Ad Age article makes good points about agencies remaining neutral so they can act in the best interest of clients. 

Image: © Kentoh | Dreamstime.com

Ad Age contributor and digital media expert Scott Ferber has an interesting article in today's Ad Age. He points out that in the changing and increasingly fragmented media industry, traditional agencies are tempted to acquire or develop proprietary digital media networks in order to attain a bigger piece of the shrinking ad pie.

Ferber contends that this is an ill-advised strategy, and I agree with the points he makes to support this. In my opinion, one of the best differentiating values a marketing partner can bring to the table for its client is its OBJECTIVITY.

Being objective and, therefore solution-neutral, enables an agency to recommend the marketing strategy, medium or message that will deliver the most impact. In my view, these strategies should be borne out of consumer insight; with the market being a significant factor in determining the approach.  

To invest in specific digital media, clouds an agency's judgement and gives it a vested interest beyond that of its client. Think of a doctor that invests in the development and distribution of a particular drug. Amazing how many times they would presscribe this drug to their patients, and for all kinds of ailments. An absurd example, perhaps, but something is to be learned from it.

As experts in the field of marketing communications, agencies should definitely be open to new and emerging approaches as well as the traditional proven ones. But rather than owning the media, they should instead apply their efforts to scanning the available media technologies, understanding them and developing innovative strategies to harness their power. 

| RD 

Full Ad Age article here: 

Why Agencies Are Better Off Staying Out of the Tech Business

Choosing Winners, Not Owning the Players, Is How Agencies Should Work With Tech

 

 

This month Concerto Marketing Group and Research Now completed a study that explored the topic of community trust in public institutions and political leaders. The report has received a lot of media attention as it rates and explains the level of trust in various community organizations. 

“This report provides a unique look at the topic of community trust,” said Concerto Partner, Rob Dawson. “Given the many benefits it provides, maintaining community trust and understanding the psychological drivers that influence it should be a top priority for any public organization or leader.”

Further Details here:  http://www.concertomarketing.com/wordpress/?p=1050 

Media Coverage here: http://www.concertomarketing.com/wordpress/ 

 

 

 

Read The Contagious Report

More and more, marketing today is about connecting the dots. Whether it is developing real 1:1 relationships, integrating brand communications across multiple channels or leveraging social networks, the job of marketers is to understand, experience and connect.

And so it was with the 2010 BCAIM Contagious Conference. By bringing together the brightest minds in marketing for a day of insights and sharing, we at Concerto saw the opportunity to leverage this brain trust for everyone’s benefit. Throughout the conference we asked delegates topical questions about the state of marketing today, gathering those insights electronically in real-time.

This Contagious Conference report is a compilation of those survey interactions; taking the pulse of the Contagious participants. Intentionally graphic in nature, we trust you will find the dots we’ve connected to be both interesting and thought provoking.

Enjoy the read. Learn from the insights. Share the results.  

Perhaps with a little more certainty about your industry, your peers and your opportunities, you will have some inspiration to connect the dots for your own brand.  

View the Full Report at: 

http://www.concertomarketing.com/wordpress/

 

| RD

 

 

 

 

File this one in the category: "What took you so long".

According to Advertising Age today, the famed Cannes Lion International Advertising Festival will introduce a new category for Advertising Effectiveness in 2011. The new award will recognize creative that:

" has shown a measurable and proven impact on a client's business -- creativity that effects consumer behavior, brand equity, sales and, where identifiable, profit."  

Great stuff Cannes!

For myself, and I would venture to say many others in the marketing field, this is long overdue. Isn’t the purpose of advertising to show a measurable impact? To affect consumer behaviour and drive brand equity?

I think the industry has avoided this reality for far too long. In today’s world, breakthrough creative is, YES, commendable. Absolutely!  Indeed it is essential to pushing the boundaries with over-messaged consumers. But creative without effectiveness does nothing but stroke the egos of those involved.

Effectiveness is a three part equation.

It starts with INSIGHT. Real, deep insight that understands and predicts consumer motivations.

This is then brought to life with STRATEGY. Smart, compelling strategy that embraces the insights and doesn’t selectively ignore them.

Armed with this knowledge, CREATIVE is then free to roam the fields of consumer landscape to attract, engage and inspire those consumers that matter to the brand.

Couple this approach with some good, solid measurement before and after the fact, and you have a winning combination that receives the most important award: the one of business growth.

|RD

 

 

 

 

 

A new study shows that 75% of Americans have found a commercial on TV confusing...

...and a quarter of them say this is often the case. As marketers, we should be very concerned about this. Mitch Joel makes some excellent points about this Adweek Media/Harris Poll study and its implications on his BLOG post today.

What are conventional marketers doing wrong? I'd say they're not taking the time to understand consumers, what motivates them and what their needs are. It's the brand's agenda, or in many cases the agency's, that is driving the advertising. While the brand does need to be true to itself, it also needs to be compelling, relevant and coherent to the consumers it seeks to attract. This is where advertisers are apparently falling short and this study points to the results. 

