2015 rang true with the anticipated digital growth and enthusiasm.
Mobile led and ‘download the app’ became an almost expected byline. Popular companies saw fit to do away with the very website that built their brand. And, the viewers that most marketers wanted to tap were multi-screen. Further, media measurement across the multi-screens and the rural customer became legitimate. Year-on-Year the only constant with media has been change, some more disruptive; but nonetheless – it’s change.
With the changing role of today’s ‘Media Agency’ they can aptly be re-branded -‘Media Brand Smith.’
Closely aligned to client, brand and their customer, the Brand Smith must blend brand ethos and objective in a compelling story using relevant prevailing media and technology. Drawing from ensuing trends, the Brand Smith must craft unique SMART business solutions – that resonate to the brand’s core, echoing it to its customer perception. A ‘meaningful’ solution will be all the better! The Brand Smith further needs to be unwaveringly consistent in this task. They need to be the brand, the agency, the expert and the customer all rolled into one for a full perspective.
Media Agencies need to unlearn, learn, re-learn, adapt, collaborate and communicate in a way they have never done before within their own internal teams as well as external stakeholders to sprout ideas and talent, both latent and new. Integration is a tough word and matter does not integrate easily. Integration of people, tech, knowledge and skill on the foundation of an idea, takes time; so does the idea itself.
The job is to be informed and inform, what to do and when, as well as what not to do. It is not about the razzle-dazzle of data, beacons, 3D printing, Augmented Reality, etc., or the immediate big ticket spend but a deeper articulation of the insights, the technology-devices details, its uses, the brand fit and campaign fit – for the long term.
We live in exciting times with a flood of opportunities and technologies coming out like from a Pandora’s Box. Channelising this and helping clients navigate through a shifting-sands media-devices landscape to unleash its potential will not only win new customers, build engaging-entertaining content but more so create some memorable brand and client experiences!
2016 is a year we wholeheartedly look forward to. Undoubtedly it will be interesting with some amazing work and of course a very challenging one.
(These are purely personal views of Havas Media Group, India & South Asia CEO Anita Nayyar and Indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)
