what can marketing managers do to make sure their brands are in the right place at the right time? For starters, make your media director your “new best friend.” Just as market segmentation has moved from demographic to psychographic profiling, make sure your media planning follows suit. Get beyond the numbers.
And do your own homework. If your idea of “reading industry publications” is making sure your ad looked OK, then you may need to dig deeper. Get on line and off line, and get in the habit of reading (or listening). Ask customers and prospects what they like and don’t like. Validate. Investigate. Even look at the other advertisers; are they the kind companies you like being seen with?
Finally, don’t be afraid to experiment. No matter the size of your budget, put some of it into media you’ve never used before. Media that “feels like your brand.” Even if you can’t completely justify the numbers. Then pay close attention. You may like what you see.
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