Chapter 2

How do you define “strategy” in the context of media planning and buying?

Manish Bhatia, Media Executive

Strategy starts with knowing and defining the objectives of a particular campaign (and how it fits in the overall media and marketing strategy). That, in turn is determined by the product and the life cycle of the product. For example:

1. The product: Are you selling a car or toothpaste? A person generally changes cars every 4 to 5 years but a toothpaste purchase happens every 2 weeks.
2. The audience: Who is the target audience? Is it a mass market product (toothpaste) or niche (Mercedes Benz GL450)?—Media planning is heavily influenced by this.
3. Product lifecycle: Are you looking to introduce the new Mini to US car buyers? Then you may need a broad media plan.
4. Understanding the unique attributes of and leverage the unique power of different media. Products aimed at young kids may rely more heavily on new media.

Dave Hamlin, RadioShack

I define ‘strategy’ as the what and how in a media plan that is going to deliver measurable results.

David Marans, Veteran Agency Researcher

How do you achieve your goals, i.e., what are you attempting to “do/solve” with the communications/media plan... everything else is tactical, which is like a Chinese puzzle with endless pieces... if that enthralls you, dive right in.

Jamie Arvizu, Mindshare

Strategy is a key part of the media planning and buying process. It starts with taking all the important building blocks of the business and marketing planning process that come before the media brief (clear business and marketing objectives, target learning and insights, and a strong creative idea), and weaving them into a cost efficient and effective channel plan that delivers on all of the client’s needs. When the strategic work is done prior to the briefing, the media (or channel planning and buying agency) can be more strategic in the way it works to develop the channel plan and how to execute the buy more strategically. Without this strategic foundation, the media teams have to work much to retrofit a strategy and try to make the best decisions they can to deliver a successful plan.

Chris Black, Sears

Strategy is the component of the plan that supports the objectives. Tactics, in turn, support the strategy. The “how you do” what you intend to do...

Jen Soch, MEC

Strategy is a high-level plan that leverages insights to target a detailed and well-defined target audience.

What do you think are the biggest cultural or social changes impacting marketers today?

Manish Bhatia, Media Executive

Rapidly rising multiculturalism and the challenges associated with delivering the right message to the right audience in a multi-channel world. A personal example: Even though I have been in the U.S. for 25 years, any commercial that shows Indians, Indian music or anything having to do with India immediately registers in my mind. Vonage does it on TV (they do it for a bunch of countries given their pitch of cheap international calling!). But a local hospital in Princeton runs billboards and every time I drive by it, it registers. Marketers can tap into this without being overly pandering.

Dave Hamlin, RadioShack

SOCIAL, SOCIAL, SOCIAL. Everything is happening at break-neck speed. All info is delivered is instantaneously. Decision pathways are significantly reduced. We don’t have a lot of time to break through. Either we’re there at the zero moment of truth or we’re not. If you’re not there, you lose. If you’re there and not competitive comparatively, you lose.

Jamie Arvizu, Mindshare

Media fragmentation is a huge challenge that makes our jobs as marketers both harder and easier to reach consumers. While we can’t expect to find the large reach opportunities we had in the past, there are so many new media options that allow us to reach niche audiences and customize our messaging to make it more targeted and relevant.

The other side of this equation is the impact of Big Data on marketing. Advertisers and marketers potentially have access to so much data, especially in the digital space, but it can be paralyzing for many advertisers. The greatest challenge will be finding the most efficient, strategic ways to rein in all of this data to create actionable insights and use this learning to optimize our marketing plans while they are in market to meet the marketer’s objectives. 

How has distribution, price, or product affected a media plan or buy you have executed?

Jamie Arvizu, Mindshare

Distribution is a constant consideration for my regional insurance client. Since we only operate in 19 states (about 70 markets), it’s often challenging for us to find good ways to help our client execute national-brand level tactical ideas but contain them in our regional footprint. While TV, radio and outdoor are fairly easy to buy in our distribution area, we have to work much harder to get our print and digital partners, who are getting an ever larger portion of our media budgets, to find creative ways to gate our executions to just our footprint.

Chris Black, Sears

New distribution has always impacted scale and cost... Usually in a proportional manner. We pride ourselves on being on the leading edge of new media, so we are always experimenting—mostly we view audience engagement and receptivity as core metrics to innovation.

Jen Soch, MEC

All three impact every media plan. Distribution—is there enough to buy? Do we drive online or to retail location? Or is this a service that people find via search or other methods? Product—is it a fit? Does it perform? Price—CPM still rules.

Chapter 3

How does the marketing objective impact the media objective? 

Christian Kugel, AOL

The media objective should cascade from the marketing objective. The challenge I think is that advertisers and agencies find themselves in one of two different positions as it relates to this. Either the marketing challenge (and therefore the objective) is well understood, or it is not. For situations where it is well understood (e.g., a CPG company launching a new product—which they have done hundreds of times before), past experience with what works versus what doesn’t is critical to informing the link between the marketing and media objectives. For situations where it is not well understood (for example, what technology companies deal with often when competing in entirely new product categories), there is less of a direct link between the marketing and media objectives coming from past activities.

Andrew Green, Ipsos

If it is a sensible marketing objective which relates to the budget available, the product category dynamics and knowledge of how buyers behave, then it should be directly linked to the media task. For example, a marketing objective to achieve a certain level of brand awareness can be directly linked to media reach and frequency goals. We could not achieve brand awareness of 80% with a media reach of 50%.

Dave Hamlin, RadioShack

For retail (which is job #1 for marketing and media is to drive traffic), the two are inseparable. A day does not go by where we’re not asking ourselves how each media we deploy is driving or effecting the marketing objective of driving TRAFFIC (the in-store variety).

Chris Black, Sears

The marketing objective directly impacts the media objective. They should be in lock step.