Good insight and smart strategy can go a long way to overcoming this gap. And when they are combined with creativity that simplifies the message, the results will be delivered. Marketers are just too clever sometimes and consumers have neither the time nor the desire to sit down and figure it out. Being clever. Being entertaining. Both are admirable attributes; but when the message gets lost, then there is no point.  

Further details about the study, can be found here:

 http://www.harrisinteractive.com/NewsRoom/HarrisPolls/tabid/447/mid/1508/articleId/570/ctl/ReadCustom%20Default/Default.aspx 

 

|RD

 

 

Concerto has two immediate openings in our marketing group. We're looking for bright, talented individuals to join our client service team. Full details can be found at: 

http://www.concertomarketing.com/wordpress/?p=607 

Our unique approach of developing brands with certainty is gaining momentum. In the last few months we have developed several new client relationships while building upon our longstanding ones. As we head into the busy Fall and 2011 fiscal, we are looking to add to our smart, dynamic team. These client-focused roles in our marketing group are fully described on our website. They are great opportunities for the right people to join our firm and add value to our certainty-based marketing services model.

|RD  

Let's get to the real issues:

An article ran recently in BC Business magazine discussing the now old debate over online vs. traditional data collection methods. In my opinion, this debate is a sidebar issue facing the industry today. 

Read the article here:

http://www.bcbusinessonline.ca/bcb/top-stories/2010/05/05/angus-reid-line 

And my comments on the bigger issue facing not only market research, but the greater marketing services sector today.

http://www.bcbusinessonline.ca/bcb/top-stories/2010/05/05/angus-reid-line#comment-40069 

The debate over data collection methods (i.e. telephone vs. online) is at the end of the day an old one, to be argued by academics. It is, at best, a sidebar to the greater issue facing the market research industry today: that of relevance and innovation. Purveyors of market research should be asking themselves if the data they are providing, no matter how collected, truly delivers insights. Is it relevant to their client and the decisions they need to make? Is it presented in a coherent framework that adds value? 

So much of market research today is merely a dump of data, with no meaning behind the numbers: templated reporting of tables and charts. Data collection, however, is a commodity and market researchers who continue to provide commodity service run the risk of becoming extinct. 

Having been both a purchaser and a purveyor of market research for over 20 years, I believe that what the industry's clients require is more certainty. Certainty comes from mining real insights from the quantitative and qualitative information that is gathered. Certainty comes from having innovative models that explain deep consumer needs and motivations. Certainty comes from truly understanding the decisions to be made from the research and structuring insights such that these decisions can be made with confidence. And certainty comes from being able to support the execution of these decisions by collaborating and integrating marketing service offerings. 

Ironically, the question of relevance and innovation is the same issue facing the greater marketing services industry. Whereas ideas alone were good enough in the past, ideas founded on true insight are what is required to drive marketing ROI today. 

And so, while sidebar debates like that featured in this article rage on around the water coolers of traditional market research firms, the real issues are being discussed and decided on around the boardroom tables of clients.  Many are seeking a better approach that is relevant and innovative; an approach that helps them to make informed decisions with certainty.  

 

|RD

Photo: J.R. Eyerman

The trend is up in the cinema business. According to a Wall Street Journal article today, 3-D movie screens are in short supply. In addition, 12 execs and insider shareholders of theater operator Cinemark sold a combined $181M in shares that were trading at an all time high.  

With the resurgence of 3-D cinema and the advent of 3-D TV, I am left wondering if 3-D is finally here to stay or whether it is a passing fad that will fade out again as it has in the past? 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303601504575154200486635886.html#articleTabs%3Darticle 

Further, what products and services will this entertainment and media trend spawn? How long before we have designer 3-D glasses, 3-D capable computer screens, augmented reality television and the like? Will 3-D movie theaters sell Gravol at the concession stand for those who get motion sickness? 

More importantly, what are the implications for brands and marketers? 3-D TV and theater ads on their way? What consumer insights can be gleaned from the 3-D experience? Do consumers really want it, long term? 

|RD

 

"The common failing among agencies seeking new business,
is their inability or unwillingness
to name what they stand for and market themselves
on distinguishable differences."  

-- Agency search consultant Bob Lundin

It seems so obvious to me, that an agency must differentiate itself in order to create long-term sustainable success. What's more, doing so enables the firm to break out of the rat race of pitches and all-too-frequent agency reviews. Yet, for many firms they fail to practice what they preach. 

The following blog post commenting on a recent Advertising Age article on the topic is a quick read and has some tremendous insights that any agency today can learn from.

http://fuelingnewbusiness.com/2010/01/20/ad-age-clients-change-ad-agencies/

I particularly like the benefits that are touted:

"Agencies that have an appealing point of differentiation to a particular target audience have:

• a much larger geographical marketing area
• more earning power
• few competitors
• clients that respect them
• more viable new business opportunities with less cost"

 

So glad to be part of a firm that does. 

|RD