Geary Interactive's CEO/president describes his agency's successful tactic of using consumer behavior to dictate the media mix in an integrated campaign.
Integrated campaigns have been one of the most discussed topics in our industry. As marketers, we are not only trying to get an understanding of this concept-- but more, to figure out how to optimally execute it. An important piece in the planning of an integrated campaign is a budgetary allocation process that is built on the same principles.
Current execution
In the current state of an integrated approach, it seems that some budget allocations are generally based on either the client's or agency's media preference and then pushed on to specialty parties. In other cases, agency representatives from all areas of discipline are establishing their own budget levels in an isolated fashion and then trying to piece them together like building blocks. These techniques are missing components, whether in coverage or budget allocation, pushing the need for the development of an integrated marketing approach.
The integrated solution
The solution to creating an integrated budget is allowing the customer to lead the way. Through conferences and research, we have realized that the consumer has taken control of advertising. We have come to learn that our creative executions must speak to the consumers versus us pushing ourselves onto them.
So why don't we extend this philosophy into our budgetary planning process? The better we are upfront at allocating the budgets properly, the closer we become to a high campaign success rate without wasting the clients' budgets through a long-winded optimization process.
The process
The way to let the consumer rule your budget and help you successfully execute your campaign with an integrated approach is achieved through various steps. At my agency, we have found that if we follow these principles, our campaigns reach successful metrics much earlier.
The first step is to identify an average day in the life of your consumer. Developing a profile about your target audience by building out a 24-hour period of your key consumers helps you get an idea of their habits. Make sure that you are as descriptive as possible in all elements of the day, for example, "a consumer is at home in the evening watching TV, but not fully concentrating on it as they are also working on their computer." You can even have drawn animations of a typical consumer's day!
Next, think about whether the product and service you are promoting is a special occasion purchase or part of the consumer's typical purchasing behavior. If it is a special occasion item, then build a profile on your consumer's awareness, interest, preference and purchase to fully understand their actions and organize the campaign efforts.
Third, map consumer behavior with the percentage of time spent. Once you understand what your key consumer's average daily profile looks like, you can start developing a timeframe spent for all major behaviors. One hundred percent means an entire day, so start allocating!
Also make sure that you identify the required dependencies between media and allocate budgets for them. For example, if you foresee combination consumption between TV and computer, ensure that you not only have online banners during this time but also search initiatives for consumption overflow.
Additionally, attach a media channel. Look at the profile you have built and find areas of media contact in the main channels, including TV, radio, print, outdoor, internet, mail and below-the-line activities, and try to connect them to the profile. Once you have these overall budget allocations, they can be translated into budget percentages and you can reach into each media category. Don't forget to give each specialty, such as online, the objective to split the budgets up within their discipline.
Consumer control
The underlying factor to remember is that the consumer is in control-- even in the budgetary process. I am personally against building a big, creative idea and seeing how the campaign can be best executed in media channels. In my opinion, the consumer comes first, which triggers media efforts and then ultimately results in creative executions.
Since we do not have cohesive and integrated media planning solutions in place at this time, I wanted to provide a model for proper budget allocations for agencies and clients who work together on campaigns. Allocations where the consumer is put first, versus the ego of the individual advertising entities, lead to better results. It is important to backup your profile through consumer surveys. After the budgetary process, the next big hurdle in your pursuit for an optimal integrated campaign is to establish a comprehensive tracking mechanism that accounts for the multiple levels of engagement between all media elements. But that's another discussion.
Andreas Roell is CEO/president of Geary Interactive. Read full bio.