Jamie Arvizu, Mindshare

The marketing objective sets the parameters for the media objective. Many clients assume that their business objective (often defined as “sales”) is their marketing objective and that is not accurate. If you don’t have a clear marketing objective that takes into account what can actually be accomplished through marketing efforts, you can’t determine an effective media objective. This is often a problem because many clients don’t have clear marketing objectives (and even if they have set them, they often aren’t measuring these objectives), so it becomes difficult to narrow down which key metric(s) is/are the most important to measure the success of the campaign. As a result, you end up capturing everything (or nothing) with the hope that something will stand out as a measure of success, and rarely does it deliver business success.

Dave Ehlers, Optimedia

Significantly. Marketing, Creative and Media all need to be in lockstep. We have all different media triggers to activate depending upon where the consumer is on the purchase funnel which is linked to the marketing objective.

Jen Soch, MEC

All too often the media objective is a direct mirror of the marketing objective which can lead to eventual problems in a advertising campaign. The marketing objective must help to define the media objective. Media objectives then lead to strategic thoughts and insights. For example:

• Marketing objective: Drive usages of website to prospective customers.
• Media objective: Drive awareness and consideration of the website among prospects.

What is the most interesting or challenging or unusual target audience you have tried to reach? 

Andrew Green, Ipsos

Vets—to launch a new technology (cellular phones...) amongst a handful of key targets which we thought would lead demand: vets and doctors were two of the four “early adopter” targets we wanted to persuade in 1984.

Christian Kugel, AOL

Business decision makers and technical decision makers for business technology were always really challenging to not only reach but measure. Decision making and influencing is not clean for business technology solutions/brands, and neither are the media outlets. Determining what types of people or individuals within organizations influence these decisions and then reaching them effectively is an incredibly difficult task. But when we are able to understand them, I think the counterintuitive insights that result are really fascinating. When I was at Millward Brown, I did a research project with Google to understand what motivates BDMs and TDMs to click on search ads. We found that what advertisers tended to focus on in most of their SEM (benefits, calls to action, etc.) were actually demotivating to these influencers and decision makers. Those ad elements created negative utility for the audience—something we wouldn’t have found had we not done that particular research. And it really reframed the strategic opportunity of how search motivates decision makers to go further with brands.

Chris Black, Sears

Fans of the program Keeping Up with the Kardashians to launch the Kardashian Kollection, exclusively at Sears.

Jamie Arvizu, Mindshare

I’ve worked on a number of products with interesting and unusual target audiences, but I often find that the most challenging target audiences are those for companies that think “everyone” is their target. The challenge lies in convincing them that while your product may have broad appeal, there can often be smarter ways to appeal to smaller segments of consumers where you can have a greater impact on the business. As our media gets more fragmented, we’ll need to be more clever in the ways we segment audiences and deliver more customized, relevant messages to these different consumer groups.

Dave Ehlers, Optimedia

For one of our clients we need to reach the millennial taste makers—those who set and define new trends before they happen. We’ve gleaned amazing insights on how to be authentic in media to connect and engage with this target.

How important is the creative message when creating a media plan or buy?

Jamie Arvizu, Mindshare

The link between creative message and the media plan is vital to the success of a marketing campaign. Both need to be aligned strategically so that the message is placed in the right media environments to be relevant to the target audience. I’ve seen too many instances where the two are created in isolation and the end result is lackluster, at best. When both parts of this equation work together, the tactical ideas and plans that can be generated are much more relevant to the targets and the tactical execution is much more effective.

Christian Kugel, AOL

It should be supremely important, but I’m afraid that in today’s environment of unbundled creative, digital and media agencies, it doesn’t happen as much as it should. The real issue here is that agencies really only understand their own discipline, but they don’t fully understand disciplines outside their core. The benefit of unbundling and specialized services creates a very clear benefit of expertise, but it comes at a price—which is typically true integration.

Jen Soch, MEC

If you have the right insights and target—and the creative and media agency agree on it with a client, then it should all work together perfectly. The isolation or silo-ing of creative messaging and media strategies can lead to increasingly ineffective communications. If you have separate briefs and process, its more of a challenge to connect the two.

Chapter 4

Television

Why do advertisers spend so much on television advertising?

Bruce Goerlich, Rentrak

The historic patterns of spending, rates, reach and success are why advertisers continue to spend heavily on TV. The broad reach and creative impact of sight, sound and motion still work. Obviously, the Internet is powerful as well, but paradoxically the immediacy of the metrics can limit the amount spent. If one is using a click through or sell through rate as the ROI, it can limit the absolute out of pocket that one is willing to spend, particularly if the response rates are low.

Cheryl Esken, Weigel Broadcasting

The video component, the ability to show the actual product/service and/or usage is a big factor. And, television is a great way to promote an advertiser’s website which is where so many go before they go to buy/shop.

Justin Fromm, ABC TV

TV has the trifecta: sight, sound, and motion, all of which break through to viewers more. TV viewers are also more likely to be relaxing and are therefore more receptive to advertisers’ messages. Finally, people spend more time watching TV every day than doing any other activity, excluding sleeping!

Michael Vinson, Rentrak

TV is still the best broad reach vehicle. Online offers better targeting capabilities, but for getting a message out to as many people as possible, TV is still the best way to do it. 

Media Buyer

Clients still need to establish a big reach very quickly with their advertising, and television is the only medium that does that.

Julie Petersen, Discovery Asia

It really is the only way to achieve guaranteed critical mass (reach) within a specified time frame. It is also the best medium to showcase creativity. There is a direct correlation between strong advertising creativity and business success, and that high levels of creativity make advertising campaigns as much as 12 times more efficient at increasing a brand’s market share.

Ward, Comcast

In today’s world of technological overload, human attention is becoming a scarce economic resource. The electronic hearth of TV is still the one place advertisers can capture human attention and engagement.

