An Oldie But Goodie From Tom and Kevin via OK/Cancel
For those of us who have been in the digital advertising business for several years (eh, let's say at least 5), you may have noticed a marked change in the way marketers have been utilizing digital media for advertising. (Remember when Flash vs. Gif was still a debate?)
For those who have been paying attention in the digital advertising space for the last two years you may have noticed another marked change in the way marketers have been utilizing digital media for advertising. (Whomever isn't using video already should.)
Adweek's Tim Nudd has highlighted the shifting priorities of advertising in Infographic: The Changing Scope of Advertising: A shifting landscape of formats, technologies and priorities
The four big themes in the infographic are:
Mass Market to New Media
Channels to Formats
Fixed to Mobile
Outbound to Inbound
What's cool about the chart is that while digital advertising and advancements in technology have been the catalysts for change in the industry, the chart implies that advertising is not just digital. Advertising encompasses all media channels, and for whatever reason, this bit is the most difficult for many marketers and agency partners to remember.
As a consumer myself, I know that when I want to watch something, read something, listen to something, I can get media channel agnostic. For example: If I miss an episode of Mad Men on AMC, I could just search online for the full-episode. (Thanks Veoh and Hulu.) Did I care that I wasn't watching it on AMC? Not really. Did I care that I wasn't watching it on TV? Nope. (Hint: You can hook your TV monitor up to your computer so you can use the big screen while watching online.) So if I don't really mind how I get the content I want, why do marketers care so much about which channels should be used to deliver advertising?
This is where Format Planning comes in. The concept is that marketers plan for different media formats (like video, for example) and don't worry so much about whether the video is watched on TV, online, on mobile, etc. The consumer will have the choice as to how and when they will consume the content.
The concept is not new. I have been personally throwing the term around for at least the last year. (My lowly place on the corporate totem pole may have made my voice too soft to hear. But no fear, the internet is here to help me express my views.)
So how can we change the way we plan advertising to adapt to format planning? It is up to agency partners to educate and encourage advertisers to move away from channel planning and move towards format planning.
Benefits for Advertisers:
- From a creative perspective, it's easier to deal with formats than channels.
- For advertisers who are not as familiar with digital advertising, they can leverage strategies from more traditional advertising that works with newer digital formats.
- It allows the advertiser to learn how their consumers want to see their messaging.
Benefits for Agencies:
- More fluid media planning between inventory sources.
- Better reactions to industry or competitor news in the marketplace.
- Negotiate aggressive rates on behalf of the advertisers.
Benefits for Consumers:
- Advertising campaigns can not only be more integrated, but the different formats can work together to tell the advertiser's story.
But change is one step at a time. Reading this post and thinking critically about the post is the first step.
