It can be a bit like ‘Games of Thrones’, whenever the debate of media versus message surfaces. In a digital world, power-centers have shifted. Creative agencies are embracing data and technology, a turf that their media agency counterparts have ruled since inception. The changing dynamics have only fuelled the debate further, raising even more interest on which discipline is geared for the unpredictable future. For long, industry thought leaders have been quoted on the one-line explanations of ‘the blurring lines’, ‘the idea comes from anywhere’, ‘media agencies can also be creative’ and so on. But the war in Middle East and North Africa is only heating up, as the region matures to find its own creative language in a fast evolving media landscape.
Publicis Group agencies – Leo Burnett and NewCast Media, sibling to ZenithOptimedia, – voice their opinion on the age old debate.
Yousef Tuqan Tuqan, Chief Innovation Officer, Leo Burnett/Publicis Group MENA
On the Discipline that Leads…
I don’t think any discipline is clearly leading the way anymore. What we have seen over the last few years is that as every discipline adapted its offering to the new realities of our social and mobile audience, agencies are reclaiming their place at the table. That is the more important change. When ad agencies were unable to tell stories that lived on social media, then media and PR agencies did it for them. When media agencies were not able to manage Facebook, or Twitter and others, as a paid media channel, everyone became a social media expert. In the last 18 months, we’ve seen a reset whereby agencies are going back to doing what they do best, and working together to offer the best possible integrated offering.
On Idea Versus Data…
Regardless of how much data you have, great stories are the only way to connect with people on a meaningful level. However, creative agencies need to be better informed on consumer behavior, use listening and analytics to inform their insights, and adapt their creative product to work in the new world. Making one TVC for a Pan-Arab TV station that will show the same ad to 200 million Arabs is different than being able to infinitely customize an ad for audiences on the web.
CV Suvi, Managing Director, Newcast MENA
On the Discipline that Leads…
The need and push for integration have led large holding companies to rethink the role and reassess the value of either disciplines for both advertiser and consumer engagement. This is happening because we are now in a new era for brand storytelling, where creative messaging is no longer constrained by the old traditional boundaries of duration, format and media environment. Now, our stories can, and must be, far richer in terms of actual content.
The place in which this content appears is increasingly natural, native editorial environments. We’re not just in the show anymore; we can be the show itself. Likewise, who the ‘creatives’ are is changing and is longer who you might expect them to be.
Consumers today expect brands to be accessible 24/7 and from any location. We’ve been talking about the ‘always-on’ consumer for a while now, but the language and the definition are actually now redundant, since everyone is continually connected. It’s the new normal.
On The Owned-First Approach
The rise of owned and earned media has been perhaps more rapid than people expected. Our Touchpoints ROI Tracker tool tells that Owned channels now account for 40 per cent of our experience of a brand, with digital owned channels like brand websites, Facebook pages and Twitter feeds being the key drivers. We know that Paid, Owned and Earned each has a different level of influence for different stages in the customer journey. We also know that owned channels have a higher influence on active consideration and purchase than paid channels. So it’s time we changed our approach. We need to shift our emphasis from Paid to Owned to ensure we have the maximum impact on revenue and at the same time develop a new role for paid media – as a promotional driver to the owned channels. It’s time for ‘Owned First’ approach.
And this brings good news for the creative industry – the sandbox got a whole lot bigger.
On The Changing Conventions
Creative agencies have conventionally played the role of brand custodians and ‘owners’ of big ideas. However, it is not just about advertising anymore. It’s about content and, also, the live experience of a brand. It is about telling a brand story across a massive range of platforms and devices.
It is imperative to understand what our audiences are looking for, what the role of the brand in that space should be, and how the brand story can be native to the environment. Our Content Audit does exactly that. It is one powerful process we use to assess the competitive landscape spanning both owned and earned brand content. Content Audit works to identify various untapped opportunities or ‘gaps’ so that brands can, in turn, create an integrated, consumer-centric content strategy.
We need to confidently embrace a totally new model for brand storytelling. The onus rests on whoever has an active understanding of the business, the brand and the audience. The one who can tell a compelling brand story that translates the paid, owned and earned landscape will lead the way.
This article was published in The Arabian Marketer February print issue.
To get your own copy, please email to marketing@arabianmarketer.ae