Billy McDowell, Raycom

If you stop and think about the goals of all major advertisers—it is to reach as many people as possible, as many times as possible, with the most effective message on the most effective medium. Television accomplishes these goals like no other medium can.

Television is known as the best vehicle for reaching more audience. Time after time, it has always proven to be the medium with the most impact, the most authoritative, the most influential, and the medium people spend most of their time with.

Now television has engaged digital media to extend its reach and influence to the viewers. Look how many websites have flourished with the right television support. Super Bowl spots, with the right creative, can have a life of their own on the Internet before/during/after the game. Again, that raises the ability of the spot to influence viewers and it all begins with a television buy.

Melva Benoit, Fox TV

Television will always be the most effective and powerful advertising platform because of mass appeal. Even with fragmentation in television viewing (so many choices), it (the fragmentation) still doesn’t rival the fragmentation of the Internet/web. Television is a communal experience that is still hard to beat. Gathering my family of four around the iPad for more than 1 minute of viewing video is a drag and impractical.

Kristina Lutz, Clear Channel

I think it is twofold. First, the ability to deliver engagement via sight, sound and motion, at scale, is hard to replicate elsewhere. Second, my personal opinion is that some advertisers gravitate to the media they, themselves, use most.

What would you say is the biggest change in television in the past five years (programming or advertising)?

Kristina Lutz, Clear Channel

The delivery of content—now via broadcast, cable, on demand, online—as well as the vehicles with which to consume—TV, computer, tablet, phone.

Billy McDowell, Raycom

Both locally and nationally, the digital media explosion has been the biggest change in television in the past five years. All companies are actively seeking new forms of distribution for their products. Early thought was these new forms of distribution would cannibalize the established media, but the opposite has occurred.

Ratings for big events on television have soared to all-time highs, including Olympics, Superbowl, Academy Awards, and the Grammy’s. Particularly, in the case of the Olympics, it was feared the widespread knowledge about winners and losers of the day prior to the event being aired on television would have a definite negative impact on ratings. After the games, however, it was proven that the discussion and involvement of the fans following the games on the Internet only helped to fuel the interest and viewership each evening.

Bruce Goerlich, Rentrak

The adoption of the C3 as the unit of currency in TV buying. The first time that a new technology has forced its way into the negotiation table. And it probably won’t be the last.

Cheryl Esken, Weigel Broadcasting

. . . in terms of advertising, clients are requesting many more integration opportunities: product placement, sponsored content/sponsored news stories, on screen scrolls with sponsor logos. All ways to grab the viewers’ attention outside of a commercial break.

Justin Fromm, ABC TV

Time-shifted viewing is, by far, the largest change in television because it has fundamentally changed viewers’ behavior. People now expect to be able to find a show when they want to watch it and are no longer constrained by a network’s schedule.

Andrew Ward, Comcast

. . . I think the biggest change in recent years is the ability for cable networks to provide more compelling content that appeals to viewers in a more significant manner than the broadcast networks. I think much of the broadcast network fare has narrowly migrated to “reality TV” (Survivor, The Voice, Dancing with the Stars, etc.), while cable networks have been free to develop content that isn’t hindered by the goal of trying to reach the broadest audience possible.

What is the most important unanswered question for advertisers about television?

Bruce Goerlich, Rentrak

How much of my target am I reaching with my campaign? Rentrak’s use of advanced targeting that aligns product purchases with TV viewing provides the answer.

Cheryl Esken, Weigel Broadcasting

Measurable impact. We know that they can get impressions, and a great deal of demographic and psychographic information, but measuring and tracking have become more complicated. Most consumers go online before they go into a location/store/dealership etc. . . . so it is becoming tougher to track where the customer actually came from.

Media Buyer

Quantify the halo effect/ROI of television advertising on all of the other forms of media I advertise in?

Julie Petersen, Discovery Asia

I don’t believe the measurement is accurate enough. Technology has advanced to the stage where we should be able to measure huge samples relatively cost effectively but the investment isn’t there.

What is the most memorable TV commercial you have seen in the past five years?

Manish Bhatia, Media Executive

Not counting Super Bowl, Progressive Insurance (Flo), Geico and Aflac—all insurance companies! This is quite interesting as they all have similar products—and when you buy it, you hope you never have to use it.

David Hamlin, RadioShack

Hands down the VW Star Wars spot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0. Spoke to me personally since I am a huge Star Wars fan and at the time this spot aired early 2012... I was in the market for a new car that would get me kickass gas mileage to endure the 40-mile commute to Fort Worth each work day. Result: I bought (actually ordered and bought) a 2012 VW Passat TDI that gets 45 miles to the gallon!

David Marans, Veteran Agency Researcher

I could watch the VW/Darth Vader commercial daily.

Jamie Arvizu, Mindshare

There are many memorable TV commercials, sometimes for the wrong reasons, and many where you remember the ad, but not the product or brand itself, but a commercial from 2011 that I think was memorable in a positive way, and that effectively helped you remember the brand was one for Chipotle called “Back to the Start.” The slower pace and extended length of the spot, combined with interesting animation and music, and an easy-to-understand storyline helped it to stand out among the clutter of TV ads. The way that they showcased the ideals of the Chipotle brand, without directly talking about the product, was very impactful, without the hard-sell; a refreshing change from the norm that stood out to consumers.

Radio

Why is radio important to advertisers? 

Cheryl Esken, Weigel Broadcasting

It is a medium that has the ability to create a relationship with the listener, especially if there is a personality involved. Also, there is the ability to target by format which narrows the audience to meet the profile of the advertiser’s target.

Lucy Hughes, Advertising Industry Professional

Radio is important to advertisers for a number of reasons. It provides strong reach of your target audience with local activation. It has a connection with the local community that is unmatched by other media. It pushes consumers through the decision-making process, driving awareness, consideration, interest and purchase. It is often the last media consumers use just prior to purchase.

