Media-Manifesto, 12 theses for the future media planning!

Mittwoch, 17. Februar 2010

Preamble

Webguerillas celebrates it’s tenth birthday in 2010. A major milestone for the company and at the same time an ideal opportunity to pause and take a look back over the past decade. What strikes one immediately is the fact that the media industry has been struggling to keep pace with the speed of change in it’s sector during recent years. Conventional media planning and media placement with their numerous currencies and metrics have now reached an impasse and are covering less and less of today’s media usage. Above all, the impact on young people, with their affinity for the internet and in particular for social media platforms, is simply inadequate.

With this „Media Manifesto“, webguerillas is laying down an initial interdisciplinary marker for the future of media measurement. For the concepts to be implemented, a cross-sectoral consensus is required. It is against this background that the following initial ideas are presented, offering a basis for discussion about a fundamentally different media planning which takes better account of actual media usage.

David EicherMunich, February 2010

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1. Communities versus „traditional“ content websites

• Websites of the „traditional“ media: innovation leaders in the Web 1.0 sector

• Highest coverage in the net• Business model centered on

„traditional“ display/banner advertising

• Editorial/published content as a key asset

• Very little interaction/networking among users

• Social communities establish Web 2.0

• Highest coverage in the net• Development of new, innovative

advertising concepts away from „traditional“ advertising business

• User networking as a key asset• Web 2.0 as a virtual extension

of real life

In terms of popularity among users, social communities are now clearly outstripping the „traditional“ content sites and portals. There are fundamental differences in the mode of operation of these Web 2.0 offerings as compared with conventional sites. The consequence: traditional advertising methods and media currencies are losing ground.

up to now in the future

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2. Advertising „pull“ instead of advertising „push“

• Large number of advertising contacts as parameters for success

• Traditional „push“ mechanism (sender-receiver-principle)

• Predominantly quantitative planning and measurement

• Danger of negative response on the part of consumers

• No involvement/no interaction with the consumer

• A small number of high-quality contacts generate their own dynamism in the Web (advertising „pull“)

• Qualitative „pull“ mechanism• Creativity and humor as parameters

for success

• Major „activation“ potential, increased user retention

• Dialog between brand and user

• Contact with the user evolves into a relationship with the user

The challenge for the future will be to animate and activate consumers and to incorporate their personal networks into campaigns. This does not necessarily require a high degree of previous advertising pressure („push“) in the Web.


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3. Fan club instead of target group

• Definition of supposedly homogeneous social groups (on the basis of socio-demographic characteristics)

• In many cases no account is taken of social trends, such as the breakup of traditional milieus

• Very little information about brand loyalty

• No account taken of multiplier/ opinion former effects

• Metrics for attachment to a brand

• Account is taken of the breakup of traditional milieu structures

• Networking and community building as parameters for success

• Metrics which take due account of willingness to recommend and also multiplier/opinion former effects in the Web

Now that Germany’s Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has outed himself as an AC/DC fan, it is obvious that the traditional target group is a thing of the past. What is needed is a method which clearly identifies (potential) fans of a brand.


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4. Loss of activity instead of scatter loss

• Indicator of erroneous media planning

• Purely quantitative metric• Mass appeal is a prerequisite

• Broadcast mode is a basic factor

• Indicator of lack of activation potential

• Account taken of qualitative effects (creation/conceptualizion)

• Individual appeal is a prerequisite

• Dialog with the consumer is a basic factor

The term „scatter loss“ is now out of date. In the digital era each consumer can be targeted individually. The decisive factor in the future will be how actively and how frequently consumers interact with brands and how committed they are to the brand in question.


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5. Cost per Thousand Dialogs instead of Cost per Thousand Contacts

• Metric for visual contacts

• Metric for a one-off contact • Purely quantitative metric for cost

calculation purposes

• No account taken of the (editing) environment

• No account taken of the recipient’s involvement

• Parameter for active dialog with the customer

• Metric for longer-term/permanent contact with consumers

• Both a qualitative and quantitative metric

• Inclusion of the qualitative component

• Consumer’s involvement is taken into account

The so-called Cost per Thousand Contacts has served its purpose. It provides no indication of the activation potential of consumers. In the future this will be measured by the Cost per Thousand Dialogs – a parameter for the active dialog with customers.


