It's funny, and his post highlights one of the things I could never understand - the media/creative split. If you get the media spend right, it amplifies the message beyond all belief. Yet it's often so pedestrian.
Sad really - the best work needs the best platform, and even mediocre work can shine if the media spend is on the money.
Charles Frith
· 2 years ago
I'm on the record as a McLuhan fan and I think Rory's post is fresh. Reminds of the time I did a media workshop with Paul Feldwick in Singapore and we got creative about media for MacDonalds.
My suggestions were ideas like using street marketing types to carry take away bags filled with burgers and fries around lunch time in the elevators. Smell and proximity being powerful motivators.
Tactical Trojan horse marketing if you will, and appropriate for elevator cities like Singapore and Hong Kong but I think creatives getting into media suggestions is very fertile area.
MJ
· 2 years ago
In my experience of working in media agencies the media is more likely to be planned some time after the creative idea has been developed. And more often than not they will illustrate the idea with a TV and press ad (that could also work outdoor, obviously). That problem/debate/issue is another story but it would be great if the media planner and account planners worked together from the outset, developing strategy that not only included the content of the communications and what we needed to say, but also the context in which those messages should be conveyed. It would save a lot of time and money for both agencies and client. Which is probably why more agencies are trying to bring media expertise back in house. Great post by the way Simon. Cheers.
S. Raghavan
· 2 years ago
I agree with the point made on loss of connectedness, case in instance being, a creative team would prefer using media budgets in releasing ads that can serve their purpose of entering awards while the media team would want to use the money in creating impact that furthers their chance of making it to media awards. We have come to operate on terms dictated by our vested interests and have forgotten the larger interest...partnering the brand in meeting the challenges set forth. There is also a great deal of reluctance amongst all concerned in getting all stakeholders together from step one.
sidekick
· 2 years ago
nice post, but i find it incredible that folk are still questioning the need to have media people around.
Hashem Bajwa
· 1 year ago
I was amazed to learn recently, and maybe I was just being naive to think otherwise, but a major global media planning agency working with many global clients is paid entirely based on the media they plan & buy. So larger media buy means more commission fee (read: profit) for that media agency.
This inherently will lead to larger media deals, more mass media, and less innovative smaller efforts. Less experimentation, less new & cutting edge, and more size. And of course its easy to sign a piece of paper contract with a big media seller like MTV or CNN than a smaller website or media partner.
Likewise its a cut and dry off the shelf media deal that's being bought, thus limiting creativity, versus a smaller more nimble smaller media source. that will create bespoke solutions in partnership.
You would think with all the talk, these old media agencies would be doing it differently, sad to discover they are not.
All Comments
It's funny, and his post highlights one of the things I could never understand - the media/creative split. If you get the media spend right, it amplifies the message beyond all belief. Yet it's often so pedestrian.
Sad really - the best work needs the best platform, and even mediocre work can shine if the media spend is on the money.
My suggestions were ideas like using street marketing types to carry take away bags filled with burgers and fries around lunch time in the elevators. Smell and proximity being powerful motivators.
Tactical Trojan horse marketing if you will, and appropriate for elevator cities like Singapore and Hong Kong but I think creatives getting into media suggestions is very fertile area.
Great post by the way Simon.
Cheers.
This inherently will lead to larger media deals, more mass media, and less innovative smaller efforts. Less experimentation, less new & cutting edge, and more size. And of course its easy to sign a piece of paper contract with a big media seller like MTV or CNN than a smaller website or media partner.
Likewise its a cut and dry off the shelf media deal that's being bought, thus limiting creativity, versus a smaller more nimble smaller media source. that will create bespoke solutions in partnership.
You would think with all the talk, these old media agencies would be doing it differently, sad to discover they are not.