What is the biggest advertiser benefit to radio?

David Phillips, BBM Analytics

Good radio ads encourage consumers to create a picture in their minds, effectively co-creating an ad but in a way that’s unique to them. That co-creation has a powerful impact on branding. Unfortunately, not all radio ads are good.

Cheryl Esken, Weigel Broadcasting

A captive audience when listeners are in cars. With enough frequency, the advertiser is bound to make an impression on a potential customer. Taking advantage of “live reads” can also help the advertiser stand out from a crowded commercial break.

What is the biggest drawback to radio for advertisers? 

Cheryl Esken, Weigel Broadcasting

The lack of video. It is so important to offer customers a website to go to for a particular business, that even if a website is mentioned in a radio commercial, it may be tough to remember, spell and/or visit . . . as it is likely the listener is driving or doing multiple tasks as the commercial is running.

What is the most important unanswered question for advertisers about radio?

Cheryl Esken, Weigel Broadcasting

What is the “magic number” of spots to run, and in which dayparts, are the best, for a particular brand to see measurable results.

Lucy Hughes, Advertising Industry Professional

One of the most important unanswered questions about radio is how it delivers the return on investment. With the transition to electronic measurement (PPM), we now have the data granularity that modelers need. Initial tests showed solid evidence that more granular and precise radio audience data can help improve the evaluation of radio’s performance—radio’s ROI improved from 27%–78% in three modeling case studies.

David Phillips, BBM Analytics

The same question as most other media: i.e., does it do what I need it to do from a business perspective? It’s still essentially unanswered.

How has the use of the PPM changed the way radio is planned/bought? 

Lucy Hughes, Advertising Industry Professional

PPM forced us to rethink how to plan and buy radio. We went from a diary system that was based on recall, quarterly ratings, 12 weeks of sample per survey to an electronic measurement based on passive exposure, ongoing incentives based on how much the panelist wears the meter, monthly ratings and a panel that is made up of respondent up to 2 years. We learned radio was a strong cume medium. We learned more about dayparts (one key one key change we saw was that radio’s top rated daypart changed from midday to p.m. drive). And we have learned a lot about programming and what keeps listeners tuned to the station. 

Newspaper

How often do you read a newspaper?

Mark Baba, Integrated Advertising and Brand Partnership Director

If you are referring to a real tactile newspaper—I used to read two papers daily. Now, I am a Sunday-only, with true consistency. The free newspapers are convenient, but, again, I find myself relatively unfulfilled with the content.

When did a newspaper ad (display, classified, etc.) affect a purchase you made?

Mark Baba, Integrated Advertising and Brand Partnership Director

...it is impossible to truly determine what media helped push one through the funnel. In the old days, a vacation package, an auto purchase or retail sales ads affected my direct call to action. Now, it may drive me to the store or, more than likely, the web. Again, there is something to be said about a media mix.

Magazines

Why is print still a relevant ad medium?

Beth Uyenco, comScore

The information magazines and newspapers carry can be just as easily accessed digitally through different devices. But there’s still a certain satisfaction readers get with their favorite magazines which other devices or modes of consumption cannot provide. And in other countries, particularly in Latin America, print is still the primary mode for consuming information.

Karen Ring, GfK MRI

We hear a lot about consumer control and print has always been about that. Readers make an active choice in what they read—articles and ads alike. Publishers spend a lot of time and money understanding their readers and actively trying to provide them what they want. So as their readers’ interests grow and change, publishers can adapt along with them. 

Tom Willerer, Netflix

Because an advertiser can arguably create a better emotional association with consumers, via visually striking full page ads and by sponsoring relevant long-form reporting. 

Chauncie Burton, Essence

As much as technology evolves and digital becomes a stronger medium with a huge reach, there will always remain a connection and a certain sense of nostalgia that comes with actually holding and reading a print publication. Print will never go away. The marketplace may get smaller and consumers may utilize multi-media aspects to connect with print but there’s still a core demographic that will still find print relevant and consequently look at the advertiser as a trusted source by association with the publication.

Out of Home

What are the major benefits of out-of-home media?

Clare Marie Panno, Posterscope

If I have to provide quick bullets, I’d go for mass reach, delivers light users of television, capitalizes on technology, cost efficient, timely, can build intrigue and can be strategically used for behavioral and local targeting. OOH is accessible to just about everyone, and provides a continuous presence. National advertisers build and maintain brand ubiquity with OOH. Though it can be highly targeted, OOH can also reach across the limitations of TV dayparts and programming, radio stations, missed pages in print, and build instant awareness. We used to say, when consumers go out, to work, shop, or play, OOH is on the way. With the significant technologies, this is ever more accurate. NFC, QR codes and geofence technologies have enabled a new kind of interactivity, enticing consumers to interact physically with the displays and further engage with brand offerings. The daily exposure and constant build of impressions results in the lowest cpms. In the media mix, OOH reaches the light viewers of television, adds frequency of message exposure against those who see the ad on TV. Digital OOH extends TV’s reach and can use the same creative, but delivering the impressions in places where consumers will visit a website, or download an app, or even make a purchase. With the converting of static signs to Digital, there is a move to serve impressions by dayparts. Now OOH can be strategically used to reach targeted consumers in contextual places, at the grocery check out, the pediatrician’s office, specific terminals at the airport, at the movies, gyms, at recreation centers and little league fields. OOH can be used to target consumers where they go, where they notice ads, and at a time when they are in the mindset to act on the communications.

Internet

What is the most exciting opportunity for advertisers in Internet advertising? 

Conrad Nussbaum, Saatchi LA

Attribution modeling. Giving proper credit to the entire stream of behavior the customer has completed prior to (pick one) visiting a website, subscribing, buying, whatever—rather than focusing on just the last click.

