How to make your communication plan work harder
A cliché often used to introduce the world of media and communication is that ‘the rate of change will never be the same again’.
There are two ways one can react to this – get easily overwhelmed with the looming context of a complex operating environment or get excited about the immense opportunities this opens up.
We live in exciting times that call for a novel approach. It is equally important to ensure that we don’t get caught up in the ‘newness’ of the technology offerings.
Fundamental principles don’t need hauling.
Not too long ago a typical communication plan would feature a mix of TV, radio, print and outdoor. This may have been complemented with an element of activation and an always-on CRM or loyalty program. As we read this, a typical plan features a mix of video [interactive TV, YouTube, Video seeding (e.g.: Unruly)], Online Radio [Spotify, Saavn, Pandora, Online Radio channels, Mobile Radio], Online Print [Online Newspapers, content aggregation sites, Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and similar apps] and Interactive outdoor [Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, location]. We still have events and these are amplified immensely [through hangouts, tweets, live streams during the event and social media mentions after the event] and the always-on CRM is now via a mobile phone [more real time and personalized, with even more data about the individual].
It is easy to spot both the differences and the similarities. The key difference is that the operating environment has completely changed. Digitisation has permeated every aspect of the plan. These changes are further catalysed by even more fragmentation, a ‘snacking mindset’, non-linear access, higher awareness and hence higher expectations, mobility and an abundance of choice and information to name a few. Though the specific elements of a communication plan are changing, the fundamental tenets of reach, frequency and relevant messaging remain just as important.
The dynamic and evolving landscape provides an exciting opportunity to re-visit our approach to messaging and more specifically, the way we think about creative assets.
In the spirit of ‘an agile world requires agile thinking’, here are some quick thought-starters to ignite new approaches towards creative asset development and deployment.
#1. Reap the benefits of customisation or personalisation at scale: One of the key differentiators or benefits of digital media is the ability to target effectively. The true value of targeting can only be realised when the messaging or creative asset is customised or personalised. Multiple versioning of creatives with real-time optimisation is an irreplaceable necessity. Targeting at scale also implies that we should be not be playing around with a couple of versions but have at least 15-20 versions as a minimum base.
#2. Approach creative development differently: In an agile world, and as referenced above, we have to change the way we approach creative development and deployment. In order to drive this better we should:
• Develop a ‘Lego’ approach to asset building: Given the age of interactivity, every element of a creative has a role to play – the key visual, the button, the icon, the video and the messaging itself. As we think of the messaging, the visual and the overall creative, it is a good idea to look at each element as a building block. Real-time optimisation gives us the opportunity to quickly test and learn and figure out which combination of elements is giving us the best response, hence making our assets work harder.
• Think creative/ asset library and not specific formats: We are conditioned to think about formats in a certain way, first thinking about the platform and then creating for it. In this day and age of real-time publishing and high fragmentation, we should create a library or a hub – a huge repository of creatives and the ability to dynamically push out what is relevant at that point of time (audio, video, animation, print, rich media). This approach also helps in recycling creative that work or even utilizing similar creatives across multiple markets.
• Drive compressed creative production cycles: Given the dynamic nature of the platforms that advertising is served on nowadays, the lifespan of creative assets is much shorter. And we need many more creative assets. Depending on the format and the content, the life could be a day to a month. We have to ensure that the creative development cycles are compressed and efficient allowing creatives to be deployed with quicker frequency. The stream has to be live and packed at all times.
#3. Think ‘always on’ and connected stories: This is referenced extensively in new approaches and it is important to reiterate there is a need to have a ‘consistent thread’ across. Given the fragmentation of media channels, consumption of advertising messages is also highly dispersed. We need to ensure that there is a common thread that stitches the exposures together and the communication doesn’t come out as disparate messaging.
#4. Don’t forget fundamental rules of branding: We can easily get lost in all the above and forget the ‘business’ element and the fundamentals. The reality is we have to follow the fundamentals and best practices of branding rigorously ensuring consistency across all our assets.
The new world demands new approaches, new thinking and new ways of working. Underlying all this is the need for a new mindset. One that is able to merge the best of both worlds’ – fundamental tenets from the past and the innovative opportunities from the present. These are exciting times and if we are willing to stretch ourselves and strive for agility, the rewards are for us to reap.
The write up is part of the DMA Annual Report ‘What’s Trending 2015‘. To book your own copy of the annual, write to marketing@digitalmarket.asia
The opinions expressed in this write-up are personal and do not represent those of people, institutions or organisations that the writer may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity.