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6. Gross Involvement Volume instead of Gross Rating Point

• Metric for the average advertising „push“ within the target group

• High-percentage range can compensate for a low targeting frequency (and vice versa)

• No indication of whether thetargeted consumer has actually seen the ad

• No indication of the advertising impact

• Metric for activation potential in the target group

• Precise measurement of the target group actually reached

• Indication of the advertising impact possible

The Gross Rating Point (GRP) is a metric which indicates the average exposure that advertising receives. In the Web 2.0 era, it is being replaced increasingly by the Gross Involvement Volume (GIV). This gives a clearer indication of the actual advertising impact.


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7. „Always on“ instead of audience ratings

• Metric for viewing ratings per household (as a percentage)

• Based on conventional linear TV usage

• Comparatively complex procedure for the panel households

• No indication of possible simultaneous multiple usage of media possible

• Measurement of a contact opportunity

• Registration of total media behavior in the net

• Also coverage of non-linear TV and parallel usage

• Much more realistic indication of media usage by younger target groups

• Precise metrics• Easy to use

• Measurement of an actual contact

The importance of audience ratings is constantly decreasing. Younger target groups watch TV via the internet (non-linear). At the same time, they network in communities and read the latest news. They are „always on“ – always in the Web and always accessible.


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8. Actively involved instead of passively receiving

• Model of the passive media consumer in „lean back“ mode

• No or very little possibility of interaction or dialog

• Traditional broadcast mode

• No account taken of involvement

• Model of the active media consumer in „lean forward“ mode

• Dialog (Web 2.0) as a key feature • Brand and consumer communicate

„on equal terms“

In terms of media planning, much less importance is now attached to the couch potato slouched in front of the TV set. Today’s media consumer is (by and large) much more active: advertisers and media decision-makers need to completely rethink their approach.


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9. Brand content versus media content

• Traditional media have textual and interpretive sovereignty (opinion leadership)

• High level of credibility• Clearly structured media sector

• Consumers as recipients of media• Comparatively weak brand

content/CP

• Companies reach and retain users by means of their own content strategies (in the net)

• Traditional media are losing credibility

• Bloggers are challenging the traditional media for interpretive sovereignity (opinion leadership)

• Consumers as active media designers

The traditional media landscape is gradually disappearing as brands and bloggers vie with edited content sites for users’ attention. The winner will be the one which offers clear added value.


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10. Realtime monitoring instead of coverage surveys

• Delayed reproduction/mapping of media usage

• Distortion of audiences as a result of short-term publishing promotions (competitions)

• Risk of incorrect information and mix-ups in coverage surveys

• Socio-demographic cluster formation on the basis of the survey findings

• Realtime reproduction/mapping of media usage

• No distortion of total audiences• Targeting establishes actual interests

• Determination of brand likes and dislikes in social communities

The current coverage surveys are simply an anachronism in the Web 2.0 era. Their representation of media usage is inadequate. What we need is end-to-end, realtime monitoring.


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11. Global village instead of Nielsen sweeps

• Model of the „immobile“ citizen

• Based on lifestyles and brand preferences with a powerful regional character

• Geographical divisions based on Nielsen

• Traditional values

• Model of the global „citizen of the world“

• Internationally, brand preferences are becoming increasingly similar

• Community building based on similar interests, irrespective of time and place

• Traditional brand images are called into question

Dividing up the map of Germany on the basis of Nielsen regions and ratings is totally out of date. What is needed are divisions and metrics that reflect today’s cosmopolitan mindset.


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12. Brand ambassadors versus advertising media

• Media used to convey advertising messages

• Advertising as a disruptive effect on edited content

• Targeting a large number of consumers a prerequisite

• Risk of considerable scatter loss • Decline in acceptance of advertising

• Multipliers/opinion formers in the net report on their brand preferences

• High degree of authenticity• Community building for

individual brands possible

• No scatter loss• No falling off in acceptance

of advertising

There have been fundamental changes in the media landscape and in media behavior patterns. Yet the mechanisms in the advertising sector with its „broadcast“ principle have remained the same for 50 years. Can anyone be surprised at the lack of acceptance?


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Media-Manifesto, 12 theses for the future media planning!

Business

gross rating

traditional

media planning

future model

thousand contacts

advertising

community

realtime monitoring