Beth Uyenco, comScore

The Internet can deliver brand messages in the most contextually relevant and most personal ways. It enables deeper engagements through interactive content or by fulfilling users’ need for information, acquisition, or sharing. Internet advertising can also be continually optimized because actions of users reached are so much more easily trackable in real-time. All these attributes make the Internet the most dynamic advertising medium.

Dan Murphy, Univision

Currently it’s probably Data, Mobile and Social (first to last). Data is expanding rapidly, but it needs transparency and accountability. Mobile, because it is a new and evolving medium with smaller format screens and associated constraints. Social, because consumer adoption and associated behavior continues to mature (e.g., ~2% of users are actually tweeting about TV shows on a regular basis.)

Tim McAtee, IPG

This is sort of a loaded question. “Internet advertising” is pretty quickly just becoming “advertising.” A 30-second spot that runs on Hulu is as much an Internet ad as a banner or paid search link is. So, from that perspective, the most exciting opportunity in Internet advertising is that it’s absorbing all other advertising.

Drew Lipner, InsightExpress

I believe depth and richness of data today has created a shift from media planning to data planning, and we will see much greater (perhaps scary!) use of offline data informing online targeting. As an example, we are able to measure delivery against targets like car ownership, site visitation, and offline catalog subscription today. . . and target to these consumers as well. It’s quite amazing.

Christian Kugel, AOL

The promise of interactivity. The Internet is by definition interactive—it’s the value proposition to the user. The manifestation of that interaction varies depending on context and design (gaming, consuming news, social, email, sharing via Pinterest, etc.), but interaction is the hook. And it’s still relatively constrained to the Internet (if you count phone/tablet extensions as the Internet). The ability to interact with and manipulate a message, an offer, a video, etc. is huge and really unique.

Michael Hopkins, Doubleclick

Lots of things are exciting to me so it’s difficult for me to pick one. The increased use of sophisticated audience data for targeting/analytics, the shift to programmatic buying/selling, and the proliferation of mobile devices/tablets all make for some great opportunities that supplement pages/banners/clicks.

Yaakov Kimelfeld, Compete

Realization that the Internet is not a separate medium but an underlying fabric of all digital media—display, search, mobile, social (earned and owned), digital OOH, Smart TV—and soon will be the connector of ALL media as they all become digital. This brings unimagined opportunities for a scientific approach to advertising, strategy integration and creative dialog management with individual consumers.

What is the most narrowly defined target you have seen an advertiser try to reach via the web?

Christian Kugel, AOL

I always think of the list of highest bid value keywords in search, which was for a time at least, “mesothelioma.” I think it had been bidded up to $150 or so a click. All the law firms going after asbestos manufacturers were using search to identify new leads for clients suffering from the disease. The bid value was so high because of the relative scarcity of the audiences combined with the potential value of a new client. A perfect example of an efficient media market.

What is the most memorable Internet ad you can recall?

Dan Murphy, Univision

HotWired—back in 1994. HotWired (eWired if you will) created the first banner ad (for AT&T.) The 468 x 60 pixel (wide by height) set a standard followed quickly by others. Standards are good; they make for an efficient marketplace.

What is the biggest benefit of search advertising?

Michael Hopkins, Doubleclick

Search advertising allows advertisers to reach users who are already interested in the product(s) being sold. Search advertising is very relevant for users.

Mobile

Is Mobile really an ad medium?

Mark Baba, Integrated Advertising and Brand Partnership Director

This is a tricky one. It can be, in the same way a social network can be. As a purely messaging vehicle, probably not at this time. It seems we are conditioning consumers to use mobile as a true to call to action medium. As they become used to it, there will be more Branding content. That said, when video and/or audio is implemented in a quick and fun way, we have seen direct lift.

Why should marketers care about mobile?

Gina Prentice, Turner Broadcasting

Marketers should care about mobile because it’s the only device that’s always with us. Most Americans have a mobile phone, and smartphone ownership is now surpassing feature phones. With all of the advanced data capabilities, more people are using their phones to access media, use apps, and play games as well as for texting and making calls. For advertisers, mobile represents another channel to reach consumers and engage with them in a personal and relevant way.

Mark Baba, Integrated Advertising and Brand Partnership Director

Mobile is the sort of thing where, particularly when consumers have appropriate apps that allow marketers to track their interests and purchasing habits, ads and messages can be served when a consumer is in the right place at the right time with a perfect message. An easy example is a fast food chain. Regardless of daypart, as these chains serve meals and coffee for all occasions, a consumer can be reminded there is a dollar coffee special, a buy-one-get-one special, or quite simply, a reminder that it is “lunchtime” message. Then send a map of nearest locations. Again, there is a fine line between invasive and useful/functional messages. Clients need to be responsible and respectful of their actions. 

Chapter 5

Are there any examples of products integrated into media that you find effective?

Lynne Thomson, TNS

I think casual mentions or characters using products within programming can be extremely powerful but it has to be natural. The audience can tell when it's fake. Mercedes Benz is good at this. That said, I think you have to say that Ben & Jerry's work with Colbert and Jimmy Fallon is pretty incredible, though no one would think it was anything but bought and paid for.

David Hamlin, RadioShack

There are a number of examples I have observed that I thought were effective . . . The Biggest Loser, obviously, has had a lot of health and fitness related product integrations which are a bit overt, yet effective. I saw a Grey Goose integration on E!'s Golden Globe's after-show in which the guest host and Hugh Jackman shared a tasty vodka concoction that the mixologist made on the spot. And selfishly I do like the soft integration RadioShack executed with TBS's King of the Nerds. This built a lot of excitement within the organization and we're looking forward to doing more.

Kristina Lutz, Clear Channel

Home products integrated into HGTV. Again, that's highly contextually relevant to me, so I pay attention. I think that's the key in finding the right spaces for your brand—where will the viewers be receptive, or even seeking out your brand information.

How do you evaluate brand sponsorships?

David Hamlin, RadioShack

The more the elements really connect with the consumer, the better. I put very little value on entitlements. I am willing to pay a premium for the right opportunity. It's not just about CPM for the right idea.

Which brand sponsorships do you think are highly effective/impactful?

David Hamlin, RadioShack

Those that truly connect with the customer in all facets and touchpoints. Case in point . . . our Great Create initiative to re-engage with the techie DIY/Maker community: https://www.radioshackdiy.com This initiative which includes a re-commitment to carrying the parts and pieces needed by this audience in our stores and online, has led to a complete turnaround in this very lucrative part of our portfolio.

In what ways can brands take advantage of media that they can own, such as sponsorship, product placement or their own website?

Julie Petersen, Discovery

I have always been a fan of great product placement and now cross media promotion is proving more effective than one single medium—TV and online together makes for a great partnership.

Chapter 6

How do social networks change the way advertisers think about media?

Tom Willerer, Netflix

I don’t think they have changed, but they do have the potential to change the way advertisers think about media in that we can have more data on what each consumer values, as well as the products and services their friends value. That has potential to very much help make ads more relevant, but it also (no surprise) has privacy implications that are important and yet to be resolved. Normal people don’t value more relevant ads in such a way that would make the trade-off of releasing their data, at least if asked, worth it. How do advertisers prove that value? That is a good question to which I don’t have an answer. 

Andrew Ward, Comcast

As I watch my kids grow up, it is clear that social channels are woven into their daily experience and advertisers are challenged with the opportunity to leverage this engagement without alienating the user.

Mark Baba, Integrated Advertising and Brand Partnership Director

When a client uses a social network properly, meaning with a strategy, it can be phenomenal. That said, a client can’t just develop a Facebook page and expect people to come in droves. I was speaking with a confections client who uses their social network to engage and entertain their consumers, but also as a way to create viral ads. The process is relatively simple. Input a funny quote, image, message—and, via tracking measurements, they can predict whether or not the “ad” is tracking with momentum, then they literally have their agency do a paid media blitz to complement the viral impressions. 

Ellen Bird, Marketing Professional

Social networks really helped open up the definition of media. The idea of paid vs. earned vs. owned has become so much more important as the owned and earned outlets have exploded. Obviously these spaces aren’t new, but the options available to advertisers are numerous. This diversity and the rate of change are incredibly overwhelming. Therefore understanding your consumer and your marketplace becomes the key first step. If you stick with your consumer you have a better idea of what to ignore and what to embrace.

Tim McAtee, IPG

From a targeting perspective social networks should be gold mines. They provide timely data about an individual’s needs and could (in theory) make display and video ads as relevant as a search ad. Facebook could put DoubleClick out of business tomorrow if they could somehow convince their users that using their data is a good thing. I can’t say I’ve seen that happening yet though. I, for one, would gladly let Facebook target my ads on Hulu if I knew I’d get half as many ads, and more relevant ads, whenever I watched while logged in vs. logged out.

Julie Petersen, Discovery

I think “social TV” has always been there (water cooler, etc.) but now the tools are different and the “three screens” effect although difficult to measure, is increasing the effectiveness of media. Good for all of us. 

How do “earned” media work with paid and owned media?

Tim McAtee, IPG

Earning media is a lot like earning a reputation. It’s easy to get famous for doing something truly terrible or incredibly great. The mediocre among us have to buy eyeballs. If you’re selling detergent, it’s difficult to get away from mediocrity. Not every product is amazing, and if the product sold itself, the client wouldn’t need a media agency. With a boring product, the best thing you can hope for from earned media is that it will amplify your paid media, earning you incremental eyeballs at no charge. Smart marketers will pay attention to where the earned media is popping up and re-target or somehow engage them further.

Ellen Bird, Marketing Professional

It can be incredibly powerful. We’ve known for years that friends and family are the number one reported drivers of purchases. So earned media can act as an endorsement... if you’re lucky. Unfortunately it cuts both ways. Paid and owned are obviously huge drivers of earned. For a time there was a bit of a resistance to acknowledging the importance of paid in pushing earned media. I think the industry has moved to a place where we respect that each area has its role to play. If you have a large base in your owned media space, paid becomes less important.

Do you use Facebook and Twitter? Pinterest? If so, what is the biggest reason why?

Tim McAtee, IPG

Facebook and Twitter. Facebook is great for keeping up with friends and family across the world. Twitter is handy for listening to the broadcast stream of consciousness of whomever I’m curious about. 

Tom Willerer, Netflix

Facebook is about learning about the peripheral friends and being entertained by their lives and anecdotes. Its almost like the ultimate reality TV show. 

Gina Prentice, Turner Broadcasting

I use Facebook every day, sometimes multiple times a day if you count how I access it from my phone or tablet. For me it’s a way to keep in touch with friends and family who are far away, as well as voice my opinion on the latest trend or event, share photos and fun moments, follow my favorites, and sometimes get news.

Ellen Bird, Marketing Professional

I use Facebook out of necessity—everyone is there. I feel like it’s become the new email. I use Twitter and Pinterest because I want to. Twitter is more of a news and industry outlet while Pinterest is all for me. I find that each social network I use speaks to a certain part of my life. Pinterest and LinkedIn are my favorite. I appreciate that they each represent a specific side of my life with very little bleed in between them.

How has social media impacted the plans and buys you create(d)?

Ellen Bird, Marketing Professional

Social has to be considered as another outlet. It’s where people are spending a large portion of their time. But it’s an interesting challenge because most social ad units provide very little information and space, yet it’s a very personal space. You want to have a conversation with a consumer, but that’s not something you’re able to do in paid.

Chapter 7

How do new employees get trained in the terms and calculations used in media?

Chauncie Burton, Essence

In my experience, the training method has been trial by fire. Certain organizations have more extensive training methods but where I think they fail is that the training and information exchange tends to stop after the first few years on the job; however in today’s media world, the education and training should never stop because media doesn’t stop evolving.

Do media measurement terms need to change in today’s media world?

Michael Vinson, Rentrak

Absolutely. There’s always a lag between consumer/viewer behavior and advertising strategy and terminology. The media landscape changes much faster than advertiser/agency processes can keep up with. 

Beth Uyenco, comScore

Yes but I think they evolve with the demands of the business albeit sometimes slowly. Media measurement is still needed to gauge the relative size of a channel’s audience. That’s a basic need that we will always have. But it’s also exciting to see new ways of measuring how channels can engage their users and how they enhance the way advertising content is received.

David Phillips, BBM Analytics

They absolutely need to be reexamined, but they don’t all need necessarily to be changed. Mostly they just need to be better understood. I suspect media measurement terms fall into three categories: (1) known but not actually truly understood (e.g. GRPs); (2) used but fundamentally irrelevant (e.g. demographic buckets) (3) underused (e.g. consumer profiling at the trading level). Most knowledge of terms is sort of “meta” knowledge—knowing about, rather than actually knowing. Because of that, they’re not used properly 90% of the time.

David Marans, Veteran Agency Researcher

Splendid question. Although many yearn for a common impression, single plan reach... I realize that almost everything is based on measures of opportunity-to-see, and those are very different for video (viewing), audio (listening) and print (seeing without sound... until more video is added!).

Justin Fromm, ABC TV

I’m less concerned with measurement terms than I am with media measurement, itself, changing.

Chauncie Burton, Essence

Yes, the media consumption landscape is so diverse that we can’t continue to use the same measurement methods of yesteryear. It becomes a little less about the analytics and more about the psychology behind the media decision making. Oftentimes agency and buyers get very caught up in reach and scale (which are important) but it’s also important to make a connection because that’s what advertising strives to do. It makes no difference if 80 million people view an ad but no one remembers it and takes action. In today’s media world, brands and companies need to target specifically yet globally.

Which is more important—reach or frequency?

Michael Vinson, Rentrak

It depends on the goal of a media plan. Both are important. It’s long been believed (and there’s even some evidence to support the belief) that there’s a frequency “sweet spot” where a message crosses a threshold to reach consumer awareness, and beyond that the impressions are wasted. One piece that is often ignored is the frequency distribution, going beyond just average frequency. 

David Phillips, BBM Analytics

I’m guessing you’re forcing me to pick one, because the obvious answer is “it depends.” If forced to choose, I’d say reach. I’m picking reach because of the fact that amazing creative or an amazing message doesn’t need high frequency to make an impact. If a bank aired an ad saying “free money available tomorrow,” you’d only need to hear that once for the message to have an impact.

David Marans, Veteran Agency Researcher

Reach, because the only way for a commercial of any type to even potentially have an impact is if someone is exposed. And the biggest boost (impact) comes from the initial exposure, i.e., from zero to . . . something.

What are the most important metrics when evaluating digital media? 

Michael Hopkins, Doubleclick

Every industry/advertiser evaluates media differently, so to me it’s not WHAT metrics are most important, but rather how well the buyers and sellers work together to understand the metrics and apply the learning to future campaigns.

Drew Lipner, InsightExpress

Audience delivery against target, behavioral influence online (some products, brands . . . not all), shift in attitude (i.e., change in awareness), and offline behavioral influence (some brand, products . . . not all).

What are the most important metrics when evaluating print media?

David Marans, Veteran Agency Researcher

Circulation, which is the base from which all/any other metrics can be applied.

What are the most important metrics when evaluating radio media?

David Marans, Veteran Agency Researcher

Radio is now “audio” as streaming has become a growing element. For programmers, the audience. For marketers/planners/negotiators, commercial listenership metrics. Ideally from a passive device, rather than a diary.

What is your advice if given the chance to increase a media budget?

David Marans, Veteran Agency Researcher

Evaluate any decision in terms of the brand marketing/media goal(s).

What is your advice if you have to decrease a media budget?

David Marans, Veteran Agency Researcher

Cry a little and then first diminish the touchpoint with the highest frequency. 

Chapter 8

Is there one “most important” element to creating a media plan? If so, what is it? 

Andrew Green, Ipsos

Yes. A clear and reasonable set of media objectives that can be measured against and directly related to the achievement of realistic marketing objectives.

Karen Ring, GfK MRI

I think the most important element of a media plan is to be able to show value of the media investment. That doesn’t mean buying the least expensive vehicles, but rather how those vehicles can work harder for the brand in connecting with the target. Are the media engaging and relevant to the consumer? Is the timing at the point when the consumer is open to the message? These are the elements that bring value to a media plan.

How do you assess the ROI of a media plan? 

Andrew Green, Ipsos

By working out in advance the likely connection between media performance and the ultimate marketing goals, which will probably be in several stages. So, for example, the core marketing goal will probably be a profit objective. This will connect with pricing, distribution, the creative message and its impact and media weight and frequency. Econometric modeling can help here, but it has to include assessment of all marketing influences. In practice, most of these models tend to be over-reliant on easy-to-measure influences such as TV and to look at metrics such as monthly rating points, which are not always the best measure of media impact.

Conrad Nussbaum, Saatchi LA

Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer. It’s different for everything—the first step is to define the “R” (is it sales? Revenue? Market share? Web traffic? Brand opinion? Awareness? Purchase intent?) and the second step is to define the “I” (is it all media dollars? Selected media dollars? Headcount? Impressions? Facebook posts? Tweets?). We tend to try and find situations where we find a lift or correlation that shows whatever the “R” is can be cleanly attributed to whatever the “I” is. If that “R” isn’t sales, then we need to somehow show that it is linked to sales. Once we establish causation (i.e., that the “I” positively and clearly impacts the “R”), then we try and find out if the lift or correlation that we find is better or worse than normal (using past examples, industry benchmarks, whatever).

What is your best advice when presenting a media plan? 

Andrew Green, Ipsos

Relate it to the marketing goal, show understanding of the part it plays and be clear about its limitations in the grand scheme of things.

Chapter 9

Do you think the system/process for buying national television in the U.S. is going to change in the next five years? Ten years?

Bruce Goerlich, Rentrak

I think that we will evolve to a set of currency metrics in the market. Some buys will still be based on age/sex demographics. However, there will be other buys that are based on advanced demographics that are direct measures of marketing targets such as what Rentrak has created with Polk automotive, MasterCard segments and Shopper Cards. I also see pricing models shift for differential rates on 3 day, 7 day and up to 28 days of playback across the platforms of linear TV, DVR, VOD and the Internet. It will be a more complicated market.

Kristina Lutz, Clear Channel

Yes, absolutely. I think first and foremost, measurement needs to change—not only within broadcast, but also to reflect viewer consumption across devices. That will dictate how the advertising is valued and purchased.

Billy McDowell, Raycom

The process for buying national television in the U.S. needs to change, but I do not expect it will happen in 5 years. I am hopeful, however, that it will happen in the next 10 years. There are two main things advertisers are telling me they need: (1) the ability to measure exposure across platforms, and (2) help with targeting the consumer better.

Michael Vinson, Rentrak

It had better! Already, the artificial gap in CPM between cable and broadcast is eroding. As viewers move away from channel and toward content as the unit of viewing, the advertising should follow. Dynamic ad insertion, not only in VOD but in DVR and other time-shifted content as well, has been an elusive goal for a decade. It needs to be solved. Ten years from now, viewers will follow the shows they care about, on their own schedule, and will have very little awareness of networks or dayparts. The advertising will need to follow those viewers.

What is the biggest challenge for buying Internet ads (display, search, video)?

Yaakov Kimelfeld, Compete

Defending the budget allocation to the advertiser, due to lack of unifying currency between the traditional and digital media, and the inherent complexity of the latter. And secondly, digital media fragmentation.

What is the biggest challenge for advertisers in using search?

Michael Hopkins, Doubleclick

One major challenge (and opportunity) for the entire ad industry is the increased consumer adoption of mobile devices. So much changes with mobile devices that the industry will need to adapt quickly to keep advertising relevant and useful to users.

How has improved out-of-home measurement changed the way outdoor is planned/bought?

Clare Marie Panno, Posterscope

The new TAB Ratings measurement which incorporates traffic engineering, survey research, eye-tracking and modeling, has moved OOH above the line and onto more media plans. TAB Ratings, calculated from Eyes On Impressions, and produced by the Traffic Audit Bureau, (TAB) are demographically specific, align OOH to standard geography, and provide reach, frequency and GRPs for all the measured OOH media formats.

Media planners can now analyze OOH media using the same metrics, and even with the same software tools as television, radio and print. Clients who have never used OOH are purchasing it in GRPs just like television. In addition to reach and frequency, OOH can be analyzed in terms of cost efficiencies on a demographic CPP and CPM basis because the ratings are demographically specific. 

Moving forward, the explosion of digital platforms and mobile media in the OOH space have brought on new convergent measurement challenges.

Chapter 10

How should one evaluate the media plan before it is executed'?

Dave Ehlers, Optimedia

We have a robust set of key performance indicators (KPIs) before and after the campaign. Depending on the target, category, competitive set, marketing objective and the purchase funnel will help set the KPIs we are planning to measure success against.

Beth Uyenco, comScore

How well the plan (1) might include touchpoints which relate to the moments of truth or contexts in which the ad's message/promise would resonate the most and (2) how the different media in the plan are complementary: it should be clear what role each channel is to play and how it may help extend the power of the creative. I would also expect that a recommended media plan spells out appropriate criteria for measuring its success; i.e. accountability.

Chris Black, Sears

Do tactics support strategy? Does strategy align to objectives? Do objectives support marketing needs and priorities? What is the measurement plan? Cost/benefit ratio? Can I make money on the media spend? How long will it take to realize ROI? How have I brought the creative/message to life through media connections?

How should one evaluate the media plan after it is executed? 

Conrad Nussbaum, Saatchi LA

We use benchmarks based on empirical data. We look at performance (both nominal as well as pre/post or control/exposed) from our own campaigns in a wide variety of funnel metrics. We also look at industry benchmarks, market norms, to see how our plan did against a particular competitive set. 

Beth Uyenco, comScore

1. (1) Basic stewardship: that advertising ran as ordered and if it delivered within budget. Did it deliver the required touchpoints at levels expected?
2. (2) Evidence of how well the different media worked in complementary fashion.
3. (3) How the media plan met the marketer's objectives. For digital media, I would look for metrics which tell me how engaging the advertising was such as shared, searched, clicked, liked, etc.

Karen Ring, GfK MRI

Accountability is an absolutely critical component of a media plan. Technology has allowed us to create tools that can link investment to real business outcomes. Ideally the evaluative criteria are determined in advance, which will be driven by the tools available to the planning team.

Chris Black, Sears

Sales. Delivery post. ASI/IPSOS tracking. MMA (marketing mix modeling company reflecting ROI). SEO trends. Traffic counts at store location. Inventory Quality Delta.

Dave Ehlers, Optimedia

Again, we look at KPIs on the front end—what our expectations are for the campaign. It can range from broad awareness goals through to consideration and purchase intent. Each goal would have specific deliverables we would work with our partners to deliver.